New Way of Shopping

The number one rule to couponing is buying things when they're on sale.  So, if you know you're going to need something in a week or two, but it's on sale now, go ahead and buy it now.  The key is, make sure you buy enough until it's on sale again.  (I know things go on sale here every 10 weeks.)  For example, my family only eats one or two boxes of macaroni and cheese every 10 weeks, so I really don't need to buy more than that.  However, we eat about 10 boxes of cereal every 10 weeks, so I really stock up when they're on sale!  This new way of shopping has been a huge change and makes such a difference in my budget.  But, where do I put the extras?  For example, I get 10-12 boxes at a time and they don't all fit in my pantry.  So, I put it on shelves in my basement and call it a stockpile.  Right now, my stockpile is pretty big - I have a set of shelves for laundry detergent and toiletries, a set of shelves for baking things (brownie mixes, sugar, flour, pasta, pasta sauce, etc.), a set of shelves for snacks (chips, candy, cereal, juice, etc.) a set of shelves for paper products (tp, paper towels, wipes, pull ups), and a set of shelves for gifts for kids.  I got a little carried away when I first started couponing and have a bit more than I need, but I'm getting ready to do a donation purge.  This time of year my shelves are brimming because after Christmas sales were amazing and toys were super cheap.  I should be good for a while now!  I'm working on living off what I have for a while and saving the rest.  :-)