[LanieR]

At least that's what Hubby calls it.

We bought my parent's house last year that have these AWESOME built in cabinets in the basement...







I had a nice stash of TP, paper towels and laundry soap until my son moved out and I stocked him up on it. He called me one afternoon asking where the best place to get toilet paper was and I told him my house! LOL!

This is our basement fridge/freezer. The white packaging is meat that we go in with on purchasing every year so I don't have to ever buy meat at the grocery store! There's a lot in the upstairs fridge/freezer too. It's so much cheaper buying it that way.





We have a closet upstairs by the bathroom that I use for things like toothpaste, deodorant, dish soap, lotion... etc.





Funny thing is that between our combined 8 kids (all grown and out of the house), my parents and donations, my stockpile seems to go out almost as fast as it comes in! LOL! And people wonder why I shop with coupons as much as I do.

Speaking of coupons... here's a few pics of my coupon box. I couldn't do the binder thing because it was too time consuming for me with the number of coupons that I usually have. I'm a "cut every coupon in case you find a deal for donation" person and found the box method works better for me.



I divided it into two sides. Left is "people" food and the right side is anything else but "people" food.







I LOVE this coupon box! It's bulky, no one ever wants to carry it around and I can file and find things really quick when I'm cutting or at the store.

[Kayline]

Very nice and well organized stockpile! I'd kill for those cabinets!

[siriradha]

Good job on making a coupon system that works for you (box) as well as the very impressive stockpile you've got going!

[Chief Family Officer]

Thanks for sharing! Do you take the box into the store with you? I'm trying to imagine how you actually shop with it and am having trouble, LOL! I'd love to know more if you are so inclined

[LanieR]

Originally Posted by Chief Family Officer

Thanks for sharing! Do you take the box into the store with you? I'm trying to imagine how you actually shop with it and am having trouble, LOL! I'd love to know more if you are so inclined

99.9% of the time I do take it in with me. It actually fits at a bit of a slant in the child seat of the cart. (It's about the same size as a women's tennis shoe box, I'll try to remember to snap a pic of it in the cart the next time I go on a shopping trip.) The angle that it sits in is perfect. There is enough room next to it for my purse to sit if I don't have the "big purse" with me.

I actually have a purse that is big enough to hold it, my wallet and a few other things so when I take it like that, people never really know that it's there. It just looks like I carry a LOT of stuff around with me.

There are quite a few categories on each side. I actually have one for canned bread/biscuits because DH is convinced that Pillsbury canned bread is a side dish and eats a lot of it so I clip every one of those that I can find. Any other type of bread goes into the actual bread category.

When I see an unexpected deal that I want and I know I have a coupon for it or want to check if I do, I can go to that category pretty quick and pull it out. I discovered it's easier to file & find coupons if you make your own categories that fit the items you buy in your own thought process.

For example, some people view breakfast sausage as a meat and will put it in the meat section of their organizer. I always think of it as just breakfast and put my sausage coupons with the eggs, breakfast ready made meals, oatmeal and anything else classified as a breakfast food, except for cereal which has it's own category right behind it. But, pancake mix is filed under baking supplies and syrup is in the sauce/condiments section. It makes sense in my brain and with the box, it's easier and faster to file and find them for me.

And, it's easier to add a new category. I don't have to rearrange everything to put that category exactly where I want it. Just pick the best spot and drop it in.

They are also organized by expiration date/item. The earlier it expires, the closer to the front of that item it is. All of my Pillsbury cresent roll coupons are together in the canned bread/biscuit category but the ones that expire the earliest are in the front of that little pile.

DH didn't like the last coupon box I had. It was a vintage metal tool box! He said it looked too hillbilly but I thought it was cute. LOL! Everything was lined up front to back and I ran out of room so I had to go bigger. I do miss the handle on the top that it had though.

I hope that answered it. I'm all for sharing to help make couponing easier for anyone so ask away!

[Kayline]

It's so nice that you've found a system that works for you. I HATE my binder...maybe I'll try a box.

[shchmo]

Very nice stockpile!

[LanieR]

Originally Posted by Kayline

It's so nice that you've found a system that works for you. I HATE my binder...maybe I'll try a box.

I know exactly what you mean. I bought all the stuff a couple of years ago to put a binder together and gave up in the middle of that and just started looking for a box. That's when I found that adorable little vintage tool box at a thrift store. The binder was too time consuming and confusing for me, the accordion thing was too small and I would lose out on great unadvertised deals or clearance with just coupons in an envie (I'm too forgetful to remember where I saw something to go back to get it).

[ambtay79]

i love seeing other ppl's stockpile pics

[lady_hlh]

OMG your cabinets are amazing I wish I had ones like that plus your stockpile is also awesome. Thanks for sharing.

[couponlover1]

I love to see stockpile pics! Awesome stockpile! Thanks for sharing!

[JoanJosephine]

Very nice. We have problems with mice, so I am trying to figure out a way to keep a mental idea of what I have when so much has to be closed up in plastic totes. I am thinking about a paper inventory that people could just cross things off as they remove... any ideas?

[LanieR]

Originally Posted by JoanJosephine

Very nice. We have problems with mice, so I am trying to figure out a way to keep a mental idea of what I have when so much has to be closed up in plastic totes. I am thinking about a paper inventory that people could just cross things off as they remove... any ideas?

I really LIKE that idea! I may have to start doing that!

[Chief Family Officer]

Thanks so sharing all that detail - I'm totally blown away at how organized you are. LOVE that you've found a system that works so well for you! Thanks again!

[JoanJosephine]

The trick for the inventory would be getting the teenager and husband to actually scratch out items they remove! I think I might hang a sign over the pantry door that reminds them in large red letters: Warning: Food and Items Not Checked Off Inventory are Hazardous to Your Health!!!!

[5forme]

Very nice stockpile Im jealous of the whole basement thing I would kill to have a basement I love the coupon box it looks so easy to use and its cute I just recently changed to a box and I love it.

[LanieR]

Originally Posted by JoanJosephine

The trick for the inventory would be getting the teenager and husband to actually scratch out items they remove! I think I might hang a sign over the pantry door that reminds them in large red letters: Warning: Food and Items Not Checked Off Inventory are Hazardous to Your Health!!!!

LOL! That's true! My DH would probably rather chew on broken glass than do that too. But I'm still going to try it. Once it's done, when he does his usual "What do we have to snack on" instead of shooting him my "Really? Did you REALLY just ask me that?" look... I'll tell him to check the list. HA!

The kids will fall right in line with it because I'll just tell them that if they don't check it off, I won't replace it which means if it runs out that they have to buy it for themselves!

I really like that idea, thank you so much for posting it!

[foreveretc]

looks great!!

[Jennah73]

WOW!!! That is amazing!!!!

[iluv2$hop]

A-w-e-s-o-m-e!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[jingram]

great stockpile...thanks for the pics!

[bookwormpeg]

Nice stockpile....love the cabinets...

[lvmyhubby2001]

It just kills me knowing I have parts of a stockpile in 6 places not counting food. If I could just get DH to put DVD's and albums in a box I would have it made.

[momof5inohio]

I <3 my coupon box as well. I tried other methods and I keep going back to my coupon box. Wonderful stockpile him.

[MassMomof3]

Love the pictures! Great stockpile-everything's so neat!