[exquisichi]

I've been hardcore couponing again for 2 years now and I am working with a very limited and challenged budget, there is only myself and an almost 16 yr old teenager in my home, but we have dogs + cats galore. I was set with HBA for easily 18-24 months after the first 4-5 months, that was when shopping CVS was still easier and less restricted as it is now. When I realized that I would never be able to use all that stuff that I got in a reasonable time, I slowed down and am now really only restocking when I make big dents into my HBA stockpile after helping out others, gift giving times or when I'm heavily bartering or getting ready to. I have plenty of toilet paper + cleaning supplies, but am out of paper towels and low on detergent and need to focus restocking on these. I may set foot into a CVS once a month if that often, but am getting ready to stock back up more, as I may have need for barter items again this late summer/fall.

Food is a bit harder to stock up and it took me longer to get a wellrounded stockpile going and also figure out how much you need of seasonal items to last until next years sales cycle, especially when you want to not live and cook out of a box or a can. We also do not do ready frzn meals - other than the occasional pizza or hot pocket type of items. I'd say 6-8 months for a good stockpile, subject to how much moola you have available to devote to it. You'll also find that some family members will eat "stuff" like there is not tomorrow, because it is available, LOL. So in actuality - probably 12 months until you got your rythm worked out, but it can be done faster if you have generous funds available, and if your eating habits won't change much.

I have a standing 5-6 months stockpile, depending heavily on my freezer, and I could probably push it out to 8-9 months going to plain fare, not including meat [meat is still one of the things I rarely get coupons for, so when there is a deal offering heavy overage, repeat OYNOs or some hard to find meat coupons, I will really focus on buying meats]. I'm currently well stocked with frzn meats, frozen veggies, frzn butter, margerine, yoghurts etc - currently all in one of my larger freezers [I have 4 alltogether], and with many of these things I have enough of to last until the end of the year.

In my pantry - rice, pasta, rice + pasta mixes, I buy very little canned veggies other than baking beans and canned fruit. Condiments galore, I usually take advantage of the summer grilling sales to stock up on enough BBQ, marinades, salad dressing, mayo + mustard to last all year; matter of fact I just threw out about 15-20 bottles of salad dressing that had expired from last years sales, when I restocked.

I'm low on flour on purpose [I live in the south and the humidity has ruined last years flour storage, so I only get what I actually use around this time of the year] and no longer or very rarely buy cake + cookie mixes, as I have a son with a sugar addiction; ditto for sweet cereals, poptarts, granola bars, chocolate and candy etc. I still have plenty sugar, yeast and other baking supplies from last winter baking season - should last well into fall and beyond.

We're not big soda drinkers [due to my son's problems, as he has a hard time resisting when there is some in the house], so I rarely have any in the home, unless I can get it so dirt cheap it would be a sin not to, LOL. My main expense is fresh fruit, produce is pretty much covered in my freezer [there are - I'm guessing - about 100-120 packs of various veggies still in there, plenty to last until this years fall sales roll around again], fresh milk and eggs.

I freeze milk when I can get some very inexpensively or with overage etc. and am giving some serious thought about getting some chickens again. I never seem to have time for a garden, but that would certainly help too... I often trade out/barter for seasonal fruit with gardeners and occasionally roadstand farmers, but mostly via established contacts and also craigs list.

There are often weeks at a time when I do not set foot in a store for a long time - either because I'm so well stocked that I don't need to, or because I'm burned out with juggling multiple pt jobs/my business/shopping etc, or because it is simply not in my budget at the time [I'm selfemployed and for the last 2-3 yrs summers really suck in the sales department due to the current economy]. The nice thing of having a well heeled stockpile is that it is easy to maintain - you do not have to go shopping all the time, and you can take advantage of good buys to fill in the gaps you ate out.

Couponing actually allows me to buy things that otherwise would not be justifyable for my budget, and we get to try new things too. It's nice to being able to help others who struggle in tough times, without sacrifising or depriving your family or yourself. When I first got started it seemed to be a part time job all by itself, now when I'm in a shopping mood, I can dedicate a few hrs to replenishing and done... It does get easier the second year and after - there is a learning curve to it, but once you get it down - it's simply rinse and repeat.

To sum it up - how well and how fast you can establish a stockpile depends on several factors - the size of your family, the budget you have to work with, availability of good coupons and the access to them, and the stores you shop at or have access to. Time is definitely an issue too. A single person with sufficient income can probably establish a workable stockpile in 2-3 months. A huge family on a tight budget, may need as long as 8-12 months - it really depends on the individual situation and also your location.