I've recently watched some shows on extreme coupon clipping and saw hoards of products. (And I realize that it is TV and supposed to be crazy and extreme- not meant for real life."

My idea today is to gather ideas and tips for stock piling. Is there a reason or time that you would gather extras of something?

If so, how do you know when you've crossed into hoarding too many things? How do you set limits to your stock pile?

I personally like to have one or two extras on hand- such as an extra bottle of shampoo, toothpaste, deoderant and so on. I've never seen a need to have more than one extra- although I have on occasion had a few when my brand had a by-one-get-one free sale. I don't want to have to run out to get something. When I bring out my extra, it goes on my shopping list.

Do you have extras? How do you organize them? Is it worth it?

I actually keep a fair amount of extras because I have the room. My house has lots of storage and when things are on a great sale I will buy a handful. For instance, my shampoo will be $7. off at Costco a few times a year. That's a huge savings if I buy 3 or 4. All 3 of us use it.

The deodorant we like I buy online so when I order, I get like 10 (DH and I both use it) to qualify for free shipping. Probably order it like 2x a year. They fit easily under the bathroom sink.

For food items, I might buy a lot but only if I know I will use it up within a year. For instance, cranberry sauce is over half price around Thanksgiving so I will buy 10-12 cans, enough to get me through a year.

I have a lot of extra pantry storage room so it makes sense for me. I'm careful to not buy too much that I won't use. If for some reason I think I won't use it up before the best by date (which is only a guideline btw), I will donate to the food bank or give to my mother.

Stuff like toothpaste I buy at Costco and it comes in a 4 pack. I will buy when it's on sale and by the time it's on sale again I probably will be close to needing it.

Be sure if you do stockpile that you are able to store things where they won't go bad. Most garages and attics aren't temp stable enough to store food or pet food.

I too buy the things i use regularly.....mainly groceries and toiletries. When my hair color goes on sale is also usually when there's an added coupon. I will stock up and buy six or eight at a time as I color my hair every 3 to four weeks, and this way I buy twice a year.

for example, I bought a bunch of ramen noodles on sale for ten cents each when they usually sell for 17 to 25 cents each. I bought several cases. I dont generally use the seasoning mix, but the noodles are great for anything(I even use them uncooked for a speedy lasagna prep!)

I also just got a food saver system so when there is a crazy good sale on meat I can stock up. the insulated bags actually keep meat fresh about 2 years(not that they last even half that time!), but also never have problems with freezer burn either.

I do a certain amount of stock piling. I consider it to be a part of my emergency preparedness. Living in So. Cal., earthquakes are a fact of life and if there is a major earthquake, one needs to be self-sufficient for at least a few days if not weeks. Stores might be damaged or not open due to lack of electricity; or there might not be any goods available for sale, especially if roads are damaged and new stock can't be shipped to stores.

For these reasons, I try to keep 3-6 months' supply of various items - water (although I am no where near a 3 months' supply of drinking water), food, toiletries, household goods, etc.

In general, I do a quarterly stock up, although some things are bought only once or twice a year. Costco is great for such stock-up items. I store household supplies such as toilet paper, paper towels, laundry detergent, powdered cleansers, etc. in the garage. My general rule is: one opened pack/box and 1 unopened pack in reserve.

Toiletry items and food are stored in the house. Being a 2-person household, the quantities are not that large. A 6 months' supply of toiletries might amount to 8 pieces of soap, 4 tubes of toothpaste and 3 bottles of shampoo - easily stored in the linen closet or medicine cabinet or the cabinet under the sink.

As for food, I try to stock pile things that do not require refrigeration - if an earthquake knocks out the electricity, a freezer full of food won't be of much use to me. I stock rice (keep an unopened 25 lb. bag of rice on hand at all times; opened one for daily use in containers); flour (10 lbs. is plenty for me); sugar (buy whenever it goes on sale for $.50/lb - keep 20 lbs. or so on hand); canned items. I make room in the kitchen cabinets for the food items.

Just bought 3 44oz bottles of the shampoo at Costco which were $4 off each bottle and 2 44oz bottles of conditioner which were $7 off each bottle. DH doesn't usually use conditioner so that lasts longer.

We use Grana Padano cheese (similar to parmagiano-reggiano but slightly sweeter and not as sharp) and there was a huge earthquake in Italy the last few days and over 300K wheels were destroyed. There will be a global shortage coming up. I bought 5 1.5lb blocks of it. They're dated to October which should be no problem. We use a lot of it (Italian family!) and they're individually vacuum wrapped.

I buy flour, sugar and rice in 25+lb bags as well so I always have those on hand.

Wow, and I thought I was good with an extra deoderent!

An extra deodorant (or two) is a good thing to have on hand!

This week, one of the grocery stores is having cane sugar on sale, for $1.99/4 lb. package, which amounts to $.50/lb. That's my cue to buy sugar to stock up. The store is having a limit of 4 packages per customer, so, I'll buy 4 packages (if they didn't have a limit, I might have bought 5 or 6). And add it to what I already have in the kitchen cabinet.

Stocking up this way, when something is on sale, means I don't have to pay "full price" for something I use on a regular basis. It enables me to stretch my grocery budget (currently set at $150/month for food items only, for a household of 2).

Bless, Take DD with you and she can buy 4!

I've done that at a different store! But, at this particular store, the sale price is good only with their rewards card, and only I have the card. If I really need more sugar, though, I could try going a 2nd day - I pass by this store (or one of their many branches) all the time.

Bless- Seriously you buy 16 pounds of sugar? I can't begin to imagine such a thing! I've probably had the same bag of sugar for 2 years.

See, we all have such different needs that sometimes it is hard for us to imagine the needs (or stockpiles) of others. I can't imagine what I'd do with a bunch of Ramin Noodles- which is why groceries have thousands of items to make us all happy.

I did stock up on jam the other day. The store isn't going to carry a selection of fine imported jams from Belgium or Germany any more. They had them greatly reduced. Usually $4.99 a jar- out of my budget- but were $2 each, cheaper than the store brand and of a very good quality so I bought 8 jars.

Lea, one reason why I stock up on sugar is because I make my own jams, for my own consumption and to give as gifts at Christmas.

Bless, generally those rewards cards limit you to so many items per day,not per card. Guess they figure that if you make a second trip then you will probably buy more things!!

I did a second trip to a local store and ended up buying 2 more cases of soda on sale(48 cans for just under ten dollars). The only reason I did was that we were having some friends over and I needed some beer. The beer was on sale but there was also a mail in rebate for $6 refund if you bought the soda and the beer....so the extra soda ended up costing just $4 for 48 cans, which comes out to about 8.5 cents per can!

BL: Great price on the soda!

I bought the 4 packages of sugar and that was all I needed. I now have plenty of sugar in stock, at least until it goes on sale again for, hopefully, $1.99/4 lbs.

How great you can make your own jam! Yum!

Stocked up on toothpaste, yesterday - bought 6 tubes, on sale for $1 each; along with the 1 tube I had on hand, that's enough for us for the rest of the year; when I get down to 1 tube, prob. around Dec., I'll buy another 6 tubes. I store them on one of the shelves in my bathroom cabinet over the sink.

That sounds good Bless. I did throw out a big stack of toothpaste at a client's last week due to it being expired. So when stockpiling toothpaste, make sure you can use it before the date. You'll find the date on the crimp.

Lea, thanks for the reminder. I am not one who pays that much attention to expiration dates, so I didn't even bother to check the date on the tubes I bought! Although I won't be tossing them if they are past the expiration dates. Unless they taste bad, I will use them until they are finished. I believe that, for the most part, it's OK to use things past their stamped expiration dates.

Cane sugar is on sale again, at a different store, for $1.99/4 lb. No, I won't be buying more this time around.

I realize this is an old thread, but thought it should be "revived".

From what I've seen on one of the Hoarders shows, I have what evidently seems to be an "acquisition addiction". When I see a good bargain, sale, coupon, etc I can't resist. I buy in multiples!

Boy, do I have stock piles! My weakness is body products, facial products, hair products, candles, books, and of all things toothpaste! I'm working on developing some control over my purchases.

I'm currently in the process of slowly tossing skin care that is over 7 years old! I'm doing this slowly because I get overwhelmed at the thought of tossing out a whole box full.

As far as organizing the stock piles, the best I've been able to do is buy some carts with see through drawers, gather up all the "like" groups together where I can see what I have, and enter all that onto a spreadsheet. At least I can tell at a glance what I have.

At my age, I'll be long gone before all this stuff is.

Maybe we need a "Paring Down" thread?

You may want to look at the "toss 2013 in 2013: thread in the home section. Scroll through the website to see what fits you. And don't feel bad about having the stockpiles. You have started organizing it, know what you have and where it is at and have started to purge the old stuff.....that is a huge step right there. And realizing you have an issue is the first step in getting a handle on it.

Many of us have been here for years and are still working on things, some new some old.....you will get there. It didn't happen overnight and it won't go away overnight.

Butterfly, good on you for identifying that you have stockpiled lotions, potions, toothpaste, hair stuff, candles and books. You've taken a step forward by acknowledging you're buying the perceived bargain...rather than because you need the particular product.

Books are an issue for me too. You might try purging three books out for each new book that comes in. Libraries are very appreciative of donations of books that are in good condition. We buy books with the best of intentions but some are impossible reads. Others are terrific, quick reads but not the type that are re-reads. Why not bless someone who will read and bless your generosity. Does your community have a book re-seller?

Since you like candles, why not make it a point to use them with every Sunday dinner. A Scented candle lit in the evening while relaxing is so pleasant.

With your body products corralled in your plastic drawer cart, you can look forward to using your stockpile.

Thanks beaglelady and Cyd. It's so good to be part of a group that offers understanding, support and encouragement. I'm so glad I found this forum!

I plan on being a regular poster on the Tossing 2013 thread, and since I have so many candles, I think I'll be burning them nightly!

Butterfly, it is hard to let a bargain pass us by, isn't it? Perhaps a women's shelter/homeless shelter in your town might appreciate some of your overflow toiletry items. If not, you can put together some nice gift baskets to give out at Easter, for birthdays, etc. Tuck in one of the candles and maybe even a book and they'll be spa gifts!