Sometimes the grocery deals are so tempting…and they’re in your budget…and it’s stuff you’ll use…but is there ever a time to Just Say No?
We’re all about reasonable stockpiling here: enough to get you by until the next sale cycle (usually about 4-6 weeks). Every once in a while it makes sense to take a look at your stockpile and see whether you’re using what you buy. It’s such a blessing to be able to rely on a stockpile, but there comes a point when it might be wise to scale back, at least until you use some of what you have. As Sara likes to say in our classes, “Feed your family, not your stockpile!”
A few times a year, I back off my die hard deal hunting. Like when it’s almost time to get our freezer beef for the year (we usually get a quarter of a cow)…but the freezer’s pretty full. Or when I notice that there’s enough shampoo to not only get my family through the next 6 months, but probably plenty to share or donate as well.
When that happens, I challenge myself to do a bit of a stockpile clean-out: dry goods, personal care products, and the freezer. I try to plan our meals based on what I have, and try to buy as little as possible besides fresh items like milk, produce, and bread. It’s possible that I’ll still go for a few of the deals if it’s something we don’t have at all. But by adjusting my mindframe for a few weeks, we use what we have, I make room in the freezer, and I just might save enough from my weekly grocery budget over the course of a few weeks to help pay for a year’s worth of beef. Sounds like a win-win-win situation to me!
How do you keep your stockpile from getting out of hand? Do you ever take a break and try to use up what’s there? Share your tips and suggestions in the comments or on Facebook!
