Now that you know how to use coupons, it’s time to build up your coupon stockpile. But the question is — should you stock up on food or household items first? It’s a great question, and the answer depends a bit on your goal. If you just want to get started with couponing, you should stock up on household essentials first, rather than food items.
Household items fall into two categories: they’re either big-ticket items that tend to eat up a lot of your grocery budget, or they’re household items that you can get for under $1. Some items tick both of these boxes (hello, razors!).
Using this stockpiling strategy will give you a quick return on your couponing investment. How? You’ll reduce the amount of money you’re spending on expensive items at the grocery store while simultaneously growing that stockpile of household essentials. And it's as simple as learning to stack coupons and combining those savings with rebate app offers.
When one of the products on this list falls below the minimum stock-up price noted, buy enough to last your family a few months until the next deal shows up. And if you want ideas for foods to stockpile, we can help with that, too.
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1. The best coupon stockpile item is toilet paper.
Toilet paper coupons come in an abundance each week and range in value from $0.25 – $2 off, depending on the brand. Toilet paper is something we should all stock up on, and the regular price for nine rolls can feel significant when you’re looking at your weekly grocery budget.
The good news is you can find deals almost daily at the drugstores and big-box retailers like Target. Even Amazon Subscribe & Save deals can be quite hot. In order to get the very best deal, expect to stack coupons and rebates with store sales.
When comparing prices, always calculate the price per square foot to get the best deal, as roll size varies among retailers — even among the same brand. For instance, a 30-pack of Charmin double rolls at Costco and a 30-pack of Charmin double rolls at Target are not the same sizes. Tricky, huh?
Be prepared to feel even more betrayed when you read this: How to Never Pay Full Price for Toilet Paper Again.
Best places to buy: Target or Walgreens
Stock-up price: $0.02 per square foot
Where to look for coupons:
FREE RESOURCE: Use our KCL Stock-up Prices Guide to find the ideal coupon stockpile price for more than 650 items, including toilet paper and every other product on this list.
2. Laundry detergent is a must for your coupon stockpile.
Watch for laundry detergent coupons that reach up to $3 off, depending on the brand. Plan to save the most money on Xtra, All, and Purex. You’ll have to calculate the price per load in order to compare detergent prices for differently sized products.
Like toilet paper, detergent isn’t cheap at full price, but there are surefire ways to save on laundry detergent. The best deals will be at Target and the drugstores. Deals will usually involve a Target gift card promotion or drugstore rewards points promotions that can be stacked with coupons and rebate app offers. We often see Ibotta rebate offers and Fetch offers for detergent.
You should be able to find a Tide deal a few times every month. Deals often require you to purchase more than one product and tend to include Downy fabric softener.
Best place to buy: Target
Stock-up prices:
All: $0.06 per load
Arm & Hammer: $0.09 per load
Purex: $0.06 per load
Tide Liquid: $0.14 per load
Tide Pods: $0.14 per pod
Xtra: $0.04 per load
Where to check for coupons:
3. Your coupon stockpile will become loaded with toothpaste.
Use toothpaste coupons to score free tubes at drugstores like CVS and Walgreens when you combine store loyalty point promotions and sale prices.
Toothpaste sits solidly in the “freebie” category because deals are so good and so frequent, you can usually get tubes for free. Sometimes you can even come out of the store with money in your pocket, thanks to toothpaste moneymaker deals. In these cases, you’ll pay out of pocket but get store cash in return (like a Walgreens Register Reward).
"I haven't bought toothpaste in six years and probably won't run out for another two. - Rachel W., KCL reader
When you see a deal that results in free toothpaste, buy as many as you can until the next deal rolls around. Toothpaste freebie deals happen a few times a month at drugstores.
Best places to buy: Walgreens and CVS
Stock-up price: FREE – $1
Where to check for coupons:
Example deal scenario:
4. Get cheap tampons and pantyliners for your coupon stockpile.
Feminine hygiene coupons are released frequently and are valued at up to $2 — and sometimes more for brands like Poise.
Occasionally you can even find freebie or moneymaker feminine products. This happens most often with pantyliners when there’s a sale, coupon, or store promotion, plus an active rebate app offer. But sometimes you can get free pantyliners with just a sale and a rebate offer. Look for the smallest box included in the rebate offer or coupon to save the most money.
Best places to buy: Almost anywhere! Walgreens, CVS, Walmart, Target, and Dollar Tree
Stock-up prices:
Tampons: $2 per pack
Pantiliners: FREE – $0.49 per pack
Where to check for coupons:
5. Shampoo and conditioner won’t cost you an arm and a leg anymore.
You can usually find shampoo coupons for brands like Pantene, Garnier, Herbal Essences, Suave, Tresemme, L’Oreal, Aveeno, Nexxus, Dove, Head & Shoulders, and John Frieda.
Coupon values range from $0.50 to $2 off, but expect to find drugstore deals that allow you to score dirt-cheap bottles of name-brand products. The most common deal will be a sale price combined with a coupon and a store loyalty reward (like CVS ExtraBucks).
In the past, we saw frequent moneymaker deals for shampoo and conditioner. But now, the lowest we usually see them go is $0.50 each.
Best places to buy: Walgreens and CVS
Stock-up price: $0.50 – $2.99 per bottle
Where to check for coupons:
Example deal scenario:
6. Add dish soap to your coupon stockpile for under $1.
Dishwashing coupons are often valued up to $0.75 and work really well with sale prices to get you bottles of dish soap for stock-up prices! It's helpful to calculate the cost per ounce to figure out if you're getting a good deal on dish soap.
These are some of the simplest deals because they often only require a sale price and a coupon. Pay attention to a coupon’s fine print and size restrictions, then buy the smallest, cheapest size to get the biggest savings.
Walgreens seems to run the most frequent stock-up deals on dish soap.
Best place to buy: Walgreens
Stock-up price: $0.05 - $0.10 per ounce
Where to check for coupons:
7. Save big when you stockpile new razors.
Razors can sure be pricey without coupons. Thankfully, we often see razor coupons valued up to $4!
If you time it right, you can pay under $1 for razors, as we hot deals happen at least once a month. When this happens, buy enough to last you a month or two until you see the next razor deal.
What’s a hot razor deal look like? As low as $0.49 each. Disposable razor deals can happen by combining a sale price, a coupon, and an Ibotta offer. These deals show up most often at Target.
To get razor cartridges for cheap, you’ll probably need to shop at a drugstore like CVS and combine a sale price, store coupons, and an ExtraBucks promotion.
Best places to buy: Target, Walgreens, and CVS
Stock-up price:
Disposable razors: $0.49 – $1.99 per pack
Gillette Venus Razors: $1.99 – $3.99
Gillette Fusion/Mach 3 Razors: $1.99 – $3.99
Where to check for coupons:
Example deal scenario:
8. Add cereal to your coupon stockpile or donate it for cheap.
Cereal coupons are super easy to find and use at your favorite stores. The best coupons are worth at least $0.50 but can be up to $2 off one box.
Stock up when you can get cereal for less than $2 a box. This happens most often during Kroger Mega Sales when you can combine a sale price with coupons and an Ibotta rebate. As long as you buy five items included in the Kroger Mega Sale, the super-low price is yours.
Best place to buy: Kroger
Stock-up price: $1.50 - $2 per box
Where to check for coupons:
9. Add deodorant to your coupon stockpile for under $1 each.
Deodorant coupons, depending on the brand, vary from $0.50 off to $2 off. Look for the best deodorant coupon deals at Walgreens and CVS. Occasionally, you'll also find deodorant deals at grocery stores like Meijer and Kroger.
You can get free deodorant by stacking coupons, rebate offers, and drugstore promotions. We tend to see freebie deals pop up every few months.
Best places to buy: Walgreens and CVS
Stock-up price: $0.49 – $2.50 per stick
Where to check for coupons:
10. Load up your coupon stockpile with diapers of all sizes.
Diapers are the T. rex of a grocery budget because they’ll eat all your dollars without apology.
Therefore, stocking up on diapers with coupons is a must when you’re on a budget! Lucky for you, it’s easy to get cheap diapers when you’re couponing.
"There was a point when my 6-year-old was still in diapers, I had enough supply WITHOUT worrying about running out and/or buying more for at least 6 months. Probably longer. And never paid full price for any of it!" - Angelica A., KCL reader
Diaper coupon savings can be as high as $3 off per jumbo pack. Target and drugstores like CVS are the best place to buy them. A drugstore deal will probably include a sale price, coupons, and a store promotion. Possibly a rebate offer, too!
Best places to buy: Target, Walgreens, or CVS
Stock-up price: $4 - $5 per pack
Where to check for coupons:
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