How you can Start a Stockpile Without a lot of Money

This time of year my friends and I start talking a lot about our stockpiles, prepping to handle whatever comes out way, and just general preparedness. This has been our habit since the pandemic. We work together to make lists of things we need, find sales, and check over our rotation to be sure that what we stocked in the past is getting properly rotated to last for years. Today I want to talk to you about stockpiling and preparing for the future.

When you think of a prepper building a stockpile odds are you are thinking about dooms day preppers that are stocking excessive amounts of things like food and toilet paper at the expense of their community. The truth is everyone should be a prepper just at a more practical level.

Why should you stockpile for the future?

I’m not gonna tell you to stock and prepare for the world to end because the odds of that happening in our lifetime are slim to none. What I do want you to prepare for is that random Tuesday when you come down sick and miss work for two weeks, for when your source suddenly passes and you need to have the security of having what you need to get by for a while or like we all faced just a few years ago some weird situation shuts the whole world down for weeks.

You would much rather have what you need and not need it than find yourself making do with nothing at all should you need it. If you properly rotate it you can keep a stockpile on hand that has no risk of spoiling while giving you some time to get cake on your feet if life knocks you down. That sense of security is well worth it.

How can I start a stockpile if I am living paycheck to paycheck?

The number one thing that prevents families from building a stockpile is that they do not feel they have enough money to start. It can be scary thinking about moving your budget around to make room for another cost. You feel as if you can’t afford to get started. The truth is ANY family can start a stockpile even yours.

Take $5 out of your normal grocery budget. You may have to pick a cheaper meal for your menu to pull this one off but it will pay off in the end. Find an item you use often on sale. For me, I look for Canned pasta sauce at about 50 cents a can. Other good options are baking mixes you use often that go on sale. Worst case hit the next ten for $10 sale. spend the entire $5 on something shelf stable at a low price that will save you money next trip too.

Next shopping day shuffle that $5 again. This time use one of what you bought for your stockpile in your menu for the week. Take the amount of money you saved and add it to your $5. If you bought pasta sauce and it is normally $1 a can that means you now have $6 to spend on sales for your stockpile. The next week use one of each week’s haul in your menu as well as shuffle that $5. Your budget has now grown to $7 for your 3rd week.

You may be thinking that your diet is now getting worse than it was but, within, a few weeks you will have your budget without having to shuffle anymore. Your budget will grow and you can spend that money on more costly items and more interesting deals you find.

Where to start stockpiling

It can be so difficult to know where to start when you decide to build a stockpile. While you can find lists online of things you should stock and calculators to tell you how much to stock for your family. At the end of the day, the best thing you can do is start small and work your way up.

Start your stockpile up by building up a 3-day stock of food, medicine, and other staples like toilet paper and cleaning supplies. This is the base of your emergency kit and can help ensure that your needs are met if you find yourself stuck at home, snowed in, or dealing with a natural disaster in your area like a widespread power outage.

This small stock is essential for every home to have even if you do not plan on going further.

Slowly build a stockpile on a budget

After you have your first 72 hours of supplies stocked you can begin to work on your stockpile. Doing so without breaking the bank means you need to do a little planning and shop the sales for the best deals.

Start by purchasing things your family uses often in bulk when they go on sale. Like this month Kroger and Mejier both have pasta for $1 a box. At this point, we stock 6-12 months worth of pasta using this sale. Pasta will stay useable for a very long time and stores well so this saves us a lot of money over buying full price later on and leaves more room in the budget for stocking something else later.

If you do not have the budget to stock hard when an item is on sale you can help to lower your overall costs by simply buying what you will use that week plus some for later when you find a sale. This will slowly build a deep pantry if you do not have the budget to go hard.

This stage of your stockpiling should strictly be things that your family will easily use in a rotation at a lower cost than paying the normal retail price. This will help to save the most money over time and build a stockpile you do not have to worry about any special storage for because you will use it in a rotation.

Stock seasonings

After you have stocked a deep pantry of things your family will use without issues you should dive into stocking seasonings before you dive into common prepper items like rice and beans. Seasonings and flavorings can make a world of a difference when it comes to getting your family to eat cheaper stock items like rice and beans.

Here I like to recommend you stock all of the spices your family enjoys including spice mixes as well as essentials like sugar, vanilla extract, and other common flavorings. If you ever have to eat a less then ideal diet to make do with your stockpile you want to make sure it tastes good and you an keep a sense of verity.

Bulk up your stockpile

After you have stocked up a deep pantry of things your family will actually eat and spices to make food more enjoyable when you are eating the same thing often you can move on to bulk items most people talk about getting first for your stockpile. This is where you buy rice, beans, and other staples like dried milk.

These items you are less likely to keep in a full rotation using often. By waiting to put this off until you have a stock of the things you will use you are ensuring that if nothing goes wrong your family at least has food at a lower cost to help make room in your everyday budget.

When you reach this stage you need to think about proper long-term storage. For my family, I buy 25# bags of rice placing the bag in the freezer for a couple of weeks to kill off any pantry moth eggs. Half goes into our food rotation and the other half gets packed away into mylar. Once I open the mylar pack I add rice to my list again. This allows me to keep it in rotation while keeping 6 months to a years worth on and at any given time.

For longer storage Mylar bags and plastic buckets are great for storing things like rice in bins in the basement. Last year we filled two 5 gallon buckets with steel-cut oats we got for just a few dollars. Knowing how to store these items long-term lets you take major advantage of sales to build your stockpile for less.

Boost nutrition

After you have a decent stockpile of things your family can use to get by for a couple of months if things take a bad turn in life it is time to start looking at ways to improve the nutrition and make sure your family needs are being met beyond a full stomach. You now have the security of a house full of food and can start putting some of your budget into balancing it out.

Fats.

The first thing you should put your time and effort into stocking after the basics is fats. While these will need to be rotated more seeing they do not store for long periods you should stock fats like oil, shortening, bacon grease, beef tallow, and butter.

Fats are essential to absorbing many nutrients and keeping your brain healthy. If you have kids that are growing rapidly fat is even more essential to have on hand for their growing minds and bodies. Lack of fat is why the easiest way to starve without feeling hungry.

Saving grease when cooking in a grease saver or a simple mason jar is a great way to collect fats for your family without having to spend extra money. You can do this from phase 1 helping to get ahead.

Buying things like shortening and butter around the holidays and easter is the best way to get good deals. You can freeze butter and even cream cheese that you got for a fraction of the price on sale to bulk up the fats you have for your family’s diet.

Vitamin supplements

After you have built your stockpile of food for your family you should consider stocking quality vitamins for each member of your family. These supplements are good for long after their expiration date but should still be kept the information to ensure that your body is strong before life hits. If you should find a time that you are living off your stockpile for any amount of time you can get the most benefit by ensuring that you are meeting your nutritional needs.

Stockpile non-food items as well

Build a stockpile that includes everyday items like toilet paper and shampoo as you find good deals. It helps to sign up for free samples that often come with high-value coupons. Over time you will save a large amount of money and never worry about running out. To consider your family uses often, diaper wipes, toilet paper, medicines, first-aid items, cleaners, and disinfectants just to name a few.

Don’t be brand picky. Give new brands that are at rock-bottom prices a try. Don’t shy away from a good deal just because it is a store brand. Many brands are created by the same manufacturer or using the same recipes. If you have to be brand loyal limit what you are loyal to. We use Dawn. It is the only brand I insist on because it cuts grease and does not leave me with an allergic reaction. I buy in bulk and on sale with coupons to make it affordable.

Use coupons, sales, and apps

To build a stockpile for less start gathering coupons for items your family uses. This can be everything from food to cleaning supplies and staples like toilet paper. Check out all of the digital coupon apps including rebate programs and your local store’s rewards program. You can email your favorite brands for valuable coupons that will help you build up your stock. By combining recourses you can save even more money while building your stockpile.

Can I build a stockpile if my family is on a special diet?

Our family has to keep certain foods out of the house due to an intolerance to food dyes. While this does limit us from buying many foods for our stockpile it does leave us with plenty of options. When I find a super amazing deal on a food we can’t eat I do grab it to pass on to others that do eat these foods.

Not everything you eat comes in a can or box. In fact, most of our regular diet does not but my stockpile gives me options, a safety net if you will. While ground beef and other meats that are not usually shelf stable. Nearly everything can be found in a shelf stable verity. Freeze dried meats, vegetables and even fruits created for survival kits are perfect for building a stockpile that your family really can use.

Finding room for your stockpile

One thing that turns families off from starting a stockpile even when they know it will do them good is because they simply do not have storage available. Building a stockpile in a cramped home can be a bit tricky. Sure you can store several months of laundry detergent in the laundry room. Other items like toilet paper, canned and boxed goods and well just about everything, can get out of hand. With a little creativity, you can find storage for your stockpile.

Large storage bins are great for filling with items critters may go looking for. An air tight seal can go a long way and these bins can be stored nearly anywhere. Look for places that you may not normally consider for storage. Kids can not shove toys under the bed if the area is filled with under the bed storage bins. Look for unused places items can be stored out of sight.

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