THE CHEAPSKATES CLUB
  • Home
  • Join the Club!
    • Twenty Reasons to Join the Cheapskates Club
  • About Us
    • Cath's Story
    • Ask Cath
    • Glossary of Cheapskating Terms
  • Forum
    • Current Forum Discussions
    • How to Use the Member Forum
  • Inspiration
    • Getting Started
    • 31 Days of MOO Index
    • Articles
    • Housekeeping Routines
    • Budget Renovations
    • Saving Stories
    • Learning Centre
  • Recipes
    • Recipe File Index
    • Meal Plans
    • Add a Recipe
    • $300 a Month Food Challenge >
      • $300 a Month Food Challenge
      • The $300 a Month Food Challenge Forum
  • Newsletters
    • Newsletters 2023
    • Newsletters 2022
    • Newsletters 2021
    • Newsletters 2020
    • Newsletters 2019
    • Newsletters 2018
    • Newsletters 2017
  • Saving Money
    • Latest Tips 2023
    • Latest Tips 2022
    • Cheapskates Tip Store
    • Tip Sheets
    • Top Tip Competition
  • Contact
    • Changing Details
    • Help Files
Sentry Page Protection
Please Wait...

The Best Investment You'll Ever Make

Picture
The best investment you'll ever make is in your pantry.

Even if you pay full price for your pantry contents, the return on that investment will always be better than any other you have. 

Why?

Because prices are always going up. Always. They may come down occasionally, and when they do my advice is to stock up, but they then go up, usually higher than what they had been. So you've bought cheap, saved some money and still increased the value of your pantry investment.

If you fill your pantry with half price groceries, then you've doubled the value of your investment - there is no legal, risk free way for you to double your investment that doesn't take years and years. 

So fill your pantry. Stockpile. Build it up. And keep it full.

I've noticed shortages happening (frozen veggies for instance), and brands disappearing, shrinking the choices we have. Then there are the incredible shrinking products - price on the shelf stays the same, but the size of the product shrinks - it's been called shrinkflation and it is happening all the time.

An example is Morning Fresh dishwashing liquid. A few years ago it was a 450ml bottle. Then it went down to 425ml, 400ml and now it's down to 350ml. If you look at it, the bottle appears to be the same size, but the contents have shrunk. If you stocked when it was on sale and bought the bigger bottles for on sale, you have another great return on your investment. (Just a note: The Reject Shop currently has 400ml bottles of Morning Fresh concentrate for $2/bottle - the fragrances are limited and vary from store to store, but it definitely a stock up price, and Hannah and I both did just that.)

Another way keeping the pantry stocked that boosts the return is by stopping buying takeaway or going out to eat. We all know eating out or even takeaway cost a lot more than cooking a meal at home, even if you pay full price for the groceries. The return on that grocery investment again is more than you'll get for any stock and there is minimal risk. 

If you are of the opinion that stocking up and keeping the pantry full is a waste of time; that it is hoarding; that it is fear mongering for no reason think about this.

If you buy a year's worth of pasta for 50c a packet when the regular price is $1, it would cost $26 (using a packet a week) you've saved 50 per cent and doubled the value of your investment (invested $26/value $52). 

Thinking like this, you can easily see the value in the investment you have in your pantry. Yes, you use it, but even doing that you are ahead when you keep your pantry stocked.

When you are buying what you are using at today's price (and hopefully it is on sale, at least half price) when you replace what you use, you again buy it at the price at the time. If it is on sale, you are ahead again.  To really make a difference though, and get the return on your investment, you need to plan ahead and buy enough of whatever it is on sale to last you until the next time it goes on sale. 

This way you never pay retail, so your investment is always worth more than the cost. 

Things that are easy to buy ahead are obviously those things that don't expire, or things you can preserve so that they will stay fresh.

Things like tea. Coffee. Jam. Tinned tomatoes. Tinned beans. Pasta. Dishwashing liquid. Shampoo. Deodorant. Laundry soap. Toilet paper. Toothbrushes. And just about everything else you could have on your shopping list. 

Keeping your pantry stocked means you never run out. You don't need to worry about floods or hot weather or transport strikes or sick kids or just a case of the shopping blahs. Your pantry is full, you don't need to shop immediately.  You have options!

So when someone tells you you're nuts, or a hoarder or the reason they can't get what they want (that was said to me last week!) ignore them. They're just jealous that you've made a very wise, very profitable investment - and the profit is pretty much tax free!
​
Related Videos
The Best Investment You'll Ever Make
Related Articles
How to Keep your Pantry Organized​
How to Build Your Stockpile​
The Smart Stockpile


Getting Started

Tools & Guides

Follow Us

Cath's Story
You Really Can Live on One Income
Join the Club!
Site Information
Contact
Begin here
Newsletter Archive
Journal Archive
$300 a Month Food Challenge
Forum
Cheapskates Tip Store
Cheapskates Recipe File
Tip Sheets
Facebook
YouTube

Copyright ©2001 - 2023 The Cheapskates Club, All Rights Reserved
  • Home
  • Join the Club!
    • Twenty Reasons to Join the Cheapskates Club
  • About Us
    • Cath's Story
    • Ask Cath
    • Glossary of Cheapskating Terms
  • Forum
    • Current Forum Discussions
    • How to Use the Member Forum
  • Inspiration
    • Getting Started
    • 31 Days of MOO Index
    • Articles
    • Housekeeping Routines
    • Budget Renovations
    • Saving Stories
    • Learning Centre
  • Recipes
    • Recipe File Index
    • Meal Plans
    • Add a Recipe
    • $300 a Month Food Challenge >
      • $300 a Month Food Challenge
      • The $300 a Month Food Challenge Forum
  • Newsletters
    • Newsletters 2023
    • Newsletters 2022
    • Newsletters 2021
    • Newsletters 2020
    • Newsletters 2019
    • Newsletters 2018
    • Newsletters 2017
  • Saving Money
    • Latest Tips 2023
    • Latest Tips 2022
    • Cheapskates Tip Store
    • Tip Sheets
    • Top Tip Competition
  • Contact
    • Changing Details
    • Help Files