Every week I’ll pose a question for you to share your experiences and tips. If you have a question that you’d like me to post, I’d love to hear from you!
Recently, Lisa asked this question on Facebook, and I wanted to open it up for DSM readers to share how they organize their stockpiles:
Could you share your creative storage ideas for all your “stockpile” items? I’m starting to find I need a better process for storing/sorting my bounty, especially healthy & beauty items. Any suggestions would be great! Thanks so much!!
Like Lisa, it’s those little items that I have the hardest time storing in a way that’s easy to get to and still neat and organized, and I’d love to hear your tips!
What do you do with your stockpiles? How do you keep track of what you have, and the expiration dates of those items? How do you store your stockpile items? Do you use bins or shelves? Do you keep your stockpile in a special room or closet? Do you keep all of your stockpile items in the same place or do you separate your food items from your health and beauty items?
Join the discussion — add your two cents to previous Ask DSM Readers questions too!
jessica anger
bathroom items in the bathroom on a shelf,i always put the newest item in the back (rotate stock) other items kitchen freebies tend not to last long since i have a teenager in the house!
Dolores Brister
My current stockpile is mainly health and beauty aid items. I have a cart that is made to go between a washer and dryer that is used to store these goodies in my clothing closet. The top shelf is for face stuff and deodorant, the middle shelf is for all hair related items, and the bottom shelf is for all body washes and soaps. There is a wooden organizer shelf unit beside this and I use stick on hooks to hang my razors, toothbrushes, floss, and other items that have the hanger holes.
Cathy
We made a 4 minute video showing how Monica stores her stockpile (all over the house!). She just hopped out of the shower after we posted it. Eeks!
Here is our stockpile video on
You Tube.
rahlquist
Video link dead.
Cathy
Oops! Here it is:
https://www.youtube.com/fabulesslyfrugal#p/a/f/0/L6KwVnI7aCs
Jennifer
I use the plastic shelves that I put up in the garage to use and from to back stock to rotate stock.
Dolores B
I forgot that I have other stockpiles in my daughter’s bathroom! :-) She swears that she has enough “supplies” to last her for about five years! All of the stockpile of bathroom cleaning supplies are stored in the linen closet in the bathroom.
Dolores B
Cathy – will you give us the direct link? I can’t get the hot link to work.
Cathy
My post for the link is waiting for moderation… ;)
Cathy
Here is how we organize our stockpile: https://fabulesslyfrugal.com/2010/03/organizing-your-stockpile.html
Becca Filley
I have two sets of Rubbermaid shelves that I put up in the garage. One holds all my food stockpile, and I rotate that any time I add to it. I also have a clipboard attached that I write the expiration dates on a printed calendar so I know what to pull and take to the food bank if we don’t use it in time. Then on the other set I have my health and beauty and cleaning stockpiles. For the small items (floss, toothbrushes, deodorant) I use Rubbermaid totes that are shoe box size and have them labeled for each item. Anytime one of the totes gets to full I make up goody bags for the shelter so I always have fresh products on hand.
Bernetta
I have two Rubbermaid shelves. One in the basement for perishables and other items we use most often and one Rubbermaid shelf in the garage for paper type items and items we don’t use as often. I have a peg board in the basement with hooks for any hanging items.
Cyndi
Toothpaste!! I have sooo much toothpaste. I get colgate coupons and usually pay around $1 or so for my toothpaste which is a great price. Razors too, always get disposables for $.99 and no more.. packs of 4. We have a toooon of those.
Jessica
I have a small room upstairs in our farmhouse that is perfect for my stockpile.
Hubby put up shelves for me and we call it our store.
One side has health and beauty items. the other has food items.
Going to need more shelves soon as my laundry detergent and other things are now beginning to overflow onto the floor.
But i keep it neat and everything together…
I LOVE MY STOCKPILE ROOM..
Amanda Sherry
what a great idea! too bad we dont have an extra room!!
(hum I wonder ifthe girls would give up thier playroom) LOL
they would love to play store!!
Elizabeth
One amazing “linen” closet that has only the very top shelf for linens. ;) My husband thinks he’ll drown if he even looks in there, but things are organized. I love best the metal 3-tier shoe rack in the bottom of the closet that holds lots of bottles of shampoo/cond., body wash & facial cleansers on their sides. It’s fairly easy to search for your favorite and pull it out. I use a couple fabric bins on shelves to keep deodorant, razors, bars of soap, etc. grouped together. I had one short, wide place open on a shelf that I was able to stick a drawer from a plastic drawer storage unit up there with all our extra toothpaste, floss & toothbrushes. It’s easy to slide out and lower down to grab these things that don’t get accessed as often. Extra cleaning supplies are in a few milk crates in the garage.
Lisa
@Jessica- what a great idea! :) I wish we had room for a stockpile room!!
Erica
Any way we can post pics. im new at this stockpiling and staring to drown!
Cathy
I have no pantry, and a very small amount of cabinets. I put all sealed items in my linen closet. The top shelf has linens, middle shelf has food, and the lower shelf has excess toilitries and cleaning supplies. I store all of our luggage on the floor under the shelves.
Sarah
I store syrups, crackers, and salad dressing in IKEA boxes over the top of my kitchen cabinets. Here’s pictures and descriptions on my blog:
https://makingdoblog.wordpress.com/2010/08/14/decor-or-extra-storage/
Also, i have my ziplock/drygood stockpile in tote bags hanging on S-hooks behind my washer and dryer. Uses up that dead space back there.
https://makingdoblog.wordpress.com/2010/08/16/making-laundry-room-storage-space/
Debbye
I bought a white bookcase at walmart.com for $25.00. It fits perfectly in a corner of my laundry room. I use two shelves to store my stockpile of health and beauty and three shelves for cereals and other boxed and canned goods.
DAMICA
i too group my like items together. anything that is hba is in my bathroom but is divided into rows as for who the product is for.
Beth
I’m lucky enough to have a house with plenty of storage. The previous owner had converted the built on shed into a pantry, so we have about 50 sq. feet of pantry space. Between that and a deep freeze we have plenty of space for stock piled food. We store our health/beauty stockpiles in an upstairs coat closet that we have added shelves to. I store pet supplies in a vanity/dresser at the top of the staircase (I call it the puppy buffet) it has 5 drawers that are packed with cat and dog supplies and the top is covered with containers of different dog treats. If you have cats, tidy cat litter buckets are stackable and air tight, I use them for storing cat food, bird seed, and Lincoln logs; but they can be used for most anything.
Lynette
I find that I have to limit my stockpile to the space I have available. When I have lots of something on hand I don’t get more unless it is free or a MM. A bargain isn’t a bargain if you don’t need it.
Alice
Thats what I do also Lynette. I have a cabinet in the bathroom and I have one row of mens body wash, one of womans bodywash, one of shampoos/conditioners, and the last space for toothpaste and tampons/pads
IF those rows are full you can tell me I can go out and get 20 free bodywashes and I won’t do it. Stockpiling is about organizing, storing, and end the end not giving into the temptation if you don’t have the space.
Side note: I don’t do any foodbanks/shelter stuff so I only buy for my husband and myself. I’m very careful about expiration dates. If it doesn’t have a long shelf life its always going to be something I don’t stockpile and just keep on my list when I need it:)
Jen
I’ve had to cut back also. I only get toothpaste now if its free. I have so many tubes.
We converted an extra powder room off the kitchen (old house with inlaw suite) into a pantry.
Patti
Thank goodness for items aren’t an issue. I have two walk-in pantries in my kitchen and an extra refrigerator out in the garage. Health and Beauty are an issue. I keep a stocked closet in both bathrooms upstairs and for the main stockpile I use the very top shelf in the master closet that goes around the entire closet. It is too high for anything else so that is where I put it.
***SAW THIS ON TV…Inside of your pillow shams, instead of using pillows, stuff them with blankets, towels, winter clothes, etc.
Stacy
I have shelving in our ‘new’ storage closet under the stairs in the basement. I store cleaning and laundry supplies here. HBA products are in the cabinets under the sinks in the master bath. My side has the girly stuff; hubby’s side has the men’s stuff. Food is either in the deep freeze or in our hall pantry which hubby added more shelves too. I made labels for each shelf so everyone knows where everything goes.
Paula aka Moma
There are always places to store things!! Believe me…me, hubby and dog live in 400sqft!! I have 2 RubberMaid deck boxes that I can store plastic totes in. I have one tote that has all H&B items…and in the other box…well, more like storage closet (upright thingy with doors) I keep food items. There is not tons of food in there, because there are only 2 of us. But, I can keep a good supply!! I often have a “give away day” where I invite my neighbors to come “shop the stockpile” they love it and I get rid of things we can’t use.
Holly
I’m blessed with a house that has plenty of storage space. Right now we have 8 sets of shelves in our basement that I use for stockpile storage. Different shelves have different items. One set of shelves has cleaning supplies, one has laundry supplies, one has health and beauty items, one has baby items, one has stationary items and the rest are for food.
Angie W
We recently added shelves to an unused clothing closet in our basement. I have mostly food there, sorted by type: canned goods, cereals, grains, etc. I write expiration dates on the front of the packages/cans. When I buy new, it goes to the back of the line. About once a month, I review all the dates at the front in case I need to incorporate a product into a meal soon.
Nilufer
I use big ziploc bags inside luggage. I dont do too much traveling, so I dont need to use the luggage all that often. The few times we do get away, I just pull out the ziplock bags and then pack our clothes. And I never forget to pack shampoo or toothbrushes because I see them just as I am ready to pack.
AC
Love it! Most creative idea I’ve read yet and very smart use of space. use my suitcases to store out-of-season clothes.
enielsen
I stockpile a little, but don’t let it get overboard since it’s just my husband and me now. For health & beauty items, I keep them in our bathroom closet, most of them just in a bucket.
We don’t have a pantry but I’m able to keep a decent stockpile (enough for us) in the kitchen cabinets where I keep pantry items.
We haven’t had a pantry for over a year now and I’ve found that I actually like it! It keeps me from buying too much – if it doesn’t fit, then I must not need it too badly! :)
While we do have way too many closets in our house and an unfinished, empty basement, I don’t want to start filling it up with “stuff.”
Jess
I store any kind of treats in the garage. If they are not actually in the house, I am less likely to eat them ALL. If I want one, I have to go out, down the stairs and to the garage; laziness keeps me from heading down there too often. :)
mommyof3kelleys
Anyone want to share the best way to store glass baby food jars? I recently found a great deal and am not sure what to do with it! I have a pantry with wire shelving and it won’t sit steady enough to stay where I put it!
JoEllen
I would cut a cardboard box up and use it to cover the wire shelfs.
Lisa
I don’t have much time or space to organize very well. I just stash it the best I can (i.e. a tower of Hamburger Helper behind the kitchen island. A tower of diapers in the bedroom). It gets used up fast though. It’s worth it for all the money I save.