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.
Collin, your are a trip……….a good trip!
Thanks for all you do.
God Bless
Gosh, I’m so glad I found this site. Watched the Extreme Couponing show on Sunday and thought, man no way! But it sparked my interest. I too am a military spouse, just relocated to Colorado Springs from Tampa. I’m really wanting to cut our spending and save for our retirement home, we’re at the end of the road here. So, I started reading and watching all the videos I can. I ordered my binder stuff from Amazon. Been looking for coupons online of ONLY the things we use. It’s pretty cool, on my iphone I have a list of everything we use, so I check off what I need as the week goes on. So now. I will have coupons to go with those things! Scored my first stack tonight at Walgreens and got the register rebate! Woo hoo….
Also, I love the organizing tips, I don’t want to have the stuff over run my home. So I went and got my hanging shoe thing and hung it on the pantry door, PERFECT idea. Why didn’t I think of that? I’m a bit a OCD/organizer freak. So you gave me great ideas for storing all my treasures. My thing is 3 of one thing. And in my binder, I’m going to put month tabs, put the coupons that will expire that month in there in some type of category order. That way I shop in the month.
Colin, I’m back to commissary shopping, didn’t have that in Tampa, lived to far away. Could we maybe do a coffee show on Commissary and BX/PX shopping one time? And I must say I love your fashion ideas too, I’m the same, give me my jeans I love and I’ll spend less on my jackets and tops, but never retail on those. And of course to accessorize smart is the only way to go.
Okay I wrote a book. Would love to guest on your show, especially if you do one on military base shopping. Well off to print some more stuff off…so i can fill my binder.
Thanks for all your adise, help and many ideas. What a blessing!
Laurie (aka) megryan1969….no not Meg Ryan. Daughter’s name is Megan, son’s middle name is Ryan…so megryan:-)
Hi Laurie!
So nice to meet you and glad that you found Hip2Save! I actually filmed a video at the commissary last year, but I definitely need to do an updated video. In addition, i do occasionally post commissary match-ups. Check out the links below…
https://hip2save.com/2010/01/follow-me-monday-grocery-shopping-redo.html
https://hip2save.com/2011/02/my-commissary-deals-i-saved-80-you-can-too.html
My hubby watched your video with me, he said, wow she’s really organized!. You’re always fun to watch, and your home is so cute. I love you idea of oganziers under the bed, it sure beats storing them in the basement, great tip! And I love the shoe organizer on the panty door, I’m so going to do that! Thanks!!!!!!
Heyy Collin! I was shocked and actually really happy to see that your stockpile wasn’t a crazy big amount of stuff, and it really shows your heart for giving and helping others how you donate and help others get great deals!!! TLC shows CRAZY coupon people! I would rather watch your show!! =)) Keep doin what you do! How bout another video contest for readers?! I thought that was really interesting last time. =)) Thanks again!
Jess
So disappointed! lol Joking. It was actually refreshing. I’m finally starting to realize that I don’t have to get every deal. Seriously! It took about a year. I have a ton of space right now but in a couple months we will be moving to NC to base housing! Hope we will have enough room! lol
I spent the entire 10 minute video with my 3 year old daughter on my lap waving at you. She thought we were skyping like we do with relatives out of state! While I was listening to your stockpile info, she was more concerned with what your middle name is 🙂 Would LOVE to see organization tips for small bedrooms/rooms!
I spent the first 15 years of my life as a military brat. We lived in the most amazing places! We LOVE your site and your great ideas!!! Thanks to you and all the other military families that sacrifice for our freedom!
I’ve just been doing couponing with Collin since early Feb. and somehow I’ve got a stockpile of toothpaste. Too many deals. But I am trying to say “Do I really need this?” before I shop. I buy t.paper and p.towels, shampoo etc. The Coupon stuff has helped me stock up so I don’t need to rush out because we’re out of something.
Collin,
Just wanted to say thanks soooo much for showing me how you organize your stockpile. Organization does not come natural to me. It’s something I really have to work at. I like the idea of using labeled bins under your bed. This way, if a tube of toothpaste can’t fit in the bin, then I know it’s time to donate it and not buy anymore. My husband and I have been using couponing to help us stay on a budget and tackle our debt. Thank you for all the work you put into your site. I’m a HUGE fan, and I tell all my friends about you! PS…I’m a coffee girl too
THANK YOU! I am not very creative myself….your ideas are great. My fiance and I are getting married in May and moving into a very small apartment. I have lived in my parents house with a huge area to store things for many years and now that we are moving out, I want to make sure the items are easily accessible. Garrett and I are trying to think of ways to get the stuff in there (not that I have a huge stockpile either) and the ideas to put the containers under your bed is genius! Thank you for all you do.
I love your site. Just the other day that I need a better storage solution for my small stock pile..The shoe box storage was so awesome!! Thank you so much for all that you do.
I am a newcomer to couponing and love it! I use an old filing cabinet in my basement to store my stockpiles. It is very easy to organize and everything is hidden from sight. Thanks for sharing your storage ideas!
I had to laugh at this post Pat! My mother in law is Pat Becker and I just called her to be sure it wasn’t her posting this! 🙂
Collin,
What are you hanging your pans on? (In the pantry) PLEASE HELP
thanks for awesome videos & tips 🙂
https://www.amazon.com/Enclume-MPU-13-RACK-Utensil-Hooks/dp/B001ASW1QW/ref=sr_1_4?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1301360136&sr=1-4
🙂
thanks so much 🙂
It’s from Ikea.
I to have like 30 tubes of toothpaste 90% of them free the rest under 50 cents. I give to our family. My mother, my sister, and hubby’s family get all of our extras and they give us free coupons in return! LOL! I love being able to help family out in these tough times.
We just had a baby (well, last week) and stocking up has really helped this time around, I feel much better knowing dh won’t have to run out to overpay for toilet paper, paper towel, etc… Plus these Tena pad deals came at a Perfect timing!!! Thanks for keeping us informed of all of the deals!! I too think it would be awesome to see a video on organizing kids’ rooms!
I’ve been meaning to ask, did they stop putting out amazon diaper codes? I’ve got 3 in dipes/pullups and have been looking for them like crazy for the last month or so and can’t find any!
Love, love your video!! I have the same exact headboard in our master bedroom, too….lol..when I first started couponing a year ago, I tried to get all of the great deals out there, too. I don’t need an outrageous amount of toothpaste, toothbrushes, etc, even though I can get it for almost free. I learned to accept what I have and wait until the next great deal comes along which eventually will sooner than later. I use the plastic organizer in my pantry, too 🙂
Great video!! You rock Collin!
BTW- I LOVE your bed (frame & headboard) It is exactly what I have been searching for! Where did you get it?
I started down this bargain road when our family made the decision last year to limit Christmas gifts to $10 per person. I have three nieces (20, 19 and 16) and I wanted to see what I could get for them for $10. The Olay/Herbal Essence deal was my starting point for last Christmas. This year I challenged myself to see what I could get for them for the same $10. Since I have sons, it has been fun buying girly stuff. The Almay deal at Walgreens was a good addition to their gift pile. The nerd in me keeps it on a spread sheet so I know when I hit the $10 mark. I haven’t hit it yet as I take the money makers off the total.
It is a fun way to follow the deals but not create a huge stockpile since there is a limit. It makes a great gift for them as they have to pay for this kind of stuff themselves (out a monthly allowance) so it frees up money for fun,
Oooh I love the sound of the spreadsheet! =)
What about those great deals for things I don’t need? I have a new focus – there are some really great deals out there for products I personally don’t use, but I know others do like. So, lately, I have started stock-piling those items for the ladies at my husband’s work. He is a pediatrician in an office with all women. They love free things! Like the recent revelon beauty tool thing – I can only use so many finger nail files! I have started a stash to use at the next christmas party for games/grab bags. I make sure to stockpile on those things that are either free / close to free / or money makers! It is even more fun to think about it being useful to someone else! 🙂
I am not sure where to post this. I have an additional 20% off diapers coupon code for amazon.com. If you want it, you can email me at chozengirl17@yahoo.com
I’m sending an e-mail right now. Thanks for your generosity 🙂
“Wis – toe – sheer” sauce!!
Collin, I am one of your newer readers and this post could not have come at a better time. I have just recently begun really avidly couponing, and it is soo easy to get carried away with all the deals and how cheap you can get stuff. I am learning very quickly that just because something is a great deal does not mean you HAVE to buy it. The coupons will never run out…there will always be more, and always more sales. Keep up the good work!
Edible items in the pantry, paper goods and cleaners on a garage shelf and in a cupboard, and HBA items in a see through medium-sized plastic tub on my closet floor. When the HBA overflows, some of it goes into an apple box on the floor of my linen closet, which becomes part of a fun game we play at Christmas. The first year of couponing, 2009, I just divied it up between my three married children and their families putting it in those big red & white plastic Target bags with the snowflakes. In 2010, I made it a lot more fun. I had my married children, grandchildren and a few friends sit in a big circle on the living room floor, about 16 people in all. My husband dressed as Santa, came out with a huge bag of couponing treasures and dumped them in the middle of the circle. We drew numbers to see who would go first, and then we went around the circle a number of times, each person picking an item until all things were gone. They loved it. In addition many items throughout the year go to needy families at church or friends who just happen to stop by. When mailing things to children who live out of state, I will fill the empty spaces with items in my stash. One of the most rewarding things about couponing is being able to share the joy.
My heart skipped a beat on the containers under the bed. I keep a huge arts a crafts box under the bed and the kids love to get it out and do their thing. I had horrible visions for a second. LOL
Also, I have a box that I keep all extra free things I get and I use them as stocking stuffers. My girls were asking for the same brands that I had samples for and they love it. Or they like the gift certificates they now get with the saving I get with the samples.
I stockpile my toothpaste, deodorant, toothbrushes, body washes etc in the backs of my bathroom drawers. My drawers and too large for the towels,, and the extra little spaces make it easy to put them in the back,, maybe wouldn’t do this if I had small kids still in the house. I also have a basket in my bathroom and another in the extra bathroom with freebies and toiletries to share.
My grandson is moving into his own place on Saturday, and I’m filling up boxes for his pantry,, pasta, ricearoni, toothpaste, chips and snacks, cereals, detergents,,, lots of my extras… it feels good to be able to save him a BIG trip to the store, with my freebies and deals. Always good to help the kids. I also “share” my pantry with my daughter and her family,, when she is out of something I have,, off it goes.
I consider couponing and getting deals on things my family will use to be a part time job… I am ABLE to do more for them because of the good deals we have gotten.
I watched tangled with the grandkids this week,, and I’m goign to buy the movie so they can watch it at my house with the Rite Aid deal combined with Nexxus, cause I have UPS and a $3/$15 coupon to use.
When you are stressing over deals you can’t find,, or deciding on whether to BUY MORE even though you don’t need it…. just remember,,,, There’s always another Deal,, And Collin will help us find it!
Happy Dealing Ladies!!! love all your comments!
My husband and I have a very small one bedroom apt. They are no pantry and only 4 kitchen cabinets we can use for food. I know not very much huh. So space is tight, but we give up a lot when I started using coupons to score some really great deals. We store extra food (canned, boxes, soda, water, juice) in our closet. In there we have wrap around shelfs (a total of two) and we use a plastic 3 drawer dresser that we put jello, small snack food, samples, and anything small in. For our extra appliances (we have a ton) we bought a 4 tier shelving unit and put it in front of our window in our bedroom (i said we gave up a lot of space). Only the bottom shelf (not the floor) we have shoe box (the plastic ones) that we have spices and other small items in. As for our extra personal care items we have them in two very large totes that we keep 1 in the closet on the top shelf and the other one in our laundry room. I know it seems crazy but it works. We had to give up a lot of space and our bedroom & closet not looking like a regular one but oh well. Who likes regular anymore.
Thanks for the great video, you’re such a doll! Very nice of you to do that for all of us. Your site is by far my favorite. Thanks so much! 🙂
Hi Collin,
This is the first video I watched on your site. Don’t know why I had this impression that you’re an older lady. But in the video you look so good and down to earth, even though you say you were tired. Just want you to know that you look good! 🙂
Another super video, I think my favorite so far. That Extreme Couponing show frankly freaked me out. it is so nice to see a fellow couponer with manageable stockpiling amounts. You do a wonderful job. Thanks!
LOVE this. It is easy to get so excited with all the deals. But the reality is that you have to live life.
Loved the video. Ive been couponing since the beginning of this year. I do have to stop myself from getting excited and overbuying of HBA items. I do give free items and overages to my church and shelters. It gives me a great feeling and im helping those in need too. I also give bags full of items to neighbors,babysitters, and friends. They are amazed to see me giving them name brand bath wash, soaps, cleaners, etc. Their mouths drop thinking i spent an arm and leg on it an i know it was only maybe .10 or .25 cents. lol. Everyone keep up the good work. Thanks.
I have to get creative with my stock pile too. I share with everybody in my family siblings parents and friends. I give stuff for free but most of them insist on giving me something because even if it is “free” I still have to pay sales tax. I also hate getting cought up in I got this item free and that one cost me $1 or I got paid to buy that item. I write on the bottom of everything I buy and I mean everything when I get home. BUT its not by what I really paid for that item.
I did my Wags run last week and spent $37 total with tax. I divided that by how many items I bought and that is what I write on the bottom. So yes I paid .68 cents for the refill pack of baby wipes and baby diapers and .68 for that candy bar and that pack of gum. My family and friends don’t mind paying .68 cents for a candy bar because it is still cheaper then buying it at the store full price. and who wouldn’t want a pack of 300+ wipes for .68 cents. My DH loves to read things around the house on what I paid for something he always chuckles.
Thanks, Collin, for making that video. I also went crazy when I first started couponing. Now mine is similar to yours. Thank goodness!!!! (;
I love hearing how readers are helping their families and friends through couponing. My friend is taking care of her father who has Alzheimer’s. She gives me her Sunday coupons. In the past couple of weeks I have given her 3 bags of items I’ve couponed–nothing fancy, just cleaning, laundry and dental items. She was thrilled to have saved not just the money, but more importantly the TIME it would have taken her to get these. 🙂
Thanks for this video Collin! I’m also glad to see that you don’t stockpile huge amounts, though I would like to know how often you donate free stuff to food pantries, etc. If I’m at a store anyway, I pick up free stuff with coupons and stick it in a donation bag to drop off at the food pantry. I only use online coupons though, so I don’t get that much free stuff. Anyway, one other thing I noticed is that you have many more cleaning and personal care (toothpaste) products than food stockpiled. Why is this? I would think you’d go through the food most quickly…
I know it was said before, but I really appreciate your emphasis on not going overboard. I always thought the people who have made stores in their house should go to therapy for hoarding. I can’t even watch that show on TLC. It just made me sick.
Thanks for keepin in real! 🙂
thanks for you video. We have more of a stock pile here but we also have 10 people in our house. I love the way that you limit yourself. I was just talking to a women abou this the other day. We live in the boonies so I reccomend stockpiling for 6 months. But once people start they have a hard time limiting themselves when they could be blessing so many other families. So thank you!
Does anyone have an issue with storing cleaning products in an unheated garage or basement? I stored a bottle of dawn dishwashing liquid over the winter in my basement. I noticed it seperated and looks really weird. It was in a clear plastic bottle, so you could definitely see it. I need to make sure what I’m storing will not be ruined in these unheated areas. Anyone else have this happen?
This has happened to me. I stored thing in my unheated garage last winter and I ended up putting a heater with a thermostat in there to try and keep things just above freezing. My soap did the same thing! I did notice that when the soap warmed up in the house it came back together just fine!
Thanks T. I’m glad to hear that once it warmed up, it came back. I have to maybe replan where I store things.
Worcestershire sauce…hilarious!! Love that part.
Collin, thanks so much for sharing! I really liked seeing how you stockpile (and it did make me feel better seeing you didn’t have 100s of every item under the sun!) and I really liked the under the bed storage. I will definitely be doing that! And can I just say that I wanna know what military base you are on because I am SUPER jealous of your pantry!! Why don’t I ever get a house like that on base? hahaha 🙂
LOL, we have a rack out in the garage as well with all the cleaning supplies on it.
I think when I do spring cleaning next month I’m going to take advantage of the ‘under the bed’ storage idea for personal care. Great idea.
Right now, my oldest (who’s 18) has his room in the basement, but I dream of the day that I can take over a small portion of the basement and turn it into an extra pantry area.
A my home once I have 5 tubes of toothpaste or more its time to donate to a family in need. Extream couponing and extream stocking up are just not my style. It turns something fun into work.
I live in a house with NO storage for our normal things, so we definitely don’t have any room for extras. However, we rent and there is a refrigerator in our basement that we don’t use because we brought our own, so I use that! I just keep it open and store things in all of the spaces to keep things semi-organized. You just have to do what you can! lol
We live in a house with absolutely NO storage for normal things, so definitely no room for extras. However, we rent our house and there is an extra refrigerator in the basement that we don’t use, so I use that! I just keep it open and use all of the separate spaces to keep things organized. You just have to use what you can! lol
Thanks Collin. I loved seeing how you store things. Great ideas. I definitely need a better way at organizing ours. THANKS AGAIN. I love the Coffee With Collin!!
Collin, you are soo funny. I almost died laughing at you trying to say Worcestershire…I’m an English woman in the states so I know your not the only one with this issue. In England we say it like “wustersure” none of this “shire” crap, we’re not in Lord of the Rings!!!
Colin-
Thank you for the ideas – I stole your personal care organization system 🙂
I posted pics on my blog – you are the BEST!
https://livingonthecheap.blogspot.com/2011/04/my-mini-stockpile.html
I just watched your video and loved all the storage ideas.Storage is not one of my top 5 strong suits 🙂 Seeing that you can keep a small stockpile and still have what you need is encouraging. It has inspired me to go through my stock of toiletries and give away what we don’t need. The HBA department is always more stocked than my groceries I have noticed.
To change the subject, I keep the E C episode that aired at the beginning of the year on my DVR to keep myself in check. If I start to feel overwhelmed by deals or irritated about a change in my grocery store’s coupon policy I watch it to knock myself back into reality! There is a line between Realistic Couponing and Extreme and with some peoples’ personalities I can see how that line gets crossed. Rambling on to my last subject, I love your site!! I have explored others but none that I am loyal to like yours! I recommend you to everyone that asks me about saving money. Thank You so much for everything you do!! We all love it!!
I had a sitter today for a few hours and I am really bad at not staying organized. So I stole your idea and ran down to the dollar store and bought 10 plasitc shoe box containers. They are the perfect size and they were only $1.00 a piece. Now it is all neatly organized under my bed. Now I have made more room for other things which is good because I have NO pantry 🙁 Thanks for the wonerful ideas!!!!
I totally know what you’re saying. I started couponing about 3 months ago and I’ve become a little OCD about it…ok maybe a lot OCD about it. My husband actually said the same thing. That I need to slow down. I had a reincheck for the Purex crystals for 12 bottles. With the reincheck and coupons it was $1 a bottle (normally $5.99). I went to 3 different stores just to find them because the coupon was expiring today. Ended up with 10 after hitting 3 stores.
@Sandi, I understand your OCD as I have it too, LOL, but not in the traditional way. My kids & DH say at times I go crazy with couponing, but a while ago I saw a post that says OCD means “obsessive coupon disorder”. I got the bug 6 months ago & also with being a chocoholic I don’t want to be cured of each issues LOL. Maybe we will have to start a new organization (please don’t think I’m making fun of orginal, great work) with other couponers & have a 10 step program.
Thanks Collin for all the great work you do!
Your methods are so similar to mine 🙂 I completely agree with what you were saying about how there’s no need to go overboard and jam your entire house full of things you won’t use! One thing that really helps me stay organized and stay in check at the same time is I have designated areas that I will use to store things. For instance, all of our health/beauty items go under the bed in under bed boxes, or in a storage tub in the bottom of our linen closet, laundry items stay in the laundry room, etc. It’s been great for me because as I get things and put them away, seeing how much space I do or don’t have is a constant reminder to watch how much I get! We live in a 2 bedroom townhouse and with 5 pets, there’s not a ton of space.
As far as all my travel sizes and samples go, (like everything else) they have a particular home, but they come and go quickly because as I get a good amount of them, we take them down and donate them to the local veteran’s hospital that runs a program to assist our homeless veterans by giving them meals, drinks, medical attention, and basic toiletries. I’m engaged to a ranger veteran and seeing what he and all of our other vets/active duty go through in and out of the military just makes me want to help all I can!!
By the way, I just wanna say I think the Hip2Help tour is wonderful and I’m so happy to know that there are people out there that will help others just out of the kindness of their hearts!! We don’t do anything on that large of a scale, but we do make a point to donate whenever we can to our animal shelters, veterans hospital and local food pantry!! Thanks for taking your time to run such an awesome site to help us find some awesome deals for ourselves and to help people that are in need!!