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We are due some money soon, what should I stockpile?

59 replies

PinkyU · 28/01/2023 10:48

We are due to receive a back payment of a few hundred pounds, as we’re really struggling with food bills I want to stockpile a number of essentials.

I’m unsure where the best place to look is. We’ll get cleaning and hygiene supplies from Costco in bulk but I’m not sure they’ll be the cheapest for food.

I’m thinking:

Frozen meat and fish
Frozen veg and fruits
Passata
dried herbs and spices
rice
pasta
potatoes and onions (storage bags)
eggs (how best to store)
noodles
flour
peanut butter
oil
cereals/porridge

I’m also thinking of buying clothing bundles on eBay or vinted in the next size up for my dc as it’s unlikely we’ll manage new clothes over the coming year.

Anything I’m missing?

OP posts:
Twazique · 28/01/2023 16:33

I put mine in premium bonds and I sometimes win £25, its also useful because you cant spend it without some planning. So, I would save it for a while and see how you go.

EyebrowChallenge · 28/01/2023 16:45

Consider the storage costs against savings - eg frozen items require electricity.

Storing frozen food only costs money if you would otherwise turn the freezer off. It’s a lot cheaper to run a full freezer than a half-empty one.

That said I agree with pp that it’s almost certainly a better idea to put the money in an instant access savings account. Resist the urge to spend, even if you think you’re spending to save. The little you’ll save by bulk buying will almost inevitably be outweighed by the fact that you’ll consume more if you have loads just sitting there, you might not judge perfectly what to buy, you might have an emergency and have to spend on a card and pay interest, etc etc. Stockpile money in your account not tinned tomatoes in your shed.

alwayscheery · 28/01/2023 18:17

Washing up liquid
Washing powder /liquid
Toothpaste
shower gel /soap
Toilet rolls
Cleaning products
Dishwasher tablets
Rinse aid

Butter will keep weeks/months beyond USE BY a date
Tomato sauce
Tinned tomatoes
Mayonnaise
Olive oil
Beans
Tinned tuna
Tinned mackerel

Buy on special offer or buy one get one free

deplorabelle · 28/01/2023 18:20

When things are abundant people are less frugal with them so I'd be wary of buying big stockpiles of things.

I agree that oils, pulses, tins of coconut milk and tomato are useful to have in store, along with a well stocked spice drawer and rice, pasta etc. But if you already operate a store cupboard that's right for you, it's going to be tricky to win on bulk buy. Yes you will get a volume discount but if you make a mistake with any of it (spoilage, loss, people going off foods, getting allergic, or just burning through stock faster cos there's lots of it) you will lose the savings you've made.

I honestly think you're going to mess yourself up buying and planning around stockpiles when you already have a system. Instead of prebuying shampoo and then each month spending the shampoo savings on a treat, just allocate the money to monthly treat funds and spend as normal on your shopping.

deplorabelle · 28/01/2023 18:21

@EyebrowChallenge said it better than me 🙂

CoconutJelly · 07/02/2023 21:17

candles, batteries, blankets, tinned sardines or mackerel, UHT milk, tins of fruit, honey, light bulbs,

CoconutJelly · 07/02/2023 21:18

honey, UHT milk,tinned sardines and mackerel, blankets, bulbs, juice concentrate,

ifonly4 · 08/02/2023 10:40

I'd consider some pulses and beans. Obviously can be used now, but self life good and easily added to recipes to bulk out meals.

Echo40 · 11/02/2023 06:24

Family of 6 here 4 kids 1 small dog.

Somethings I bulk buy because we only run 1 car and we both work husband cannot be trusted in supermarket alone he a impulsive overspender.
Lack of time last 6months means less time to food shop and shop around than I used to

Frequently used items or expensive to replace items I find handy have more than 1 as buying coffee week before pay day is big expense so I try buy coffee in 3s 1 for now 1 for later and 1 if delayed in getting to the shops.
Lidls / aldi gold coffee was 1.89 forever now £2.39.

Due to the increase in cost of sugar bulk brought that recently.
When Ukraine War started I worked our approx how much oil I think we use mix of sunflowers and olive and brought 6 bottles of each at 1.30 and £2.79
Now £2.40 and £3.79 at aldi.

I don't bulk buy toiliet roll or kitchen roll as too bulky to store.
My kids are cereal addicts but again due to bulk I only buy a month worth in my big monthly shop.

Ketchup always buy in 3 as own brand in aldi and lilds is often out of stock and ketchup risen.
Bulk brought a lot of value pasta when war started so have years worth of value penne and spagetti again estimated we use 1 pack a week so 52 of each and paid mostly as brought over a few months

Lilds baked beans a shocked 😲 always brought 4 pack 99p went upto £1.09 so brought loads enough 1 tin per week so 52 cams the next week went upto £1.29 now £1.69 so big saving there around 8 quid.

28p penne now 45p
20p spagetti now 30p or 32p.
Also have other shapes but not as much but variety we eat pasta least twice a week save some money.

After heat wave and poor harvest
Plus news on rising energy and tomatoes we grew loads of tomatoes 🍅 last Summer successfully in pots in front garden as was tike when cherry tomatoes always out of stock.
I also decided bulk buy tinned tomatoes and passatta as I cook from scratch a lot and on average use 2 tins per week and 1 passatta so decided 104 cans tomatoes and 52 passatta and puree.
All tomatoes products gone up value tinned tomatoes were 29 forever now they 32 p most places but 39p lilds.
Lilds passatta gone from 35p to 49p

I have cupboard full of herbs and spices gravy granules and stock cubes .

Baking I don't bulk buy as short dates but I ensure i have do have variety flour

Tips 00 pizza base/ pasta
Self raising cakes
Plain pancakes and biscuits
Bread flour or bread mix.
Sugar
Icing sugar
Vanilla extract
Cocoa powder
Sprinkles
Some cake mixes when on offer from lilds or home bargains as add 1 egg and water or oil so cheaper than using loads of butter.
Cheap chocolate and rice krispies

I don't massively bulk buy crisps or snack as my family would eat them all.
I buy a few bottles squash.
Hidden emergency juice as mixer for alcohol.
I buy crisps, snacks and carton drinks weekly when I buy fruit as 3 kid's take a packed lunch.

I bulk buy boring biscuits mostly Bourbons or Custard creams find tesco cheapest .

I bulk buy sanitary towels as Me and 2 teenage girls lilds gone up from 49p to 59 so buy in aldi.
I bulk buy toothpaste from cheaper shops do we never rub out usually buy

3 at a time toothpaste, deodorant .
Started bulk buying shampoo / conditioner and shower gel from lilds as so cheap 59p and 55p.
Aldis shower gel was 55p now gone up 59p.
Sainsbury have a shower gel for 30p
This is still much cheaper prices than pound shop.

Due to cost we buy washing tablets/ dishwasher tabs and fabric conditioner monthly .
Other cleaning items brought monthly too.
Really like wilkos/ savers for those sort of things.

Bulk brought aldi nuttoka choc spread as went up from 99p to £1.35.
Keep least 2 jam
2 peanut butter

2 hot choc and milk shake powder for the kids.

Quite like aldi skincare and makeup
Lilds perfume.

Dog food buy montly he has dried bag either Sainsbury or tesco
Wet food we try get b&m as cheaper or morrisions when on multi buy as price comparison is 79p per unit v £1 or £1.25 some places and he has 1 ceaser a day so try and buy 30. Saves me least 6 quid per month.
Buy treats mostly at aldi as cheapest.

We run 4 freezer but they mostly full of reduced meat/ meals and bread
Get some free bread off olio
Search reductions and buy a few magic bags I freeze what I can.
One freezer half chest all bread so not been massively hit by increase in bread.
I do batch cook on weekend and freeze some meals.

Don't forget medicines as limit if 2 I buy 2 every time I go as I aldi or lidls as cold and flu are significantly cheaper than branded elsewhere.
Always have nit stuff home bargains
Smalll 1st aid kit
Plasters
Unbranded calpol or neurofren kids
Invested in electric digital thermometer much easier and was lidls find.

More recently bulk brought batteries/ candles/ torches and a power bank and news kept on about black outs .

Started bulk buying noodles kids snacks
Tinned fruit the kids will eat.
They also like tuna sweetcorn pasta so buy a few of those tins.
Cheese and crackers or value tomato soup they enjoy as well.
keep least 3 jars pasta sauce anf curry sauce.
Lots meal packet mixes as can make a meal from any reduced or on offer meat I find.

Bulk brought rice and that will save me long term for sure as that's gone up.

Long life milk the amount time we run out of milk means can least have a coffee and the youngest will eat it on her cereal. Also if cooking that needs milk so quiche/ leek and potato soup I use long life save some money although that's gone up.

Shopping wise we do big montly at tesco but recently changed tescos.
Do weekly at aldis and lidls as next door to one another and morrisions locally if anything they don't have a reductions.
Buy packed lunch stuff and snacks weekly plus fruit/ veg.

Every 2 to 3 months I hit savers/ poundland/ home bargains/ farmfoods and wilkos

I also get 15% discount Iceland but don't shop there much.
Iceland food warehouse better if trying buy in bulk
Every 6months I do waitrose treat
Asda hardly every maybe 4 times a year

I do monthly shop in car
But weekly is hand basket and walk.

Can't beat inflation on fresh items so milk /cheese/ eggs/ butter increasing our grocery shop.
I buy mostly own brands and shop discounters so not much can do.

We turned our under stairs cupboard into a back stock pantry which has allowed us to bulk buy.

Every xmas / dec we buy as much reduced as we can and live off it for nearly 2 months for evening meals.

My husband income is variable
So having some stockpile helps

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