Thursday, August 5, 2010

Stockpiling 101 - Why is Stockpiling Important? - Part Two

Part Two of Stockpiling 101 we will discuss the importance of Stockpiling. Yesterday's topic was 'What is Stockpiling?,', if you did not have a chance to read yesterday's topic you may want to start there.

There are a few reasons to stockpile. 1- it will help cut the cost of your grocery bill along with using coupons and sales. 2 - it creates a reserve for times when your budget may be even tighter than expected due to unforeseen circumstances. 3 - comes in handy when family, friends, or community members are in need. 
Cut Your Grocery Bill
As you begin to build your stockpile with all the Stockpile Items, mentioned in part one of this series, you will find that you won't have to buy items because you need them, instead you buy items because they are deeply discounted and are at their rock bottom prices. 

In essence, not only are having to buy less, but the items you are buying are extremely cheap if not FREE or even time Money Makers (MM). 

My suggestion though is not to stop grocery shopping because you have such a large stockpile, you want to keep your stockpile well stocked, instead even if you are in need of items, which is a place you want to be (the whole point of stockpiling), you will be able to buy only very cheap or free items during the week. If your stockpile get depleted you will find you have to go back into Need mode and purchase items that aren't on sale, and that are at their highest prices, pushing your grocery budget back up. 

Having said that you also don't want to have so much stuff that it goes bad on either the shelf or in the freezer. You just need enough that it will last you and your family for at least 2-4 months worth. Some items can be enough for up to 6 months or more depending upon its shelf life or freezer life. (For instance paper products can certainly last longer than 6 months). 

Create a Reserve
If you talk to most financial experts they will tell you it is important to have enough savings to cover 3-6 months worth of expenses in case unforeseen financial circumstances were to happen (such as a job lay off, sick family member, ect...). 

Think of your grocery reserve in the same sense. By having 3-6 months worth of food/grocery items in your stockpile, if something were to come up financially or otherwise you will have something to fall back on during tough times. This will also assist you financially during tough times. There could be a week or two something comes up that you could use your weekly grocery budget on, because you already have enough reserve to get you through during that time. 

Give Back To Others
The other great reason for having a well established stockpile is to be able to give items out to others in need, such as friend or family or even back to your community. With my stockpile I have family and friends who come by and I am able to give out items they need that I bought lots of because the majority of the items in my stockpile are under $1 and most of those were FREE! 

Also during food drives I have so much on hand that I can reach in and pull out a bag or two of items to give to those who are in greater need. Which as they say "it's always be to give than to receive". I love that I can give and it doesn't take a lot of effort on my part at all, as everything I need to give out is already in my own home, I don't have to run out and make a last minute trip and spend a lot of money, and I am able to give more than I would have without the use of coupons and sales. 

As you can see there are substantial reasons to have a stockpile: to save more money, have a reserve, and to give back to others around you. 

Tomorrow we will discuss How Do I Create a Stockpile?

1 comment:

  1. Wow! Great suggestions! I need to get better with couponing! Great site. Found you on MBC. ~Kimberly