Managing Your Stockpile »

One of the first things you learn when you begin to coupon is to say good bye to brand loyalty. Big G, Post or Kelloggs Cereal…we like types from each of the brands, so when one brand is on sale we stock up of the kinds we like with in each brand name. Buying what is on sale and combining that sale with great coupons (or better yet–double coupons) is the best way to build a stock pile and reduce your families grocery budget by 50%! But what happens when you have fussy eaters or family favorites? Is all that brand loyalty to be thrown out the window? Not necessarily.

My family is brand loyal ( or at least semi loyal) to a few products, including Sweet Baby Rays, Dawn Dish Detergent and Levis. There isn't another bottle of dish detergent or BBQ sauce in the house. Levi's probably count for atleast 50% off all jeans in our household. We are brand loyal to Dawn because I believe it does the best job, is the best value and love the grease fighting power. Sweet Bay Rays-simply because there is no better. And Levis because they are a great quality at a great price and the fit is the best. That is our families opinion…or mostly mine since I am the shopper and the buyer!… (click here to keep reading)

Whether you are just beginning your stockpile or you have a room filled with goods, at some point you need to determine how much your family will actually use in a given amount of time. The average person doesn’t really realize how much their family actually goes through, they simply put it on their grocery list or run to the stockpile when they need more.

Here is how to figure out how much your family will use in 3, 6 and 12 months intervals. This way you can stockpile accordingly.

Invest in a Sharpie marker and every time you open a new tube, bottle, or box put the date on it.

When you have finished the product, simply insert the number of days it took from start to finish into the “How Much Will My Family Use Calculator”. It will then calculate the number of tubes, boxes, or bottles that you will use. You can save the calculator by going to file>make copy when you have the calculator open. You can also print it for your shopping records.

For single use items such as soup, canned veggies, etc… Track the number of items that you use in a given time.

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I think one of the big misconceptions about couponer is that we all have this huge stockpile of things that we will never use. I know you have probably seen it on TV…hundreds of tubes of toothpaste, razors and bodywashes that no one family will ever use. Whether you a a veteran coupon or you are a newbie, I think it is time to sit down and think about what you and your family actually use in a certain time period. I have created a 3, 6, and 12 month stock pile calculator for you to make these calculations easily. All you have to do is type in the product name, your current inventory, and how many your family members actually use in a month period. Not sure how much your family uses in a month? click here for some help. The calculator will tell you how many you will need to purchase to fullfill your 3, 6, or 12 month needs. On the flip side, it will also tell you how many you have in excess. If you are a couponer chances are you will have excess because who is going to turn down free or a moneymaker. Now what do you do?

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Managing Your Stockpile

Brand Loyalty….Is it lost to couponing?

Enough is Enough. How to Determine How Much “Enough” is for Your Family.

How Much Do I Really Need?