Stockpiling 101: Create your list of items

As promised, Spend Less, Shop More is starting a series on Stockpiling 101 for folks who are just beginning to build up their stash of inexpensive food, health, and beauty supplies as a result of sticker shock at the grocery store.

I'll be posting tips several times a week, and then I'll gather them all into one central page that you'll be able to access for your reference on the right-hand side of the blog under its own "Stockpiling 101" tab.

This series is meant for beginners, but it's a great refresher course if you need to get reenergized about maintaining or organizing a stockpile as well!

Stockpiling 101: Create your list of dream stockpiling items.

Stockpiling seems like a really overwhelming idea for a lot of grocery shoppers, because they literally don't know where to start.  Your first step isn't to the grocery store to shop, to the computer to print coupons, or to the Container Store to buy organizational tools (as fun as that is.)  Your first step is to get the family together and ask them what they'd like to see stored in the house.

This is a great family activity for a couple of reasons: 1) Maintaining and organizing a stockpile will very much be a family affair, so it's great to get the buy-in from your spouse and/or kids early, and 2)  As a whole, your family will catch items that you might skip over, thereby increasing the likelihood you'll pay full price for a favorite item down the line.

When you're creating your stockpiling list, think ingredients -- so if, for example, your kids' favorite meal is spaghetti, you'll want to stockpile pasta, canned tomatoes or pasta sauce, and spices.  And don't forget about health and beauty basics like toothpaste, shampoo, body wash, and feminine supplies when making your list!

Here are some favorite ingredients that many people like to keep in their stockpile:

• rice,
• pasta,
• canned veggies,
• non-perishable condiments,
• cereal,
• canned or dried beans,
• canned soup,
• salt, sugar, and spices,
• salad dressing,
• sodas, bottled water, or other shelf-stable drinks.

Make sure that your stockpiling list is honest and accurate to your family's current habits -- for example, if you know getting dinner on the table every night is a real challenge, consider stockpiling more frozen veggies, canned beans, pasta sauces, and other quick cooking items, instead of cheaper ingredients for more time-consuming, made from scratch meal ideas.

And though this sounds strange, don't plan on stockpiling items you won't actually eat -- you may have great intentions on eating oatmeal, for example, but if no one in your family ever sits down to eat breakfast, you're probably going to be wasting both money and space.

Once you've got your stockpiling dream list in place, I suggest putting a copy of your list in your phone -- that way, it's right at hand when you start shopping.  If you don't have a smartphone, make a paper copy for your coupon organizer, and email yourself another copy to use when planning your shopping trips.

What are other items your family would love to buy in bulk for a lot less?  Share your thoughts in the comments section below!