Buy in bulk/stock pile tribe - Page 4

[krankedyann]

I hate to shop and I refuse to pay full price for just about anything.

[AngelBee]

Originally Posted by krankedyann

I hate to shop and I refuse to pay full price for just about anything.

Me too.

[Juvysen]

Originally Posted by Jenelle

Okay, I knew there was something going on with New York paying sales tax on Amazon. Maybe it's only New York then?

Quite possibly. It would not be shocking

[WeasleyMum]

Originally Posted by SeekingJoy

Along the lines of stocking what we eat, does anyone else stock in an aspirational way? For example, I find that if I stock up on ice cream or some other processed "treat," it gets eaten WAY faster than we would normally eat it. So, for us, I no longer stockpile treats.

However, this same tendancy can also be used to improve our diet. For example, I do stockpile cheap/free frozen veggies and fruits. And, I find that when we have a freezer full, we eat them faster than if we don't.

Anyone else do this?

Originally Posted by Chicky2

Yes to all. I do not stockpile treats, or if I do, they are things like snap pea crisps, and then I only put out, say, 2 bags at a time and then I hide the rest, lol. I have to hide them from my dh.

And yes, the more veggies we have stockpiled, the more we eat of them. Same w/meat, and 98% of our meat is all home butchered, so good and healthy!

I am just starting to try to stock-pile, totally new at this. I don't have much storage room, or $$ for that matter. Several months back, my grocery store was having a sale on Ben & Jerry's-- DH's and my favorite!-- so I tried to stock up and bought several pints... YEAH RIGHT. What happened was, that we ate 3 weeks' worth of ice cream in one week, instead. Can't stockpile anything exciting, it just doesn't work!

[operamommy]

Great thread! We have a freezer crammed full and I'm hoping to purchase a large one for the basement soon and grow even more this summer.

What's everyone storing 50 lbs. of flour in? I always look longingly at them at Sam's Club but never buy one.

[velochic]

Originally Posted by operamommy

What's everyone storing 50 lbs. of flour in? I always look longingly at them at Sam's Club but never buy one.

I get the food grade 5 or 6 gallon buckets from the bakery at the grocery store. They give them to me for free, but I have to clean them well and get rid of the sweet smell (vinegar and baking soda along with sunshine during the summer works well for this). They are air-tight, so once I've had my flour in the freezer for a few days to make sure I kill anything that may have hitched a ride in my flour, I don't have a problem with weevils or anything.

If you want, you can buy gamma seals for them off of the internet. They screw on rather than prying the lids off. I don't bother with that.

[annettemarie]

So, 3 questions

1. What have been your biggest challenges/downfalls/failures turned successes with stockpiling and bulk buying?

2. Where do you keep your stash?

3. Do you have a goal?

[annettemarie]

1. My biggest problem is figuring out where to put stuff. First I had a broom closet turned pantry in my kitchen that got infested with moths. Bye bye, stockpile. Then I put everything on some shelving that was in the mudroom, but it's not heated or air conditioned. It got so hot in the summer, I realized some of the seals to jars had popped! Finally, I moved it all down to the basement which is working well... so far.

2. Basement, on some shelving. I'll try to get a picture. We also have a freezer.

3. My goal is try to use up the freezer stash so I can defrost the thing come spring. I also need to do a better job of eating from my stockpile and rotating.

[KariM]

Originally Posted by Hazelnut

Where do you get the flour in such big bags, and what do you store it in? I really need to start making bread more. : Do you need to worry about it getting buggy?

We buy bread flour in 50 lb bags at Costco. We then re-bag it in 5lb bags using our FoodSaver. I store the bags in food safe 5 gallon buckets with lids. No worries about bugs!

[KariM]

1. What have been your biggest challenges/downfalls/failures turned successes with stockpiling and bulk buying?

Hmm...I'd say first that we didn't consider we might have mice was our biggest failure. We only lost 10 lbs of pasta, though - could have been MUCH worse. We learned methods to make the food safe from critters as a result, though, so it turned into a success.

2. Where do you keep your stash?

Wherever we can fit it! We store some in the basement, some in our two kitchen pantries and much in our two freezers.

3. Do you have a goal?

My ultimate goal is a full nutritionally balanced year's supply of all food, cleaning ingredients, health & beauty items (or ingredients), and clothing.

[Amys1st]

[QUOTE=amyamanda;13118979It took me a few years to build up my pantry and my habits to be able to manage food this way, but I am so glad I worked at it and got over the learning curve, because I find it much easier and frugaller than the old way of shopping whenever we needed something. I think if you want to do this, you must re-assess your shopping habits AND your cooking/eating habits AND your food storage habits for it to work.

Good to see that I am not alone.[/QUOTE]

Nope you're not alone! It also took me a good 2-3 years to build up my pantry and storage and organization of it. The great thing about this- when we moved into our current home, I knew exactly what I wanted of storage and now have a huge walk in pantry. Plus my larger freezer.

[Biscuits & Gravy]

1. What have been your biggest challenges/downfalls/failures turned successes with stockpiling and bulk buying?

When I first started doing it I got things just because they were free/super cheap. I didn't consider how long it would take us to consume or use some things. Now I pay more attention to expiration dates! For example, I learned that we do not eat much cereal, so even if it is free I don't need more than a couple of boxes. I've also learned to rotate the stash better so I don't find out of date items at the back!

2. Where do you keep your stash?

For now, in the basement because we're fortunate to have one in our rental house. If we buy a house with no basement I'll have to find a new spot. We don't have an extra freezer yet either, but I desperately want one.

3. Do you have a goal?

Right now my goal is to rebuild my stockpile! I let it get down to the smallest it has ever been. We actually started running out of things and had to pay full price which I can't stand.

[mrsjtc]

1. What have been your biggest challenges/downfalls/failures turned successes with stockpiling and bulk buying?

Realizing it can be expensive at first. We don't do too much with coupons but order from the Amish instead. We bought 100 lb. of wheat, 50 lb. each of flour, oats and popcorn plus had our order of 100 lb. of potatos come in all around the same time. I will be setting money aside for more stockpiling of fresh foods int he spring/summer this year.

2. Where do you keep your stash?
We have a cellar that we added some shelves to. All the canned produce, 5 gallon buckets and potatos go down there. Then we have an unheated mud room with some more cheap shelving where I keep the pasta, canned goods, extra spices, etc. We're also getting a freezer (hopefully this weekend!!) and will stock that with more meat. Our in-house freezer is insanely full. I don't let the kids open it because I'm afraid of a frozen steak breaking their foot!

3. Do you have a goal?

I would like to be able to eat freshly preserved food year round and not feel pressured to get to the grocery store each week. I still have not starting stockpiling paper products or HBA.

[Amys1st]

1. What have been your biggest challenges/downfalls/failures turned successes with stockpiling and bulk buying?

I need to keep track of what I have. Otherwise if I see something and buy then go to put it away and find I already have it. Also, keep the freezer filled to max. I have been clearing an area for my beef I knew was coming so I was freezing gallon milk jugs of water and putting them on the shelf. A packed freezer stays frozen longer in a power outage. It also is more efficient to keep it packed. Also dont use an old freezer, they eat up electricity- mine is only 2 years old.

I also rotate things. I dont buy to buy but to use. I buy 50 lbs of flour because I will use it over a 60 day time.


2. Where do you keep your stash?
I have a larger pantry in my basmt. One wall is kitchen things not used everyday and the other is ceiling to floor food. Canned goods, pastas, juice, wine, wine & alcohol products such as rum etc, granola, baking supplies, nuts, rices, grains and all sorts of things. I even have valentines I bought last year and then dd2 was sick so I didnt use them. I will write them out for her class next week. School supplies I need to send since the teacher said they were out of stuff.




3. Do you have a goal?

To be able to feed our family for 2-4 weeks. I also menu track and plan out our meals with what is on hand.

[Amys1st]

Hi Amy- I live near you (we met via the local co op group once), and can I ask where you get your organic produce from? We did Timber Creek for a while and gave up with deliveries, but I'm thinking I might go back to save time b/c I also don't enjoy driving around to different stores for the best deal or organic whatever.
I do timber creek and their system is a lot better now than before. I hate to shop, so delivery is perfect for me!
I also do CSA, sandhill organics or grow my own.

I am also looking for places to get raw milk and organic beef, but might settle for the nonhomogenized milk that I know some produce deliveries offer.
I did my side thru another MDC mama I know IRL. Its local and grass fed angus. And wonderful and mm mm good.


Where do you get the flour in such big bags, and what do you store it in? I really need to start making bread more. : Do you need to worry about it getting buggy?
I buy the 50 lb bag at costco or the 25 lb at Caputos depending on how much on hand I have or sale at Caputos. DH divides it in larger heavy duty bags and keeps it stored up high in a dark place in the pantry. We go thru it pretty quick.

I make a lot from scratch and am never comfy with a near-empty pantry, but am not a big big bulk buyer, and I'd like to move in that direction without turning it into a hobby or spending too much doing it wrong, lol. My dh really wants to get an extra freezer for the basement. I suppose I don't mind, as long as there is a lock on it. I'm assuming costco is the best place to shop for that- but I'm not sure what size we should get.

Trage in Forest PArk is where we bought our freezer while buying our other appliances when we gutted out kitchen. We just bought the biggest they had since we had the room anyhow.

[EmsMom]

Originally Posted by annettemarie

1. My biggest problem is figuring out where to put stuff. First I had a broom closet turned pantry in my kitchen that got infested with moths. Bye bye, stockpile. .

Just had to add that one of the things that I stockpile in my pantry is....

Pantry Moth Traps!!!! I replace them regularly as a preventative after a nasty infestation years ago. I always, always, always keep a few spares on hand as well...

just... in.... case.....

[velochic]

Originally Posted by Amys1st

Nope you're not alone! It also took me a good 2-3 years to build up my pantry and storage and organization of it. The great thing about this- when we moved into our current home, I knew exactly what I wanted of storage and now have a huge walk in pantry. Plus my larger freezer.

Oh, I totally agree. Ditto here. To do this right, you don't start overnight. It takes some time planning, then organizing, then slowly buying. I mean, what does a person spend in a year for food... we spend about $9,000. I can't lay that out in a few months. I couldn't organize that in a few months.

Planning is key. Organization is key. I actually think that unless you have your house in order, you cannot really build a deep pantry/larder successfully.

[lmonter]

1. What have been your biggest challenges/downfalls/failures turned successes with stockpiling and bulk buying?
One of my first/rookie mistakes was buying or keeping stuff we just don't eat. Granted, I haven't bought ramen noodles in years, but for some reason I just kept those packages that hubby brought into our marriage. Things like that have since gotten culled out for the food bank if they're still good, and I'll only buy/can things we actually use. Two years ago I was a bit zealous since I was starting to really do home-canned goods, and made apricot preserves. We don't eat apricot preserves. Or peach pie filling. *sigh* So I have friends that I keep pawning stuff off on and getting empty jars back. I'm still learning.

Another challenge has been figuring out just how much of things we eat in the course of a year. Making sure we have enough jam to last until the next berry season, planting enough beans to be able to can enough for the year, that kind of thing. It's hit and miss, and perpetually changing because the kids keep getting bigger and eating more and the growing seasons have been... funky as of late.


2. Where do you keep your stash?
The pantry in the basement (two solid walls of shelves, it's around 10x10' if I had to guess). A 13cf freezer in the laundry room. A fridge/freezer in the garage. A fridge/freezer in the kitchen.


3. Do you have a goal?
About a year's worth of food on hand from harvest season. Basically enough to last us until the next season of whatever (strawberries, peaches, apples, whathaveyou).
I've learned we go through more than 75lbs of sugar in a year between the canning and baking. *sigh* At least I got 50 of those pounds for less than $15.
Another goal is to get as much from my gardening space in the backyard as I can. It's fenced and the majority of it isn't visible from the street, so that's good (people were already stealing food from people's gardens last year from what I heard on another forum).


A dream would be an honest-to-goodness root cellar with the only access being from inside the house. Partly because I'm worried about theft, partly because I'm lazy and don't like going outside in the winter if I don't have to. Then I could actually store root crops (potatoes, carrots, etc.), some apples, and winter squashes for a while. Most of our house is too darned warm because of the wood stoves.

[EmsMom]

Originally Posted by velochic

Oh, I totally agree. Ditto here. To do this right, you don't start overnight. It takes some time planning, then organizing, then slowly buying. I mean, what does a person spend in a year for food... we spend about $9,000. I can't lay that out in a few months. I couldn't organize that in a few months.

Planning is key. Organization is key. I actually think that unless you have your house in order, you cannot really build a deep pantry/larder successfully.

Adding my agreement. I was pretty satisfied with my level of pantry-ing. We probably kept a 5 months of real basics, but there were plenty of things that we regularly eat that I could never get enough back-ups on. However, in the last couple of months I decided, for reasons or preparedness and convenience, to step it up a bit. With a tight budget, I am just buying a couple of extras of what I want when I shop. I figure in about 6 months I will be where I want to with the food storage. You also have to figure on growing (and changing) appetites as well. My ds, now 5, has changed my 4 month supply of ketchup to about a 3 week supply of ketchup! I can only imagine how much my other supplies will have to grow over time to keep up with growing appetities...

[Amys1st]

One thing I need to add- cut your losses. Like you stock up on fruit leather and then as we all know, suddenly the kids dont like it anymore. Give it to the food pantry or pass it along to another family who will eat them. The reason I know- at the preschool a mom handed me a bag full of fruit leathers. She knew my kids ate them and her kids would not eat that particular flavor. The next day, I brought 10 of the types my kids ate last. So she was happy I reciepricated.

Try things out first before stocking up on it. No use stocking up on canned beans if no one eats them.

A neighbor suggested the other night at a superbowl party to call the food pantry about my "extras" w our side of beef purchase. The tongue, liver, and heart are used a lot in various cooking for different cultures and some people would be happy to use it instead of it sitting in my freezer waiting for me to go thru all the steaks etc.