Stocking Up

I just stocked up on something that might not interest you in the slightest. But it gave me peace of mind. And I’m curious what items you have stocked up on, and why.

In this post “stocking up” on something means to buy a large quantity of it, to have on hand for future use because you reasonably suspect, or know for sure, that there will be a future shortage of it. I’m not talking about buying a few extras of something you use all the time because it’s convenient to have them on hand. I’m not even talking about emergency supplies, which are also good to have, but which may never be needed, kind of like insurance. You can find some lists online and in my Emergency Preparedness Resource Roundup to help you prepare for natural disasters. But some of the same considerations definitely apply to all categories of extras, like how much you want to invest in them and how you will store them.

I know, I know — I’m usually talking about decluttering. (Exhibit 1: Go With the Flow! The Clutter Flow Chart Workbook.)

So you may be surprised to hear me saying there’s nothing wrong with stocking up on things.

This topic goes hand in hand with a previous post: Keep or Toss? “But I might need it someday!”

When is something worth stocking up on?

I say it’s worth stocking up on something if:

It’s your favorite thing that you use all the time, and it becomes scarce, or actually discontinued, and there seems to be no good substitute.You have the space to store it without sacrificing living space.You can find it when you need it. There’s no sense in piling things up that you can’t use because you can’t find them, or that you don’t use because you forgot you had them!You can afford it, financially.It requires little or no maintenance. It won’t spoil, or you have a system for swapping out expired items.

Discontinued Glad handle-tie trash bags (my favorites)

So, what did I stock up on?

I stocked up on Glad Handle-Tie 13-gallon white kitchen trash bags.

Why? Because I like them and I learned they’ve been discontinued. Boo! I thought they just weren’t available anymore in my particular local stores, so I’ve been buying them on Amazon. (eBay is another good source of discontinued items.) Soon, although they may still be technically available for awhile because someone else stocked up and is selling theirs at a premium price, they may become un-affordable and not worth it to me anymore.

How many did I buy? $100 worth. Two packs of 4 boxes = 8 boxes x 50 bags each = 400 trash bags. That’s $0.25 each. I’m sure they were cheaper last time I bought them, and I see they’re already selling for more than that. This is it. I do not plan to buy more.

What if you run out? Well, it’s not if, it’s when they run out. I’ve bought myself plenty of time, I think, to 1) not worry about it for awhile, 2) mentally adjust, and 3) find a suitable replacement. At a rate of two per week, these will last 4 years. (Depends on how I actually use them, of course. Just for fun I asked Chatty G (ChatGPT) how many uses it could think of for trash bags and here’s the list it came up with.)

How much storage space do they require? 9″ x 14″ x 18″ = 1.3 cubic feet.

(I haven’t opened the box they came in yet, or put them away. I do have a spot for them, though, and it’s not in the living room!)

Why do I like them so much? If I told you, it would just make you want them too, and you would buy them all up! No, not really, I’m sure you’re doing fine with whatever trash bags you already like. But I prefer the handle-tie ones. In case you’ve never paid attention to them, the handles are individual loops that you, um, tie together. They’re easy to use, hold as much as I need them to, don’t get too full or heavy, and they feel comfortable in my hand when carrying them out of the house to the trash bin. (Or whatever else I do with them.)

Meanwhile, I actively dislike all of these other varieties of trash bag: drawstring, twist tie, elastic drawstring, flap-tie (aka cross-tie or quick-tie). I also dislike flex trash bags. Why? Because they’re designed to hold not only bulky items, but more items. I don’t need them to hold more items! Just like purses, backpacks, and luggage, more items generally means a heavier bag.

How does stocking up work with organizing, decluttering, and minimalism?

In The Trouble with Minimalism, I wrote (favorably) about The Minimalists’ 20/20 Rule. Basically, anything they can replace for less than $20 in less than 20 minutes from their current location goes away. They do not get rid of things they use every day; only items they are saving just-in-case that are cluttering their lives unnecessarily because they might, in fact, never need them at all.

In my case, I can no longer get my favorite trash bags easily, or for a reasonable price, because they’ve been discontinued.

Then there’s my free Keep or Toss? “But I might need it someday!” chart, which weighs the Realistic Chances of Needing it Someday, against the Replacement Cost (Time + $$ + Energy), against the Potential Space Recovered. Basically, the lower the chances of your needing or using an item; the lower the replacement cost; and the greater the potential space recovered, the more likely it falls into the Toss category. (Toss = purge or let go of by donating, recycling, gifting, selling, or throwing away in the trash.) For more advice about setting limits read this post: A bag of bags. A box of boxes.

In my case, it is worth it to me to spend the money and devote the storage space to a stash of my favorite trash bags. 

 

What have YOU stocked up on? Or considered stocking up on?

Why? Were you glad? (Ha ha, just noticed the pun in proofreading, yes, I’m Glad!)

Or, did you simply manage without, or find a suitable replacement?

Are you overstocked on something you could get rid of to free up space and mental energy?

Please share with us in the comments below!

______________________________________________________Hazel Thornton is an author, genealogist, and retired home and office organizer.
Book:  Hung Jury: The Diary of a Menendez Juror Book:  What’s a Photo Without the Story? How to Create Your Family Legacy Book:  Go With the Flow! The Clutter Flow Chart Workbook Feel free to link directly to this post! Click here to ask about other uses.Copyright 2025 by Hazel Thornton, Organized for Life and Beyond

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