I find that the cost savings is less from the amount saved on a sale-priced item and more from the fact that I buy less stuff overall when I go to Target less often. Helps keep clutter down, too.

For my pantry there are some consumables I want to buy as soon as I start running low (like salt). For others (like dried tarragon) I will add it to a list on the side of my refrigerator of “Rarely Used Staples We’re Out of” and not buy it until I actually need it again.

Think outside the box, if you have an empty drawer in a quest room, or anywhere, use it to store consumer goods.

For me, a big part of being organized is not having to run out to the store when I run out of something.

It does require a little bit of planning ahead, but for me, a little more awareness of just how much toothpaste, toilet paper, and detergent there are in the house is good for me anyway.

I adore having a lightbulb stash so I can take care of burned out bulbs when they happen. We just got a new lamp with funky eco bulbs that CLICK in rather than turn in. So far I can only find them at Lowe’s, and in short supply there. I feel it is worth it to keep an extra of something hard to find like this just because of the time suck involved in a special trip for a non-standard item.

I am also a big believer in having extra cleaning supplies like dishwasher and laundry detergents on hand. I prefer to remove a barrier to cleaning by making sure I am never completely out of cleaning supplies; this includes sponges, vacuum cleaner bags, furnace filters, and trash bags. When I crack open the last one, it goes straight onto the shopping list. I know I WILL use it up. This also applies to cat litter, but not cat food. I put the food off until I am down to a week’s supply.

One thing I find that helps is that instead of having a separate stash for emergencies, I decided to keep extra of what I eat. I always know where it is and it’s easy to rotate by putting the new purchases in the back.

I like having at least one extra of most things so that I don’t run out unexpectedly. There’s no reason to do this with things of large volume (20 lb bag of rice) or that I use infrequently (cocoa powder) because the risk of running out is small. But having an extra bottle of shampoo or another tube of toothpaste is really useful. Now much I keep depends on how fast I use it, price/sales, available space, and my ability to keep it organized. It works for me, YMMV.

Monica’s post led me to realize another thing: an oversupply of consumables is easier to work down than an oversupply of hard goods. We will, eventually, consume the consumables (unless we discover we don’t like protein powder).

I will admit that I do have too many body sprays, though – I’ve bought a couple here and there but also have gotten many as gifts!

I try to clean out my consumables every couple of months – toiletries and medications. The fridge usually gets cleaned out once every couple of weeks so I can wash the tupperwares.

I find myself trying to convince people that we do not face a worldwide shortage of paper towels or light bulbs and that these things go on sale regularly, so it doesn’t make sense to “stock up.” In addition, they often forget where they’ve stashed the extras, so they run out to buy them again.

I haven’t thrown anything expired in the rubbish at all this year (granted I live alone, so it’s a lot easier to manage my stock levels!)

As for toiletries, though, I’d add that it’s worthwhile to stock up on toothpaste when it goes on sale. It doesn’t take up much space and doesn’t really expire (at least, note the kind I use), but the cost savings can be significant when it’s on deep discount.

Be sure to place items with approaching expiry dates (toothpaste, lotions, contact solution) near the front and put newly purchased items with farther away expiration dates behind them. This placement helps you use the older product first.

Ok, I thought I was ahead of the game…. I organized it, now I need to purge it!