Do you stockpile? Why or why not?

[JTA Mom]

Stockpiling has been on my mind lately, especially as my pantry is near bursting. I've been wondering why I have this drive to have a fully stocked pantry at all times. Then I thought it would be interesting to hear from other people on this issue.

So, do you stockpile? Stockpile meaning having a large quantity of items stored away in the pantry, freezer, cupboards, closets, etc that you regularly use. It doesn't only have to be food (so shampoo, razors, etc count too). I'm not talking about the stockpiling for the end of the world as we know it, full of mre's and stuff you don't regularly use type of stockpiling.

If you do, why? If you don't, why not?

I do stockpile, but especially food & toilet paper, lol.

I stockpile to save money (buy lots at the cheapest price)

I stockpile to give me some flexibility on when to grocery shop.

I stockpile to have a large rotation of different foods on hand (aka I'm not stuck only eating what's on sale each week)

I stockpile as a hedge against leaner times, when I might only have $20 a week for groceries.

And, well, the most important part: I remember my mom having barely anything in the pantry. And I remember when it got lean that it was so not fun. Eating ramen noodles all week gets boring, ya know? And the specter of hunger was everywhere. I don't care to remember how many times I remember wondering if we'd have enough food to get through the week. Food rationing sucks. I NEVER want to repeat that. Having a fully stocked pantry makes me feel calm. Having a bunch of tp on hand makes me less anxious. I like having to not worry about going to the store or ELSE. And the best part is that, no matter what, I can make a ton of different things from the staples in my pantry. Shoot, I can make a ton of different items from flour, oil, sugar, salt & different spices. And I have everything on hand too. That type of self-sufficiency is very comforting to me.

So, I realize that while there are many good reasons for stockpiling, it comes down to my own issue with not having ENOUGH. I FEEL better having lots of stuff on hand. I am the queen of organization though, so you'd be amazed how much stuff I can put away & still have lots of room left over. Then again, if I was given the choice to not have a stocked pantry and have space, or no space but a stocked pantry, I'd choose the no space, stocked pantry.

Ok, your turn, lol.

Ami

[MilkTrance]

I like to have a little extra on hand so that I can add more "flair" to dishes. For instance, I am not limited to one type of sauce, etc.

I always have extra toilet paper... well, just because.

I never stockpile women's sanitary needs, but I really wish that I did.

I don't stockpile for the OMG THE WORLD IS ENDING PLANET X 2012 RECESSION stuff. I figure that if that ever does come to pass, having creamed corn in your closet isn't going to get you anywhere.

[1littlebit]

Originally Posted by MilkTrance

I don't stockpile for the OMG THE WORLD IS ENDING PLANET X 2012 RECESSION stuff. I figure that if that ever does come to pass, having creamed corn in your closet isn't going to get you anywhere.

sorry i just had to post... that made me laugh.

and to the op-- i don't ... im lucky if i have enough food for a few days... if i did stockpile stuff i would have no where to put it.

[akwifeandmomma]

I do. And I'd like to do more.

I'm especially big on having extra toiletries on hand - I get most of these at Costco, and grains/baking items. I have 6 chickens in my freezer at the moment (on sale at .59/#, I bought my limit), along with pounds and pounds of moosemeat.

I like being prepared to make anything that strikes my fancy at a moment's notice. :

ETA: I'm also big on always having extra toothbrushes. I remember a friend having extras in her closet when I'd sleep over, and how it always made me feel so at home if I ever forgot.

[mamadelbosque]

We've been stockpiling big time lately. In case the power goes out and we get trapped down here (happend this summer for a week w/o power and we were trapepd for the first 4 days due to trees across the road and hung up on the power lines). I like having lots of beans, grains, salt, sugar, etc - staples that, no matter what are going to be good, are going to be healthy and we can eat. Plus I have lots of canned goodies from this summer/fall. Mostly apple sauce, tomatoes, pickled peppers, and jams & jellies. Plus we have lots of stuff thats frozen. And we have a lil generator that we could easily run for weeks even with just the gas thats typically in our vehicles to keep that stuff good.

I just like knowing that if I run out of X I don't have to run to the store, just down in my basement to get another bottle or fill it up. Especially cause' we live outside of town its a nice way to go. Saves a lot of time, and gas.

[homeschoolAK]

I stock pile big time. It came in handy last winter when my Dad passed away and we ended up so far in debt I thought we would never see the light. Well, the stockpile of food, toiletries, laundry items, and dog food came in real handy. I had also paid ahead on all my bills so that helped tremendously, So I guess I also stockpile money on the bills! Almost a year later we can finally see the light, but my pantry is low now, and all my stores are gone. I had enough for about 6 months (exept meat, only had 2 months worth of it). I have also thought of another way to stockpile. I plan on getting gift cards for the stores that I shop at: Safeway, Homedepot, Fred Meyers... Every pay day I plan on putting as much as I can on them so that I don't have to worry about needing something and the bank being dry.

[greenmansions]

We stockpile when things are on sale or on a trip to Costco. We also have an emergency dried food bucket from Costco because we are in an earthquake zone, but I know that is different from what you're talking about.

I stockpile things the kids like to eat like fig newmans and mac n cheese, TP and Kleenex, meat, pasta, rice, bread. We have an extra freezer and an extra refrigerator/freezer downstairs. (Our upstairs freezer in particular is really small, frig isn't huge either.)

Anyone tried freezing milk? That is something I want to try.

We also try to keep an extra LP gas can for the grill because it always seems to go out in the middle of making dinner. That would also come in handy in an earthquake when we have a full freezer of food to cook up.

We want to get a generator at some point but have not had the funds for it.

I stockpile because I like a deal, and I hate going to the store. If I have what I need on hand then I can delay shopping. I think in the long run it saves us money to stockpile, tho the initial dollar outlay is higher. I know we broke even on our freezer in about two months stocking it with stuff that was on sale. DH loves tombstone pizzas and they were on a really good sale - like $1.99 each or something. He bought a ton of them, which was the biggest single contributor to breaking even so quickly.

Now I am trying to stockpile again because DH is going to be laid off. I'm trying to get the things we use most and a few treats while there is still some cash flow.

[momma_unlimited]

I need to stockpile- live far from stores and hubby travels. My car is old & right now in the shop so I am currently STRANDED. I have like 10 different bulk grains as well as some beans (lentils, mung) and tons of coconut milk/oil, plus meat in my deep freeze.

I haven't stockpiled paper products. I hate buying them at all for environmental reasons so I can only stomach putting one package at a time in my cart.

[wendyland]

This subject came up a couple months ago. Here's a link to the thread:

https://www.mothering.com/discussion...d.php?t=974165

It got fairly heated. I personally don't stockpile, but have enough on hand to last a month or two. I don't because of space and money, but I'm thinking about stockpiling some things. OH, I just thought of one thing that I do have a stockpile of. My razors refills. They stopped making them, so I bought a whole bunch. I will hate to switch.

[choli]

I don't stockpile. I live in the city with one grocery store 20 yards from my building, and a supermarket two blocks away. Apart from dry goods like pasta, rice, canned food, I buy food on an as-needed basis several times a week. We eat mainly vegetables, fruit and bread, so freshness is my priority.

[TeaghansMama]

wow... i'm going to have to go read the "heated" thread about stockpiling. i can't imagine this subject being subject to opinions that strong.

and the comment about creamed corn helping you out at the end of the world gave me a chuckle, too.

i don't stockpile like i used to but when i find a good deal on something we use consistently i do stock up within reason. i don't have tp stashed all over the house, or food under them bed, but i do have a fully stocked pantry. we try to rotate the stock so nothing expires and i do pass up good deals on something if i already have plenty. i found that i'm happier when i have room to move even in my storage areas. that gives me more peace than knowing we could eat for months without hitting the stores.
but to each his own... i can't see judging someone else because their comfort levels in regards to stockpiling were different than mine.

[InchByInch]

I used to be pretty gung-ho about stockpiling, but have really tapered off within the last couple of months. This is in no way an indictment of those who do stockpile, but for me, I started feeling pretty darn guilty about having shelves of food on hand when there are people out there struggling to find something-- anything!-- to put on the dinner table. So, while I do still stock up on a good sale (especially if I can find a coupon to go with it) and still have a comfortable pantry, I'm now more interested in sharing what I have with others. As a Christian, I feel this is my duty-- and it does bring me joy to be able to help.

[JTA Mom]

For those of you who said you don't stock up because other people are going hungry, I have a few questions.

1) How is the fact that you bought a bunch of stuff on sale or in bulk going to affect someone who is having a hard time buying food?

2) Is it the stockpile or the feeling you get that made you decide to discontinue/not do it? In other words, did having that much food on hand make you uncomfortable, or did your thoughts change once you had a stock of food to something you didn't like?

3) Does your view of stockpiling translate to others? In other words, do you think it is 'immoral' of people to have a stockpile when so many have so little?

4) How does the idea of 'not stocking up because others have so few' apply to other items of life, like shelter, transportation, clothing, etc.

Just curious. I don't find stocking up giving me bad thoughts. I don't think by buying in bulk that I'm taking food from another. I haven't thought of this angle and am just looking for clarification. Thanks!

Ami

[SAHDS]

I stockpile because...

- We have a large pantry so room isn't an issue

- We have the money so I buy multiples of items when on sale

- I HATE running out of anything and the market is 30 minutes, round trip.

and, of course...

Just. In. Case. (DH's reason)

[velochic]

Here is 13 pages of recent discussion about this very topic:

https://www.mothering.com/discussion...ight=stockpile

[pixiekisses]

No, we don't. We haven't ever concidered it, and we have absolutely no reason to do it.

[Caneel]

I do stockpile health and beauty items when I see a good deal. I can contain it all in one closet so it makes it easy.

Food, not so much. I don't have a pantry and my cupboard space is functionally lacking.

[greenmansions]

Regarding the comments about not keeping "extra" food in the house because others don't have enough to eat, I find when I have the stockpile it is easier for me to give when there is a neighborhood food drive. I can just go to my pantry and pull out some things. If I had to make a special trip to the store, I'd never do it.

[lightheart]

We buy ahead partly because a drive 'to town' is at a half hour one way... so you want something or you need something, then it's at least a half hour before you can get back home and open that can of tomatoes to make spaghetti sauce... add the gas cost and the wear on the car, that can of 'maters just cost you $5 bucks!!

Lazy, I don't want to have to go to the store if i don't want to or even excuses that are mor legit than just my wants, the kids are sick or they have extra homework, or they are misbehaving and there is just no way I am going to bring them in a store, or they just want to stay home and play.

The way I was raised, my mom bought ahead mostly because she and my father KNEW hunger; my father a depression era child, my mother born a generation later but very poor. They never wanted my brother and I to feel that.

My sytem of buying ahead is more when I find things we use on sale I will buy extra, then we will eat through the pantry until it starts getting bare and the dinners are starting to get pretty imaginative and then I will look for sales on the staples.

Toilet paper probably never dips below 4 rolls. When I used to only use dispoable menstrual products, I would never be without a full box of tampons and a full box of pads.

When I buy things like shampoo that comes in singles I will buy 2 or 3 bottles. Soap we buy the big packs of bar so that lasts a long time. Bigger containers so to use less packaging even if we have a smaller hand soap dispenser on the counter so we don't have a gallon jug on the counter.

[InchByInch]

Hey Ami,

I hope I didn't imply that buying in bulk equates to taking food from another. That's not my mindset, because I do buy in bulk a lot of times. However, I don't like to keep that bulk to myself. For example: A couple of weeks ago I got a bunch (like, 30-40) jars of spaghetti sauce, because it was on sale and I had coupons. I'm now sharing that (along with other food/HBA items I got super cheap) with a couple of friends that are going through a hard time financially. So it's not that by buying this food, I'm taking it from another-- but when it's sitting there on my pantry shelf, it's sure not helping anyone, either.

It reminds me of a quote from Basil the Great: "The bread you store up belongs to the hungry; the cloak that lies in your chest belongs to the naked; the gold you have hidden in the ground belongs to the poor."

To answer your questions:

1) How is the fact that you bought a bunch of stuff on sale or in bulk going to affect someone who is having a hard time buying food?
I think I explained this above, but to reiterate: When I buy stuff on sale/in bulk, I'm able to share it with others while still feeding my family.

2) Is it the stockpile or the feeling you get that made you decide to discontinue/not do it? In other words, did having that much food on hand make you uncomfortable, or did your thoughts change once you had a stock of food to something you didn't like?
As I said earlier in the thread, I used to be very gung-ho about stockpiling and emergency prep-- it made me feel safe, and gave me (an illusion of) control. I wanted to be ready for any kind of poop-hitting-the-fan scenario, you know? and I was well on my way. One day, however, a good girlfriend of mine asked me some probing questions-- like, "What exactly do you think this is going to protect you from? What happens when it runs out?" etc.-- and though I was defensive at first, I have to admit it got me thinking. Then it got me annoyed, because I stopped being so sure of my motivations. So, I prayed about it. I asked God if I was doing the wrong thing here, if it was wrong to have this kind of 'safeguard' for my family-- because I truly couldn't tell at that time. What if society collapsed, and my family starved because I'd given away so much of our food? On the other hand, what if people were starving right now, because our local food banks didn't have enough to give them? And then God's voice boomed in my ear, "Are you kidding me? You need at least 25 cans of tuna to get you through Armaggedon!"

KIDDING.


But seriously, I did start encountering a LOT of messages in things-- like stumbling across the quote above, from Basil the Great. There continue to be a lot of messages in my path about having trust. And the more that time has gone on, the more sure I am that I've moved in the right direction here. When I was in stockpiling mode, I was always worried. How would I know when I had enough? What if looters broke in and stole it? What if I'd forgotten some key item and we all died of scurvy? etc. And it was just a miserable line of thinking. Now, sharing my goods with others (and anonymously, if possible) has given me more joy than any fully stocked pantry could, and I mean that with utter sincerity. For one thing, I'm teaching my little girls lessons that no amount of money could buy. And I'm learning to have faith that things will be okay no matter what happens, which I've had never, EVER had before. If I could condense this into one sentence here (and I'm sure you wish I would, LOL) I feel more blessed by what I give than by what I keep. And that to hoard is a kind of poverty-- a spiritual poverty-- if that makes any sense.

3) Does your view of stockpiling translate to others? In other words, do you think it is 'immoral' of people to have a stockpile when so many have so little?
I think the act of stockpiling can be immoral, yes, but I can pass no judgment on those who do it. Jesus tells us not to judge, and I take him pretty seriously.

4) How does the idea of 'not stocking up because others have so few' apply to other items of life, like shelter, transportation, clothing, etc.
I'm not sure what you mean by this... Can you clarify? The clothing part I think I understand, and my answer is that I don't buy clothes unless I genuinely need them; and I'm happy to give away anything in my closet that seems extraneous.