What things to do you - as a single living alone - stock up on?  What things have you found that you can't use fast enough to be worth stocking up on?

I stock up on non-perishables - paper goods, dry goods, freezable foods - but I don't stock up on perishables, although as I start playing with my new/used dehydrator, that may change some.

I used to stock up on light bulbs, but since I switched to CFLs in most of the lights I don't have to change bulbs as often.

I stock up on paper towels, Electrosol tablets for the dishwasher, toilet paper (I have 3 complete bathrooms), and Cheer for laundry. I also buy things like Stovetop Stuffing on sale plus the Betty Crocker potato mixes (at 10/$10 I have to stock up !) I buy flour on sale so I can bake. I buy butter on sale. I buy Palmolive dish soap on sale. I buy my heat pump filters on sale and I buy them 3 at a time.

I buy frozen and canned veggies on sale. I try to buy things that go with other things I like to eat so that I have future meals.

I stock up on canned soup when they're BOGO (isn't that a stereotype of a person living alone!) because even though they say they serve two I take a can to work and have the whole thing but nothing else.  I stock up on paper goods, soaps, etc. when they're on a good sale.  I've converted the guest bedroom closet into a pantry by putting an old shelf unit in there.  I just purchased a small chest freezer and will keep it in my kitchen where I can make good use of it.  I want to stock up on meat and fruit/veggies but will do it gradually so I can get the best sales.

Dear All, I live alone -- have for almost my entire adult life.  I stock up whenever an item that I eat is on sale.  This includes produce (I cut it up, use what I need for a recipe, & then freeze all teh rest.).  I save food scraps (onion skins & so on) in a freezer bag for soup-stock making.  Due to my being Kosher, & not having enough room for Meat dishes & pots, etc., I am in effect a vegetarian (eating fish,though), so there is no issue with storing meat.

Yours in Him, Deb

Pretty much the same things.  Toliet paper, pantyliners, paper towels, toothpaste, dish soap, that sort of thing.  I try not to go overboard, but it's super easy to stock up on these on sale, if I watch the circulars and pair the sales with coupons.

I also do the canned soup thing, so that if I'm not able to cook a fresh meal (and getting to the point in my monthly budget where it's no longer OK to eat out), I have at least something I can eat cheaply (I usually make noodles or rice to make the soup go a longer way for cheap).

noodles, canned tuna and veggies, cereals, oatmeal, popcorn...paper products, toiletries, I have a freezer so meat when its a really good sale but I don't eat meat often.  SOCKS, I stock up on lots of socks cause they always disappear!

I stock up on a few items, but surpass many.

Like you, I stock up on non-perishables, especially when I can get a brand name for nothing or next-to-nothing.

I like to send my parents home with food when they visit from Tucson, so I keep some things on had for that purpose. I keep ingredients for Chili (dad's favorite), frozen chicken breasts, ground beef, and cans/frozen of veggies I know they like. I keep simple things like canned chicken, pasta of all sorts, canned tomatoes, tomato sauce & paste, peanut butter, oil, mayo, salad dressing....basics that I consistently use. Purchasing at a deep discount is key, for that affords me the wiggle room for fresh veggies or 'new' things to try.

gaye

I have a motivational thread in this regard on another site. Here it is: http://www.veggieboards.com/boards/showthread.php?t=89727

I find myself stocking up on mostly paper products, shower and body wash, soap, detergent and fabric softener, especially in May and June, because I only teach part-time in the summer.  We seem to go through these things the most, so I try to buy them when they are on special and try to use those trusty coupons, too! 

I've got kind of  a "system," I guess.  I head for the meat department first and hopefully find packages of marked-down cuts I freeze.  I like a variety of things.  In general, I do keep the cupboards and fridge/freezer full.  I'll have to say I fix healthier things to eat now than I used to.  I make my own pizzas.  I like fish (including canned mackeral and salmon), sweet potatoes and green things and feel much better when I try eating more veges and fruits but know not to buy bags of apples or oranges, for instance, will only buy a few of those when I crave them.  I don't seem to crave the sweets like I used to, which I'm so glad about, don't keep ice cream anymore, can't stay out of it.  I really need to get off the pop and cut down on the coffee, that would be a great thing all the way around.  If I make a pot of coffee, though, I put it in a thermos and drink it through the day.  I do stock up on toilet paper and soap.  I have enough shampoo and hair spray to last 10 years, probably.  I buy very few paper towels anymore and use cloth napkins instead, ditto kleenex, I have hankies, small sacrifices there.