Coffee With Collin: Stockpile Organization
This week’s Coffee with Collin is all about stockpiling. Although many of you may expect that I have a huge stockpile of all the deals that I have snagged in the last few years, you may be surprised to learn that my stockpile is actually rather small and is all contained within my pantry, under my bed, and on a shelf in my garage. I also love to donate items and share my excess with friends, family and neighbors!
**If you can’t see the video, go here to watch it.
So how about you? Where do you stockpile all your goodies? Do you have any creative ways to store items? Please share with us in the comments below.
Thanks for sharing Collin! Love your coffee with Collin vid’s!
Thanks Collin and no you did not ramble.
Thank you for sharing your ideas, you are super organised! I live in a small apartment and so it is very hard for me to go too crazy, if I buy too much I really have no place to put it lool I love the travel size basket idea, I think I might give that a try on a smaller scale.
I hope you had a better weekend.
I appreciate that you have realistic examples of how you organize, showing ways the average person can organize and keep their stockpile without going over the top!
And by going over the top, we mean 40 years worth of toilet paper….lol
That’s EXACTLY what I mean!! 🙂
Ditto!
This is GREAT! I am the same way – I don’t like clutter, so don’t want a large stockpile, but like to take advantage if a good deal when possible.
What I do is a mini-stockpile, for example, this week with the Folgers deal ($2 off coupon), I will grab 6 containers of coffee – this will last a while and we will use it up around the time a new deal pops up!
Something you said once sticks with me – “another deal is always around the corner” – so it makes me not stress out if I miss out. There is another one around the corner.
Cheers!
First and far most, thank YOU for working so diligently on your website so WE (your fans, fellow couponers) can benefit from faster, easier, safer internet goodies.
Second, hope your husband is well soon – sending speedy recovery wishes from Atlanta…both from throat hurting to surgery outcome.
Love your videos, Coffee w/Collin, and appreciate the time you (and your camera friend) take to put them together for us around the globe. Keep smiling, hugs to your family and big love from us in couponland!
AWESOME SUBJECT. Since becoming a couponer a couple years ago, my husband calls me a hoarder (lol). I really am not, but when you look at my stockpile its not really a stockpile its just a pile. I definitely need to organize this mess. Honestly if you don’t keep it organized you will forget about things you have. You rock!!!!!!!
im happy to hear you have a small stockpile and that you donate. i think its crazy that people try a room or garage to a stockpile room. i love a good deal, but really does anyone need a 100 bottles of shampoo? dont be greedy people, and donate your extras.
I’m right there with ya! When I first started I did every deal that I could and was doing 3 grocery stores and 3 drugstores a week. My husbad also did an “intervention” and was like…”this isn’t fun for you anymore. You are so stressed and we have 20 boxes of hamburger helper…what’s up with that?!” It totally knocked me back into reality. I donated nearly 80% of my stockpile down to just enough to get us till the next sale…and BTW…we don’t allow hamburger helper in our house anymore! LOL
This is exactly my story if you substitute “beefaroni” for “hamburger helper”!
I agree. I think hamburger helper has killed the efforts of many potential couponers. It’s depressing to think about eating it all the time to save money.
Lol – I love this! I am trying to keep myself from getting to the point where an intervention is needed:)
It’s ok Collin…I can never pronounce Worcestershire either.
I laughed at that part of the video because I’m not sure anyone knows how to say that word. 🙂
i call it W sauce!
Me too! I can never pronounce this word right and my husband always makes fun of me for that 🙂
Colin: Funny about the Worchestershire sauce pronunciation issue :o)
OK – for all who still stumble upon that one – it is pronounced “Woos-ter-sure” – the British have added extra letters that are essentially silent!! lol
THANK YOU! I’m from Boston originally and had family near “Woostah” with their accent, but it was spelled Worchester. Everyone has always said something along the lines of “oh, so that’s how you say it” when I say it’s just wooster! LOL!
I have a friend who calls it Whats-this-here sauce!
LOVE it! 😀
Baskets make any stockpile cuter! But are there ever any good basket sales? I have had some luck at garage sales- but need more!
I have found cute cheap ones at the dollar tree or hobby stores (:
michaels with those 40%off qpons!!
Target or even Big Lots will often have baskets on sale.
I scored some great baskets at the goodwill for $1-$2
Goodwill and Savers often have very nice baskets at a really low price… especially if you go on half price or dollar days. I have snagged some beautiful baskets ranging in price form $1 – $5.
I always find cute, cheap baskets at my local Goodwill and Salvation Army, or Church rummage sales too!
My Walgreens had some super cute baskets with fabric lining. I think a set of 3 was on sale for $10 and I did use some RR to help pay for them. I also found a few cute lined ones at the Dollar General store.
Def keep your eye out for easter clearance!
I saw that Dollar General has baskets on sale up until today for $.75 to $3
Our area thrift stores will sell a HUGE bag of baskets for one set price. I got about 50 baskets for $3. I washed them in bleach water in the bathtub and set in sun to dry. I have used some for myself and also use in place of gift bags. The baskets were not all HIP and fabulous, but most were cute and usuable. And got a huge mixutre of shapes and sizes.
I’ve been meaning to sign up on your site for ages, and my SIL just sent me a link to something today, so I sat down to sign up right away. How fun to “meet” you with this video!
If it helps, Americans say “worst-eh-sure” 🙂
My mom always called it “wub-a-you” sauce. Kind of a cheeky way of acknowledging that it’s hard to say, and we always knew what she was talking about!
Cute! Your mom sounds fun 🙂
Great video Collin, Thanks! I feel the same way as you in regards to stockpiling. I keep paper goods in the garage (tp and paper towels), cleaning/laundry products in my laundry room cupboard, food in my “pantry space” and personal goods in a small hallway closet upstairs, i also use the bin system for personal goods as well! I often share excess with my family or use for gift baskets.
Clutter and excess stresses me out so as long as I am able to keep the cupboard full and organized , I am happy 🙂
yes, thank you for showing that to be a couponer you DO NOT have to clear the shelves! just a few of things is o.k. it doesnt make a person any better of a couponer to have 40 boxes of pasta, you can be just as good of a couponer and have 10 boxes!
THANK YOU!!
Thanks for the great video! I hope hubs gets well soon. I love the collapsible storage bins. They hold so much stuff and they are very cute. I don’t have a giant stock pile but I do have quite a bit of stuff. I use the bins in the bathroom cabinets, kitchen cabinets, laundry room, & I have a couple on my bookshelf. All are full of stocked up items but you don’t know it! You only see the front of the colorful bin. I also use a few baskets in the bathroom and it works out pretty well too. You can find the collapsible bins at the dollar tree sometimes and Kmart runs them for $2.00 each especially at after school sales.
Thanks for all the deals!!
Collin,
I love your site. I use it regularlly. I wait on Saturdays for your drug store posts!! I love to get these great deals. I just find it fun. I don’t know if it is weird or not but I enjoy it. I don’t like a huge stockpile but I love it when I finish my wonderful lotions, washes, shampoos, etc etc and can go to my stockpile and get a new one.
I don’t like to have tons of stuff so I share. I share with everyone, friends, familys, employees, just anyone I come accross. I went in to the garage the other day and my husband was giving deoderant and body wash to the UPS guys!! Thanks for all your help with this could not do it without all the wonderful people who share their ideas and deals!!
I’d be afraid to give the UPS guys deodorant and body wash! I’m afraid they would think that I was trying to tell them they smell bad!!! How kind of your husband to share. 🙂
Terrific that your husband was sharing with the UPS guys! Funny & yet practical!
I agree Cammy, I love finishing a product and pulling out a new one, its like shopping from my own little personal store!
I gave my favorite ups guy a bad of body wash, deoderant and other goodies for christmas and my mailman they loved it.
Thnks guys! just had my aha! moment! I struggle every year about what to give for gifts to the postal carrier and teachers. I usually end up doing baked goods or a gift card at the last minute.
Thanks for sharing. I totally loved it, and I must say you are one very organized woman Collin. Keep up the good work
I am addicted to your site, it must be soooo much work finding all these deals and puting together the matchups. I have no idea how you do all of that but THANK YOU. I have learned alot about couponing and love it.
wow great organization! Thanks for the video. it has inspired me to turn my semi-organized stockpile into a completely organized one. Just wanted to note, for all of the samples and freebies I send off for/get very cheaply or free, i have a 3 drawer container to sort them into. Periodically I go through and cull the things that I might not use and send them to a soldier whose troop I adopted through AnySoldier.com. They especially need the feminine hygiene items and really appreciate the sample sized boxes, as they are easier to transport. I feel great being able to help those who are so selflessly defending our country!
I am lucky to have an extra room in my basement that I use to store my stockpile. We built wooden shelfs and I simply store everything on the shelfs. My stockpile has 1-2 years worth of supplies and just recently I have had to stop taking advantage of the good deals I find b/c I just don’t have the room to store anymore. Also, I see no reason to stockpile more than 1-2 years worth of supplies. There will always be more deals later when my stockpile runs low and I can then again build it back up.
I donate a lot and also give away a lot of products as door prizes and drawings at my coupon classes.
I do the same lol I have a coupon class every other month at my church and before the class i hot my stockpile and find things i havent used that i have a ton of. This month it was cleaning stuff. Also at xmas time i made sure i had a six month worth of stuff and everything more went to the homeless and pet shelters.
Hi, Crystal. I donate cleaning supplies to a program that shelters the homeless, but I didn’t think about the pet shelters–great idea–thanks! 🙂
My goal is a three month supply. There is always another deal…I mean ALWAYS. I have been a super couponer for years and years now and I know from experience that something will come back around. Once in a blue moon it is a deal that you don’t see that often (like free campbell’s soup) and I will stock more than 3 months worth but on the whole there is no reason to have 40 boxes of pasta.
Once a year I go through the pantry and cabinets looking for those things that got pushed to the back. That typically tells me I either got too many of them or it was something I really did not like. Then I box it up and donate. I have even learned that one of the missions in my city will come pick it up if I will leave it on the front porch. I also tend to snatch up all the pet food deals. I don’t have a cat, but have been known to have cases of cat treats lol. I drop them off at a local rescue and they use them and give them to the people who adopt the cats. I love that I can help without breaking the budget, I don’t mind paying tax for the stuff because it is still less than I would normally donate in cash and they love it!
I always do a lot of giveaways at my coupon classes, too! People love walking away with something and knowing how to get more for free! 🙂
I have been seriously couponing for about 2 years now. I work from home and live right in the middle of a ton of drugstores, 2 Targets, 3 Walmarts ( even though I rarely go there), numerous dollar stores and grocery stores. I have backed off considerably and try not to make repeat trips. My 2 yr old and I usually shop one day a week, taking our time to check out the toys, have lunch and “make a day” of it. Sometimes I go out another day for groceries if there are a lot of sales or to make a “pickup run” as deals are posted later in the week.
As far as the stockpile goes, I , like most new couponers, bought way too much at first. I didn’t throw away too much food, but did an overhaul a few months ago using many of the methods that you outlined, actually.
I have (large) storage containers under my bed for cleaning products, feminine products, etc. I have a rather small pantry, so my husband converted one of our closets into a backup pantry for canned goods, snack items, baking goods, etc. I put shelves in 2 other closets for medicines and personal care products. I like seeing at a glance what I have as far as shampoo, etc. goes and it is even easier for me to replace.
I use shoe organizers in all my closets and they are great for food items or even gloves, hats in the coat closet.
We are in the South and it gets so hot that I don’t trust much to the garage, but I do keep paper products out there or even in the attic if need be, but that is rare.
I have learned the lesson of “another deal is just around the corner” and try to only really stock up on non perishables that are super cheap. My husband works 2 jobs and I work from home and run the household, so it is always in my mind that I want to have several months’ worth stocked up knowing that if I am ever unable to shop, he will probably pay full price ( gasp!).
OK, this is a WAY long comment. I am the Queen of Rambling. Two things I love are 1) An organized stockpile and 2) An organized coupon binder!!! 😀
Thanks for the tips. I have started my own intervention before hubby said anything. Been doing deals and coupons about 4 months and really the deals do keep coming around, helps to know so i don’t have so much to organize. I help others with necessary items when we find a family that could use the items. Being able to help out of work families or just those that i love to save is such a wonderful thing I love to do. but will not buy items just because its good deal if there is no need for them.
Do you REALLY have coffee in your cup? LOLOLOL If it was me I would totally be cheating sometimes…
Hey Collin…your site is great. I love the way you post the deals and scenarios more than anyone else. Thanks!
Speaking of stockpiles, I had a question regarding expiration dates and shelf life. Can you keep something past the expiration date, and if so, how long. I have a few grocery items now that have “expired” but I am still using them. They seem to be fine.
I have also seen a couple of people put up lists of how long certain items can be kept in your stockpile, but I was wondering if that meant past the expiration or until, or what. Just wondering.
Steph,
If I am not mistaken, the reason so many products that don’t appear to be ‘perishable’ have expiration dates is because the packaging begins to deteriorate into the product after a certain period. I think recent research is concluding that plastics especially are constantly doing this, but after a certain time period, they really ‘let loose’. =)
Thank you so much for posting this video. I am somewhat new to couponing to the extent I am doing it at now. I live in a small house and don’t have a lot of storage space so I would often feel like by not creating a large stockpile, I wasn’t as successful as others. It’s silly, I know, and my husband will be glad I watched this video today. I am especially thankful you showed how you organize your personal care items. That is a wonderful idea that I plan on using. Under my bathroom sink is becoming somewhat of a disaster and I absolutely hate clutter so thank you from saving me from going insane! haha
I have my sons 1st bday party coming up next month. With 50 guests, most of which are family and avid couponers,good dealers, garage salers and all around salemaniacs……I am making my hoard from the past year into a do it yourself goody bag buffet. Each person grabs a party loot bag and can choose from mass quantities of makeup, deo, bath and body works stuff, and many other random freebies I ‘ve gotten from Ky to polident! They will be beside themselves going thru all the goodies……which I will have displayed on cake plates, glass bowls, etc to look like a buffet!
Such a cute idea! I LOVE THIS!
Thank you for sharing your awesomness with us. I enjoy looking at you blog and probley check it a few times a day so last week I was going through some Collin withdrawls.
I turned my spare bedroom into a storage room for all my stockpiling. My husband bought 5- 6ft by 42 inch shelving units for me. I call it my pantry store.All the shelves are full. And I do also share my things i send packages to Texas and michigan all the time filled with all kinds of goodies my sisters love getting my packages. It makes me feel good to help someone else.
And thank you collin for making it possible for all of us to get all kinds of stuff! I love hip2save
I LOVE to let my friends and family come and shop…usually they feel badly about taking my stuff, but I just hand them a walmart bag and start filling it up for them. My stockpile is little right now, but if you want to take a peak…here ya go! 🙂 https://totalsaved.blogspot.com/p/my-stockpile.html
Wow, so when do you snag good deals on toilet paper? That is something I haven’t been able to do. Awesome stockpile!
https://www.totallytarget.com/2011/03/02/update-coupon-alert-for-charmin-gift-card-deal/
This sums up the charmin deal…I follow totally target and when I saw this it was a never ending cycle of toilet paper around here. Both my husband and I were relieved when the deal was over. Every time I bought some , I would get more coupons and I just couldn’t stop! LOL We gave a few packages to my parents too. =)
That’ one thing about it. I just get to “sick” of deals to keep doing them over and over and get a huge stockpile. Enough is enough. 😉
Great pictures – thanks for sharing! I never thought about using those drawers for my stuff (I have a few in my basement from when my kids were in college!) Looks like I have about the same amount of stuff that you have – Like Collin, when I first started, I was a little crazy about every deal, but now I just get what I need. I really do love sharing my stash with my friends. Thanks!!
Collin- you are seriously the cutest. I think you are awesome. Great role model and put alot into what you do. You seem to do a great job balancing. Great work!
Travel size are excellent for the homeless and for shelters. Most provide a baggie of travel size hygeine items to guests. Showers are often/always required before hitting the sack.
Thanks for the video Collin! I found your ideas very helpful! I love your shoe orgnaizer idea in the pantry. I will definately need to try that. We currently just use a box and we find that things are forgotten about and expire before we use it. Also the under the bed organizers are also a very good idea. Can’t wait to try your ideas at home.
Thanks for this, I love these videos since you got rid of the shopping trip ones.
Thank you thank you thank you for pointing out that even though its free you dont need 50 of them, because a deal will come back around. I think that a lot of people do forget that and are very much caught up in the but its free/cheap (i did at first too).
Thanks again
Thank you so much for this video! On Saturday, my husband came up to me and said “I know you like to get deals and I appreciate that, but we don’t need 10 bottles of body soaps or 15 bars of deodorants. Please stop buying these things for a while…”
Our apartment became filled with stuffs and it stressed me out because I love organizing and cleaning. I cannot organize anymore because I don’t have enough space for all of these things. Your tips really helped me (and probably many other people). I got a gift card to TJMaxx, so maybe I will go there and start organizing 🙂
BTW, I love coffee with Collin series too!
It’s nice to see that you don’t have a garage full of items. Now, I have something else to help keep me grounded. I just started to get back into couponing In January. And it is like an addiction for me. I’ve just make my stock pile very viewable so I can easily look at it before going shopping.
I did it just in time too. Today, I sat facing my stock pile as I located all the coupons that expire before 4/2. Lots of p&g expire 3/31. It was a lot easier to put them in an enevlope to give to friends knowing that I already had three to six month worth of that item. (I also have to remind myself that the reason the coupons are still there is that I haven’t seen I great deal for them. And that new coupon are coming 4/3 from p&g.)
I look your idea for the travel size items. My teenage daughter has alot of sleepover and I think the girls would like that.
Most of the travel items I have been getting are for man. My husband flies alot and with all the new airline laws, your carry-on bottles have to be travel size.
Hi Collin!
Thanks for your message today! It is really important to not let savings becom an obsession, that in turn causes you to spend money just because there is a “deal.” Thank you for being honest with us, because it is soooo easy to get caught up on the “thrill of the hunt,” as my husband says. You are awesome and I look forward to your videos on Monday mornings. Blessings to you!
Great video! Thank you for all you do! Hope your husband gets to feeling better. Can’t wait for next Monday!
Can anybody tell me where I can buy the 2/13 ss coupon for pledge…never bought coupons offline befor! what the best place?
Hi Andrea,
Check out this post I did on coupon clipping services:
https://hip2save.com/2010/08/need-coupons-check-out-readers-tips-picks.html
I hope it helps! 🙂
It was time for me to “step away from the bargains” also! But when I see “free Items” using my coupons I still buy them and give them to the local womens shelter and to my church for the food pantry.
I appreciate that although you are a deal blog, you put it all into perspective – family and friends and relationships are much more important than scoring a deal! I also keep a relatively small stockpile now. It has been nice to take some time off and use up some of our stores. I have only gone to the drug stores for a truly significant deal – like the Osteo-Bi-Flex last week at Walgreens.
Love the blog! Keep up the good work!
One thing I do because I have 3 teenage sons, so my stockpile is fairly large to keep us from sale to sale… I took all their linens and put them in their bathroom under the sink – TIGHT FIT… but it works. So then I took the linen closet from the hallway and turned it into a pantry. My kitchen pantry is small, so this doubled my space 🙂
I used to follow the Fly Lady years ago, and one of her tips was that you only really need two sets of sheets for each bed. The second set can be folded and stuck between the mattress and box spring. That’s where our sheets go now, and the linen closet became my pantry in this small house.
“Worcestershire” Is actually pronounced “wuster-shure” 🙂
I LOVE your videos! You are not only informative but you also provide some good giggles, Thanks!
I’ll have to watch the video when I get home from work!
This weekend I sorted through my bathroom stockpile. I realized that when I first started couponing I bought things that I really will never use just because they were free or super cheap (like Colgate Sensitive Toothpaste and a deodorant I’ve never tried!) I’m going to look for a shelter to donate those items. Anyone know of a place in Atlanta that would take a few tubes of toothpaste and some deodorant?
I bought a shelf organizer at Ikea, so I doubled the space under my sink and keep my toiletries there. The space under the guest bathroom sink has the toilet paper that wouldn’t fit in my laundry area, though I fear a burst pipe will destroy that one day. However, I live in a fairly tiny townhouse, so beggars can’t be choosers.
I have a small pantry, and when the shelves are full I place overflow items in wine crates on the floor under the shelves. I also have wine crates in the space between the top of my kitchen cabinets and the ceiling. I got them for free at a liquor store, and they look nice, in addition to holding a lot of canned goods.
We found a battered woman’s shelter to give toiletries and clothing to. However, try the Hope House or Nspire – they both will pick up at your house in the Atlanta area and both help the homeless. I’m sure one of those organizations would love anything you give them! There is also the Atlanta Assistance League, but I’m not sure they accept toiletries… you would have to check 🙂
Thanks, Emily!
Thanks Collin for all you do to help us save money!! Just a little tip from a fellow stockpiler: I have really great storage in my laundry room so I was taking advantage of it and one day I opened a new box of raisins and ewwww they tasted like soap. I thought, oh well and threw them away. Then another day I opened a new container of Oatmeal and ewww they tasted like soap. Hmmmm, then It dawned on me that storing laundry detergent and food in the same cabinet was not such a great idea. Call me blonde (I am), but now I just store canned goods in that cabinet. Thanks again!!
Thank you for being honest and showing how you organize. I too went overboard when I first started couponing, but have since come back to reality. I believe when your stockpile starts taking over your bathroom, pantry and garage, it is time to step back and evaluate the situation. I hope I don’t offend anyone, but I get really annoyed by those couponers who have shelves and shelves of food and supplies in their basement and garages. There really is no need to live like this. I started donating to local food banks, people at my church and others in need and have found I still have enough to live on and the deals always come back around. You don’t need 20 tubes of toothpaste, 100 boxes of pasta or 30 bottles of shampoo. Consider donating them. I promise you will be blessed! We are a family of 6 blessed with our needs met and are able to live in our house without shelves of food and shampoo taking over our lives! ;o)
I agree completely! I went overboard at the beginning too, but have really pulled back. I used to check out lots of blogs and compile one list from all the blogs. Now I just use Collin’s. I like the way she shows all the deals, but highlights what she feels is a great deal. I love to shop, but don’t always have the money to do so, by couponing I am able to get my fix. Probably $10 OOP a week to get my fix and lots of items to donate, WIN, WIN 🙂
Thanks Colin for sharing with us…..I wanted to share a little tip I use….I am a list maker….I organize my all my items by putting them in tubs….but before they go in the tub I open up a word pad document….I write down what I am putting in that tub…I write the description,ounces,and expiration date….then I label the the tub with a number….then when I need something I go to my computer pull up my word pad documents(each tub has it’s own document) and look thru the list and I will know exactly what tub to look in to find what I need…this way I don’t have to have clear tubs plus the fact I pack my tubs as stuffed as I can….I also buy my tubs when they are clearanced down to like $2.00 or $2.50….then one day when I don’t have as much stuff I will resale my tubs……hope this helps someone out there get organized.
Hillarious about the pronunciation (I have a hard time too). I love the fact that you are so down to earth and yet so organized too. Thanks for the inside view of your home because I was curious as to how much stuff you had too. Your husband rolled his eyes because he knew you were right 🙂
I couldn’t agree more with your last sentence! 🙂
Thank you so much for taking the time to share. It was a good reality check for me. I am new to this adventure that I call a game! And being the competitive person that I am, finding the deal and going crazy can get out of control. I really enjoy your attitude and your down to earth videos that help keep things in perspective. 🙂
I love your under the bed idea!! I was wondering if you’ve ever had to move your stockpile, we’re military too and I was wondering if you have suggestions on moving.
Hi Andrea,
When we moved to North Carolina (about 2 years ago), I donated most of my stockpile and also made “Goodbye” gift baskets for neighbors and friends. I don’t regret the decision I made at all considering it made the whole moving process a heck of a lot easier. And as I said in the video, there is always another sale around the corner… So it was very easy for me to build my stockpile back up after we got settled.
Hi Collin!
I am a working single mother of three gorgeous small children! I have found that since becoming a Mom I have switched from buying the “extras” for myself to buying diapers and wipes for them! Since I have been introduced to your site, only about a month ago, I have been able to buy myself some nice body washes, fancy face washes and even some pretty pricey make-up! It had been so long since I had bought myself these things, it feels amazing to use all my new goodies! Thank you so very much!!!