When people
think of the word STOCKPILE they more often than not associate it with the
image of storage rooms overflowing with toilet paper or 1000 tubes of
toothpaste that you might see on shows such as Extreme Couponing. However,
coupons are not necessary to build your stockpile!
First, let
me preface this by saying I personally have couponed off and on for a few
years. Is it worth the money saved to coupon? Yes! Does everyone have the time
needed to coupon? No. For me, the latter was the case. So you might wonder
well, if you don’t coupon how do you save big money on lots of products? Allow
me to educate…
Every month
of the year the grocery stores, dept stores and so forth have sales. Rock
bottom sales if you will. The key is to hold off until those sales commence and
then stock up. If you have coupons on those items then you would match it and
really save, if not, you are still saving a chunk of change. Also, check out the sale aisle at your local
stores. Often times those products are being discontinued and the store is just
trying to move them quickly and you can really get things for next to nothing.
But let’s get back to the monthly sales…
Below I am
giving you a list, by month, of sales that happen like clockwork each month of
the year. If you will look at your ads on any of these months you will see
these items on sale. So stock up! Build your stockpile as slow or as fast as
you are able. For some that may mean a couple extra products each payday others
may allow certain $ amount each pay day to go directly to the stockpile. I
might keep an extra 20-40 on me just in case I see a special sale like I did
this weekend. Christmas has just come and gone and Wal-Mart is trying to sell
off the mass of Hams and Turkeys. Well, the hams were originally 1.98 a lb and
reduced to just $1 per pound! And even better, the turkeys which were 1.19 a
pound had been marked all the way down to .50 a pound. Needless to say I
grabbed a couple of each and made the freezer happy. I knew that would be going
on sale as you will see on my list below.
The list below will give you
an idea of monthly sale/cycles at the grocery store and the items will be their lowest prices!
January
Post Christmas:
Decorations, Toys, Wrapping Paper etc. on clearance. Also look for regular food
Items packaged in Holiday packaging that will be on sale (refrigerated cookies,
breads, crackers etc)
Super Bowl: Soda,
Chips, Cheese, Sandwich items, Condiments, Crackers, Snack foods, Dips National
Oatmeal Month: Most Quaker items will be on sale (not just oatmeal, look at
Life cereal,Syrup etc)
Winter Health: Cold
Medicines and Vitamins
Seasonal Items:
Canned soups & Chili, Household Cleaners
February
National Canned Food
Month: Canned Fruit & Veggies, Pie Fillings, Canned tuna & other meats
American Heart
Month: Aspirin, Cholesterol Meds, Low Cholesterol “butter” spreads / sprays
etc.
Chinese New Year:
Soy Sauce, Crunchy noodles, Teriyaki Sauce, Ramen, Stir fry sauce, stir fry veggies,
water chestnuts
National Hot
Breakfast Month: Malt O Meal, Oatmeal, Eggo Waffles, Syrup, frozen potatoes
Valentines:
Chocolate, Hershey’s, KY
Other: Dog Foods,
Push on store brands
March
Frozen Food Month:
All things frozen
Seasonal Items:
Household Cleaners; Gardening supplies (occasionally earlier depending on where
You live)
National Peanut
Month: Peanut Butter, Peanuts
St Patrick’s Day:
Potatoes, Corned Beef
Easter / Passover
(sometimes not until April): Eggs, Ham, Horseradish, Spices, Sugar, Chocolate Chips,
Coconut, Butter, Baking mixes, Marshmallows
April
Easter / Passover
(If not in March): Eggs, Ham, Horseradish, Spices, Food coloring, Sugar, Chocolate
Chips, Coconut, Butter, Baking mixes, Marshmallows
Daylight Savings:
Batteries, Smoke / Carbon Monoxide detectors, Light Bulbs
Earth Day: Organic
Foods, Energy Saver items, Eco-friendly items, Reusable Totes / Grocery Bags, Natural
Cleaners
Post Easter:
Decorations, Toys, Wrapping Paper etc. on clearance. Also look for regular food
items packaged in Holiday packaging that will be on sale (refrigerated cookies,
breads, crackers etc)
Other: Olive Oil,
Popsicles (change of inventory this month), Kellogg’s Cereal, ConAgra Products
May
Memorial Day (Most
will be on sale again in late June / Early July): Soda, Charcoal, Grilling
Meats, Salad Dressing (often free with a coupon), Potato Chips, S’mores items,
Dips, Grilling Meats, Hot Dogs, Hamburger Meat, Buns, Marinades, and Juice
Drinks (like Capri Sun)
Allergy Meds:
Alavert, Zyrtec, Claritin etc (and generics)
Paper Products:
Plates, Utensils, Insect Repellant, Sunscreen
National Pet Week:
Dog & cat food and treats
Cinco De Mayo:
Salsa, tortillas, Taco seasonings
Other: General Mills
Cereal
June
Stay away from full
priced summer items early this month that were on sale last month (and next month)
such as allergy meds, paper plates, sunscreen, insect repellant, BBQ items etc.
National Dairy
Month: Eggs, Milk, Ice Cream, Cottage Cheese, Sliced / Shredded / Block Cheese,
Cream Cheese, Butter, Yogurt, Sour Cream, Whipping Cream, Whipped Cream, Cool
Whip, Drumsticks
Father’s Day / July
4th (end of June): BBQ items again: BBQ Sauce, Condiments, Grilling meat, Charcoal,
Potato chips, Hamburger / Hot dog buns
National Headache
Month: Aspirin, Sinus meds, Other Painkillers
July
National Ice Cream
Month: Ice cream, Popsicles, Drumsticks etc.
More 4th of July BBQ
Sales (Beginning of the month): Hot Dogs, Hamburgers, BBQ Sauce, Ketchup,Condiments,
Charcoal, Salad Dressing, Potato Chips, Dips
Back to School Sales
(sometimes at the end of the month; sometimes not until Aug)
Lunch meat, Lunchables,
Bread, Cold Cereal, Waffles, Lunchboxes, Crayons, Pencils, Folders, Binders,
Granola bars, fruit snacks, pudding cups
August
Back to School (may
continue into September through Labor Day): Lunch meat, Lunchables, Bread, Cold
Cereal (especially Kellogg’s), Waffles, Lunchboxes, Crayons, Pencils, Folders,
Binders, markers, Glue, paper Granola bars, fruit snacks, pudding cups
Clorox Classroom
Cleanup: Sanitizing wipes, hand sanitizers
Seasonal Clearances:
Insect Repellant, Sunscreen, charcoal
September
Diabetes Products:
Bayer Glucose Meters, Glucerna Cereal
Tomato Products:
Tomato Sauce /, paste / juice, spaghetti sauce, Canned tomatoes, tomato soup,ketchup
occasionally
Other: Honey, Oral
care (typically more at drug stores than grocery stores), condensed soups
October
Halloween: Candy,
Fresh Pumpkin
Holiday Baking Sales
(end of month especially, but wait for Thanksgiving and Christmas week for the
best deals): Canned pumpkin, Evaporated Milk, Baking Chips
Daylight Savings:
Batteries, Smoke / Carbon Monoxide detectors, Light Bulbs
Adopt a Shelter-Dog
Month: Dog foods and treats
Other: National
seafood month
November
Great American Smoke
Out: Nicorette, Commit etc.
Post Halloween:
Candy Clearances, Costumes etc. Also look for regular food items packaged in Holiday
packaging that will be on sale (refrigerated cookies, breads, crackers etc)
Peanut Butter Month:
Peanuts, Peanut Butter
Holiday Baking
Sales: Nuts, Chocolate Chips, Evaporated Milk, Sweetened Condensed Milk, Coconut,
Cake Mixes Canned Holiday Items: Soup, Broth
Thanksgiving Items:
Turkey, Canned Pumpkin, Stovetop Stuffing, Boxed Potatoes, Gravy Mixes, Frozen
Pies, Cranberry Sauce, Jell-O, Marshmallows
December
Christmas Dinner:
Gravy Mixes, Frozen Pies, Egg Nog, Deli Platters, Instant Potatoes, Cranberry Sauce,
Jell-O, Marshmallows, Sour Cream Dips, Crackers, Chips, Soda, Ham, Turkey
Baking: Flour,
Sugar, Butter, Cream, Chocolate Chips, Cake Mix, Brownie Mix, Muffin Mix, Breads,
Pie Crust, Marshmallow, Whipped cream
Post Thanksgiving:
Look for regular food items packaged in Holiday packaging that will be on sale (refrigerated
cookies, breads, crackers etc)
Right after Christmas watch for Hams & Turkeys to be reduced
to 50% off or more!
