What to Do with Your Stockpile of Goods
Video Transcript:
Use It!
- Obviously, you need to use your stockpile! It’s not a thing of beauty to be admired; it is a thing of beauty to be USED.
- You worked hard to acquire the things in your stockpile, so don’t keep it to just look at it. Cook it. Eat it. Use it before it goes bad.
- Don’t be wasteful in using it, but don’t let it go to waste simply because you’re afraid to use it. Life is too short; use the luxury body wash, or don’t let the organic chicken stock go bad.
- You and your household should make sure to use what you need; naturally, use the oldest items first.
Give it to Family and Friends
- You will inevitably have purchased a bit too much, as we touched on previously.
- As well as you have planned, estimated your family’s needs, and pinpointed the sales, you will find you have more than you need.
- One solution is to share it with your extended family and friends; I’m certain your mother would be more than happy to receive some laundry detergent from you.
- Also, give stockpile items as gifts; gift baskets are always very well received.
- Gifts are one of the few reasons to put aside some of the nicer items in your stockpile.
Give to Those in Need
- A very legitimate way to downsize your stockpile is by donating some of it to those in need.
- You will never lack for opportunities to give, once you begin to search for them. For example, check with aging and/or homebound neighbors.
- In fact, once you learn of the very real needs that exist, sometimes very close to where you live, you might even begin to purchase items specifically for those people or organizations or ministries.
Use in Times of Crisis
- You will most definitely encounter emergencies; at these times, you will be especially grateful for your stockpile.
- The COVID pandemic created two distinct crises: Shopping became more limited (due to required staying at home), and the supply chain broke down completely, so that some items were not available for months.
- Extreme weather situations might mean a loss of power, as well as limited store access (or even limited deliveries).
- Illness can create a crisis; a cancer patient didn’t have to shop for several months thanks to her stockpile, for example.
- A job loss can also create an emergency; a homemaker didn’t have to shop for a year, due to her husband’s extreme loss of income.
Barter (and Even…)
- One particularly useful purpose you will find for your excess stockpile items, is to barter with others for things that you want or need (one woman bartered with friends who owned chickens; she got free range eggs, she gave her friends detergent).
- With a bit of creativity, you will find people who are willing to barter with you, to get what they need, and you will get what YOU need in turn.
- Some even resort to selling excess stockpile items. Some find the practice questionable, others find it acceptable; i.e., a busy co-worker, who is a single mom on a limited budget, needs cheap detergent, and asks you to sell her some…
- If you find yourself in a cash-strapped situation, selling your stockpile can be a means of survival.
