Building a Stockpile With Only $5 Per Week! Creating a Stockpile (2024)

Buying in Bulk

ByMerissa

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Want to build a stockpile but don’t have much money on your grocery budget to spare? Here are some tips on how to create a stockpile with just $5 per week!

Building a Stockpile With Only $5 Per Week! Creating a Stockpile (1)

Table of Contents

How to Create a Stockpile with $5 Per Week

One of the questions I seem to get asked most often is…. “I want to build a stockpile but how do I find the money to do it?”

Can you spare $5 a week? If not…what can you cut out of your week to find $5 to help build your stockpile? Just how important is having a stockpile to you? Can you make it a priority over something else in your life that costs $5 a week?

Let’s chat for a minute about having a stockpile…..

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–Learn Everything About Buying in Bulk Here!

I’m no zombie prepper. I’m not prepping for the end of the world. I’m not prepping because I think aliens are going to attack the earth and we might have to hide in bunkers until they are gone. I’m prepping to be prepared.

What if we lost our availability to go to town for groceries?

What if the prices were raised temporarily so we couldn’t afford to get the basic things we normally get?

What if our co-op truck can’t make it here and we have to go without ordering our groceries for a few months?

What would happen in the event of a job loss where we would need to save as much money as possible to pay other bills?

In the event of any of those situations, having a small stockpile on hand is a good idea.

Can you imagine having only a few days worth of food in your home at a time? I just can’t picture that! In rural South Dakota where we live we have a pretty good chance of being snowed in or stuck at home for much longer than 3 days, so having less than 3 days worth of food would just be unsafe for us.

Ok, back to building a stockpile with that $5 a week….Before you start this challenge, keep this in mind. Be realistic about your stockpile. Don’t stock up on things that your family can’t or won’t be able to eat. If there is a week where you aren’t going to buy what’s planned, just buy double of something that you definitely can use from another week.

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Building a Stockpile Weekly Buying Guide

Make sure to spend no more than $5 per week buying the item listed. Before you buy, also make sure you have proper food storage containers for everything.

Week 1 – Spend $5 on Rice
Week 2 – Spend $5 on Beans
Week 3 – Spend $5 on Sugar
Week 4 – Spend $5 on Salt
Week 5 – Spend $5 on Baking Soda
Week 6 – Spend $5 on Milk Powder
Week 7 – Spend $5 on Dried Onion
Week 8 – Spend $5 on Dried Garlic
Week 9 – Spend $5 on Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
Week 10 – Spend $5 on Baking Powder or Yeast
Week 11 – Spend $5 on a Whole Grain
Week 12 – Spend $5 on anything else

Now comes the real challenge….just how much of each of these items can you get for just $5 a week? Do your very best to make that amount stretch as far as possible!

Are you ready to join me on this challenge? By the end of 12 weeks, you aren’t going to have the biggest, most impressive stockpile there ever was, but you will have a nice amount of basics set aside for an emergency time. Of course, a full stocked stockpile will have more items than this (hopefully you will be able to preserve some meats, fruits, and veggies too!) but this list will build a great basic foods stockpile.

To help keep you motivated, here is a fun chart that you can print out and keep in your pantry or in your kitchen to keep track of your progress.

Building Your Stockpile (free printable checklist)

Not sure where to store your stockpile? Make sure to check out these Small Space Storage Ideas.

This blog post on How to Create a Stockpile was originally posted on Little House Living in March 2014. It has been updated as of April 2020.

Building a Stockpile With Only $5 Per Week! Creating a Stockpile (2024)

FAQs

Building a Stockpile With Only $5 Per Week! Creating a Stockpile? ›

a supply of material, as a pile of gravel in road maintenance. a large supply of some metal, chemical, food, etc., gathered and held in reserve for use during a shortage or during a period of higher prices. a quantity, as of munitions or weapons, accumulated for possible future use.

What are examples of stockpiles? ›

a supply of material, as a pile of gravel in road maintenance. a large supply of some metal, chemical, food, etc., gathered and held in reserve for use during a shortage or during a period of higher prices. a quantity, as of munitions or weapons, accumulated for possible future use.

How much of a stockpile do you need? ›

That's why having an emergency preparedness stockpile is important. All Americans should have at least a three-day supply of food and water stored in their homes, with at least one gallon of water per person per day. If you have the space, experts recommend a week's supply of food and water.

How to stockpile on a budget? ›

It will likely be easier on your budget if you spread out the items over several weeks or months. Consider adding a few extra dollars to your weekly shopping trip and buy just a few items each time you go to the store. Another important thing to remember is to keep an eye out for sales.

How do you sample a stockpile? ›

If you need to sample a stockpile manually, start at the top and take at least three samples from the top, middle and bottom of the pile. Remove and discard the surface material and collect the samples from the underlying material with a shovel or scoop.

What is stockpile calculation? ›

Stockpile measurement is a technique used to determine the size, volume, or weight of a commodity stockpile. Businesses dealing with materials in bulk inevitably amass stockpiles of goods, usually found at dedicated storage facilities built for housing bulk materials.

What are the limits on stockpile? ›

You can choose any whole dollar amount between $1 and $2000 (or $200 when using a debit card). If you would like to purchase stock in a dollar amount that is higher than $2,000, it will have to be broken up into separate transactions.

How much food and water should I stockpile? ›

The following should be included in your basic disaster supplies kit:  Three-day supply of nonperishable food and manual can opener.  Three-day supply of water (one gallon of water per person, per day).  Portable, battery-powered radio or television, and extra batteries.

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.

What is a 3 month food stockpile? ›

A 3-month pantry stockpile is a system you customize and implement by purchasing items your family regularly consumes in a week and multiplying them by 12 so that your family's storehouse is always full. The items you gather are rotated regularly into your menu by shopping in your pantry before heading to the store.

What is the number one survival food? ›

Canned meats like tuna, chicken, and beef, along with canned vegetables like carrots, green beans, and peas, are packed with protein and essential nutrients, making them ideal for survival situations. And with a shelf life of up to 5 years, canned goods are a reliable choice for long-term survival food storage.

What canned food lasts the longest? ›

High acid foods such as tomatoes and other fruit will keep their best quality up to 18 months; low acid foods such as meat and vegetables, 2 to 5 years. While extremely rare, a toxin produced by Clostridium botulinum is the worst danger in canned goods.

What is considered stockpiling? ›

Meaning of stockpiling in English

the practice of storing a large supply of something for future use: Increasing instability is encouraging stockpiling. Why is there this stockpiling of arms and ammunition? Fewer examples. Food stores have begun rationing sales of rice to prevent stockpiling by customers.

What are US stockpiles? ›

Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response. Website. Strategic National Stockpile. "The Strategic National Stockpile's role is to supplement state and local supplies during public health emergencies. Many states have products stockpiled, as well.

What type is stockpile? ›

Stockpile is a non-damaging Normal-type move.

What is the meaning of stockpiles? ›

: a storage pile: such as. a. : a reserve supply of something essential accumulated within a country for use during a shortage. b. : a gradually accumulated reserve of something.

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