Saving money with or without coupons

Part 5 in the series--Stockpiling
Think about one small thing you could give up weekly so that you could spend that money on building up your pantry. Here are some examples—cable tv, renting a movie, coffee out, fast food. Now take that money and use it to stock up on items that are discounted at the stores. Your stockpile will become a sort of emergency fund. If you are not able to go to the store one week for whatever reason, you are able to eat from the extras stored in your refrigerator, freezer, and pantry. Whether your stockpile of items come from home canning, shopping at warehouse stores, buying in bulk, or couponing, it keeps you from becoming a slave to the grocery store prices. For example, instead of buying mayonaise at full price you are able to use the extra jar you stored in your pantry when it was on sale. The trick to stockpiling is to store what you use and use what you store.

Managing your stockpile—this is a very important part of being a good steward of what you have. If you let toothpaste go beyond its expiration, and it goes in the trash can, it is a waste of resources whether it was free or not. When you put items in your stockpile, put the newest item in the back. Use the item that is closest to expiration first. Each month check your pantry and freezer to see what needs to be used up before it goes bad.


So how is this different from hoarding?

Hoarding—the diagnostic manual definition of hoarding is differed from what we call stockpiling based on whether or not the action is functional or dysfunctional in the eyes of the person, the culture, and those close to the person. People who hoard often save things with no value other than seen in that person’s eyes, or if the item has value it is often not used within its intended time frame.

Example 1—a person hoards crafting magazines, old newspapers, and pieces of string. The items fill the house so that one cannot easily move around.

Example2—a person stocks macaroni and cheese but doesn’t use it before it expires, keeping it for many years beyond the expiration date.

Example 3—a person has a home that is well kept and clean. The pantry is full of items to make a quick dinner. There are enough emergency supplies so that if an ice storm hit, the family would be safe and well fed. There may be 10 packets of toilet paper, but everyone can move around the house and the toilet paper is stored in a cabinet that can be easily closed.