Stockpiling: Do you have a stash of soap to last into the next decade?

Stockpiling is a great way to save money. The premise is simple: you buy things when they are cheap and stock up so you don't have to buy them later when the price is higher. I do this with many things, including food. Last Fall when Kraft had a coupon out to save $10 when you buy 10 participating items, the light bulb went off in my brain. Free food! Handi-snacks and Kool-aid gels were $1 each, so free after coupon. One week the snack crackers were a $1 also, so free. Working the sales and the coupon, I was able to amass a nice stash of snack foods for school lunches.

CVS is also a great place to find items to stock pile. Often, you can pick things up for free after ECB by either items being free after ECB from the get-go or items offered on sale which you can pair with manufacturer's coupons. This month, March, CVS has many items that are free after ECB, such as Lypsyl and their brand of Vitamin C. Crest Pro-Health Rinse and Colgate Total are also free after ECB. Playskool wipes are also on partial ECB, they run about 7 and change, but there's a $3 ECB that prints (limit 5). That is half price for wipes! A keen eye on weekly ads coupled with knowledge of monthly ECB items = stockpiling made very easy.

I know I have mentioned CVS a lot in posts, but really I prefer CVS to Rite Aid specifically due to the ECB program. With CVS, you get your money back instantly. Instant gratification is nice! With Rite Aid, you have to save your receipt and then submit it on line (or mail it in) and hope that the rebate fulfillment people catch everything you bought that was supposed to be covered by an offer. I used to have a lot of luck with Rite Aid, but about two years ago, they must have outsourced it and now many items I buy don't show up on my submission when I enter receipts on line. I am forced to call or email, which means I then have to fax them my receipts since they have no way of viewing the receipt data from where they are (insane, but true. I was told this when I called once quite exasperated!) So for me, it is easier most of the time to just skip Rite Aid and head for CVS.

So which items are you stockpiling? For me, I have a nice stash right now of J&J Buddies bar soap, which should last me the rest of the year at least and still have quite a few of the Kraft Kool-aid gels and Handi-snack puddings. Please comment and tell me which items you have a stock pile of at the moment!