How To Know When Sales Make Stocking Up On Grocery Staples Worthwhile

There's a fine line between "a well-stocked pantry" and "prepared for a zombie apocalypse," and it can be hard to strike the balance. Sure, you might not know how you would use 50 cans of black beans, but when there's a "Buy 10 Get 10 Free" sale, the deal might just feel too good to pass up. With grocery prices on the rise, it's tempting to take advantage of any opportunity you get for free or discounted food items. But the fact is that unless you live in a mansion, storage space is limited — and so is the amount of food you can eat before it expires.

So, when does a sale make stocking up on groceries worthwhile? It does, of course, depend on how big the sale is, but it also depends on many other factors. Items you stock up on should be ones that you use regularly and have space for. You should also purchase them in an amount you're confident you can work your way through before they go bad. Items like rice, frozen goods, and, yes, beans, are rightfully known for lasting a long time, but there's also only so many of them you need. 

A lot of the grocery shopping game is also about observation — be aware of what the typical prices are for goods, so you can have perspective on the deal when they're on sale. If peanut butter is always half off, there's no need to buy eight jars today. Meanwhile, if you walk into your local Safeway or Kroger and see your favorite fancy cheese on sale for the first time ever, it might be worth indulging in a few blocks while you can, especially if you know how to store your cheese properly to prevent spoilage.

Although unexpectedly coming across a great deal can be magical, it's even better when you have a plan for what items you're prepared to stock up on and what you'll do with them, should the opportunity present itself. Having a running list (whether on paper or on your phone) of what you've got in your pantry or what you're running low on can help stop you from making unnecessary impulse purchases. Nowadays, you can also use individual grocery store apps or general couponing apps to help you look at deals beforehand and arrange your upcoming meal plans accordingly. 

So far as what items are worth stocking up on, it partially depends on what your staples are, which will likely vary by both preference and stage of life. Stocking up on baby food might be wonderful when you're a new parent, for example, but no matter how good the deals are, you just don't need it once you're baby-free. In general, beans, rice, frozen fruit, nut butters, cereal, and ground meat are basic items that keep well and are often incorporated into meals. Loaves of bread are another solid choice if you have the freezer space. It also might be worth buying multiples of an item if it comes from a store you don't visit often to save you an extra trip next time you need it. 

Finally, just because a certain food is now plentiful in your pantry, take care to still use it at around the same pace as you would if you had bought it in smaller quantities over a long period of time. Otherwise, the cost savings will fall short of what you anticipated. Happy couponing!