Even More Ways to Save
Zero to Stockpile
Guys! What a great week for deals. My stockpile is growing!
The start of week number three of Zero to Stockpile has been pretty awesome. I’m really starting to fill in the holes of my stockpile. It’s a beautiful thing.
The stockpile is already starting to help control my spending as there were so many things I would normally have had to buy for the week. However, I had them in my downstairs stockpile or my freezer which allows me to stop and say, nope, I’ll wait for a better price.
One of my favorite things about this week is that, since most of my staple food items are stocked, I can “play” with some drugstore deals. I had more wiggle room in my budget which is allowing me to starting spending time and a little cash on those deals. The last couple of weeks I couldn’t really lay out even a few dollars in return for a store reward. But, now, I can focus on that a little more. I was able to roll some Extra Care Rewards (aka ECBs) into some great deals this week. And, those deals quickly made my stockpile shine.
I did all of these deals on Sunday where I headed to ShopRite, CVS, Acme and Best Market. To some of you, that many stores may seem overwhelming. But remember a couple of key points that I always discuss in my Instagram stories:
- I’m shopping more now to try and build my stockpile. Once my stockpile is built, there will be weeks I don’t need to shop at all, except maybe to pick up some produce.
- I always plan my stores so they loop together so I’m not driving all over the state of NJ. Also, I try to piggy back my stores with errands I already have to do. If I’m going in one direction, I might as well see what stores I’ll be passing and what kind of deals they have.
- When I shop at a store I’m usually in and out in 15 minutes. The exception is if I’m doing a larger shopping trip like I did at ShopRite. That probably takes me about 30 minutes. The trick is, plan ahead, go in with your list in hand and keep your coupons safe in a folder. Pull out those coupons ONLY when you are ready to checkout. That makes it go super fast.
- If you don’t want to shop at more than one store, or maybe you don’t have that many stores by you, that doesn’t mean you can’t save. Just focus on your store and watch the sales at that store closely. Stock up as much as you can each week.
You’ll see more shopping from this week so stay tuned! 😉
Hope you had a great week building your stockpile. Let us know how you did below in the comments.
My Budget Tracking
Here is what I bought and how much I spent. You can see my progress by viewing the following documents:
If you are unsure, why I increased my budget or why I donated my entire stockpile, you can read more about that here.
Sunday Shopping Trip
Pictures of My Current Stockpile
Updated after this shopping trip!
Top left: Paper Goods
Top Right: Beauty Products (left side)/Cleaning Products (right side)
Bottom Left: Food
Bottom Right: Freezer
Tips to Follow My Journey
- Follow me on my Instagram account where I post, via my IG Stories, all my day to day!
- Join our Zero to Stockpile Facebook Group.
- Sign up for the Zero to Stockpile Newsletter
Challenges You May Have Missed
- Challenge #1 – Finding Space for Your Stockpile
- Challenge #2 – Getting Ready For Your Coupons {or not?!}
- Challenge #3 – Preparing Your Grocery Budget & Goals
- Challenge #4 – Prepare Your List Early
- Challenge #5 – Meal Planning Made Simple