Money Saving 101

Money Saving 101: Stockpile, Stockpile, Stockpile!

(This post is the fifth of the original “Money Saving 101″ section of the 100 Ways to Save Money ebook. Read other sections: Part I: Make a List, Part II: Be Aware of Sales Cycles, Part III: Keep a Price Book, Part IV: Check Per Unit Pricing.)

Stockpiling is a fantastic way to save money because you’ll have many products you need readily available to you.

“I don’t have any extra room,” you might say. If you have any free space in your home whatsoever, you have room. You can tuck stockpiled items under beds or furniture, high up in cabinets, or in that dusty little corner of the garage (after you remove the dust, of course!).

It also helps to remove items from their packages, if possible. Ten boxes of aspirin take up a lot more room than ten bottles. (You can go even further by opening the bottles and consolidating the contents – you can usually fit two or three bottles of aspirin into only one after you take out all of the cotton.)

In addition, don’t discount the idea of outdoor storage. I have a great deck box out on my balcony that I use to store toilet paper, paper towels, muffin mix, razors, and more. It easily keeps out the elements, plus I make sure to keep everything safely tucked away inside plastic bags. I’ve never had a problem yet and it helps lighten the stockpile load inside of my home.

“My friends or family might think it’s tacky” is something else I hear people say.

First – trust me, they won’t think it’s tacky once you tell them that you got it all for free (or close to it). And if they do, offer them some of your extras every once in awhile. People quickly shut their mouths when offered freebies they’re usually wasting their money on!

Second – there are easy ways to hide your stockpile if you’re worried about people’s comments. If you put your stockpile items in boxes and store them in the garage, who’s going to know what they are? You can also stack items and cover them with decorative fabric or hide them under furniture (just don’t have the relatives around when you’re pulling toothpaste out from under your couch.)

If you have the space and you don’t care about people seeing it (you shouldn’t!), consider setting up a shelving unit. You can get inexpensive metal shelves from Target or Walmart that will hold a lot of your stockpile. These go great in the garage, laundry room, or closet.

If you don’t have the space for standing shelves, consider shelving that you can attach to your ceiling. These work well in places where you don’t have the floor room to stack your stockpile, but do have some extra room on the ceiling.

Over-the-door shoe holders work well for holding small stockpile items. They usually have around 20 plastic sleeves that will hold plenty of toothpaste, deodorant, toothbrushes, shaving cream, and more. They only cost a few dollars and I’ve frequently found them on clearance. Think of all of the doors you have in your house – that’s a lot of storage room!

Plastic containers in all shapes and sizes are helpful to group similar items and to keep things tidy.

Remember to always rotate your stockpile. Even things like toothpaste and medicine expire, so it’s a good idea to keep items expiring soonest near the top (or front) of your stockpile. I like to check everything out once every month to make sure I’m using the items expiring soonest.

If you are stockpiling a lot of food products, you might want to look into a second freezer if you have the room. Here is a link to Food Storage Guidelines for Consumers on the Virginia Tech website: http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/foods/348-960/348-960.html. It lists many common products along with their pantry, refrigerator, and freezer storage times.

I also recommend keeping an inventory of your stockpile. You can easily set up a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet (or a free alternative at http://www.openoffice.org.) that lists the product’s category, name, quantity, and expiration date. You can also add the location if you stockpile in multiple places. Update your sheet whenever you bring home new items. This will keep you from scrambling to find the last bottle of your Nexxus shampoo or the refills for your Venus razor.

Filed Under: Ways to Save Money

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Money Saving 101: Check Per Unit Pricing

(This post is part of the original “Money Saving 101″ section of the 100 Ways to Save Money ebook. Read other sections: Part I: Make a List, Part II: Be Aware of Sales Cycles, Part III: Keep a Price Book, Part IV: Check Per Unit Pricing.), Part V: Stockpile, Stockpile, Stockpile!

You’re at the grocery store and see a small size of your favorite cereal for $2.99. You’re about to pick it up when you see a huge box for $5.99. What do you do?

Maybe you go for the small box because you don’t think you should spend the extra three dollars. Or maybe you go for the big box because you certainly get much more cereal for only three dollars more!

In this situation, you must check the shelf price tag. Most stores will provide the per unit price (usually in ounces for cereal). Sometimes the smaller box has the lower per unit price and sometimes the larger box does. Do not mistake a large quantity for a better deal. Sometimes it is, but sometimes you are being fooled. (Note: if you have a coupon for the product, make sure to factor this into the unit price.)

If the larger box is a better deal and you are worried about storage, invest in some tightly sealed plastic storage containers to store the extra cereal. It may seem like a hassle at first, but you will save a lot of money in the long run.

By the way, if your store doesn’t have a per unit price, just pull out your calculator and calculate it yourself. Yes, your calculator. I use the calculator on my cell phone, but you could also bring a small pocket-sized calculator. I also never shop without a pen or pencil and a small notepad – it makes figuring out deals much easier.

Filed Under: Ways to Save Money

Ways to Save Money – Join the Discussion!

Do you regularly check per unit pricing? Share it with us in the comments below: