I’m always on the look out for good stock up opportunities. When something goes on sale, can be “purchased” for free with coupons, or is on a deep clearance, I instantly calculate how much of that item should come home with me.
It is important to know how much, logically, you should stockpile of a particular item or category of items. For example: how many jars of peanut butter should be in your pantry right now until the next great low price? How many boxes of pasta, packages of toilet paper or bottles of shampoo? it all depends on the shelf life
Many of us, new to couponing or stockpiling have a tendency to over collect stockpile items, because we don’t have a handle on what we really need at one time. I can’t tell you how many food items I have tossed out of given away because they past or where nearing their natural shelf life, when I first got started with stockpiling. Any waste I generated reduced or eliminated my savings, or sometimes even wound up costing me money.
That is why we need to become shelf-life experts in our homes. First there are items that never expired, as long as they are stored properly, such as that toilet paper, but even it can yellow over time or take up valuable space. Then there are the items that do have expiration or best buy dates on them, which consists of most of the grocery items in our homes. It is important to keep track of the shelf life on these items and plan accordingly.
The first step in becoming a shelf-life expert is to note how often things get used up in your home. How long does it take your family to go through a box of cereal or six jars of pasta sauce. Take this general number and compare it against the average shelf life of a product. For example, let us say that your family normally goes through a box of hot chocolate packets in a month. The average shelf life of your favorite hot chocolate packets is about six months from the time of purchase. Therefore, you shouldn’t have more than six boxes at a time in your pantry.