Retirement stockpile

Some friends of ours (who are definitely not short of money!) are fanatical stockpilers.

They live in a small bungalow, most of the loft is taken up with toilet rolls (Nicky Elite, very good actually, better then Andrex/Cushelle etc) which I suppose probably adds to the insulation. Their garden seems to have more sheds than might seem necessary, but have shelves of large bottles of fabric softenener, umpteen tubs of their preferred brand of drinking chocolate , an old non-working freezer is stuffed with boxes of washing powder, all bought when on special offer.

I suppose if you have the space and can afford the initial outlay it's a good idea.

But, when it runs out will it not be a shock to the funabces? And, I find if I have even a small stockpile of bogofs or whatever, we go off the product well before we run out of whatever!

When my mum was really hardup she used to buy different things in different weeks to spread the cost.

I actually think that money is not such a big issue as you think it might be when you retire. Somehow you cut your cloth and manage. But of course stock pike all you like .

Cherrytree, don't be a crazy stockpiler, just look for bargains that give you a couple of products, Bogoffs etc.Shampoo and conditioner last a long time, but even one bottle takes ages to use all of it.We are retired, and look for a good deal, as we have more time and don't need to run madly around supermarkets, but you can take it too far.

kitty, I know what you mean about spreading the cost. When fairly newly married first time around, if I needed household cleaning stuff, washing powder etc all on the same shop I really noticed the increase in the bill.

BTW, I love the idea of "funabces" , I think I might adopt that word!

I remember posting about this sometime ago when I received a letter from the bank saying the interest on a small savings account would be something like 5 old pence a year.
I thought of withdrawing the money and investing in cleaning ,washing products etc.Then I looked for space in my cluttered home and went off the idea.

I was just thinking cupboard under the stairs

The only reason I stock up is because I hate shopping.

I somehow had an inkling that life would not be my own once DH retired and being a keen quilter I bought over a LNG period every shade of Gutermann threads available in the local shops. I also bought materials with the intention of keeping myself sane during the eternal sports and 24 hour news. I did not realise how DH would take over the shopping and firmly believes in accompanying me on shopping trips. He thinks I am unbelievably profligate and asks why on every purchase. I had a bit of a meltdown last week when I realised I was sneaking in a new bathmat and towels, DH being the one to saturate them every day and drying on the line days are few and far between in the north east this year. I would stock up on things that some men think are useless or unimportant. I do remember him once saying who needs bedspreads. (We don't have duvets as he prefers sheets and blankets) every one has their quirks.

kitty funabces

I can't bear stockpiling, I just don't get it. There are always special offers on and things change all the time. Things that were "expensive" at one time, may drop in price a few years down the line. I prefer to live my life in the present!

You know Stansgran, going around supermarkets I hear men asking their wives that question a lot, " what do we need that for?" It must be a man thing.We get round this problem by taking turns to do the weekly shop, and only very rarely shopping together( ie. A huge shop, for Christmas .)that gives us a peaceful life.

I should say my home in general is extremely tidy with clear surfaces every where, just don't open any cupboard doors....

Because I live out in the countyside it makes sense to stockpile a bit.
Long life milk, frozen bread etc, tins of soup etc.....
Candles in case of a power cut. Sensible stuff.
But, looking in my overcrowded wardrobe, I suddenly realised yesterday that I seriously need to get rid of a lot of old stuff. I think I've been stockpiling clothes! It's these darned bargains in charity shops.

I also have a stockpile of clothes! Could it be that I was a squirrel in a former life? [Grin].

Before I retired I bought myself a greenhouse so I had an excuse to be out of the house . It worked but now can't get near it due to aches and pains , but I did enjoy my plants and no way could I have afforded it after retirement

I have stock piled for years and this started after I was admitted to hospital as an emergency in 2009 and I could not look after myself for many weeks afterwards. This has continued as I have had blips of being confined to my house for many reasons, the last being a nasty accident and ending up in in a POP. If I had not emptied M&S shelves of coffee (10 jars) what would I be drinking now, anything?

I do not store in my loft because when I moved here I vowed that would remain empty. I have a wall to wall fitted wardrobe in my bedroom and the top shelf is packed full of deodorants, floor cleaning stuff, shampoo, liquid soap and heaven knows what else.

In another bedroom, also wall to wall wardrobe but better fitted inside with separate shelving etc. It is totally taken over with my hoarding.

I do on line shopping and add to my stock when I see a bargain. I try not to pay full price. If I died tomorrow, whoever cleared out this house would have a shock and also a pleasant surprise, with so many freebies.

Downsizing has meant that I can't stockpile easily. I have a small cellar (was the coal cellar in a previous existence) which is a storage space for my junk rather than a store for the future. My DS2 (only 42) is a stockpiler when he sees special offers. So some men do it too. I can;t imagine him ourgrowing the habit.

I stockpile especially cleaning products, I refuse to pay full price for products that are going down the toilet and the plughole.
I usually have a six month supply of dishwasher tablets and washing powder and other products.
I took my hoarding into account when designing the kitchen, my cupboards go right up to the ceiling and the top ones are like plane lockers. The lockers hold only the things that are in storage for future use.
I had cupboards built in the bathrooms which hold six months supply of shampoo, toothpaste, shower gel and body lotion.
DH used to work away from home and often would turn up needing to repack and restock to be on a plane to the other side of the world. I began hoarding all the basics to ensure that he could be in and away without me dashing to the shops.

Have you considered "down branding" if that's what it's called? I.e. changing from premium shop to lidl or aldi, or switching to own brands? It can save a lot of money and in many case you can't tell the difference. I am a bite sneaky and put lidl sweetners in a branded dispenser so OH doesn't know. He hasn't noticed.

What I miss most is not having a pantry going to redo kitchen before the retirement (hopefully) but cant work out how to have a pantry. My grans pantry was always full of home-made goodies such as Jam + chutney. Mmm

We live in the country and there is a supermarket about 3 km away but it is generally more expensive than the one 18 Km away and more importantly the goods are not so good. So we do a good stock up shop about every ten days ness we have visitors staying. I do like to always have a spare new bottle/packet of things such as toilet cleaner ( have to buy a special one as we have a fosse) and dishwasher tablets. But I try not to do it too often. I have now sort of bit into the rhythm of when the big shops here have the really good bargains - eg. I bought two very large bottles of Persil washing liquid for little more than the normal price of one - they will last most of a year till the next offer.
In the few years before my father retired my parents renewed anything they thought they needed - so they had new carpets and decorated the house - they also had new windows which cut down heating costs. They found the money well spent as it saved them a lot of disruption when they were older and sometimes not so well.

Since DH took over the kitchen and therefore the supermarket shopping he stockpiles all the time, he just doesn't realise he has done it! "They were a good price" seems to be his mantra but just how much instant coffee will we use when we mainly drink the real stuff? How many kitchen rolls can we get through in the next 5 years? I think we have more than that already. We have enough Fairly liquid for the whole town and we have a dishwasher! Oh well, it is a pleasant hobby for him and doesn't hurt anyone!

Phoenix,grannyknot - my excuse is that we are stuck on the flipping A1 and I'm bored! Though I should learn to proof read!