Become A Coupon Superstar Day 11: The Art of Stockpiling.

To be a true coupon superstar you must stockpile. This is when you stock up on items you frequently use.

Why to stockpile.
Stockpiling will prevent you from buying an item at a high price cause you've run out. Which in turns saves you gas and the time you would of spent going to the store. Not to mention once you get in the store chances are you'll buy other stuff as well. Instead all the items you need are on hand and you can whip up a meal on the fly.

What should you stockpile?
You'll want to stock up on the things you use on a regular basis. The health and beauty items are pretty obvious. However, if you are brand loyal you must really pay attention to sales cycles and prices to know when to stock up. It can be a little harder to determine what food items to stock up on.

Think about past meals you've made, chances are you'll notice a few of the same ingredients throughout. Begin to keep a running list. Some of my staples are tomato sauce, rice, cream soups, broth, noodles, canned green beans and so on.

You'll also need to decide what is a good amount to stockpile. This will vary based on family size and storage space. Be mindful of expiration dates you don't want anything to go bad.

When to stockpile.
You'll want to stock up when items are at their lowest price and you have a coupon. Generally "loss leaders" are located on the front of a store's sales flyer. While those may be easy to find not all items will be so obvious. For those items you'll want to keep track of pricing. Some people will track the lowest price using a Price Book, others rely on their memory. Do whatever works best for you.

A good rule of thumb is to pay at least 75% off the regular price. For those items you use that we don't get coupons for 40% off is good. This is just a basis, you may find it differs for you.

When you do find items you use at a low price, stock up! However don't go over your budget to do it. Set an amount of your budget aside for stockpiling and once it is gone, you're done. You will find that there are weeks when you won't use it. Simply add it to next weeks, use it on your regular shopping, or add it to savings.

Go to Day 12