How to Build a Coupon Stockpile for Less than $10 a Week (2024)

So you wanna build a coupon stockpile and stop paying full price for groceries, eh? Smart move, friend.

Couponing stockpiles are not just for people with big families or who have loads of room to store random boxes of oatmeal. The strategy is to buy items when they are at their lowest price possible (with sales, coupons, etc.) so you never have to pay full price. There’s nothing like that glorious feeling when you think you’re out of toilet paper, but then you remember you’ve got an extra package on hand that you paid almost nothing for.

Get ready to learn how to build your own stockpile without blowing your weekly budget.

1. Use the KCL stock-up price list and know how to read deals.

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When it comes to building a coupon stockpile, the name of the game is knowing when to buy.

The KCL Stock-Up Price List will tell you what prices to aim for when you see a good deal. It’s like a map to discover at what price point you should stock up on each item. There’s another way to do this too….

Look for “Great” or “Hot” deals inside the KCL app. What does that mean? There’s an indicator on each deal and when you can decode this crucial tidbit, you’ll have confidence you’re getting items at the best price. Here’s what the little temperature gauges mean:

  • “Good” = A good price to buy at if you’re running low on something.
  • “Great” = Time to buy a few even if you aren’t out yet.
  • “Hot” = Buy! If you can get a few months’ worth, this is the time to stock up.

2. Sign up for and use store loyalty programs (especially drugstores!).

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If you’re serious about stockpiling, signing up for the CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, and Kroger rewards programs is a must. Here’s why:

All three major drugstores offer rewards points in exchange for buying certain products, which are advertised weekly in the store ad.

When you combine a sale with a coupon and store loyalty points or promotions, you can come out paying very little for staples you want to have on hand. Plus, you’ll accumulate more points that translate into savings you can cash in on on future hot deals.

For example, in 2022, I paid just $0.77 per box of cereal because I stacked a sale price and a CVS store coupon with an ExtraBucks promotion. I knew I was safe to stock up at this price because it was a “Hot” deal. Check it out:

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3. Sign up for text alerts so you’re the first to find out about hot deals.

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Text DEALS to 57299 to be the first to find out about KCL’s very best deals.

This is especially important for building a coupon stockpile. Hot deals sell out fast, but they offer the deepest savings.

4. Print two of the same coupon from each registered phone number.

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In order to score stock-up deals on KCL, you’ll often need as many of the same coupons as possible. Why? Because you can use one coupon per item you buy. To stock up, you’ll want more than one item.

Most coupon sites (like Coupons.com) allow you to print the same coupon twice from each registered phone number. Each print will generate a different barcode. The best way to get multiples of one coupon is to ask your partner, roommate, mom, or friends to print the coupons for you to use.

Learn How to Find and Print Free Internet Coupons to get more ideas.

5. Redeem offers from Ibotta, Checkout51, and Fetch Rewards more than once.

Ibotta, Checkout51, and Fetch Rewards are fantastic (and easy!) ways to get deep savings on top of coupons and sales.

For Ibotta and Checkout51, you’ll unlock the offer you want to redeem by tapping it inside the respective apps. You won’t take any action at checkout, but afterward, when you have your receipt in hand, just take a picture of the receipt or scan it (the app will tell you what to do). You’ll receive payment via PayPal. You can usually redeem an Ibotta offer up to three times, and a Checkout51 offer up to five times! Hello, coupon stockpile.

With Fetch Rewards, your payment will be in the form of gift cards once you earn enough points. ​​One thousand points are equivalent to $1, and you can cash out once you earn 3,000 points (or $3). Redeem up to five times!

Read the Ultimate Guide to Rebate Apps for a deeper dive.

See Ibotta coupons
See Checkout51 coupons
See Fetch Rewards coupons

6. Focus on one household necessity per week.

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Household items like toilet paper, paper towels, laundry detergent, and diapers are some great items to stockpile first because you know you’ll use them, they tend to be more expensive, and there are frequent deals available. When you see the big savings after you cash in on items like detergent and diapers, it’ll motivate you to keep couponing and saving money.

Focus on one item per week and work little by little toward having extras on hand for each category you use:

  • Laundry detergent coupons
  • Dishwasher detergent coupons
  • Diaper coupons
  • Paper towel coupons
  • Toilet paper coupons

7. Every week do freebie or moneymaking deals for razors, toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant, and more.

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If you’re trying to stay under that $10 a week limit, freebies and moneymakers won’t even count toward your couponing budget. So, plan to do these every week and build your coupon stockpile without even paying a clean cent. Then, use your $10 budget on deals that are not in these categories.

A word about moneymakers: It’s rare for a cashier to open the till and give you dollars and change back. The way you get money back is if it’s an Ibotta rebate and the money goes into your PayPal account. If what you get back exceeds what you paid, that’s a moneymaker. Same goes for drugstore freebie deals. You might pay a bit out of pocket, but you’ll get store rewards that you can use like cash on your next couponing deal. It’s like a wash.

I combed through all the 2021 – 2022 deals and found trends. These are the items I saw multiple freebie or moneymaking deals for every single month. Never, ever pay for these items!

  • Toothpaste
  • Shampoo (Pantene, Garnier Fructis, or Suave)
  • Razors
  • Deodorant
  • Air Wick or Glade PlugIns

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8. Buy Sunday newspapers at Dollar Tree to get your hands on multiple coupon inserts.

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In order to do a lot of the freebie deals, you’ll need newspaper coupons. I know it’ll eat into your $10 per week budget, but if you buy them at Dollar Tree, you’ll save at least 50%. When you consider how much you’re saving by getting some big ticket items for free (razors, etc.), you may see that it’s worth it to spend $2 – $3 on newspapers.

If you really don’t want to do that, you could also ask your friends and relatives who subscribe to the newspaper for their coupon inserts. Or check out these ways to get a free Sunday newspaper.

9. Buy in bulk through Amazon Subscribe & Save to get hot deals.

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Another way to build your coupon stockpile with just $10 a week is to spend $40 on one big Subscribe & Save order per month. (Or two $20 orders per month.)

With , you get more savings when you subscribe to more items in an order. Use your whole month’s couponing budget and get up to 15% savings on items.

Just add items to your order until you’ve reached your $40 limit after savings!

Learn more about .

10. Plan ahead to buy items when they’re at their lowest prices of the year.

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Products go on sale in cycles. This is often intuitive, meaning it makes sense based on the season. February offers great deals on cold and flu medication and Kleenex because people tend to be sick in the winter. But sometimes there’s no real reason for seasonal sales. Like in March, body wash and deodorant are great things to stock up on. Why? No idea. People are stinkier at the beginning of spring, I guess? Maybe there’s no real reason.

Lucky you, I wrote a whole article about the best groceries to stockpile by month of the year so you can anticipate great deals and use your $10 per week wisely.

(Non-grocery items have a seasonality to sale cycles too. To learn more about retail items, check out What to Buy Every Month of the Year.)

How to Build a Coupon Stockpile for Less than $10 a Week (2024)

FAQs

How to start a stockpile couponing? ›

How do I start a stockpile?
  1. Buy One Item at a Time. To start building a stockpile pantry, focus on one item at a time. ...
  2. Use More Than One Coupon. Shoppers can save money by stacking coupons. ...
  3. Find Space for Your Stockpile.
Feb 8, 2022

How to start extreme couponing for beginners? ›

In fact, here are five steps you'll want to take to maximize your savings.
  1. Find a good site that lists deals (or save sales flyers) ...
  2. Assemble a binder or folder to keep your coupons. ...
  3. Decide where you'll get your coupons. ...
  4. Outline your goals. ...
  5. Start shopping the sales.
Apr 21, 2023

How to stockpile food on a budget? ›

Take the amount of food you'd typically need to purchase to feed your family for a day, multiply by seven, and you've got a one-week supply. Each week (or month if you're low on funds), try to buy one extra week's worth of food. Gradually expand and build up to a one month stock, then a three-month supply, etc.

Is extreme couponing a thing anymore? ›

(KTAL/KMSS) – The days of making money off your grocery store run may be long behind us, but saving money on your everyday essentials is still very possible. Coupon culture has evolved over the years while Joanie Demer, Co-Founder of The Krazy Coupon Lady explains couponing is not dead, but extreme couponing is.

Why is extreme couponing illegal? ›

All coupons printed in the U.S. have a non-transferability clause, which makes the coupon void if sold for a profit. Plus, many coupon sellers offer stolen or counterfeit coupons, leaving you liable to potential litigation if caught.

Is stockpile good for beginners? ›

Stockpile offers a little bit of educational content to users. It's enough to get someone started, but for in-depth research and advanced trading strategy, consider a full-service brokerage. As of March 2024, the Stockpile app offers a total of 23 "how to" articles under the Learn tab.

Is extreme couponing still possible in 2024? ›

So, while you can try out extreme couponing to get certain items at no cost, you can't count on it to be a consistent, effective way to lower your grocery bill in 2024.

Where do couponers get their coupons? ›

Store coupons are issued by a specific retailer and can only be used at those locations. Likely, you'll find these in the newspaper (the Sunday paper usually has the most coupons), in retailers' online apps or flyers in the mail. Look for “store coupon” in the fine print.

Do grocery stores lose money on extreme couponing? ›

No, extreme couponing is not stealing, but it's not uncommon for stores to resent it if a shopper brings in a stack of coupons and spends very little money in the end.

What is the best food to stockpile? ›

  • Meats & Beans. Canned meat, chicken, turkey, seafood. and other protein-rich foods, such as. ...
  • Vegetables. Canned vegetables and vegetable juices. ...
  • Fruits. Canned fruits and fruit juices. ...
  • Milk. Canned, boxed or dried milk and shelf- ...
  • Grains. Ready-to-eat cereal, crackers, pretzels, ...
  • Water. Enough for 1 gallon per day.

What to stockpile first? ›

If you have the space, experts recommend a week's supply of food and water. Choose foods that don't require refrigeration and are not high in salt. Your stockpile should also contain flashlights, a radio, manual can opener, batteries and copies of important documents.

What is the cheapest long-lasting food? ›

10 Cheap (and Healthy) Foods that Last a Long Time
  • Dried Beans and Lentils. Average Price: Under $2 for a 1-pound bag. ...
  • Brown Rice and Other Whole Grains. Average Price: About $2 (depending on where you purchase) for a 1-pound bag. ...
  • Frozen Vegetables. ...
  • Peanut Butter. ...
  • Canned Tuna. ...
  • Eggs. ...
  • Whey Protein. ...
  • Apples.

How do beginners start couponing? ›

Sign up for your local newspaper. Check your store bulletin board for coupons before your shopping (typically at the store entrance). Download coupon apps if you're app-savvy (Erin recommends Ibotta, Checkout 51 and CartSmart). Join local coupon groups on Facebook to keep in the coupon know-how where you live.

What is illegal couponing? ›

Coupon fraud is the use of fake coupons, or the misuse of actual coupons, to derive more value from a promotion than someone would usually be entitled to. This can include using a coupon multiple times, changing its value or expiration date, or redeeming it for the wrong (or even no) product.

How to become a super couponer? ›

You have to look through store sales flyers.

The goal of extreme couponing is to combine manufacturer and store coupons with store sales to get items for free or for pennies on the dollar. You'll need to look through store circulars each week and look through your coupon inventory to match up sales.

How do I start a stockpile of groceries? ›

How To Build Your Own Grocery Stockpile
  1. Create a list of items your family uses on a regular basis. ...
  2. Use that list to create a price book. ...
  3. Begin setting $5.00 - $10.00/week (more if you can afford to) aside for a stockpile fund. ...
  4. Watch for sales.

What stores let you stack manufacturer coupons? ›

CVS and Walgreens are great outlets to try your hand at coupon stacking because both retailers allow a variety of avenues for discounts and both happen to come with a digital tutor.

Does stockpile have a monthly fee? ›

Welcome to Stockpile | Stockpile Help Center. How will I be charged the $4.95 monthly membership fee?

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