It's been a while since I posted about stockpiling. The main principle behind stockpiling is this: you buy the things you need, not when you need them, but when the opportunity arises to buy them inexpensively, and then you store them and use them as you need them.
- You aren't forced to buy things when you absolutely need them, so you aren't at the mercy of paying whatever the store is charging.
- The difference between stockpiling and hoarding is that you only buy stuff that you need and will definitely use. You just buy it before that need arises.
- You don't buy insane amounts of the stuff and you store it properly, without turning most of your home into a warehouse.
One of the challenges of stockpiling is the storage aspect of it. What can be stored? What expires and when? What temperatures do I need to store things at? How do I keep my stockpile clean and critter-free?
There is nothing like buying a ton of crackers on a great sale with a coupon, only to have them go horribly stale on you because you stored them in a warm place (guilty). Or to buy perishables in bulk and to have to throw them out because they were frozen too long and became freezer-burnt and inedible (guilty). Etc.
I've posted several articles in the past about stockpiling, how long you can keep things, etc. There are some great resources out there on the web, and I'm going to re-share that list here. These are some of the stockpiling-related resources that I've found to be VERY helpful in the past. If you've got any to add to the list, please contact me so I can expand this.
- 77 Surprising Expiration Dates (Real Simple)
- Drug Expiration Dates---Do They Mean Anything? (Harvard Medical School Family Health Guide)
- 8 Surprising Foods You Can Freeze (All You)
- Still Tasty.com
- Food Safety.gov
- Ziploc's article on refrigerated and frozen shelf life
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