Dear Toni, I know that YOU know this, but maybe there's someone reading our posts who does not.  When you have just a small amount left of anything in a bottle (like hand lotion, shampoo, liquid soap), turn the bottle upside down & leave it that way (you'll probably have to prop it up.).  The dregs of the product will come right out for you.  Then turn the bottle back upside down.  You'll find that you can get several, even ten, more uses out of the product.  Your s in Him, Deb

Deborahmichelle:

When you have just a small amount left of anything in a bottle (like hand lotion, shampoo, liquid soap), turn the bottle upside down & leave it that way (you'll probably have to prop it up.).  The dregs of the product will come right out for you.

 

Also, for most things - the exception being oil - you can add a little water and swish it around to get the last bit out of a bottle. This works even with hand lotions. You can use milk in milk or cream based salad dressings (blue cheese, ranch, etc.) and water in other types. 

Due to "discovering" the CVS deals a few months ago, I have a pretty good toiletry, cleaning supply, etc. stash. Most of it I got free or pretty close to it. I have a little shelf right outside of the bathroom that I put most of it on and also a cabinet above the washer/dryer that I put some of the extra cleaning supplies. Here's what I can think of off hand:

Toothpaste (2 years? seriously, I told my husband I wont buy anymore except to give away. But hard to pass up when free!)

Toothbrushes (a year?)

Shampoo/Condi. (only about 4 sets, still working on it)

Soap (a year?)

Razors (6 months - a year?)

Shaving Gel (6 months?)

Toilet Paper (3-4 months? again lack of space!)

Deoderant (6 months?)

Feminine Products (a couple months maybe, not sure)

Meds (about a year of general aspirin, tylenol generic CVS meds, excedrin, tums, rolaids)

Cleaner (a years worth? I buy concentrated)

Dish Soap (a years worth?)

Detergent (6 months?)

Air Freshner (6 months?)

Baby Supplies (I have a good bit of baby powder, oil, lotion, body wash, etc. due to the baby showers I had. I use this stuff sparingly, so I have a good bit left over even though my baby is 16 months now)

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For food, I am limited on space. But I have a pretty good supply on hand considering my space restrictions. Here are just the main things that I can think of right now:

Flour, Sugar, Rice & Pasta (in big containers, about a gallon or so in size)

Instant Potatoes (10 boxes?)

Shells & Cheese (3-5 boxes?)

Grits (3 boxes?)

Granola Bars (a couple months worth)

Cereal (7 boxes)

Bisquick (2 big boxes?)

Tea Bags & Coffee (2-3 months?)

Jello (6 months- year?)

Canned goods  (as many as I can fit in my small pantry; I buy them when on sale but I stick to the better brands)

Condiments (2 months?)

Freezer meals (I cook large batches and put in our deep freezer) and Fish (what my husband catches)

There are many things that I would stock up on if I had the space. But we live in a mobile home, so it isn't easy. We will look for a house in a couple years and when we do, my requirement is that it have a utility room that I can use for storage!

*** Most people, it seems, who stock up shoot for about a year supply of non-perishables (especially household and toiletry items).

I think it all depends on your available space, your organizational skills (keeping things rotating so they don't expire), and your family's average usage. If we use it and it's on sale (or free at CVS), then I pretty much buy as much as I think we'll use as long as the expiration date is good (meaning, it wont expire before we're able to use it). I really believe in stocking up when things are on sale. It's good for the budget over all and I like the idea of having a stash if something major happens.

God bless,

Julie

 

 

 

well lets not discuss craft stashes  too many here lol.     Here I find bar soap more economical with a hairy husband :)  The kids have sensitive skin so I am careful what I use.  One bottle of dove baby soap lasts months here.    Keeping bars of soap out of water is a big key. Plus keeping kids hands off the products!! no dumping of shampoo etc. 

  I think most people use too much of products also.

funny, I was mentioning how my kids dumped 3 bottles of shampoo in the bath fri nite ($10 worth and that lasts a long time here) to a friend and she say she had a friend who bought very expensive conditioner which her teenage son used all up in one long hot shower discovering himself as it were.

Martha I agree that we do use too much of a product. I started paying attention a few months ago when the bottle of laundry soap claimed 95 loads. So I when I started the new bottle, I started using the cap to measure. I wrote the date on the bottle and a hash mark for every load. I doubt I will get 95 loads but measuring makes a difference. Yesterday, I bought some fabric softener. It was 3x concentrated and claims 64 loads for 2.69. I decided to check the ounces on the bottle and it was 64oz which means you're expected to only use 1oz for a load. However most people just use the cap from the bottle and those don't show you what an ounce really is on the cap. I bought a couple measuring shot glass that clearly shows what 1oz is. Personally, I think its a marketing ploy. Companies know most people don't keep track of when they buy something and we don't measure measure amounts correctly. I also decided to go back to bars of soap. Less plastic going to the land fill and easier to store. I can laugh at those kids/soap stories now...mine are out of the house. Toni

I'll admit that I'm still woefully behind on writing down whats it my freezer/pantry/linen closet.  Its been on my "to do" list forever, just don't seem to do it.  I do have a general idea though, I just don't know down to the ounce and I'll probably skip over things:

Freezer:

• 2 lbs. chicken breast
• 6 lbs. ground beef
• 2 lbs. breakfast sausage
• 2 lbs. salmon
• 2 large bags french fries
• 2 loaves bread
• 2 packages of bagels (one cinnamon raisin, one onion)
• 12 english muffins
• 4 lbs. butter
• 2 24-slice pkgs cheese
• 4 16 oz. bags tollhouse chocolate chips
• assorted frozen veggies

Pantry

• 3-1/2 5lb. bags sugar
• 2 1lb. bags brown sugar
• 2 5lb. bags flour
• 2 large boxes Jiffy Baking mix
• 3 cake mixes
• 4 boxes jiffy cornbread mix
• 6 boxes assorted muffin mixes
• 2 large canisters oats
• 4 boxes cereal
• 2 boxes raisins
• 2 pkgs dried cranberries
• 1 pkg dried currants
• 5 cans each no-salt peas, corn, carrots, mushrooms
• 3 cans each sauerkraut, creamed corn, cream of mushroom soup
• 2 boxes onion soup mix envelopes
• 2 canisters each beef & chicken buillion
• 3 boxes each rotini, lasagne noodles, linguine
• 1 box each spaghetti & elbow macaroni
• 3 cans Hunts Spaghetti sauce
• 2 cans Hunts tomato sauce
• 3 cans hunts tomato paste
• 1 unopened bottle each ketchup, mayo, mustard, honey, pancake syrup
• 1 unopened box saltines

Linen Closet

• 2 each deodorant for dear bf & I
• 2 16 packs of toilet paper
• extra feminine products
• 3 bottles each sauve shampoo & conditioner
• 1 bottle body wash
• 3 boxes cascade dishwasher powder
• 2 bottles dawn dish liquid
• 2 unopened pkgs Magic Erasers
• 2 unopened bottles Lysol 4-in-1

I know there's more, and I can see where there's some holes and items I'm low on.  Good thing I'm working on the shopping list for tomorrow! 

I was thinking I wanted to start stocking up and putting shelves in the basement, but the more I thought about how unbearably hot it gets down there I'm reconsidering.  We do have the walk-in closet in the office (technically its a 2nd bedroom we use as an office).  Right now it has spare computer parts and the server comp in it, but there's room to put in some shelves and put canned goods up there.  We keep the AC pumping in there in the summer since heat is bad for the equipment, so everything will stay nice and cool.

wow, that is organized Ariana!   I should do that. I was putting away food yesterday. (stuff gets dumped in the playroom where storage is until I get around to putting it away)  and discovered a couple of things I forgot about like a box of macroni pasta.

I have chicken stock etc in the cupboards but don't think about it because it is reg part of the kitchen stuff. same with the boxes of crackers, oatmeal, baking stuff etc in the cupboards.

Thanks! Oh I have a lot more stuff in the cupboards and in the fridge.   We try to keep 2 dozen eggs, various jams & jellies, 2 cartons OJ, 2 gallons milk, lots of creamer, etc. in the fridge along with various cheeses (I think we have 2 pkgs cream cheese in the fridge and 3 in the freezer LOL).  We also have at least 2-3 100 count boxes of tea bags.  I normally make a gallon of iced tea with 20 tea bags, and we'll drink that gallon in less than 2 days (crazy, I know!) so we go through a lot of generic tea bags (or whatever's on sale).  I'm a big tea drinker too, so we have boxes of assorted teas, most of them different black teas.  As much as I know herbal tea is good for you I can't stand most herbals, too mild.

I like not having to run out of the house for one thing, and it definitely keeps the cost down.  We've been eating out of the pantry & freezer a lot recently.  I need to do a restock tomorrow on a lot of things aside from our regular two weeks worth of perishables.   I've been looking at the smaller freezers now.  A small front-opening freezer would run us around $140.00, would fit in our kitchen, and we could use the top of it for storage (like our wine racks, etc.)  I'm hoping we have a little stimulus $$ left over to finally get one!  It would be enough to hold our meat, or bread products.  That'll give us plenty of space, since its just two of us, even if we added a little one.

Wow! You folks are truly amazing. Such organization. My head is spinning with ideas on how to improve my stash. I must mention on the Dollar Stretcher website, there is story titled "Why?" in the first paragraph the writer says she uses an old refrigerator unplugged to store her dry items like pastas, cereals and such. Its stays cool and dark and the seal (providing its in good shape) keeps out bugs, rodents and most dust. I thought that was a clever idea and now I know what I'm going to do with my old frig.

Toni and all,

Thank you for this thread!  You have pointed out a need for me to inventory the items I have on hand.  I am going to use an alphabetical list to inventory my items, similar to the free (this month of May) alphabetical grocery list found at http://www.listorganizer.com/.  I figure I can just write the number I have next to the item.

Taking a cue from the recent post about Jane4girls "stash" and method of shopping, I decided to try it because it suddenly made sense what she was doing.  For those who missed that thread, her site is http://jane4girls800dollarannualbudget.blogspot.com/.  That week (last week) Walgreen's was giving register rewards (RR) on three pages of items.  I happen to have a new Walgreens near me, so stopped in and bought 9 qualifying items, got $20 in RR.  By the end of the week I had amassed $160.00 in RR for buying items I would use, could gift to friends, etc.  I used the EasySaver book for May, combined with manufacturer coupons from the paper, and am working on the rebates.  Bought all the "free after rebate" items.  I also bought a friend of mine the Scrubbing Bubbles automatic shower cleaner, had a $10 cpn and will get a $5 rebate, used RR to pay.  Bought the $10.00 of Con-Agra foods for the $5.00 rebate, also with RR.  Same with the $20.00 of qualifying items pain relievers, heat wraps, etc., paid with RR.  I had to break it down into different trips into the store, one to get only items that would generate RR, another to buy items that didn't qualify for RR but maybe had a rebate.  Until I saw Jane's blog, my stash consisted mostly of stewed tomatoes and some other canned goods since I like to shop out of my basement pantry especially in Ohio winters, rice, pasta, Tide and TP.

I have a friend who is out of work and gave her some items -- it turned out each was on her shopping list and she watches carefully.  We sat down and went over the system.  We will set up a shelf at her home to keep her extra items.  This week not many items on RR but a good time to catch my breath and inventory.  I will let you know how things look.  BTW, I still have $50.00 in unspent RR.  This is a great enabler to give to charity, etc.

Thanks again for the thread!