What to stock up on?

[skybluepink02]

I finally got my food stamps approved, after a huge hassle and after over two months of fighting for it. Because of this, I have a pretty big retroactive payment. I have $700 and our monthly budget us usually a bit less than $200, so it is a lot extra for us. I'd like to use it to create a working pantry, instead of it being completely bare at the end of the month.

What are the best things to stock up on? Should I try to stock up on the expensive stuff (olive oil, etc), or focus on the basics ( flour, sugar, etc.)? I know to hit the sales to make the most of the money.

[BetsyS]

Some of the things in my pantry that I'm most thankful for at the end of the month/pay period are oil (whatever kind you like) and canned fruit. Yes, canned fruit.

My kids love fruit. And when we shop, I always buy fresh. But, sometimes, we run out before the next shopping day. I'd rather they get canned fruit than nothing. So, cans of pineapple, mandarin oranges, sometimes pears or peaches. My kids are little, so a can of fruit and a pb sandwich makes a good meal. And, if you've got that stockpile, that's a cheap meal.

I would absolutely buy one great meal to splurge on yourself for making it through the hassle of getting the food stamps. Small splurges like a really great meal (for us, it would be steak or fish) make life nicer, you know?

And, then, I'd focus on having all the basics on hand. Rice, pasta, flour, several kinds of dried beans, butter (can be frozen), oil, stuff like that.

[Denvergirlie]

buy what you need, stock up on what you use as it goes on sale to stock the pantry.

I personally wouldn't advocate going out and stocking up on Olive oil for the next 6 months, if you don't need it now, unless it's on sale now.

your benefits won't disappear from the card, the overage can carry over to successive months, affording you time to stock up as things go on sale.

Buy what you need for now, but don't stock up on things until they go on sale/ apried with coupon etc.

Flour, sugar, etc will be going to sale soon with the holiday season. Don't stock up on flour now, if you can hold out for another month for the holidays sales to kick in.

best

[AZgirl2207]

Do you have to spend the $700 in one month? If you can spread it out over several months, you will probably hit every sale cycle. (around here sales cycle every 10-12 weeks)

I would try to focus on basics with a few more expensive/splurge items. Baking items are usually on sale during Nov/Dec--I would stock up on flour, sugar, chocolate chips (I have to hide these in the freezer so they don't get eaten!), nuts, etc. Don't forget about cocoa, spices, extracts, etc.

My pantry staples include several kinds of dry beans, rice, oats, tomato sauce, maple syrup, dried fruit, pasta (different shapes that my kids think are fun), canned fruit, peanut butter, butter. We can survive on these things for a long time--not with a huge amount of variety but no one is going to starve.

If you have a freezer, keep an eye open for turkey on sale the day after Thanksgiving. I picked up fresh, local turkey for 29 cents a pound one year. Hubs was a bit flustered when I came home with THREE turkeys. Also cranberries!!! Just toss the whole bag of fresh cranberries in the freezer and use them frozen.

As a PP said, don't forget about a few special treat items--whatever it might be for your family. Chocolate chips in your oatmeal or a lovely piece of salmon for dinner can go a long way to brightening your days.

[zebra15]

I build my pantry with the sales. Get what you need NOW and slowly build over time with the sales. So if pasta is on sale the week and you use one box a week, get 5 boxes, etc...

I try not to keep splurges on hand, I get what we NEED and go from there.

(I also get FS)

[Norasmomma]

I would slowly stock up and build a pantry if you can(or need to).

What I have done was still buy on sale, with coupons(if I can). Last winter I bought $160 worth of groceries for $100 bucks with my FS when they went up from our family size increasing. I bought a TON of baking supplies, like sweetened condensed milk, choc chips, butter-all with coupons and sales, I stock up on coffee too. All that stuff is on sale right now or soon.

I have a very well stocked household from my FS, I still get about 140. I've bought some splurges, like last summer I bought 2 cases of Blue Sky soda because it was on a great sale, I know some may frown but I like a good soda now and then and we still have a case left 3 months later. I also bought 2 cases of Og tomatoes that were 15 bucks at my local store, they have a date of 2013.

If there is something you like and find a great deal buy it up, if not no biggie.

[Nemesis]

I think everyone here is spot on! I would stock up on whatever goes on sale, and also some staples. I rarely see beans or rice on sale, so I assume it would be safe to buy some of those in bulk and save that way.

When we qualified for FS I got free buckets from the bakery and slowly stocked up on beans, lentils, rice, split peas, sugar, oatmeal, etc... and it was really helpful to have a proper way to store those things.
It also really helped us adjust to a much smaller budget when we stopped qualifying for FS.

[diana_of_the_dunes]

I'm not sure how practical this is for you, but it's something I would consider if I was in your shoes... Do you do any home canning/preserving? Since it's close to, but not quite the end of the season here, we can still get local peppers, some tomatoes, apples, green beans, lima beans, broccoli, and lots and lots of squash. The prices are lower now than they will be over the winter. I can my own applesauce and pasta sauce, and I freeze beans and other veggies. Our local farmer's market takes WIC, and I think we have a few "farm markets" that accept FS, so I thought maybe you might have something like that near you where you could stock up. Our Meijer even has local produce in-season.

Do you have a large freezer? Several of our "farm markets" also offer package deals on meat. Last year I got about 45 lbs of meat for $120, which included lots of steaks (sirloin and NY strip) and other expensive-ish cuts of meat (pork loin butterfly chops), plus ground beef, boneless/skinless chicken breasts, whole chickens, sausage, bacon, pork steaks, pork chops, and some other odds and ends.

Not sure if any of this is practical for you, but I thought I'd throw it out there. Good luck!

[MissMommyNiceNice]

Right now a lot of stores are running their pre-holiday sales on baking & canned goods. My store calls it the Gi-can-tic savings event (Giant). I just bought a crapton of canned tomato sauce, paste, & chopped, also tomato soup, canned beans, and baking mixes & frosting all for 10 for $10. These I don't mind buying tons of b/c they'll really really last. Peanut butter (I buy skippy natural) has been on sale a lot lately, too.

Also, I like to go grocery shopping early in the morning, to get the sale meat. It's soon to expire, and priced to sell. I put it in the freezer and save it for later.

And next week, all the halloween candy & treats will be on sale. Last year I got like 10 bags of little bags of animal crackers, pretzels, & whales for $1/each. Plus a few bags of baby-be-good m&ms. This lasted us almost an entire year! Great for in the car & on the go. I'm not usually down with so much waste, but sometimes I make an exception.

I find that I sometimes over-stock my freezer and tend not to use what I put in there in the alloted time...so I wouldn't go too crazy. If you have a farmers market that takes your benefits, I'd hit them up before the season is over. The frosts just started coming here, so they'll have an abundance of quickly picked produce that needs to be sold ASAP for cheap.

Congrats!

[TheSavedQuarter]

I got mine this time last year and I was happy to be stocking up as well. Wait a few weeks, though. Right before Thanksgiving, baking supplies will be loss leaders and you can stock up on pantry staples. You might be able to get an extra turkey or two for super cheap, sometimes free - you can roast them, cut off the meat, and package in ziptop freezer bags for casseroles for the next few months.

Last year, our Safeway offered a deal that gave $5 at Kohls for every $50 you spent, plus another deal for $5 coupon for Safeway when you spent $25 with "holiday supplies", which included all the baking supplies, oil, nuts, butter, lots of frozen foods, pickles, olives, etc. There were also coupons for things like corn starch, flour, and baking powder - the only ones I've ever seen - so I was really able to stretch it. I spent a few hundred dollars and went away with a full pantry, tons of Kohls cash that I used for warm clothes, and coupons for things my food stamps didn't cover (like dish soap, toilet paper, etc.) I hope they run that deal again! It rocked!

[shaywyn]

You have received some excellent suggestions.

They definitely roll over to the next month, but I've heard varying stories about how high or how long they allow surplus to accumulate: 3 months, 365 days, etc. However, as long as you are using them on a regular basis, I don't see how they could calculate which month's food stamps were the actual surplus and therefore, which ones would expire.

Anyway, I would stock up only on the items you know you use and that you know you can store properly (i.e. don't buy a bunch of flours and grains if you can't keep the bugs away). I think using some of the retroactive food stamps (which are not surplus but paying you back for the money you spent while qualifying but waiting to be approved) to buy the foods that make life more pleasant is a very good idea. Organics, oils, spices, condiments, favorite jarred and pickled items, pricier grains, etc. If you have access to a good freezer and you eat meat, this would be an excellent time to stock up on it. Even though only myself and one of my daughters eat meat, the meat I prefer to feed her costs more.

I agree about this being the best time for baking items sales and I would also stock up on what you know you can use, or even use in making gifts this holiday season.
Good luck to you.

[AngelBee]

Taking notes...