Good morning, savvy savers! I hope you are all well rested and ready for a new No-Spend Month daily challenge!
Today I want to focus on one of the most neglected areas in my home, and perhaps yours, my couponed stockpile. Yes, the cave of Frugal Wonders! My stockpile, housed in my homes basement, though it’s well lit, houses many built-in shelving features, the area still seems to always be in need of rearranging, sorting, and cleaning! The one saving grace of this area, the exhilarating feeling I get each time I am able to gaze over my shelves, from the bins filled with shampoo to the well stocked baskets of paper products, and then proceed to “shop from my home!”
My stockpile, though hard earned, is an immense blessing to my home. And as they say, to whom much is given, much is asked, and this rule equally applies to my stockpile! My stockpile saves my family thousands of dollars a year, allows me to give generously to my local food pantry and women’s shelter…but I must admit is one of the most neglected area in my home. So, in order for me to be able to adequately access all that I have within in my home, singling out what I will not need to purchase this month, I will be giving my stockpile a much needed Spring Cleaning this afternoon.
Here are a few tips to get you started:
1) Rotate your stockpile. “Rotating your stockpile” means rotating your stockpile per season. You will need to place goods in order of expiration date, my seasonal usage, as well as keeping climate into consideration; you may need to start storing it in one location for summer and another location for winter, in terms of baking tools, cans, chemicals, etc.
2) Long Term Storage: If you plan to store any item for longer than a week or two, you need to know its long-term storage requirements. Some items will only last months or longer if stored in a cool, dry place. Some items must be stored in a refrigerated or frozen environment in order to last longer. Make lists, and create sub-areas in your stockpile; examples are canned goods, cosmetics, paper products, etc.
3) Take Note of Patterns: Start a list of your product usage, this will allow you to see what you need, will use in a years time, and what should be donated accordingly. Unused goods are cash wasted.
4) Last Forever Items: Nothing lasts forever. Even goods such as bottled water, start to have an altered taste after a decade, so keep this in mind.
5) Canned and Preserved Goods: Keep inventory and note the dates of home-preserved items; a rule of thumbs is to only keep items no longer than two years.
6) Pests: Pests love your stockpile, almost as much as you do! Be sure to check goods monthly, especially in Summer, and any goods that look altered, chuck immediately!
7) Dehumidifier: Humidity can alter and mold many goods, so consider running a dehumidifier twice weekly.
So, today I challenge you to check your shelves, inventory your goods, and make a point of donating all goods that you will not be able to consume, as a family, within one year! For as any couponer knows, cyclical sales, like the tides of the shore, just keep on a comin’!
Be sure to check back tomorrow for today’s recap, and tomorrow’s new challenge!
Here’s to saving,
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