[cheery]

In defense of stocking up - I see things on sale, I think, it will save time/ money in the long run. That is why I do it.

But how to STOP when enough is enough?

I see ppl who strictly buy as need arises. They don't get things on sale but maybe they save more money in the long run? I don't know and doubt I will find out. I am a second-generation discount shopper.

Though saving money is more tangible, I also want to save space in the house, learn to live with less stuff not just stuff that costs less, and get all the emotional benefits of decluttering.

Any advice? I promise to listen seriously.

:

 

[alison_in_oh]

Since I've just been reading Peter Walsh's It's All Too Much, I'll just parrot back what I think he'd say.

Designate a place in your home for storing your stockpile, and when it's full, don't buy anything until you use something up. No matter how great the deal, if it doesn't fit in the cabinet, you can't have it. Would that work for you?

 

[Caneel]

I struggled to stop my "it is cheap/on sale so I have to buy it" method of household stockpiling.

Managing the stuff became too much, I had shampoo, toothpaste, whatever jammed in every nook and crannie of our 3,000 sq ft house.

Now, I have designated areas and like the other poster mentioned, when I run out of room, no more until it is all gone.

Now I am down to maybe two extras (at most) of things. I have found that the less I keep at home, the more mindful I am of conserving and cutting waste so I am likely saving money in the long run by using less than I did before.

 

[lightheart]

I agree with setting an amount of space for certain items and when you have that amount then don't buy anymore of that until you start to get low or run out or find it on sale again.

 

[2lilsweetfoxes]

Keeping price-books, learning sales cycles and only buying enough to cover you, at your normal usage rate of the item, until the next sale. If you go through a jar of peanut butter a week, and they go on sale every six weeks, pick up six-seven jars. Setting aside a certain amount of space for the stockpile or saying that you may not have more than, say, five tubes of toothpaste at a time.

(something I want to do, but for some reason, never have the opportunity...or money to get started--what we need for that week tends to take up all our $$)

 

[sunnysandiegan]

What stopped me was to separate out all like items and then to pay attention to how often we actually used those types of things. WOW! This was an eye-opener!!!

I pulled everything out from all the nooks and crannies and made a huge mess of the house in the process. LOL Then I put all the toothpaste in one pile, all the shampoo in a pile, etc. Now we have designated spots for each type of item. Hair care is under our bathroom sink, for example, along with my feminine hygiene products. It is a small cabinet and I also keep the upstairs cleaning products there and two rolls of toilet paper. It has taken me probably three YEARS to go through the stockpile of shampoo and conditioner and I still have plenty more in there. I have not purchased any shampoo/conditioner in 4, maybe 5, years AND I have given away several big bottles of nice stuff along the way. I would probably never have realized how slowly I use shampoo/conditioner if it was still in numerous spots all over the house. This is just one example, of course, but it applies to various household and pantry items in our house.

 

[flowmom]

I started getting into stockpiling and we got a weevil infestation in the kitchen

. I am also realizing that I am overdoing it on stocking up on nonperishables. Part of it was to save time on shopping, but I realize that in a small home I just have to be more organized about monthly shopping trips and buying what we need. I also think it's a good idea to have a designation "hoarding" location

.

 

[greenmansions]

I also have a "stockroom" in the basement. I generally buy stuff to last one or two refills, or the next trip to that store depending on what the item is. I stick to the products and brands we like so they will get used up and not sit.

Examples:

We belong to a food coop where I get a monthly discount coupon. So I buy everything I can that I need til the next month when I use my coupon.

We belong to a Frontier group that reorders every 2 months. I buy enough for the 2 months, or one extra if an item is on sale that month.

At Costco, I buy ahead one pack if stuff is on sale unless it is an item we use up quickly. Otherwise, I just buy the one pack of whatever it is. I hit Costco every 6-8 weeks and try to buy enough for that time period. Tho some things, like paper towels from there, last me nearly 2 years per pack.

I am pretty good about my inventory management - I don't generally go overboard on stocking up. When I pull the last of something out of the cupboard, it goes back on the shopping list - not before, unless I am running my supply down and I see that thing on sale.

 

[Zach'smom]

I know how much peanutbutter, toothpaste, cereal, etc. that our family goes through. I generally keep a 6 month to 12 month supply of non-perishable food, toiletries and cleaning supplies. All the food fits in the pantry, all the cleaning supplies (vinegar mostly

) fit in the laundry room and all the toiletries fit in the linen closet upstairs. That way I can see exactly how much I have. When something is starting to get low I start watching the sales and my coupons for the item so I can restock. I also keep a list with me of clothing items or gift items that I will be needing soon. That way if I find a good deal on something FROM THE LIST I can pick it up. No buying random gifts or clothes because it is a "good deal". I save tons of $$$ and never buy anything we don't need/use.

 

[mags]

Cheery, I understand where you are coming from. This past yr, I have been trying to de-clutter. I over-stocked on things like shampoo, etc., some of them are brands that I don't really want to use anymore (we are crunchier than before). So, I have donated a lot of those items to the homeless and domestic violence shelters. It has been a way for me to, "start fresh" by de-cluttering for a good cause. I also just remind myself everytime I get that giddy feeling that I found something for a really good price, do I REALLY need SIX of those? Probably not. I will just get like 2-3. So, almost always, after I put something in my cart, I will ask myself again if I REALLY need them or if I really need THAT many of them. It's been a way for me to keep myself in check. I've also learned the hard way, b/c I've stocked up on foods that went past their exp date and I realize what a waste of $ it is to, "stock up" on something at a good price, only to forget to use it and throw it away.

 

[Three~Little~Birds]

I am a stockpiler at heart, too. One of my little mantras that keep me from buying is to remind myself that there is ALWAYS something on sale. So now, when I know that I am getting low on something, I start to look for the best price on that particular item. Instead of randomly just stocking up on great deals. It is working really well. So, for example, when chicken breasts are on sale, I buy a bunch. As my supplies start to diminish, I start wainting for the next sale. I always am able to buy more at the lowest sale price right around the time that I run out (as opposed to when I still have a bunch)
Another mantra that I tell myself (courtesy of my DH) is that we can't afford to save money right now

(soacewise or moneywise)

 

[SAHDS]

I stop when I run out of room, period. We have a good-sized pantry so I'm still stocking up!

Same with clothes, toys, anything. If I don't have room, I don't bring it into my home.

 

[heatherdeg]

I designated every third month to a pantry challenge and didn't buy anything--just used my stores. I found myself with an awful lot of cake mix and stuff.

I also put us on a strict cash grocery budget. Previously, I'd HAD a budget. But now I went and took out my budget in cash and put it in an envelope. So every time dh got paid, I got my grocery allotment. I'd also kept a price book (going back to that

) and knew when there were going to be sales. Well, I quickly learned that to stay on budget, I couldn't stock up unless I spent the prior pay period living on the stuff I had in storage (which, of course, was also bought on sale). This was a great thing because I managed to eat the sale stuff I had before it went bad, but stuck to a tight budget and still bought on sale--ya know?

I'm actually saving way more money and have far less stuff in my storage areas past their expiration date.

 

[Arduinna]

It depends on what kind of item it is, but I try and limit to what I'd use in say 2 months. If I am purchasing online I will buy in bigger bulk because it saves shipping fees in the long run though.