What do You Stockpile?

[gizzymo1960]

I have been researching stockpiling. Anyone here stockpile? if so what do you stockpile and how do you store it.

I haven’t started stockpiling yet being that I have just started on my journey to a frugal life.
I would really like to have any input and ideas on the subject.

Thanks,
Gizzymo

[brchbell]

Boy do I stockpile! Everything we need for one year! We started with dry pack canned goods: wheat, corn, flour, pasta, oats, ect then went with personnel supplies.

then we added the good stuff: fruits, vegetables, soups, ect. I recommend Provident Living Home and clicking on Family food Storage for basic information on getting a food supply in. there is also a lot on YouTube – Broadcast Yourself. Whenever I have time I go in and punch in all kinds of search phrases and am always amazed at what all I find!

I learned the best way to save seeds and how to store them. I learned some very creative ways to use our food storage and how to organize it. Some are excellent and some leave much to be desired!

[naturalmommy]

brchbell- thanks for the links. I have bookmarked them, and Im looking forward to reading them and gaining more knowledge.

gizzymo, you will find a ton of info on the site. 🙂

[atta76]

Thanks for the links. I am slowly stockpiling some things but only short term so far. Like Pop-Tarts, spaghetti sauce and noodles were BOGO so I got enough for a month until they go on sale again.

I really want to stockpile shampoo, deodorant and health & beauty stuff like that – I’m just not quite sure the best way to start. I have five deos for hubby right now and three for me so that will last a little while but when I see people’s huge piles stacked ceiling to floor in the garage it makes me feel like I’m missing out!

[brchbell]

My DH was put up in a hotel while he was on medical orders with the Air force. he came home on weekends and during the week, each day he’d throw all the little soaps, shampoos and lotions into his bag. Each day the hotel replaced them.

He just came off those medical orders so our supply has dried up but during this time he filled several large boxes of these supplies to put into our emergency storage! We probably have will over a years supply of free soaps & shampoos and hand lotion too! I had a major bonus last month when one of our little country stores went out of business.

I got sunscreen for 50 cents a bottle and Fels soap, a lot of us use to make our own laundry soaps,ect for 55 cents a bar! I felt a little guilty cleaning them out but well, not much! I drove up there hoping they still had canning jars but more than made up for my disappointment!

Seek and ye shall find! I never know where the next great treasure will be but I sure keep my eyes pealed for things we can use!

[mcnerd]

I’ve been stockpiling foods and supplies for several years now and I’m good for a year or better. A lot of my food is also home canned which comes from the garden or other sources where the food was either free or at a big discount. I store what I eat and I eat what I store.

Same for the supplies. It helps keep the stockpile fresh and i’m not collecting things that I would not eat/use in an emergency. Freezer and dry goods are sealed in FoodSaver bags for longer storage life and bug free.

[FreebieQueen]

@gizzymo1960 107880 wrote:

I have been researching stockpiling. Anyone here stockpile?

I do, I do!

if so what do you stockpile and how do you store it.

Dental care products (toothbrushes, toothpaste, listerine, etc), Deodorants, Cereals, Crackers (Various Flavors), Cleaning Supplies (including dish detergents), Personal Care Products (Shampoos, conditioners, lotions, body care products, shaving products), feminine products and anything else that I can get dirt cheap.

For example, last week I purchased 18 rolls of Reynolds aluminum foil for less than $5 total for all 18. It’ll never go bad. I saw it yesterday on sale at Krogers for $4.49 per roll! At that price I saved $75.82

We have a Pantry & an additional Closet that dh built into a wall. The key for me is to keep an excel document of the items I have on hand within my coupon binder. Then, when I’m shopping and come across a deal (for example coffee was recently on sale for $5 a tub, less my .55 Q- which is cheap considering it’s normally $8.97 per tub- I looked on my spreadsheet to see I only had 2 at home. So I grabbed a few.)

I keep track of cereal this way too. The kids could easily eat a box in a single day, so I don’t consider cereal a deal unless I can find it for less than .75 a box.

Stockpiles aren’t an overnight thing, they’re accumulations that you find over time using deals. Another good example, Bandaids/First aid products… I have 10 boxes of bandaids (all free) from recent insert q’s. Yesterday I added 4 more deodorants (all free), 8 tubes of toothpaste (all free), 3 bags of catfood (all free) to the stockpile.

[shellybean40]

cereal, rice, beans, pasta, anything that keeps for a while. I also have canned goods, dry milk, and cleaning supplies.

[Katie31]

Wow that’s tons of good information. I would love to stockpile somethings. I’ll have to start doing that more often when I find good deals at the stores.

Thanks for all the information. And the spreadsheet is an awesome idea!

[Virginia]

My food pantry has all the dry food goods that we use in it – Flours, rice, baking supplies, cereal grains, salt, and dry beans. Basic stuff. I make my own noodles, breads and cereals and other mixes, chips etc.

We raise or trade for 98% of all the food we consume. My spice cabinet is full of herbs and spices (most of which we raise ourselves) and my bakers cabinet is full of extracts and flavorings (most of which we process ourselves). One kitchen cabinet has dehydrated fruits for snacking, along with homegrown popcorn ready to pop, and homegrown peanuts and peanut butter and other nuts and nut butters.

Another has coffees and teas. And the third has dehydrated onions and peppers and dry soup mixes.

Our basement shelves are full of home canned (jars) of homegrown fruits and vegetables. Sliced, diced, juiced, sauced, souped, jellied etc.
Another section of our basement stores potatoes, onions, garlic and root crops and cabbage family crops, for fresh eating. (Right now there are still a lot of potatoes and sweet potatoes in there.

We just today brought the last of the fresh onions up into the kitchen bin. (The top section of the bin holds about 5 pounds of onions and the bottom section holds about 10 pounds of potatoes. The top is a table top and I usually have a jar of garlic sitting on it.)
Another section of the basement stores apples and other fruit for a few weeks or months after harvest until we get time to process them.

We actually had apples stay usable in there this year until about two weeks ago.
Yet another section stores the melons for a few weeks after harvest and pumpkins and winter squash all winter. We have two butternut squash and a big green striped long neck cushaw squash, yet.
The fifth (back corner) section of our basement (used to be a coal bin) is now the home of our two mushroom kits.

We have two refrigerators and one holds the fresh stuff that requires refrigeration. Like milk, butter, cheese, tofu, fresh juice, left overs etc. Normal stuff.

The other holds fresh from the chicken eggs, we try to give the eggs away to anyone who will take them, but we usually have a refrigerator full anyway. (We can’t afford to deliver them to people and most don’t want to come all the way out here to get them.) We do take some to some people but they have to take about 24 dozen at a time and we have to be going out in their direction (which does not happen very often) we told these people to use what they wanted and give the rest away to their neighbors.

The freezer part of one refrigerator stores a big mixed bag of frozen vegetable and stock cubes. Also, Fruit ice. And is mostly used in the summer as a flash freeze unit.

(Put whatever you want to freeze in a single layer on a cookie sheet and freeze–once frozen put the frozen pieces in a freezer bag and seal. The bags are then put in one of the big freezers for storage.) The other one right now is full of the roosters we harvested last fall.
We have a small chest freezer that is full of frozen fruits; a large chest freezer filled with frozen vegetables and another large freezer filled with meat (beef, pork, chicken and turkey).

We eat from our garden year round–first fresh then home processed. We rotate foods that are in storage yearly. We have met our goal of having 8 years worth of food in storage (in case we have crop failures or we get sick and can’t garden for a while or anymore.)

In the supply closet is enough toilet paper, tissues and paper towels; personal and dental care items; cleaning supplies, matches, batteries, light bulbs, lamp oil and wicks; foil and plastic wrap, wax paper, food storage bags and canning jar lids to last several years. My medicine cabinet (In the hall leading to the basement–cool and dark there) is full. Next to it a First Aid Kit is hanging on the wall along side the fire extinguisher.

I think that about covers it. Hope this helps. Thanks; Virginia

[redring]

I dont stockpile. I really should but I always dont have the cash when I see the sales or dont have room. 🙁 its a good question though and some of the answers are good ideas.

I should work on this!! I do try to keep flower,sugar and noodles stocked up. i want to stock pile TP

[brchbell]

You should do a youtube.com search on ideas of how to stash your food storage in small places! they have a lot of great videos on how people use their boxes of food to build furniture, ect. You can start by just picking up one or two extra items you can tuck away.

maybe you can get a extra can of veggies and an extra bag of beans. Not much but a little each time adds up without hurting your budget. I tell people to think small to start.

just work toward getting a weeks worth of stables first, then work toward a month supply. You may only want to do a month or 3 month worth if you are really short of space but it’s always nice to have something set aside for when hard times hit. You sleep better when you know no matter what your family will at least have something to eat.

[rtebalt]

I don’t really stockpile food. We live in an apartment & there isn’t much room to stockpile food. But I do stockpile cleaning supplies & toiletries – mostly that I buy at Kmart.

I always go when they are doubling coupons & get tons of stuff for free or almost free. I have tons of toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, lotion, cleaning supplies, etc. 🙂

[mcnerd]

Those who have not been given the message some time ago to stockpile food and supplies to exist without any available services will be taken care of by fema and the homeland security in the us and other similar agencies in other countries in one of the many confinement camps that have been set up in every country. in fact there are indications we may be ‘taken care of’ their way whether we like it or not.

[FreebieQueen]

@mcnerd 118298 wrote:

Those who have not been given the message some time ago to stockpile food and supplies to exist without any available services will be taken care of by FEMA and the Homeland Security

We don’t stockpile items for perceived threats or emergencies, we stockpile because it’s cheaper and saves us thousands of dollars per year on groceries and household products. For example, a few weeks ago, I was able to get enough toothpaste, listerine, dental floss and toothbrushes for the next 18 months. Not only was most of the stockpile Free, Having that on hand will definitely reduce any Dental Bills we’ll experience.

This week, I’ll be able to pick up enough salad dressings, A1 steak sauce, marinades and BBQ sauce for the next 6-8 months.

[mcnerd]

Stockpiling food & supplies for any reason is a win win situation in these tough economic times and it will get tougher before it gets better, for those that believe its going to get better.

[starsinnight]

I live in a tiny studio apartment but have always stockpiled toiletries. I use a plastic three drawer container to store them: shower products, hair products, and lotions. I have enough lotion to last 5 years!

Sometimes I can’t wait to run out so that I can actually buy newer products that I can try out but it’s much cheaper to use what you’ve got. And that comes to grocery items too. I barely have space to put my regular grocery store purchases away so I couldn’t possibly stockpile any more than what we need.

[rtebalt]

@starsinnight 118311 wrote:

I use a plastic three drawer container to store them: shower products, hair products, and lotions.

that is so funny that you said that!!!! that is exactly what i do!!! i have a four drawer plastic bin under my bathroom sink.

one drawer has stockpile medicine. one drawer has stockpile toothpaste and toothbrushes. one drawer has stockpile deoderant.

the last drawer has first aid & misc. items. 🙂

[JennyCup]

Just in the last year it has hit me that I need to start paying attention to what I spend (being laid off does that to ya). So now I watch what I spend very carefully. I realized that when I come across a great deal that I need to grab it and lots of it.

Even if it we don’t need it right now. I shop the clearance racks (coupons for clearance rack stuff make them an even better deal) at Target for great deals. I also hit Big Lots, the dollar store, Wal-mart, ebay, craigslist, after holiday sales, etc.

you can find some great deals on large amounts of stuff on ebay. replacement razor heads, dental floss, tooth brushes, socks, coupons, hair stuff, etc. are sold wholesale and even with shipping is still way less than what you would pay at the store.

i have started off slow with my stockpiling. i am waiting on my dh to get time to add shelves to the laundry room so i can make it into a pantry. i may have to resort to asking my bro if it takes much longer.

so far we have on the floor in the soon to be pantry tea in little cans (4 small cases) and paper towels (10 rolls). I don’t have any more room on the “pantry” floor for anything else. So until then that is all I have.

But, I spent $9 on tea that so far has lasted almost a year and we still have enough to get us through another 2 years. The paper towels will last us until January.

[redring]

Well I guess if you put it that way I do stockpile cangoods. But I admit its subconsious. I agree its gonna get worse befor it gets better.

My attempt is to garden and can though. I supose ill be stockpileing when the crops are ready. I am determined to work on urban homesteading.

LOL jennycup! I am in the same boat. I need kitchen shelves.

Have cabnits need shelves. I have no bro though you lucky duck.

[brchbell]

I’m laughing! Years ago I was canning so much and had no place to put it! Our local hospital let me know they had milk crates in the way so I loaded them up and discovered 9 quart jars fit perfectly in them and they stack so nicely clear up to the ceiling.

I kept collecting the hospital milk crates and filling and stacking and before long DH was running into solid walls of filled crates where we never had walls before! He’s been great ever since to keep me supplied with shelves for all our food storage whether it’s store bought or home grown.

[redring]

LOL! maybe thats an idea!!!! Think I should try it?

[brchbell]

Worked great for me! Just make sure your using good solid milk crates and not the cheap flimsy ones! You might call around to schools, hospitals, ect to see if they have milk crates piling up they need to get out of the way!

The ones the dairy guy left behind for me were strong enough that we are still using them to sit on or stand on. I lucked out because he just rarely had room to take any of the empties with him and a friend worked there and let me know about them. We were all happy!

Well except poor DH!

[asimplegirl]

We can stock some things in the pantry, but not much in the freezer, as it is small and we have constant power outages down here for torrential storms, hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding, etc.

It just would not be smart. We had an entire freezer stocked last summer and we lost power for almost 3 weeks and lost everything.

[Money4Jar]

I finally found others who I can relate to. Yeepie….! My hubby calls me the tp queen.

if its on sale and i have a coupon i have to buy it. that is if its a good deal.
my stockpile extends to all canned and dry goods. i’m ready for anything.

its the fresh and frozen items i’d be hurting for. 🙁 in a major earthquake. i’m a ca gal.

[Darcel]

I use a magic marker and write the date I purchased whatever so that I’m sure to use the oldest first. Also, it’s easy to look and see if something is staying on the shelf tooo long. I have a room as a pantry and it is wonderful. I’m so glad I found a site where people don’t think you are nuts because you stockpile food and supplies.

If everything works as it’s suppose too, you should be able to rotate your shelves every year to year and a half. I use an excel spreadsheet to track my pantry (hoping things won’t fall in the cracks) I can print my spreadsheet and take it to the store and when I see a good deal I look to see how much I need. If you don’t use it, it’s not a deal…we all know that…but sometimes I need to remind myself!!!!

[lsmommy]

I did have a great stock pile of pastas, rice flour, etc… However, last summer we got a nasty case of the dreaded pantry moth. Everything had to be thrown out.

Now I stock pile these items in our “extra fridge”. It doesn’t hold too much, but enough for a couple of months worth.

[brchbell]

ah yes, those nasty pantry moths! I never leave things in bags or boxes any more! I save all plastic bottles with screw tops!

You know the ones that juice, ect comes in. Even little water bottles! I wash them and let them air dry thoroughly.

It’s the only way I’ve found to keep those pesty pantry moths at bay! Glass jars with good screw tops work too! I keep flour and sugar in 1 gallon wide mouth jars.

If I use pickle jars the flavor can go through so make sure you use some plastic wrap over the jar opening before you put the lid on.

[Niddi]

Have been trying to stockpile for the past 6 months, it’s paying off. Along with my sons birthday gift this month I fixed him a big basket full of stuff to use for BBQ and grilling out this summer. It included about 4 varieties of BBQ sauce, different mustards, seasoning salt, grillmates for chicken and steak, ketchup, hot sauce, worchestershire sauce, several marinades etc as well as a nice large citronella candle I picked up on sale.

He was pleasantly surprised since he loves to grill out and now has enough to get him through the summer. It was such a joy to be able share with him and know that it didn’t cost me a fortune.

[lsmommy]

Do the plastic bottles work? I know that plastic bags do not work – unfortunatley I know this from experience… Thanks for the suggestion.

[brchbell]

@lsmommy 121557 wrote:

Do the plastic bottles work? I know that plastic bags do not work – unfortunatley I know this from experience… Thanks for the suggestion.

For dry pack storage (dry beans, wheat, flour, rice, oats, ect) plastic food grade bottles with a screw on top work good. For long term storage I recommend using Oxy-paks in each bottle. Just drop one in and seal it and then turn the bottle upside down and put the lid part into boiling water for a few seconds and remove.

the plastic bottles acutally seal and the oxy-pak removes the air and it stays good in a cool dark place for several years. If you are going to use it within a year then you just need to fill the bottle and seal it to prevent bugs from getting in.

I don’t hardly ever buy stuff like juices or pop in plastic bottles but I ask friends to save them and get tons of them! My girl’s even used them to get a good supply of animal feeds put up. We learned to put up feed grains for them also when we had a severe 18 inches of ice and no body went anywhere for close to 2 months!

We also learned to create our own feeds from our stored grains to feed the animals during that time.

have fun storing your foods away!

[kristalldrache]

Stockpiling to me depends on ONLY what I’ll use, how inexpensive I can get it (free is a no brainer…if it’s free and I’ll use it…Yep, I’m gonna find a place to put it!), and space to store it. It’s not like I go to the store with the intent of buying 5, 10, 12 or more of one or several items to stick away…

Usually what I do is for Holiday items go after the Holiday to the “percent off” sales and get things I know I will need for the next year….or to use year after year. As far as grocery items I usually keep on hand enough of dry goods (flour, sugar, sweetener, etc to last 2 to 3 months), canned goods for a month or two, and freezer items, depending on the sales to last either through that month or for several.

The day after Christmas is MY day to hit a couple of stores and stock up on bath products….50 to 75% off…they last me the entire year…at least. That is ONE thing I always stockpile. Others are shampoo, soap, toothpaste, always have at learst one reserve toothbrush for each family member…and an extra – never know when someone will need one that is just visiting. :107:

I guess the best advice imo is don’t get carried away…stacks and stacks of totes or boxes with extras would drive me up a wall! clutter clutter clutter…and i’ve seen a lot… my mom is the queen!!

lol but think about it…if you keep buying more than you’ll ever use, it’s like money sitting on the shelf…think of what else you may have been able to do with that money….

ellen

[frugaljan]

When we lived in an apartment, we took 4 feet at the end of our living room and
put up our storage shelves. Then we used blue board / duct tape to make a storage
room and door. The ‘wall’ of blue board was covered with draperies.
We have friends living in a studio apartment….they bought steel shelves for their
storage.

And under beds works well for boxes of #10 cans.

[brchbell]

Oh you are cleaver! I love seeing how people put up their food storage! years ago we lived in Japan and we not only had stuff tucked under the beds we also used our boxes of food to lay boards across and make book shelves.

We took the legs off the sofa and put two layers of boxes under it to raise it up. In all our huge window ledges we made planter boxes and had salad makings year round. Amazing what you can do in two very small rooms!

If you want to store food and supplies you can always find a way to stash it!

[jedda]

I stock up on things that we use, when I can get it very cheaply. I don’t stock up on most packaged, prepared food items, because we don’t use them very often. For instance, we’re brand specific for some things, like TP.

When I can get Charmin Ultra for a good deal, I buy a case and stick it in the garage. Same thing for laundry soap – under $2 for 24 loads is my stock up price. It means that I won’t have to pay full price when we run out.

I try to keep a 6 month supply on hand, so that I have enough time to find another sale before my supply runs out.

Other things that I keep on hand:
Nature’s Valley and Quaker chewy granola bars – under $1 per box
cereal, assorted varieties- under $1 per box.
boxed pasta – I only buy when it is b1g1 and there are coupons out – under 50c per box
Skippy peanut butter – under $1
Kraft salad dressings – under 75c each
mustard, ketchup, mayo, BBQ sauce, etc – I usually get these for free after coupons, but I’ll pay up to 50c.
rice – under 50c/lb
packaged yeast – 30c or less for a 3 pack strip
boxed cake mixes – under 50c each
boxed cornbread mix – free after coupons
sugar – under $1 for 5 lb
Crystal Light – $1.25 per 6 ct carton
I stock up on tooth brushes and toothpaste, because I can usually get it for free or tax-only, same with shampoo, bodywash, OTC medications and deodorant

Oh yeah, and my favorite thing to stockpile – YARN! (I’m a knitter) I always buy ahead when there’s a good sale on yarn that I like. Wool has no expiration date!

[C.A. Burns]

I work at my local food bank, you would be suprised at the amount of free food that people are rejecting. The food bank rotate items every month to get in the new items. At the end of the month I get any items I might need such as beans, rice, oatmeal, canned vegetables, tomatoe sauce &/or diced tomatoes, tuna, pancake & baking mix, shampoo… You just have to not be picky about brand names.

This week I waited untill the end of the day and took home what would have gone to the farm animals greens beans, melons, organic carrots, cherries, apples, collard, mustard greens, kale… what I can’t use up immediately I can, dehydrate or freeze. I made several jars of onion powder this year because even the pigs wouldn’t eat the rotted onions.

I just cut out the bad sections and dehydrated the rest. The rotted sections of the onions went to my compost, the food bank was happy to have a place to put the stuff other than giving it to the animals. Of course some weeks I get nothing but I have been doing this for a year and I have what I need stockpiled. We live half way up a moutian and get snowed in for weeks sometimes in the winter so having food put away is impotant to us.

[brchbell]

CA Burns you rock! You could look at it and say yuk I don’t want to deal with that today but you see the opportunity and jump on it! We never know when we’ll be stranded and need what ever we’ve been able to tuck away!

I never dreamed I’d be drinking dry milk right now and grateful for it. A run of bad luck has left us financially broke but thankfully we got a basement full of food storage to get by on. We’ve actually been living very well these last 2 month’s between our storage and garden and what we gather off our land or what others have begged us to go pick and take from their gardens/orchards.

Sure wish someone would want to give away tomatoes and onions in my area! I guess if that’s all I have to buy I’m in good shape!

[C.A. Burns]

Funny about the tomatoes and onions, I have tons of tomatoes in my garden; I will not be able to use all of them. I have taken 9 large boxes of produce to the food bank already from the garden. We were blessed with finding a piece of property that was an old orchard, it has apple, pear, cherry, & plum trees.

Each year we plant something new such as raspberries, peaches, grapes… We are in the pacific NW and have plenty of wild berries such as huckleberries, blackberries & thimbleberries… We are also blessed with a river nearby that has plenty of salmon that run each year.

We purchase each salmon for $10 each and smoke them. Yesterday I got a salmon that was 25 pounds. I am able to stockpile by harvesting what is in our area.

I brought a large pressure canner so we will try to can salmon this year.

[C.A. Burns]

It is important to me to have items put back for a cold winters day in case it just happens to snow : ) Actually stockpiling is more of a way of life for my husband and I, so has becoming being frugal. We learned how to be creative when my husband got injured on the job and became disabled. We have learned to eat much less first in an attempt to loose weight secondly to change our life style to watch the budget.

Some nights my husband and I just eat Swiss Chard from the garden and cornbread or split a breast chicken with veggies. We have both lost much needed to loose weight. My husband just moved our bathroom where an old storage room was and created a new pantry off the kitchen (where the original bathroom was).

I purchased several clear totes, then labeled them rice, pasta, spices, baking goods, dehydrated fruits, dehydrated vegetables, snacks, paper products/plastic wear… smaller totes for powdered milk, instant potatoes, ethnic items… Previously the items that had been placed on shelve, where I could not see them well.

Now I know where to go to find something I need easily.

[brchbell]

It’s been very rainy and much cooler here this summer and stuff like tomatoes and onions just haven’t had a chance this year. But we’ve been blessed greatly in other areas so I think it all works out in the end. I know I also need to stockpile much more paper products like toilet paper, ect.

But I know we won’t go hungry this winter and my whole family knows that cold dry milk made up doesn’t taste so bad after all.

[catlady]

I stock up on free items, anything that I have a coupon that I USE and the price is good (like 1/2 price w/ coupon) Like recently I had a bunch of Solo coupons $1 off plates or cups. I do not use cups but use the small and medium plates, and they cost like $2.19 at local “warehouse” (no membership needed one) market, so with $1 off they were almost 1/2 price and we use these so I bought all I had coupons for. These are nicer than the cheap paper plates I refuse to use cause you wind up using 2-3 instead of one but then w/ coupon they are affordable.

[GreyEyedGirl]

This was extremely helpful. Do you have particular sites/ places that you glean your recipes for extracts, canning etc.? I am extremely new to the concept but with the economy affecting us this year and three teenagers, it seems like no better time than the present !!

Will begin tailoring my store lists to what I need this week for meals and alot a little more for some to put away. If I don’t touch what I put by, then these will accumulate. I hope to begin making everything from scratch.

If I am unable to become employed in my new town, then the least I can do is to reduce our expenses by the amount I used to make.

[brchbell]

I highly recommend SimplyLivingSmart to learn wonderful lessons about food storage and how to live on it. Part of the site is free the rest you have to pay to use but the beginner lessons that are free are great. Another site is: Family Home Storage
And it’s totally free.

I’m in process of making 91 planned menu meals and getting everything i need for those meals. We now live on our food storage and just replenish what we use once a month. We thought we had everything we needed but without a menu plan we have found things we run out of.

We ran out of soy sauce today and thought we had a 2 year supply but only lasted 6 months! 91 menu meals repeated for a year makes it so you know what to store and don’t get tired of what you are eating as you’ll only have it every 3 months. I started my food storage with a 3 day supply first and then a 3 month supply and built up from there.

Have fun getting prepared.

[Happytosave]

Hi this is only my first post and I am reading through this amazing web site and wanted to share what, and why I stockpile.

In South Western Ontario (Canada) we have Shoppers Drug Mart which used to be a pharmacy and carry personal items.Most of their stores have now expanded to groceries, household items, greeting cards magazines, beauty products, They have a great loyalty program and I have recently in a two week period chalked up enough points by buying in bulk, toilet paper, tissues (cheaper than Costco), to get $25.00 in free merchandise yes free!

I have purchased cereal (all brand names) granola bars, crackers, cookies, for a student away a university for a care package! On a recent weekend normally sales run weekly but special incentives are on Sat/Sun if you bought $75.00 minimum, you would receive a FREE $20.00 gas card! It’s fun to run around the store with the weekly flyer and stock up in shampoo, soap, toothpaste, even canned soups such a variety t choose from and get great rewards.

Thanks for letting me share!

[jody]

I usually stockpile my freezer with meats, Healthy Choice dinner and vegetables when they go on sale but I have a chest freezer and things get overlooked and I sometimes have to throw some away and that’s is not being frugal.

[brchbell]

I live where my electricity goes out more than I care to think about! I purposely stockpile for that reason and I don’t use my freezer! I can most of our meat, vegetables, ect and dry some of it.

We really limit what we put into our freezer. Right now it’s nearly empty but we’ll be freezing baked goods soon to have on hand for this winter. We love freezing raw cinnamon rolls that we can pull as few as we need let them sit 10 minutes and then pop ’em into the oven for fresh hot cinnamon rolls.

Cookie dough is another thing we freeze a lot of. We freeze some of our broccoli but dry most of it. And I really like frozen peaches but we can most of those.

Anyway I really don’t put into my freezer more than I can handle in a week just because I know as sure as I fill it the electricity will go out for several days and I’ll have to deal with it again! We make a master list of what is in our freezer so we can keep track and not lose anything in it! Yes it’s easy to lose stuff in a chest freezer!:xmas5: And I quickly turn into a block of ice digging for what I know is in there somewhere!

[mcnerd]

@jody 128491 wrote:

but I have a chest freezer and things get overlooked and I sometimes have to throw some away and that’s is not being frugal.

That’s a good reason to have a FoodSaver Vacuum Sealer because it will eliminate that waste caused by freezer burn. Air is the enemy and regular containers and plastic bags just don’t work for long term.

[jody]

I like your idea of a master list for my freezer. Than I will know when to restock. Great idea.

Thanks for suggesting that.

[ctack2]

Just a bit of info for those worried about losing things in your freezer.
Keeping your freezer full is good for a couple of reasons…..1 – it is much more economical to run if it is full because it’s like a big block of ice and doesn’t warm up as quickly……2 – If you do lose power, stuff stays frozen for MUCH longer because there is no air in there to warm up.
If you don’t want to chance losing food to a power failure, fill all the empty space in your freezer with frozen jugs or bottles or even bags of water.

If you need space in the freezer, remove some of the water. These are also good to have on hand to use in a cooler. Also, if you use some small containers for the water, you can throw some in a cooler or cooler bag, go to the grocery, and you don’t have to worry about hurrying home – just throw the cold stuff in the cooler and keep on going!
So, not only being handy and useful, they will decrease your power bill a little in making the freezer more economical!

Win – win.

Carol B

[brchbell]

Yes! I keep my juice bottles and fill them with water and use them to fill my freezer. When I go on a big fill the freezer binge, I just remove the water jugs and until they are needed again.

My problem with the electric going out is every few years it ends up being out for a month or longer! We get use to it and it’s one of the things my kids love so much we occasionally turn off the power just for the fun of it! Even they say “silence is golden”!

Our last big outage was so quiet, I never realized how much noise our home created even without a TV or radio going! We keep tin cans full of water in our freezer to! We like to wrap plain paper around them and draw designs and then use a hammer and nail to punch holes and make the design on the can.

The kids add a wire for a handle at the top and put a candle in it after the ice melts. Fun to do in the winter time!

[carlitasway]

I stockpile:
shampoo
conditioner
soap
body wash
toilet paper
girly products
facial tissue
cotton balls
q-tips
toothpaste
tooth brushes
mouthwash
skin care
deoderant
medicine- my son and I are always getting sick so it never goes bad
flour
sugar
coffee
baking supplies
spices
oil
canned tomatoes
pasta
rice
canned veggies
cooking soup
frozen veggies
meats
cereal
tea
paper towels
candles
air freshners
house cleansers
laundry detergent

Whew, I think that’s about it. I try not to stockpile too many premade foods since they tend to be kind of junky. I like to cook from scratch as much as possible.

[brchbell]

Sounds good Carlsitsway! Your right! Don’t store a lot of pre-made foods!

They go bad much faster, aren’t very healthy and much harder to stretch if you need to live on what you have on hand! The only fast foods we store are in each of our backpack evac bags should we ever have to run. 3 days worth of easy food & snack and water, change of clothes and a book or game.

We change these out twice a year and have never needed them here at home but 2 of my boys needed them several times while in college. Somewhere between tornadoes, earthquakes and ice storms they always survived pretty good. Through their experience we made sure we had a few 1st aid supplies in each bag and a thin fleece blanket.

I love being stocked up! I have a plan on what to get each month but gee whiz if a special comes up I’m able to drop whatever and go for it! Got cases of Charmin this last time for over half price!

Got a full years supply for a faction of what I usually spend! Sure will be glad when they finish working in my basement so I can get it all organized again! Looks like the mudding and taping is almost done we we might be able to paint this weekend and then they can get the hanging ceilings done.

We have had to live on our stash several times. This last time for a full 4 months. Sure glad we had that safety net under us even if we did have to drink powdered milk!

We at least ate and actually ate very well!

[Frugalite]

I stockpile a lot of meats in the freezer but want to can them (nce I learn how) so we aren’t so dependent on electricity. We loose power more frequently now than I ever remember in the past, so I want to be as prepared as possible.

I usually keep a year supply of condiments but was lazy this last year and am down to actually paying for ketchup and bbq sauce, etc. And it really adds up.

This week I’ll be dehydrating fruits and veggies as much for quick meals and to take up less space in storage.

[brchbell]

Home canning your meat takes time and requires a pressure canner but is fairly easy to do. Here is a site that does a good job of explaining how to can different types of meat: You can safely and easily can your own meat by Jackie Clay Issue #105 I need to get my dehydrater going as I’ve put it off this year. always like to have dried veggies to make up my soup mixes with.

I’m having to buy all my tomato based stuff this year. I actually found a way to can some stuff up using #10 cans of tomatoes I was able to buy at Sam’s Club this year. It was just much to cold & wet for tomatoes and most anything else this last summer in my corner of the world!

I canned up all our V-8 and tomato Juice we’d need for this winter. Next time I’ll try to do spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce and Salsa. Not the best way to do this but it will work better than buying store made stuff!

Hopefully I’ll fair better this coming growing year! Thanks for sharing with us Frugalite!

[cjhs101]

I stockpile products that we have tried, used I know we would eventually need to purchase. With the many other free or profit after purchase with rebate products I purchase that our family doesn’t use … I donate to a couple food banks and local shelters.

I love to feel helpful and they are often quite happy to get the type products we donate as canned and/or boxed food is the norm. Soap, toilet paper, shampoo, lotions and such are greatly appreciated as many do not think to donate these type products.

[oksik]

I also love to be stocked! But I’m new to this!

[mcnerd]

What do you eat? Store extra. Simple.

[brchbell]

@oksik 131223 wrote:

I also love to be stocked! But I’m new to this!

Never fear! Start slow! Start at the beginning of this post and read them all and check out the links as you go folks have listed to help you learn more!

Whenever you go shopping just start by picking up one or two extra items to tuck away. You might start by collecting what you might need for 3 days (72 hour kit) food and water, necessary supplies. Once you have that extend it to 1 week then 2 weeks.

It’s a great feeling when a big storm is coming or you lose your job to know you can stay put and have what you need for right now. Make sure the stuff you stash is properly sealed. I either dry pack can my stuff into #10 cans or pour them into plastic containers that have screw down lids.

There is nothing worse than opening something you’ve stored and finding it full of weevils! BTW weevils can be killed by freezing them for 2 weeks and you might be able to sift them out but they won’t hurt you if you do end up eating some of them–just a little extra protein! But if you seal them well you won’t get them!

Have fun and you’ll be amazed how much you can stash away by just getting a little extra each time you shop!

[Godlovinfamily]

I stockpile!! lol.. my dh sometimes would like to rip his hair out..

lol.. but we hardly ever run out of stuff! I stockpile everything from meat (we vaccuum seal it & put it in the xtra freezer) to toilet paper to canned goods to makeup….

also printer paper (still working on the printer paper I got on sale (not to mention a rebate for ~which basically made it free) from LAST August) & I still have 3/4 of the box still to go. We do stockpile, but if we don’t have the room, then we don’t get it. I always use “oldest” first & that way we use everything up in a timely manner but still have a good stockpile!

We have recently moved all of our canned/glass goods (soups, veggies, beans, oils, etc) out to the garage on a baker’s rack (it’s floor to ceiling) … Anything that won’t spoil being out in the heat or the cold!

We do eat cereal, but usually only get it when it’s on sale, but we like cerea l, & most of us hate oatmeal. if we won’t eat it, it’s not a good deal for us. basically just keeping eyes peeled for a good sale & don’t get stuff you most likely won’t eat.

i do sometimes use coupons, but not always b/c most of the stuff we get you won’t find a coupon for. sad but true.grrrrrgrrrrr

that’s all i can really think of at the moment… i will say that the vaccuum sealer is wonderful! before we had that, our meats etc would get horrid freezer burn but now it never does.

love it!

kim

[Amalgamate]

I was recently diagnosed with quite a few food allergies and we haven’t figured out what the rest of my allergies are yet, so I don’t stockpile too many things. My husband and I also go through too many phases where we devour one thing and then get tired of it for months. As for food, my stockpile is normally rice, beans (dry and canned), frozen fruits/veggies, and nuts.

Everything else I just try to keep tabs on so I know when to start looking for a good deal.
I stockpile mostly nonfood items, like shaving cream, razor blades, contact solution, makeup, toothpaste, shampoo/conditioner, dental floss, laundry detergent, and fabric softener. These are things we always use and have certain brands we’re particularly fond of. I have enough storage space in the cupboards of the bathroom and laundry room to keep a few extras of each of these.

[brchbell]

Hope you find out what your food allergies are very soon! I’m allergic to mushrooms but my Liver is shot and can’t take anything so have to be very careful not to eat any preservatives or non- natural food products like high fructose corn syrup. I make just about everything from scratch because I have to!

My big find this year was I got 1000 really nice toothbrushes at a wholesale auction for $13! I love finding bargains!

[dct9000]

I do can my own meats (why use electricity to keep something frozen, then use more electricity to heat it). I also have 5 gal cans I keep rice, flour, and beans in. The main thing that I have learnt is to be sure and rotate everything.

I go so far as to mark the date bought and to highlight the expiration date.

[brchbell]

Great job dct9000! More and more my freezer is filled with water jugs! We went to a menu planned food storage and also live off of it full time.

We’ve fine tuned it and have it at a 91 day menu plan. Only 2 meals require fresh or frozen meats. Everything else goes into canning jars!

and oh how I love this system! Yesterday I had forgotten we were having bbq beef sandwiches. but not a problem the meat was canned so already coked just dumped it out and took a fork to it and poured bbq sauce on and heated it up and it was great and it was fast!

now we are gearing up for winter and i store raw cinnamon buns and cookie dough in the freezer for us to pull from when we want a treat. just pull water jugs out as needed and then replace them when space becomes available again. in an emergency these frozen water jugs when no longer needed could be used to wash laundry then flush with or wash dishes and then used to flush with.

i also vacuum pack my multi grain pasta and brown rice and coconut and nuts into canning jars now to preserve them long term.

[hs4hmom]

I take advantage of loss lealders at my little local grocery…very good deals most of the time. I’m also a canner and take advantage of free/sale items to can.
I also use my food saver to help some items last a while longer. I label everything with the date I put it up so I can rotate.
I store my beans dried and do a canner full at a time so I’ll have 7 pint jars of whatever beans I want handy and waiting.
I store to not only have a food supply for us, but for the rest of my family (in case of financial needs for any of them)

[brchbell]

i just called my local butchering place and asked how much it would be to get 50 lbs of beef bones. They said give them 2 weeks to collect them and they would be mine for free! I can boil them up and make my own beef broth and can it!

Great savings and I’ll know exactly what I’m getting!

[mechelle]

i am in complete awe and printing this out to show to the hubby maybe he will take a hint, it would be amazing to have that much stockpiled not to mention that organized.

[Melissa Burnell]

@brchbell 172068 wrote:

i just called my local butchering place and asked how much it would be to get 50 lbs of beef bones. They said give them 2 weeks to collect them and they would be mine for free! I can boil them up and make my own beef broth and can it! Great savings and I’ll know exactly what I’m getting!

Not only that, but if you have a meat saw at home you can “shave” the bones into bonemeal for your chickens. It’s EXCELLENT nutrition for them and freezes easily. It’s sometimes referred to as sawdust or bonedust.

[Eliza44]

I would like to stockpile more but dh doesn’t see the need for it. He wants the deep freeze emptied so he can get rid of it. He would rather have an upright because it “looks nicer”.

He is all about how things look not what works. I have about a three month supply of most items. On condiments I have a six month supply. This morning I purchased 8 24 ct Tums with a coupon that made them 75 cents each.

I unroll them and fill my bigger bottle. He thinks I am crazy. Am I?

I would love to stockpile more but I am at a loss of how to show dh that it is not a waste of money.

Any ideas?

[FreebieQueen]

@Eliza44 193062 wrote:

I would like to stockpile more but dh doesn’t see the need for it. He wants the deep freeze emptied so he can get rid of it. He would rather have an upright because it “looks nicer”. He is all about how things look not what works. I have about a three month supply of most items.

Yeah, my dh was the same way at first. I don’t know if he’s gotten over it or gotten used to it, lol. Actually though, an Upright freezer is Much easier to organize than a chest freezer. We recently got rid of our chest freezers (we had 2!) and opted for an upright in it’s place.

On condiments I have a six month supply. This morning I purchased 8 24 ct Tums with a coupon that made them 75 cents each. I unroll them and fill my bigger bottle. He thinks I am crazy. Am I? I would love to stockpile more but I am at a loss of how to show dh that it is not a waste of money.

Well, I think how I finally got my hubby to come around to my way of thinking is, I squirreled away the money I saved into a savings account he didn’t know about. About 8 months or so later, I bought him a big ticket item he’d been wanting for ages. He was floored because I didn’t touch any of the money in our budget, nor from our joint checking. I was a stay at home mom, so he couldn’t figure out where all that money came from. I simply told him, it’s from everything that You waste, that I won’t. Needless to say, suddenly he was on board with BOTH feet.

It’s not a waste to stockpile items that you will USE. It IS a waste, imho, to buy items you know you will not use simply because they’re on sale or you feel they are a deal price and you MIGHT use them sometime.

[Eliza44]

Thank you for your encouraging words FreebieQueen. He has gotten a little better but he still grumbles. Part of my problem right now is he put wire shelves in the pantry instead of wooden ones like I wanted and they are starting to bow from the weight.

I am needing to go in their and rearrange again. If we had a basement it would be wonderful but we don’t so I will adjust.

At one point I was couponing a lot but recently I have cut back because I was starting to buy things that I don’t think I would use just because it was a “good deal”. I have since donated those items and I am being more selective in what I buy. Dh and I are both diabetic and I have weight issues so we are trying to eat better.

I am considering canning meat but I am not sure. I have a lot of shredded squash and pureed pumpkin in my deep freeze and I am not sure how I would storage those items if I didn’t freeze them. Any ideas?

[Armymomof2]

I can alot of my own veggies and spreads. I also had a raised garden bed this year, which was really nice. I have 4 pints blueberry jam, 4 pints crab apple jelly and jam, 4 pints peas, 6 pints green and wax beans, 5 pints black berry jam and currently working on pumpkin butter and making pumpkin puree to make breads, muffins and more with the pumpkin meat.

[doryjane]

I have a 2yr supply of Tide liquid detergent, Always and Stay Free pads, Tampax Tampons, and Suave shampoo (adults and kids!)

[Girliemom21]

This was a great question. I have a small stockpile of Shampoos, dental, cleaning, and paper. My Pantry has about 2 mos.

worth of pasta, beans, cereal, canned veggies and sauces, soups. I always have extra sugar, flour, and the rest of the baking supplies needed to bake anything. We live paycheck to paycheck, and I use Q’s and only buy things we will use/Eat.

I will buy 1 or 2 extra when they are on sale, and have coupons. I am building my pile slowly, but looking to get greater deals than I have been getting along the way.

[brchbell]

We had a great blessing on my husbands last deployment. they put him up in a hotel thing and everyday gave him new soap, shampoo, etc. Every day he’d toss them into a box.

7 month’s later he had a whole bunch of boxes of really nice stuff! We grow most of our own food now so i just have to can it, dry it, etc. The more you can stash away the better!

I have lots of food stuff but need more medical stuff. Just keep stashing it away!

[MrsPaws]

I’ve got at least a year’s worth of HBA’s, feminine products, pastas, rice-regular long grain, basmati, jasmine, and brown, assorted dried beans, and sugars.

Probably a good 6 month’s worth of flour, meal, oatmeal-old fashioned and quick, grits, cream of wheat, 8 grain cereals, assorted teas, peanut butter, jelly/jams/preserves, baking mixes, baking essentials, powdered milk, cocoa, condiments, kosher and regular salt, seasonings, dried herbs, canned fruits, assorted soups, meats, and veggies, minute type rice, rice and/or noodle mixes, dessert mixes, laundry detergents/products, cleaning products, TP, first aid supplies, and paper towels.

In the freezers-there’s approx 10 months worth of meats, veggies, fruits, cheeses, butter/margarine, numerous freezer meals… and…I have to admit…some convenience foods that my family thinks they can’t live without. :/

Need to work on OTC meds, vinegar, bleach, a few more canned meat products, various nuts, cereals, bottled water, emergency supplies, first aid supplies, etc…

Need to find more information, study/look into more naturalistic remedies and natural living…and learn how to home can more things. 😉
:doh: Still have a long way to go…..

[brchbell]

I highly recommend Dr. Bones & Nurse Amy’s site! No his real name isn’t DR. Bones. But they use those names online to avoid leagal problems but he is a real Physician and she is a real Nurse Practitioner/Midwife.

They have written an awesome book and you can find tons and tons of info on their blog if you search it! I especially loved the fish meds in place of antibiotics. You can’t stockpile prescription drugs because you can’t get them.

But most Antibotics are readily available as fish antibiotics. Nothing is added just the antibiotic. I had strep throat in January and ended up in the hospital with it.

Because of this we knew what we were dealing with when the rest of the family got it. We are 90 miles from a doctor so we immedialtey pulled out the “fish mox” Amoxicillin 250 mg. and put them all on a 10 day course of it.

All of them quickly recovered and was able to return to work quickly. Lots more info to be found there too! Survival Medicine with Dr Bones & Nurse Amy | Doom and Bloom (TM)

Cherlynn

[MrsPaws]

You lost me with the “fish meds”…I’m not doubting, just don’t understand.
Would you only be able to find it where ever fish are sold…or…natural food stores…or…well…where?
If something like this is available in my area, it would be a true blessing!
Guess I need to get to reading…

[brchbell]

I bought mine online but also found them at a farm animal supply place. I am buying a bottle of each kind and then vacuum sealing them into a canning jar and putting it into storage in a cool dark place. They will keep at least 10 years that way.

Just do a google search and several supply places will pop up.

[cherrybelle]

I’m fairly newish to stock piling, since I finally have a place to use for it. My house has a smallish room off the dining room that’s been used as a nap room when the kids were infants and toddlers, a computer room when they were more mobile and couldn’t leave the darn thing alone, a puppy nursery when a stray dog showed up on my doorstep and had pups, a sick room for when the kids ertr too ill to sleep in their own rooms and I wanted them close, a bedroom of sorts for my elderly dog…you name it, it’s been it. But this spring, I cleaned all the junk out of there, fgot rid of the old queen sized bed and bought some heavy durty shelving.

Right now, on those shelves, I have about 12 gallons of water, about 75 pounds of various kinds of flours, 15 pounds of baking soda, a case of paper towns, one of TP, 25 pounds of sugar, 10 pounds of brown sugar, 10 pounds of oatmeal, 10 pounds of choc chips, a couple of 64 oz jugs of pancake surup, 4 jumbo sized jars of spaghetti sauce, probably 20 pounds of rice, 15 of dried beans, a few cases of various fruits and veggies…

One thing I’ve found useful is looking for bulk in things you can’t get that way in most grocery stores. I saw back a ways someone said buying hyeast for 30 vents for a 3 pack. My SIL has a Sams Club membershit.

Last time she went, I gave her a list. On it was yeast…2 pounds for around $5. 25 pound bags of bread and all purpose foour for less than $9. The jugs from my pancake syrup?

Once emptied, washed and dried, they do an excellent job at holding my 25 pound bags of sugar. Between 4 of them, and my sugar container in my kitchen, I’m pretty much good to go. My bilk flour?

Food grade, air tight dog food storage containers. What I use to stack a snall supply of each on my kitchen shelf? Old ice cream buckets.

Dried beans and rice? Large plastic jars that came filled with spaghetti sauce, pretzels, ketchup, miracle whip, ect.

[brchbell]

Hope you rotate your flour! Store bought flour usually goes rancid within 3 years depending on storage conditions. Keeping it rotated can keep you with a nice fresh supply if a crisis ever hits.

Sounds like you are doing a great job of getting stocked up!

[cherrybelle]

I do rotate in the sense that I use it up fairly quickly. By baking all my own bread, it’s not something that sits long. A 25 pound bag of bread flour lasts me generally about 2 to 3 months, depending on how much the kids decide to eat and if they’re bringing their friends around.

[Virginia]

Suggestion : Keep your storage room as cool as possible. Also, you want it to be dark so cover the windows if there are any.
In winter you might want to shut the heat off to that room. In summer if you have air-conditioning it might be helpful to have it on in there as well.
hope this helps.

thanks;Virginia

[MrsPaws]

@brchbell 222991 wrote:

I highly recommend Dr. Bones & Nurse Amy’s site! No his real name isn’t DR. Bones. But they use those names online to avoid leagal problems but he is a real Physician and she is a real Nurse Practitioner/Midwife.

They have written an awesome book and you can find tons and tons of info on their blog if you search it! I especially loved the fish meds in place of antibiotics. You can’t stockpile prescription drugs because you can’t get them.

But most Antibotics are readily available as fish antibiotics. Nothing is added just the antibiotic. I had strep throat in January and ended up in the hospital with it.

Because of this we knew what we were dealing with when the rest of the family got it. We are 90 miles from a doctor so we immedialtey pulled out the “fish mox” Amoxicillin 250 mg. and put them all on a 10 day course of it.

All of them quickly recovered and was able to return to work quickly. Lots more info to be found there too! Survival Medicine with Dr Bones & Nurse Amy | Doom and Bloom ™
cherlynn

wow, i actually forgot about this one.

need to look into this more carefully.
thanks so much for the info!!

[Merry3]

I only have about 2 months supply stockpiled, but I keep, oatmeal, instant potatoes, soups that I find on sale, canned salmon and tuna, canned tomatoes, macaroni, pasta, mixed veggies, canned fruit, pancake mix that just uses water, jello, mayonnaise, juice, tea, coffee, sugar, powdered milk. For bathroom , toilet paper, shampoo, toothpaste and soap. I would like to add some cookie mixes, or muffin mixes, something to make up for a treat.

I also add relish to my stockpile as I can always make tarte sauce with it by just adding it to mayonnaise. I keep my stockpile for mainly if I want to save money, or incase of a some sort of emergency where you cannot get to the store. With my cans of fruit I always make sure I have pineapple, and applesause as I can add them to different recipes.

I like dry soups like liptons and find they make great soup bases and you can add any veggie to make up a great soup. Hope this helps
Merry3
Merry3

[Frugal Mom]

I do keep a good supply of dried foods and toiletries. I started doing this as part of our earthquake kit where I try to keep a three day supply of grab-and-go goodies. I really like the Aqua Blox water as you can easily stack them.

You can find Aqua Blox at Amazon.com. If you are a Prime member, shipping is free.

My favorite website for dried foods is Honeyville Grain. I did not buy my flour from them as it’s far more expensive than purchasing 25 pound sacks of flour at Smart and Final. I did buy the storage containers at Honeyville though.

Be sure to get the Gamma lids as they are easier to open than the regular lids.

[crazy8kids]

I don’t have much room to stockpile but I have a pretty good one. When I first started I made a list of 10 things that we used regularly and that would store…it was things like razors, laundry soap, dish soap, etc. I started watching sales and gathering coupons and it didn’t take long to have a years worth of items stocked.

Then I moved on to food. I made a list of 10 things we use regularly, that was store able or could be frozen. I started small because I knew I would get overwhelmed…I am now working on a 5 year plan of things that will last that long.
Be careful about storing things in your bathroom because your bathroom gets a lot of humidity and that can be hard on different products.

[brchbell]

Under beds, in back of closets are great places to store stuff. You can even build a end table out of boxes of storage and cover it with cloth and no one needs to know what it really is. When we were in Japan we build furniture out of cases of food and when we got ready to move back home we ate our furniture.

Use your imagination and you can store a lot more then you ever thought possible.

[MrsPaws]

I do under the bed thing also. And closets…under dressers and chest of drawers… Usually in plastic boxes with lids that seal, I put whatever in there.
Another thing I do, I place bay leaves in my pantry and all my storage areas.

I even put them into the plastic storage boxes.

[brchbell]

I have tons of room for my storage now but in the past lived in such tiny little spaces. I love to go look for storage ideas on You tube. You can find some great and very funny ideas there!

Did you know you can store a 1 yr. supply of food for 1 person under a twin bed? If you really want to have an emergency storage, you can find the room to store it all!

[MrsPaws]

@brchbell 249602 wrote:

I have tons of room for my storage now but in the past lived in such tiny little spaces. I love to go look for storage ideas on You tube. You can find some great and very funny ideas there!

Did you know you can store a 1 yr. supply of food for 1 person under a twin bed? If you really want to have an emergency storage, you can find the room to store it all!

wow…impressive…seriously, it is!
thinking of that…i just remembered there’s room under my daughter’s bed…hhhhmmmmmm…;)

[sdbmshad]

I tend to stock pile items that can be heated on a camp stove. Canned beans, veggies sauces. I’ve been without electricity due to storms in the past for over a week.

I learned a valuable lesson. I do rotate the foods I stock pile. My favorite store to get cans at is Save A Lot.

[brchbell]

Easy to reheat items are great to store up but I’d also add in rice and beans in big qualities in case we have an economic melt down.

[Virginia]

Don’t forget to stock up on Water! Especially good Drinking Water! You will need it.

Fruit and Vegetable Juices are also good to have on hand. Thanks; Virginia

[MrsPaws]

@brchbell 256489 wrote:

Easy to reheat items are great to store up but I’d also add in rice and beans in big qualities in case we have an economic melt down.

virginia;256547 wrote:

Don’t forget to stock up on Water! Especially good Drinking Water! You will need it.

Fruit and Vegetable Juices are also good to have on hand. Thanks; Virginia

Both of these are excellent ideas. I regularly stock and rotate these items.

[windsor]

I have been buying in bulk for the last forty years! As another poster said, I buy what I eat and eat what I buy. I don’t use much packaged food so I usually stockpile my own canned goods.

I grow it in my garden or get it from orchards. I sometimes make deals with them picking up fallen fruit for free fruit and then feed the fallen to our pigs. Gleaning helps to get it free also.

I buy my bulk beans, wheat, rice, etc. from Azure Standard a co-op here in our area, although it delivers across many states. It’s about the cheapest I’ve found for non gmo products.

I raise my own pigs at a friends place who has land, and buy my grass beef from another friend pretty cheap. I get my cleaning/person care products from the dollar store mainly. I find that the less time I spend in a store, the less I spend so I don’t do much shopping in grocery stores.

[Starstorm]

I think I am in heaven.. finally feel like I am not alone, where most around here think i am nuts with my coupon binder, store hoppin cheap skate ways. Thank you!

[brchbell]

This time of the year I begin to wear out. We grow a large garden but this year I’m the only working in it. Everyone else is working/going to school and to busy.

With all our food allergies we have to grow as much as possible. Now with the tainted produce that is making so many sick, my neighbors are stopping by to see if they can get some produce from me to get by with. Thankfully we have a very nice local farmers market I can refer them to!

I’m excited that we actually have fruit on peach, apple and pear trees this year. I’m praying they will go ahead and mature and ripen so we can have this fruit for the coming winter. I ordered in 50 lbs of gluten free flour from my Amish neighbor and she let me know it should be here in 2 wks.

I’ll go ahead and order in another batch of gf stuff so we can build up our supplies of gf products. i’ve started canning gf cakes and breads so we have them on hand. they take time and patience to make and i still get lots of failures so i felt having some of them done up ahead of time could be a real blessing.

[Virginia]

Sounds like you are busy! Some of our peaches are ripening now, will be canning later this afternoon. You say you ordered in gluten free flour — what exactly is that made from?

Ancient Wheat? (although that would have some gluten (wouldn’t it?), I have heard that some people that can not tolerate modern wheat can eat it. Or is it a flour mix?

How are you canning cakes and breads? Would you share your recipes and how to s? Thanks; Virginia

[brchbell]

Visit my web site: onewomansprepping.com I put all the canned cake/bread recipes there. gf flour has no gluten. it’s usually got rice, sorghum, millet, etc in it but it works great in my baked goods.

i found out ancient grains sold in the us are hybrid grains so they are unusable to those allergic to gluten. but i had a good friend last month who is very allergic like i am who went on a european trip and by the time she got to hungary she just had to give in and try their wonderful pastries. she made sure she had her eli pen ready and ate the huge pastry and no trouble at all.

we found out that mainland europe has banned us,gb/canadian grains because they have all been manipulated. i wish i could get some of their flour here but they don’t export it either. we can not go back because the manipulated grains grown here are into the soil and go into anything else grown in that soil.

i made the pumpkin spice cake recipe with gf flour and it worked very well. i am going to get more of the straight sided jars so i can make more of them up. it really is nice to have things ready when you want them and to tired to make anything up.

cherlynn

[Virginia]

I will have a look at your website. So your GF flour is a mixture of non wheat grains? Where does your Amish neighbor get the grains?

Does she grow them herself? Any way you could get the recipe for the flour mix? Thanks; Virginia

[cjsmith45]

All FREE?? How do I do that? Is this extreme Q-poning?
My food saver didn’t seem to seal anything well, and I tried many many times; with different sized bags.

I goodwilled it.

[brchbell]

Virginia,
My Amish neighbor has a dry goods store and they get items wholesale through their Amish system. They get my Red Bob’s All Purpose Gluten Free flour in 25 lb bags for $1.73 per pound. The cheapest I’ve been able to get it is $3.24 lb.

I can buy directly from Red Bob through our catering business but I can’t get the price the Amish get. They say they get a better price because they grow much of the grains Red Bob needs to make the flour. I’m not sure what all it has in it but I remember it has Sorghum and brown rice plus other things.

It does not have any wheat, soy, corn or coconut. Next time I get some I will write down everything they have listed.
CJSmith,
I had bought a brand new food saver years ago and had trouble with the bags sealing to and good willed mine. I didn’t know at the time I could use it to seal jars!

So now I use my ebay one almost daily vacuum sealing dry good and dehydrated stuff into canning jars. I can vacuum seal chips into canning jars and they last 3 to 5 years depending on where you store them. I get chocolate candy at the end of holiday seasons and vacuum them into canning jars and they last well over 10 years!

You need the vacuum hose and the canning jar attachment to be able to seal canning jars. They even have a larger canister you can put jars in and vacuum seal them in that. Vacuum sealing in canning jars makes my food storage so much nicer!

[unicorn1960]

I stockpile toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant, razors, shaving, cream, dawn dish soap, bath soap, body washs, hair color, vitamins, calcium, toilet paper, paper towels, and baby aspirin. These items were all free or under a dollar. After watching my spending habits for a while I discovered this is where a large chunk of my “food” budget was actually going.

[HerbLady]

I buy in on semi-truck loads of dry goods with my Amish neighbors. For instance, a 100 lb bag of dried beans is purchased MUCH more cheaply than I’d ever get from a store. I simply divide it among 5 gallon plastic buckets.

Putting out word with hunters that I’d like some venison soon has my freezer packed.

Another favorite of mine is asking the neighbors for the bones when they butcher a cow or hog. I was fortunate enough to be given a 32 quart stock pot. I put up a lot of broth every year.

My grandmother sold her large pressure cookers to the neighbor before we moved back into the area. I borrow them so I can do 14 jars at a time.

[brchbell]

Lucky are we who are blessed to live near Amish! I get all my bulk goods are great prices via my amish neighbors too! I let them know whenever I’d like some venison as many folks drop them off to them and they get over whelmed at times and if they get some that was shot the wrong way and the meat isn’t worth saving then they have to deal with it too.

Whenever I let them know I can always count on them calling me to relieve them of a deer or several. In my area we have set up many barter groups so I’m able to get all kinds of stuff in exchange for what I can produce. If you think about it and let people know you’ll be amazed at the stuff you can get from them for free or great prices!

[TnKirsten]

Newbie here so maybe i just havnt seen what im looking for i have a lt of canned goods (real store cans not home canning ) how long are they good past dates on can ?

[Sallysmart]

I stock pile fish, like as in sardines and kippers, they have a couple years good date on them and I try to use the first bought to the last bought and I also have some in my emergency Go Bags. I replace them every couple years.
Fish is so good for you if you like fish. Lots of anti inflammatory properties in them plus a good eating with toast, rice or even potatoes or crackers if ever stuck in a situation of emergency, they are small, light weight to carry and both have pull tabs for easy opening, always have a can opener in your Go Bag tho.

[Sallysmart]

I also stock pile on coffee. I get a feeling it’s going up and I hit all the sales. It did go up and I have about 30 cans of it stacked along my basement stairs.

It was $5.99 ish when I heard it would go up, now that same big can is $9.99 on sale sometimes. It’s amazing how they say they had a bad year and we have to pay for it.
Years ago this happened when I had my store, some people went to black tea while I tried to sell my coffee at my cost to help out. It was over a year before it came back down.

To see it in stores back then at $14.00 for a large can was not rare, stores had to make their mark up so it was hard for all.
I used it as a door crashed for those who could afford it at cost but that was slim chance for many. It was like a luxury to have it, even at the cost my wholesaler could give it to me for. I was new in the business and never seen coffee go like that or I would have stock piled on it and probably helped my customers even better.

[Frugal Mom]

I try to keep cans of canned beef, chicken, salmon and tuna in the cupboard. You can serve the beef over mashed potatoes; make chicken sandwiches or soup with the canned chicken; serve salmon cakes using the canned salmon; and many, many things from canned tuna. Sandwiches, casseroles, creamed over toast, etc.

[marsha32]

I had a source to get an average of 15 free coupon inserts each week free. I was just starting to really stockpile any items that I could that were super cheap or free after coupons.
Unfortunately, double coupons stopped here, as well as did my source for free inserts.
I am just now getting back into couponing and actually buying additional inserts. It’s just really hard to get anything for just sales tax anymore without the coupons doubling.
With more coupons though, I can take more advantage of the deals at Target to buy so many and get a free gift card with purchase.

[Amalgamate]

I stockpile mostly ingredients when I find a good deal — canned and frozen vegetables, grass-fed ground beef, honey, nuts (I freeze them), olive oil, and coconut oil. And nonperishable things like toothpaste, shampoo, toilet paper, tampons, etc.

[lmitchell]

Currently, I have a stockpile of laundry detergent (13 bottles in house with a RC for another 10), 28 bottles of shampoo/conditioner, 30 bars of soap, 9 tubes of toothpaste (plus travel sizes, too), 10 toothbrushes, nearly 300 pull-ups (individual ones, not packages), 16 razors and 18 boxes of dryer sheets.

[ajammes]

A newbie here to the site but not to stocking up. I stock up on tp and coffee. tp because i have a daughter (grown) who forgets to put it on her shopping list then hits up my stockpile.

(this happened even before i had one) and coffee cause god and all heaven forbid i have to give up coffee any time soon. i am blessed with some land for a garden so put veggies every year. it is strange how when i was kid i hated canning and now that ping is one of my favorite sounds.

[Sallysmart]

Well I was right, stock piling coffee was a good thing. At the price I paid of anywhere from $5.99 to 7.99 when buying it, I have yet to buy a can at the going average price of $14.00 a can now and I still have quite a few cans left. I also decided to get into black tea so my coffee supply will last a little longer.

And TP is also a good one to stock pile, I don’t have kids taking any home with them but I like to know I can have some on hand without having to hit a gas station in an emergency for an expensive pack of 4 rolls. I buy lots when the price is right and avoid it when they have no sales.

My stock pile of coffee is going down the stairs to the basement and my worker would go down for something and being a coffee aholic I’d hear him say,,, “Stairway to heaven” and laugh my butt off because he always said it going down.

[LRMyers1968]

I am still working on what to stockpile. I do keep canned tomatoes product on hand. We go to Aldi’s about once every 6 month to a year and get cases of thing that I use.

I do not use canned vegatables at all for they are to salty to me and soggy. When anything that we use all the time goes on sale at a good price I will stock up on it. Like today bread was $.99 a loaf for a 1lb loaf so we got 6, this will only last us about a month if that with all the sandwichs that we make.

[Jan62]

oh, I feel like I’ve found my tribe reading this thread! 🙂
I stockpile the same grocery items we use all the time, tinned fruits & veggies, rice, beans, lentils, oatmeal, spices, pastas, peanut butter, spreads, jams, sauces, spices, flour, sugar as well as ingredients to make cleaning products, soaps, toothpastes, pads, laundry detergents etc and things like matches, candles, light bulbs, medical needs. I have a lot of allergies so not much processed goods.

At the moment I have a 3-6 months worth of most things, some I have a year or mores worth but I’m looking forward to building it all up to a least a years supply. We are nearly finished paying off our credit card debt which has been our priority for the last 5 years, and as soon as thats done I’ll be buying a freezer and building our veggie garden. I’ve been saving my glass jars so I can do some canning.

I’ll also have a bigger budget for the stockpile. I’m in Australia and we don’t have coupons here, if we did I’d be an ‘extreme couponer’ for sure lol! but I shop the specials each week, and one store does half price sales each week so most of what i buy is on sale.

I also get free samples of creams and cleaning products and have a huge stash of soaps, shampoos etc from hotels.

I use coloured stickers to keep my stockpile rotated. Each year is allocated a colour and everything that goes into the pantry has that years sticker on it. Makes it easy for everyone to know what colour to grab if items have a sticker on them that is not this years.

I like the feeling of security a stockpile gives me having been through job losses in the past. I’m so pleased to have found this group!

[blueflower]

I usually stockpile on shampoos and washing powder, (up to 1year) I always buying them on sale. i am renting the room that i don’t really have space to stockpile anything else:(. I am hoping that if 5 years i will have my own house and little garden, when i was a little we always were caning the fruit and veg and i miss that a lot :).

[lmitchell]

I moved 1700 miles and gave away most of my stockpile. Slowly, I have been starting it back up. Right now, I have been focusing on non-food items. Its been fun.

I have 12 detergent, over 30 deodorants, 2 months of paper towels and toilet paper (still working on these), toothbrushes for over 2 years, and a smattering of other items that I am slowly increasing. Its awesome. For my birthday, I am getting another shelving unit so I can stockpile food.

[lmitchell]

No coupons!!!??? I would cry!!! But, it sounds like you are doing a great job, regardless.

[BlessedHillFolk]

Virgina, WOW! You are my stockpiling hero!! I have aspirations to accomplish similar to what you have. It might take a while but it certainly is worth the dream and the work! Thanks for sharing!

[Author]

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