How to Decide How Much to Buy
Video Transcript:
Learn Your Household’s Needs
- Every household is different; no two families have the same needs.
- Whether yours is a household of one, two, ten, or even more, your shopping list will look different from anyone else’s list, even if you have the same number of family members.
- So, if you have not already done so, you need to get a good idea of not only what everyone in your home needs, but how often they need it. Does your household use one tube of toothpaste a week? Five gallons of milk every two weeks? Twenty pounds of pasta a month?
- This is a very important first step towards understanding what quantities you need to be purchasing on a regular basis, and how long they will last.
Learn Your Stores’ Sales Cycles
- Almost just as important, is that you learn how often your stores will put the items you need on sale.
- Some sales are region-specific; southern grocery stores might have a sale on rice every 6-8 weeks, but northern stores might have a sale on rice every 8-12 weeks.
- Some sales are store-specific.
- Other sales are more universal; practically every type of store, in every region, seems to put toothpaste on sale at least once a month.
- Being able to use sites where you can easily locate past deals is significant, because they can help you track the last time rice was on sale.
Growing Your Stockpile
- You now have a feel for how often your chosen items go on sale, and how many of each item you use in the time between sales. So, if toothpaste goes on sale every month, and you use one tube a week, then you need to buy 4-5 tubes at minimum at the monthly sale.
- As you become a more seasoned couponer, you will know that it pays to buy a little more than what you need, in case unexpected life events occur (as they always do), and also because some sales are better than others (i.e., maybe toothpaste goes on sale for $2.50 in December, but for $2 in January).
Keeping an Eye on Your Stockpile
- Again, things happen, so buying more than the bare minimum when it goes on sale is recommended; maybe buy 8 tubes of toothpaste in January.
- However, be mindful of what you have on hand; you don’t want to end up with 50 tubes of toothpaste, all stacked in the KITCHEN (because you’re out of storage space), all with “Best By” dates in the next 60 days!
- It will take time to get a good sense of how much of each item it is ideal for you to keep on hand. Expect that as your household’s needs, numbers, and habits change, so will your stockpile needs.
