[ChloeKatz]

In your stockpiles at home, when does it become too much?

I think after my last CVS haul, I dont need any more hair products or make up for years.

What do you do with all the extra stuff? I was looking into donating some products to womens shelters. I'm hoping to use this as a tax write off as well.

[samshua]

It takes a lot for it to become too much in my house. I share with my mom and brother for most deals because neither of them can go shopping for themselves due to anxiety disorders. I also donate a lot and I have a 14 year old daughter so her and her friends enjoy a lot of the excess. I don't mind her playing with makeup that I got for free. I have also made some really cool birthday treatbags with free makeup.

[Jessicalinsouza23]

I never go too crazy, but I only buy things I know I'll use, or that I can give to my brother or sisters. I must admit though, I get a high from looking at my pretty, nicely stocked stockpile.

Sent from my iPhone using AFullCup

[monkeydawn]

Originally Posted by ChloeKatz

In your stockpiles at home, when does it become too much?

I think after my last CVS haul, I dont need any more hair products or make up for years.

What do you do with all the extra stuff? I was looking into donating some products to womens shelters. I'm hoping to use this as a tax write off as well.

I save back whatever I think we can use of a product before the expiration date. Then I let friends and family come pick through everything else. After that I donate the rest. Most of it generally goes to a woman's/ family shelter but every so often, particularly if I know another group is looking for specific items, I donate elsewhere. For instance I know of a charity that gives local homeless youth BDay parties so anything that might help out with that kind of a thing gets set aside for them first. I try to do a big clean out/ reassessment of goods every couple of months.

In the middle of May our subdivision had a yard sale so I did put out some excess stockpile stuff. While I wouldnt buy for the purpose of reselling, it just kind of hit at a good time so I gave it a try. I made enough to cover my OOP for most drugstore shopping for the year so far. Plus I think several of the people were thrilled to save on some basic HBA. There were a couple of people that were very grateful. They got a few GWP surprises put into their bags. I really felt like that was win- win.

[waterburyk9]

To get a tax right off they need to be a non-profit. then they give you a receipt for the total amount of goods donated. that is the amount that you can add to the proper line on your taxes.
This also is the same for animal shelters and people shelters, a lot of shelters will have a "sister shelter organization" that is non-profit for the very purpose of giving people the right-off papers Think "friends of XYZ shelter" a 501(c). This is how some municipalities can give you the deduction.

Personally I try not to store more than 6 months to a year of stuff ( I do not chase free or MM's if I do not use the product- parents, sister etc) I only have 1 store card for those that need them and the limit is the limit. I figure more than that is just asking for something to happen and the sale will always be back.

[rac1891]

It is never too much for me, because I know and love a lot of people who can use the help, a lot of people who are incredibly thankful to not have to spend 5.00 here and there on products I can give them for free because they need that money for food or to pay the rent.

Almost everyone I know and love is incredibly poor, well below the poverty line...so every little bit helps them!

And if, after I help everyone I love, I have extra products, I donate them to help other people in our area.

[murphydoodle]

I have a family of 4 and tend to use the 6 month rule. I don't ever keep more than 6mo of heath and beauty, but I will get anything that is free. I always rotate my stock and donate anything in excess of what we would use in 6 mo.

The one exception to this is dishwasher detergent. I got a serious deal on Finish tabs about 2 years ago and we still have about 6 boxes. I haven't found a deal that good since then and never donated any because it doesn't go bad.

Another thing I like to do is to give my parents, in-laws, grandmother baskets at Christmas with whatever they can use out of my stockpile. It isn't a cute basket like you could give co-workers or friends, but it is probably worth $100+ and I know it gets used. Of course, Granny can have whatever she wants whenever she wants.

[Tannerink]

When I started I had two rules. !) Nothing I won't use, and 2) Nothing I can buy cheaper going generic. Usually my limit is based on how much extra cash and coupons I have when the sale hits, but I haven't compiled that big of a stockpile yet. First thing I do after I go shopping is make bags for my adult kids and the grandparents. Everybody is hurting so everybody appreciates what they get.

I impressed my dad so much he started handing me his grocery list to find price matches and coupons for.

[daisybelle]

Originally Posted by rac1891

It is never too much for me, because I know and love a lot of people who can use the help, a lot of people who are incredibly thankful to not have to spend 5.00 here and there on products I can give them for free because they need that money for food or to pay the rent.

Almost everyone I know and love is incredibly poor, well below the poverty line...so every little bit helps them!

And if, after I help everyone I love, I have extra products, I donate them to help other people in our area.

You're a sweetheart!

[momabrown3]

I have a 6 months guide line I follow for food .Every thing else I get as much as I can free or cheap.This week I stockpiled Stayfree products that were FREE(CVS). 25 packages total this week. 30 bottles of dawn that I payed .25 cents each (CVS).Also got DD a free 10.00 gas card.(CVS)She was HAPPY!

[MofK2]

I often ask the same question. I try to only buy what we will use or give away in a few months. Which can be hard to figure out. For instance the last great sale I hit on bread, I did the math and had the space for 14 loaves. But when the peanut butter sale hit, I bought 20 jars(no math even considered).

I do 2 major clean outs. Once in the spring, when I yard sale then donate the leftovers. And once before Christmas, when most of our extras go to our parents and niece/nephews. And everyone loves it. Our parents have even started gibing their gift bags back so they can be refilled. (oh and everyone around knows I will always donate to raffles or food/stuff drives)

[couponcrazymom4]

My DH asked me the same thing this week... how much is enough? I told him that you never know how long the good deals will keep coming. I've only been couponing for a year so I'm not sure when or if these deals will come around again. I mean how long will Stayfree continue to offer the $2 coupons. I've seen it come around several times but you got to get the deals while the getting is good, right?

[Tannerink]

Originally Posted by couponcrazymom4

My DH asked me the same thing this week... how much is enough? I told him that you never know how long the good deals will keep coming. I've only been couponing for a year so I'm not sure when or if these deals will come around again. I mean how long will Stayfree continue to offer the $2 coupons. I've seen it come around several times but you got to get the deals while the getting is good, right?

I've heard more seasoned couponers say these deals come around annually. I'd love to be privy to the cycles so I know what to watch for and when.

[tippyc30]

Originally Posted by Tannerink

I've heard more seasoned couponers say these deals come around annually. I'd love to be privy to the cycles so I know what to watch for and when.

Oh me too!!

[sweety33]

i make boxes for family members we do a trade they send me stuff and i send them stuff... works out for us, we get things i do not have coupons for and mil divides them among the family...

[scamelo]

This is very timely. Yesterday I went to Rite Aid and bought 4 HE Shampoo's and 4 Conditioners total in two transactions.

The cashier looked at them and said "what do you do with all this stuff?". I had not shopped RA for 2 months, so was a bit surprised.

I told her I have 2 DD's and one has hair almost down to her butt. This would not last me long as there are 5 of us in the house.

She is alone and has short hair, so to her 4 of each might have been a years supply or more. To me, its not more than a few weeks supply.

Of course after UPS and coupons, 4 cost me .42 OOP (tax), and she said "well at least you don't have to pay much to wash their hair!"

I guess she did not catch on to the stockpiling term.

So I guess this type of thing depends on your situation .

[momabrown3]

Shampoo & conditioner goes very fast at my house.3 w/long hair plus sons hair.I stockpile every time there is a sale on shampoo or conditioner.

Doing the aussie sale at walgreens 2/6.00 minus 2/3.00 coupon=3.00 get back 2.00 RR . I'm going to roll the 2.00RR into the crest 3d mouth rinse 3.99 minus 2.00RR=1.99 get 3.00 RR

[SPOILEDTCANGEL]

With me shampoo goes way faster than conditioner as DH, DD and me have the same length hair and then DS but the men don't condition

However there is 1 cvs here that is in a very urban town that NO one coupons in, so last year when the Pantene conditioner in the purple tubes went on clearance and were free after $3 q I cleared them out still have so much conditioner left

[Tannerink]

My girls condition more than they men and I do, so I usually buy 1conditioner for every 3 bottles of shampoo.

Even though I have 10 people using my stockpile on a regular basis, I have enough shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant, body soap, and dish soap to hold all of us about 6 months.

I need to build up paper products and food, but I missed out on the $2 off Stayfree some how. That bugged me.

[gretay16]

I have 6+ people that I coupon for so it takes alot to get me to "enough" ...

[tcsmom]

I usually go for the free items and keep raking them in for the hba items. I donate the excess items.

My first donations go to our local public school. My SIL is a nurse and sometimes substitutes and she told me (no names, of course) of the middle school/high school girls that come into the nurse's office EACH month to get a supply of feminine hygiene products because they don't have them at home either due to no money or worthless parents who prefer to buy beer and cigarettes instead of those items. One girl was even using a washcloth. They are also more than happy to accept deordant, soap, toothpaste and toothbrushes. The nurse knows who is in need and will call them down after school dismisses or when the rest of the class is out and give them the items to take home and no one is any the wiser. Our local nurse will also accept (in small quantities at regular intervals due to storage issues) gently worn shoes because elementary kids will come and tell her their toes are hurting (they hurt because their shoes are 2 or 3 sizes too small).

I also donate to our local women's shelter. They always need cleaning supplies and personal hygiene items.

[MykhalJaems]

For us its only too much if it goes bad before we use it. Never know if we'll be able to afford the next sale when it comes around so we stock up when we can.

[tratra]

Originally Posted by ChloeKatz

In your stockpiles at home, when does it become too much?

I think after my last CVS haul, I dont need any more hair products or make up for years.

What do you do with all the extra stuff? I was looking into donating some products to womens shelters. I'm hoping to use this as a tax write off as well.

I would say it becomes too much when it becomes overwhelming to manage and when things start to go bad and get wasted. That point is different for all of us. For some, having 3 or 4 of something on hand is "enough". For others, having 30 or 40 is.

I've been couponing/stockpiling for a while and it hasn't become too much yet. I'm like Rac1891; I can always find somebody who needs the extra I might buy, be they family, friends, churches, or charities. I'm expecting that the need will increase over the next 6 months. We're seeing gas prices going up right now and that will translate into on just about everything at the grocery store, too.

[july2011]

I think that there are a couple scenarios that indicate it's too much. One would be if you have more stuff than you can safely and neatly store out of your home's main pathways. In a closet? Fine. In a pyramid on the kitchen table because that's the last open space? Too much. Another would be if you've collected large amounts of items you don't particularly like. 10 bottles of you favorite shampoo? Fine. 10 cans of a brand of soup you can foresee eating only in a blizzard? Too much.

[clipperace]

My wife and I try to take full advantage of toy coupons all year long. At Christmas time we make a giant donation to toys for tots. we save up the toys all year long, throw in toothpaste and tooth brushes and etc too. Hit alot of clearance toys also with coupons.