Your Inventory & Re-stocking System?

[Life_is_Simple]

If I had a very streamlined system for restocking vitamins / supplements, food, HBA items, etc., it would help me greatly. My system is most noticeably out of whack when I come back from traveling, and notice that I need to restock up on EVERYTHING! And then I am too tired to do it.

Does anyone have a good system in keeping yourself stocked up on things, and to know when something is running out?

I'll write out my current system, and what I am thinking of changing, in the next post.

[Life_is_Simple]

I have a laminated vitamins/supplement/tea spreadsheet. But I don't think it is working. So last night I added columns of 1-month supply, 2-month, 3-month, etc. Then the item will stretch across how many months a bottle/box would last, and I can check things off. If I was going on a long vacation, I would want to have enough on hand to make it 1-month post-vacation.

If this spreadsheet doesn't work, I might put the bottles on a bookshelf, labeled similarly to the spreadsheet, so I can see how many bottles are missing to get me to the 3-month supply, for example. Sometimes I need to visually see things.

Given that I also have problems stocking up on HBA and food, I have added all this to the spreadsheet.

Ugh.

What complicates things is that I have health issues including chemical sensitivities and food allergies, so I need very specific, exact things that I usually have to order.

But if I can figure out a system for all this, it would help greatly!

[catherine]

Well, I've mentioned my precious white dry erase board in other posts. If you keep a white board in/near your kitchen you can quickly scribble:
--things you are running out of
--perishables that you have to use in meals within the next couple of days
--your key goal for the year
--calendar/events for the upcoming week.

[Life_is_Simple]

Catherine, I do have a small whiteboard near my kitchen that I don't use for anything :laff: Maybe this will give me a reason to use it ;) I will try it. Though I might want to stick it on the door, which will force me to look at it on the way out

[catherine]

Catherine, I do have a small whiteboard near my kitchen that I don't use for anything :laff: Maybe this will give me a reason to use it ;) I will try it. Though I might want to stick it on the door, which will force me to look at it on the way out

Great!

Mine is 3' by 2' which is really a good size for me.

[SteveinMN]

We do pretty much what catherine does, though we use leftover envelopes and paper scraps for the white material and we don't list annual goals or appointments (appointments are all pretty much electronic for us). So I guess what we do is only a little bit like what catherine does. :)

Anyway, as soon as the item is running low or exhausted, it's added to the list with the pen kept nearby, which is kept on the refrigerator (which is right by the door we use the most). If we're really in a rush, we'll take part of the packaging for the product (if it's clean) and just stick it on the fridge next to the list. Coupons about to expire go there, too. It's worked pretty well for us -- very few runs for one item because we forgot to write it down and very few coupons we fail to redeem (if we're actually going to use them).

[Mrs-M]

I still utilize ye-ole paper shopping list method. Boring, I know, but it works, and because it's always handy right in the kitchen, I can readily jot-down whatever I'm in need of, and the next time I'm ready to do a shop, the list gets tucked into my purse, and away I go!

Love the whiteboard idea!

How do you all find the whiteboard as for fitting it into your purse/wallet/back-pocket? Cumbersome? http://www.smileyvault.com/albums/userpics/10172/teehee.gif

[catherine]

How do you all find the whiteboard as for fitting it into your purse/wallet/back-pocket? Cumbersome? http://www.smileyvault.com/albums/userpics/10172/teehee.gif

haha, ok, when I go to the super I just glance at the white board and THEN note it on my shopping list. But in general, picking up a marker and scribbling it quickly on the board is less time than a) looking for my purse, b) digging out the list, c) finding a pen and d) writing it on the list.

:)

[Rosemary]

I have one notebook in which I keep track of whatever I need to write down - shopping lists, things I need to do at home, etc -- this way it is all in one place. I usually use one page for all of my week's shopping and rip it out on Monday to put in my purse, so I have it when I need it. Things go on the list when I open the last one in stock, or in the case of something like vitamins where a bottle can last 2/3 of a year, when it's about half empty.

I used to keep a freezer inventory sheet but now I don't. I keep a mental inventory instead, which gets refreshed every time I take something out of or put something into the freezer, which this time of year is daily. Pantry is also a mental list, and if I'm going to a particular store where I buy specific items or if I see a good sale, I'll take a look to see if I need to restock those items.

[Mrs-M]

Awww... feeling a little silly today, so couldn't help myself over injecting a little fun towards the topic! :)

[Dhiana]

You can have all the lists and inventories you want but do you have a set date/time in which you actually will purchase these items whether at the local grocer or on the internet?

Someone mentioned in a post that they literally forget to buy food! Why not have a set date that you specifically purchase these items, such as 1st & 3rd Monday of each month? Or Every Wednesday?

[Life_is_Simple]

You can have all the lists and inventories you want but do you have a set date/time in which you actually will purchase these items whether at the local grocer or on the internet?

Someone mentioned in a post that they literally forget to buy food! Why not have a set date that you specifically purchase these items, such as 1st & 3rd Monday of each month? Or Every Wednesday?
Dhiana, I think you are getting closer to the issue, which is I don't have a process. Lists are static, process is fluid. And I can't exactly figure out how to make a process. So the best thing I can think of is to waaaaaay stock up on what is on my checklist.

In my head, purchasing can happen any time, instead of having the set date, like you suggest.

Oh, I know what it is. My tasks are grouped according to category, instead of according to date. So I need to maybe use a calendar, or create the lists I have in my smart phone according to date, instead of according to category.

This is weird. When I was organizing papers into binders last summer, I was having trouble because everything was organized by year, instead of category. Now I am having just the opposite problem!:laff: This is a common problem for me - organizing incorrectly in ways that don't work.

[herisf]

When I take the last bottle of something off the shelf (supplement, lotion, toothpaste, whatever), I write it down on the refrigerator. One list for each store. If a food item, it goes on the grocery list (and I add to the list when I review the weekly sales flyer). If household supply, it goes on another list. The lists then become my errands for the coming week.

Groceries are obtained once a week (usually Fridays or Saturdays). Supplements, since it's in town, get picked up after work. If I need Target/WalMart, it can be up to 2-3 weeks before I can drive there - but usually not more than that. In the interim, I simply keep adding to the list as things occur to me.

I have made the effort to streamline the supplements and household products I use. There's probably still too many, but it's controllable now.

[Float On]

Specifically about supliments/vitamins/medications and some being 1 month supply, some 2, some 3, etc..

Can you find one place to order everything you take or do you have different suppliers?
I would place a larger order quarterly. I can see value in Amazon's program where they automatically send you a refill based on your needs.

If you can order 6 (one month), 3 (two month), 2 (three month) then you'd have 1/2 the year covered and just refill all the orders in 5 1/2 months so you are ready for the next 1/2 year.
I'd keep a cabinet dedicated to just that with a chart on the inside of the door.
I use to take quite a few things and my problem was remembering daily if I'd taken everything or not (some were morning/some evening). I had to do a checklist chart to help me remember.

[HomemadeChange]

Oh, I know what it is. My tasks are grouped according to category, instead of according to date. So I need to maybe use a calendar, or create the lists I have in my smart phone according to date, instead of according to category.
.

Have you considered using your smart phone to set a reminder. For example if you need Item A every 3 months, you could set a reminder for 2.5 months after purchase. That way you would have two weeks for shipping or a bit of a grace period to pick Item A up. If you have monthly items you could set one reminder for all of them: Purchase Items B, C and D etc. I use my phone to set reminders all the time and it really helps to keep me straight.

[catherine]

The process question also makes me remember another reason I love my white board. If I have a notebook, I tend to just make lists ad finitum and then things just lose their importance and urgency.

I put NO MORE than 6 things on the white board at a time (except for my yearly goal). I can tackle six things. But once "no more butter" gets mixed in with "pick paint for the bedroom" and "clean garage" and 20 other things I completely lose focus.

[citrine]

We usually do a Sam's club run for tp, bounty, body wash, vitamins, and shampoo which lasts us at least 2 months. We do a Target run once a month and the grocery store every two weeks. I use a list as well and before we go to the stores, both Hubby and I run around and check to see if anything else is needed.

[Life_is_Simple]

Specifically about supliments/vitamins/medications and some being 1 month supply, some 2, some 3, etc..

Can you find one place to order everything you take or do you have different suppliers?
I would place a larger order quarterly. I can see value in Amazon's program where they automatically send you a refill based on your needs.

If you can order 6 (one month), 3 (two month), 2 (three month) then you'd have 1/2 the year covered and just refill all the orders in 5 1/2 months so you are ready for the next 1/2 year.
I'd keep a cabinet dedicated to just that with a chart on the inside of the door.
I use to take quite a few things and my problem was remembering daily if I'd taken everything or not (some were morning/some evening). I had to do a checklist chart to help me remember.
Float On - I really do want to get a 6 month stockpile. That would make my life so much easier

There are a few items that I need to get at specific online stores. Then I will typically get the rest from either of 2 online stores.

So I added columns to my spreadsheet for those online stores, and how much it costs for 3 month supplies from each. Then I may check my stock against the spreadsheet, and place some orders.

I do have several 7day pill boxes with morning, noon, evening, and night compartments. That REALLY helps me not forget to take things.

But when I start to run out of things, I will sometimes buy them at the Vitamin Shoppe store, which can be more expensive, or Whole Foods, which you know is going to be expensive.

[Life_is_Simple]

Have you considered using your smart phone to set a reminder. For example if you need Item A every 3 months, you could set a reminder for 2.5 months after purchase. That way you would have two weeks for shipping or a bit of a grace period to pick Item A up. If you have monthly items you could set one reminder for all of them: Purchase Items B, C and D etc. I use my phone to set reminders all the time and it really helps to keep me straight.
HomemadeChange - At your suggestion, I just put some of my ToDos into my smartphone calendar, which has reminders. I'll put the supplement reminder in there after I order a bunch of things on my spreadsheet, and know when the re-ordering will be needed.

Whew!

Thanks everybody! The wheels are in motion ;)

[Life_is_Simple]

The process question also makes me remember another reason I love my white board. If I have a notebook, I tend to just make lists ad finitum and then things just lose their importance and urgency.

I put NO MORE than 6 things on the white board at a time (except for my yearly goal). I can tackle six things. But once "no more butter" gets mixed in with "pick paint for the bedroom" and "clean garage" and 20 other things I completely lose focus.
Catherine - Yeah, all the more reason for me to stock up on what I can, which will leave fewer things to compete for space on the whiteboard. If the whiteboard ends up being: "Friday - Acupuncture" and "Buy meat and cheese" I will be happy :cool:

[SteveinMN]

One other thought for those toting smartphones: there are apps out there which use the phone's GPS to identify where you are and then display notes you specify. For instance, on my phone, I can mark "Target" as a location sometime when I'm in the store. Then, whenever-later, I can add shopping items to a note I associate with that location. Next time I arrive at that Target, the app will check the GPS coordinates and display the note containing the shopping items. Multiple locations can be set up, though there are limits -- if I go to the Target across town instead of my usual store, the app knows nothing. I can bring up a location manually, but that defeats the purpose of the automation. Just an idea. Shop your local app store if you're interested.

[Life_is_Simple]

SteveinMN - Thanks for the suggestion to look through apps. I will see if I can find anything useful. :+1:

[herbgeek]

My system is that I have a box on my frig that contains 3x5 index cards and a pen. When any item in the house gets below the half way point (whether that be mayo or toilet paper or contact solution), it goes on the list. Once there are at least 3 things on the list, or once every 2 weeks (whichever comes first) I go to Target, putting the index card in my pocket.

[Life_is_Simple]

Progress:

I have on order enough for a 6 month supply of most supplements. Those things should be showing up next week via the good and kindly UPS man. ;)

There is now a bookshelf shelf for the supplements, lined up, and I will later get out my label maker...

It is helping to have an overall strategy. Some of the things on order are for larger count bottles of things, which should simplify the need to reorder. It is also helping to note the price on my spreadsheet, from various establishments. I am finding sales and using emails like "15% off your entire order," and getting better deals. So this organized strategy is saving me money!:cool:

Aside: I checked out Costco as well and see that Costco has 80-count boxes of Culturelle at a really low price! And starting next Friday (according to my costco mailer) will be $7 less! :+1:

Thanks for all your ideas, and talking me through this. :thankyou:

[Blackdog Lin]

I'm low-tek, but my system works wonderfully for us. On the side of the fridge is always kept 3 lists to manually add to as we notice when some household need is getting low: (1) the Walmart list, with grocery staples and household necessaries.; (2) the Sam's Club list, with items that we buy in bulk knowing we save money for same, like soaps, sugar and flour, trash bags, etc.; and (3) the Penzey's list, with spices that are getting low. When going shopping to any of the above places (Penzey's is online shopping, and I order when the list is getting longish) we just grab the list and go.

[catherine]

Life_Is_Simple: I'm just curious... how many supplements do you take every day??