I make good use of my stockpile.

My cousin is very good about saving coke codes for me, so, whenever I go to her house to pick them up, I take something from stockpile to give her. I think it's only right. Last week, for example, she had a Ziploc baggie full of caps. I gave her some floor cleaner and 6 cartons of sour cream. I had to move that sour cream. It will go bad, sooner or later. I had several Qs, it was on sale one week at my double coupon store, and I got 12 free, plus the dreaded tax, of course.

My neighbor, whom I speak about in my posts, is 85 years old. I often take him dinner, well, pretty much every time I cook dinner, I take him a plate. He gifted me a bottle of my favorite wine a little while back. I thanked him and gave him 2 boxes of tea bags (I only have about 85 boxes!). I try very hard to do the right thing when others help me in some way. My stockpile is one of the few ways I am able to reward others; I don't really have extra money to pass around.

My 77 year old dad does all my yard work for me. Sometimes he sees something on the shelf and he will ask if I have more or ask if I got it free or a good deal before he lets on that it is something he would like. I'd give him anything he wanted! There's no way I can repay him for all he does for me around here, but, sharing stockpile makes me feel a little better about the situation.

I would like to find more ways to trade or barter with my stockpile. I guess that's a situation that just has to present itself in some way, but, I'm always looking out for that.

I have presented these ideas of sharing and bartering stockpile to give you an idea of how to utilize what you have in order to get something you want. Everyone's situation is different, but, hopefully this has gotten you to think of your stockpile as more than just "all that stuff" in the house.