A few friends that have come to the house noticed the large stack of canned goods in the hall. When asked, I just told them they were a really good price, so I stocked up. For me that has been the trick … stocking up when things are at their BEST PRICE. To know when they’re at their best price you have to do more shopping and be more observant.
My prep habit started with learning to coupon. If you’ve read this post then you may have noted that we had our own personal SHTF when the economy took it’s downward turn in 2007. Our personal income was cut by about 75%, and eventually after selling our house and get debts taken care of the cost of living came down, too. Regardless of the income to expense ratio, I had to learn how to shop on a budget, something I hadn’t done since starting my career. My old mindset was to go to the store and buy what I wanted and cover any cash gaps with credit. That had to change. And I started following the Krazy Coupon Lady and watching Extreme Couponers to learn more.
My Dad was a couponer back in the days of TRIPLE COUPONS. I didn’t get the allure then and I was embarrassed when we went to the store. It would have been nice if he’d EXPLAINED to me how it saved the family money. but all I saw was a storage pantry full of stuff. As an adult, I’ve found myself frustrated that my parents didn’t set an example for saving money. Don’t misunderstand, they were bargain shoppers, they just never said it or made a lesson of it. But I digress.
Couponing is a great way to start. At first you’ll find yourself sucked into deals that you’re family won’t use. Try to avoid those. It’s hard because nearly free seems like a great deal – but if no one eats Tuna Pasta it can be a waste. And frankly alot of the coupons are for processed foods, which we kicked out of our house years ago.
I preferred to focus on the things that were the most consumed, and to this day I focus my primal bargain instincts on those while still buying the brands my family prefers. It takes a work, but it can be worth it. As you begin to save money on every day items, that leaves extra money for the stocking up part.
Within the first year of couponing I had figured out the best deals and when the sales would be on our high use items like:
- Toilet Paper
- Laundry Soap
- Bleach
- Tissues
- Paper Towels
- Toothpaste
- Cat Litter
- Dish Soap
Further, I had accumulated enough of each to last us nearly a year, which turned out to be a blessing because our income took ANOTHER unexpected hit. Over the next year as I depleted my stores, I was grateful that we could get by with very little shopping.
I know how much I’m willing to pay per roll, per gallon, per tube or per container. I keep it all in my head, maybe it one day I’ll do a blog post about that.
Now more than 5 years later I still keep a running tally of the things we need the most and do my very best to NEVER pay retail price for those items. I’ve done my best to train everyone on the “time to rebuy” point so we don’t run out before that item is on sale again. If you wait and buy once you’ve run out, you’re likely to pay the retail price.
Don’t worry, once you start shopping you’ll learn when the right time to buy is. For instance, typically the first Sunday of the month brings Proctor & Gamble coupons, so things like Charmin, Bounty, Tide all have coupons in the paper, and in turn the stores put those items on special. Except in September when it’s Labor Day Weekend — you’ll pay full price on that first weekend — the sale is delayed until the next.
I don’t coupon as often now, but still rack up bargains like these:
I save 20% on average for Toilet Paper and Paper Towels or $60 per year.
I buy my toothpaste and laundry soap when it’s BOGO (that’s Buy One Get One free) for a $50 annual savings.
I buy can goods during the stock up sale, but ONLY the type of food my family will eat. Don’t store things no one will eat, that is a waste of money. This year our grocery store had canned veggies for as low as 40 cents per can. If you do much shopping at a traditional store, you can sometimes pick them up for $1, but now most canned goods are $1.19. On this years stock up I saved about $60.
We don’t have kids, but we do have an office supply expense and I save 70% – 90% on the bulk of our supplies by shopping the office supply store 1 cent deals AND then really stocking up after the school year begins — often enough for the next year. Usually I have enough bargains to donate, too. Students and teachers are always going to need pens, pencils, notebooks, and composition books and I store them in a way that they’re still in great shape. Savings: $100 a year.
That’s $270 dollars, or about $5 a week. That may not sound like much, but that’s only on our MOST USED items. I apply these same principles to buying gear and other supplies.
PRO TIP: Shop for camping supplies to add to your Readiness Kit right after Labor Day … don’t wait weeks as stores only have about a 2 week window to roll over to the next holiday. This applies for EVERY holiday, too. Need a blanket? Wait until spring. Want swim shorts? Buy them in the fall when they’re 50-70% off retail.
Once you bring your everyday expenses down and SAVE the extra, you can start accumulating the other things you need to be prepared, without creating debt along the way.