How to Get a Grocery Stockpile Going

Make a list of items that your household always uses, and stick to those items when bargain hunting. It's tempting to succumb to a great "can't miss" deal on something that seems like a good idea at the time. Trouble is, if you buy that great deal you will have less money to spend on things that you really need. For example, say you rarely eat toaster pastries, but stumble across a buy one, get one free sale. Skip it. Stay focused and move on to the staples on your list, such as toothpaste or toilet paper.

Clip coupons. If you've never made a habit of doing so, you might have to retrain yourself to not automatically toss that section of the newspaper. The grocery store mailer? It's not junk anymore. Take time and look for deals on what you need. Remember, shelf life is an issue when getting a grocery stockpile, so if it's perishable, it should at least be something that will last in the freezer. For example, beef works fine. Eggs, not so much.

Purchase one category of stockpile items with each trip to the grocery store. For example, on the first trip, there might be a sale on boxed dinners or canned goods. Purchase as much as you can of those items, in addition to your regular groceries. There's no need to get everything in your stockpile at once; you can build it gradually. The best part is that the goods purchased are for future consumption; there's no disappointment that an item is not on sale until next week, since you don't need it right now. Simply let the coupon calendar dictate when you purchase given items.

Organize your burgeoning stockpile. Some items with long shelf lives, such as unopened tomato sauce, can still go bad eventually. Decide what system works best for you, but the general idea is to label and date your items. Place older items in the front and newer ones in the back of the freezer or pantry. It also helps to keep a list in the kitchen of what you have, so you know what to buy and which sales to look for. This might seem like an unnecessary step at first, given that there's very little to keep track of, but it will come in handy once you have accumulated a wealth of items.