I have a stock pile so I don't have to run to the store for every little thing when I need it. I only have things in my stock pile that my family will use. I do not stock pile items we won't use. It makes no sense to buy an item because it is really cheap or even free if I will never use it. It is wasteful of my resources and since we are a family of limited resources I choose not to waste them.
Now for creating a stock pile...you only want to buy things when they are on sale or at a really good price. Sales typical cycle on a 3 month rotation or so I have found. As you get couponing you will realize how the cycle works even more. To get the best benefit you want to shop for items when they are sale and try to get enough of them until the next cycle they come on sale.
I also want to stress how important it is to always rotate your stock pile so that the items at the front are the ones that will expire first so it is those that you are grabbing to use first. This will help avoid you tossing out items that have expired. Keep the newer items at the back and keep rotating them forward as you buy more. (hope this makes sense)
As a do stock pile or create it I always think of how much my family will use in a 6 month period and have that on hand and usually not any more than that. This really helped my family when my husband lost his job a few years ago we were able to live off of our stock pile for a long time. Saving our resources for other things needed in our home. (like our mortgage, bills, etc.)
Check out this list:
Brown sugar
Indefinite shelf life, stored in a moistureproof container in a cool, dry place.
Coffee, canned ground
Unopened: 2 years
Opened: 1 month refrigerated
Coffee, gourmet
Beans: 3 weeks in paper bag, longer in vacuum-seal bag (after this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume)
Ground: 1 week in sealed container
Coffee, instant
Unopened: Up to 2 years
Opened: Up to 1 month
Diet soda (and soft drinks in plastic bottles)
Unopened: 3 months from “best by” date.
Opened: Doesn’t spoil, but taste is affected.
Dried pasta
12 months
Frozen dinners
Unopened: 12 to 18 months
Frozen vegetables
Unopened: 18 to 24 months
Opened: 1 month
Honey
Indefinite shelf life
Juice, bottled (apple or cranberry)
Unopened: 8 months from production date
Opened: 7 to 10 days
Ketchup
Unopened: 1 year (after this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume)
Opened or used: 4 to 6 months (after this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume)
Maple syrup, real or imitation
1 year
Maraschino cherries
Unopened: 3 to 4 years
Opened: 2 weeks at room temperature; 6 months refrigerated
Marshmallows
Unopened: 40 weeks
Opened: 3 months
Mayonnaise
Unopened: Indefinitely
Opened: 2 to 3 months from “purchase by” date (after this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume)
Mustard
2 years (after this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume)
Olives, jarred (green with pimento)
Unopened: 3 years
Opened: 3 months
Olive oil
2 years from manufacture date (after this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume)
Peanuts
Unopened: 1 to 2 years unless frozen or refrigerated
Opened: 1 to 2 weeks in airtight container
Peanut butter, natural
9 months
Peanut butter, processed (Jif)
Unopened: 2 years
Opened: 6 months; refrigerate after 3 months
Pickles
Unopened: 18 months
Opened: No conclusive data. Discard if slippery or excessively soft.
Protein bars (PowerBars)
Unopened: 10 to 12 months. Check “best by” date on the package.
Rice, white
2 years from date on box or date of purchase
Salad dressing, bottled
Unopened: 12 months after “best by” date
Opened: 9 months refrigerated
Soda, regular
Unopened: In cans or glass bottles, 9 months from “best by” date
Opened: Doesn’t spoil, but taste is affected
Steak sauce
33 months (after this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume)
Tabasco
5 years, stored in a cool, dry place
Tea bags (Lipton)
Use within 2 years of opening the package
Tuna, canned
Unopened: 1 year from purchase date
Opened: 3 to 4 days, not stored in can
Soy sauce, bottled
Unopened: 2 years
Opened: 3 months (after this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume)
Vinegar
42 months
Worcestershire sauce
Unopened: 5 to 10 years (after this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume)
Opened: 2 years
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