Items will reach their lowest selling price cyclically, typically every six weeks. Because of this fact, the couponing gurus suggest that when an item does reach this point in its pricing that you buy enough of it for your family to use for the next six weeks, until it goes on sale again. Even without using coupons, the stockpile method will save you a good deal of money, because you won't have to pay full price for an item or make last-minute trips to the store.
If you have a very small family (like mine), it doesn't take much to cover you for six weeks. This fact will lead you to a crossroads: do I continue to buy stuff for free/really cheap or do I stop? While the choice is yours, I would recommend thinking about the fact that we are to be good stewards of what God has blessed us with. If you wish to continue to buy, I urge you to not create year-long supplies of anything like the folks featured on TV tend to do. Instead, donate your stash to shelters, help needy saints, and/or build gift baskets for friends/relatives. It is also good to remember that you don't have to take advantage of EVERY deal and that there are a multitude of other folks out there who are trying to feed/support their families cheaply.
I am very blessed at this point in my life to have a spare closet and a pantry where I can keep my stockpiles. I try to keep food in the pantry, personal items in a plastic container:
And cleaning products/gifts in crates:
If you don't have obvious spaces to store these things, get creative. Do you have space under your bed? In the attic? Under a sink? In the laundry room? Any of these spaces can aid you in maintaining a stockpile and saving money. Just be sure that your items are stored properly; for example, I wouldn't store cereal or other food in these places unless it was in an airtight container to keep moisture, bugs, dogs, etc. out.
What method(s) have you found useful for keeping a stockpile?
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