I really miss my couponing and deal hunting! When I was still working, I really only had time to focus on CVS deals and sometimes Walgreens. On Saturday night I would get all my coupons and extra care bucks together, check the new CVS circular for the upcoming week and plan out my Sunday morning shopping trip.
My plan when I retired was to branch out to other stores because I would have more time to learn their policies and how things worked. But all of that has come to a halt as I am trying to stay out of stores as much as possible. Also, a lot of the best deals included products that are now either not in stock, or very limited per person, like TP, paper towels, cleaning products, etc. And I just want to note that this was fun for me! I really enjoy finding deals and saving money on things I use. I didn’t shop just to shop...if that makes sense.
For the past year (before the pandemic) I had been actively building a stockpile of products that I routinely use through couponing combined with sales to prepare for retirement. I built this up slowly with the goal of paying as little as possible for things I regularly use so I wouldn’t need to spend money on these things for a while after I retired when my budget got much tighter. I didn’t stockpile food, only things like TP, paper towels, cleaning products, personal care products etc.
I never really thought of myself as a “prepper” in the traditional sense of the word, I was just a couponer building a stockpile to save money. But having this stockpile has served me well during the pandemic, and it also allowed me to help my family and a few neighbors.
So now I’ve been thinking about slowly building up a small food stockpile with some shelf stable items, and look at a few things that I probably should have anyway, like a really good battery operated radio (I have a very old one but could use an upgrade), and an indoor lantern of some type for light in case of an extended loss of power. Because I live in a condo, I can't have a generator. I know many of you garden and grow your own food, and do some canning, but I am limited due to not having a yard to grow things.
It’s one thing to be financially prepared for emergencies but having savings won’t help if you can’t purchase what you need. Who would have thought that we would not be able to easily buy TP, or hand sanitizer or Clorox wipes, or that we might experience a shortage of some foods due to a disruption in the food supply chain due to a pandemic? I surely didn’t.
I’m wondering if anyone else who typically hadn’t done any prepping or stockpiling (not hoarding, there is a difference) is now considering it to some degree? I’ve seen some very interesting conversations about this on some other sites I frequent. People in certain parts of the country who are prone to extreme weather events like hurricanes prepare, so why not prepare for other types of disruptions?
Something to think about.
Prepping/ I miss couponing!
June 7th, 2020 at 07:05 pm
June 7th, 2020 at 07:48 pm 1591559319
I don't want to live in fear and I don't want to have old food stored that could go bad. So my strategy will be to stock up during Sept (supplements), October (supplies), and November (food). Then if the stored items aren't needed during the winter we'll use them up in March-April-May. Then repeat.
June 7th, 2020 at 07:48 pm 1591559322
June 7th, 2020 at 10:44 pm 1591569893
June 8th, 2020 at 01:37 am 1591580233
I have a side by side freezer and a pantry cabinet and some storage boxes. When things I use are on sale, I buy in bulk. I had pasta, sauce, canned and dried fruit, oatmeal, flour, sugar, butter(10 pounds!), meat, canned soup, even some hershey’s Kisses I bought after Christmas for 90 percent off, I haven’t been to the grocery store since before March! I go to the market on the corner and/or CVS once a week.
I always tell people that my investment strategy is to buy canned corn...the stock market goes up and down, food prices seem to just go up. I just bought 8 cans of corn for $.50. I had to watch prices to get it that low, and it will last me for months. When I use the next to last can, i’ll Start looking again. During baking season, butter is often $2.50 or $2.99 a pound. I buy two pounds and freeze it. I had reached my - if they are giving it away, I can’t take it - stage so stopped.
I enjoy the hunt, and since I too am retired, I don’t need to shop for much but food. I understand why people who have to put a premium on time don’t have the time or mind space to devote to this, but I find it well worth while. I only buy things I use.
I love love love CVS, I sometimes think that if I don’t shop for a week, they wonder where I am and send me a coupon! I
June 8th, 2020 at 12:40 pm 1591620001
June 8th, 2020 at 04:59 pm 1591635544
June 10th, 2020 at 08:21 pm 1591820469
I have been slowly working on a little bigger stockpile than we normally have. I worry we will see another panic shopping time in the fall.