*NOTE* This stockpile is a result of 2-3 years worth of shopping. No shelves were cleared to obtain these products unless it was the last 1 or 2 of the item. Many items obtain are also given to food banks or family and I am very conscious of expiry dates so nothing gets wasted.
Here we go!
Why do I stockpile? For several reasons.
First, I live in the country. We have no drug store available, only a grocery store that is WAAAAYYYYY overpriced, never open, full of dusty soon-to-be expired products and a small selection. We are always in a bigger city on the weekends (for skating or to pick up Jenna) so we plan our shopping on where we will be. Nothing sucks more than having a shower Saturday night and running out of shampoo (5 minutes after the grocery store closed) and having to wait until Monday morning to buy more or doing an expected trip to a bigger city - just to wash your hair.
Second, it savings money. Being a coupon user for a few years I know how to smell a great deal. For example we eat at least 1 can a week of Hunts tomato sauce. No Frills sells this for $1.57 regular price. Last week they put it on sale for $0.99! So I bought 12. Regular price for 12 = $18.84 Sale price for 12 = $11.88 Total savings = $6.96! Now that might not seem like a lot but if you add up all the little savings you get big money ;)
Third, it can make a profit. Many times my friends or family members come over and want to "shop" at my house. LOL! I can sell them razors, shampoos, etc. that I got for free and they get for dirt cheap! We both profit. I look at it as paying me to be their personal shopper. Also as I mentioned before, using coupons and mail-in-rebates can earn you cash as well. At the end of 2008 for example Glade had a promo if you bought their candles at $2.97 you would receive a $5.00 Wal-Mart gift card. Even after taxes and no coupons you were PAID $1.64 to take the candle home. You could do up to 8 per household as well for a profit of $13.12 and 8 FREE candles!
Fourth, it's fun! I love to score a great deal and save money for my family. Last year alone I used $4700 in coupons and discounts. That's $4700 back in my family's pockets. It's also great exercise walking around the stores.
Many people may see it as a waste of time and gas or even an obsession. It is time consuming but I think of it as my "work" because I stay at home. If I physically left the house each day to go to work I would not have the time to dedicate to this hobby. I may not be able to bring in a lot of income but damn it I can save what we've got. That's my job and I take great pride in it. Gas is also not an issue for our family because my husband gets free gas as a perk from his work (and we are in town anyway). An obsession - possibly. It can be easy to get carried away or to use coupons improperly. Its a hobby that has a learning curve. If you are stockpiling too much "stuff" and it is getting in the way of your home life than it can be a problem. I am fortunate to have a room dedicated to my hobby, most people don't have the extra space. If my "space" gets full I can chose to donate or not buy at all. I've set restrictions for myself and if you chose the couponing life I caution you to do the same.
1 comments:
Amazing! You are so lucky to have the space to do this.
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