This is the thing, my MA pools rotate at 11 and 5, I don't miss any, I spend pet food sparingly and a few weeks ago (for the second time this year) came to situation of having 0 in stock. I believe that such important items as pet food and combat boosters should not depend on RNG at all, without them it's impossible to go far in tournaments. We should have some other steady source of acquiring them on a more regular basis (like some buildings producing pet food etc). Inno is introducing new pets all the time, expecting players to spend money on the events and getting more of those pets, without giving an opportunity to feed them, damaging their own income, because what is the point of having all those buildings if you cannot use them when you want to...
It's very easy to spend more petfood than you get if you do not monitor is (read write down each time you get one)
Never believe your brain, it will fool you time after time.
There are high spells and dry spells with RNG. this means sometimes you get more than average and sometimes less than average.
If you reached 0 and do not miss any pools then the answer is quite simple, you are spending above average. in good times you spend more and in bad times you are screwed.
Take a very carefull look at your spending habits/
Put yourself on a 6 per week spending limit, and next year you will have plenty of reserve. do not overspend in good times because you have plenty.
The same counts for combat buildings, put yourself on a spending habit of 1 UUU, 1 LR, 1MM per week average and those will grow as well.
It's all about managing your gains very well.
If you are strict, if you always spend a little less than the average you will build up stock, and in bad RNG times those stocks will drop, in good RNG times those stock will rise
I am currently in a dry spell for Mage multipliers. I only have 26 atm. I had 35 of shem some weeks ago. but I just keep doing what I have been doing for years now, those numbers will rise again. I just started with some stock and put myself on a strick 3 MM per 2 week schedule and it never failed me.
I had been monitoring my gains and losses for a long time and that's how I came to the number 3 per 2 weeks which seems to be working very well for me since the tournament changes / crafting slot changes. I had other arrangements before then changes. and the only way I could come to those numbers is by monitoring them over a long period of time. (read years)
So for each item, figure out the odds, get a little below than and keep yourself at those limits and you'll never have any issue.
But if you overspend in good times you will be screwed over in bad times. good times aren't the norm. at the long term it's always average.
Dwarven armouries are the trickiest RNG items. I had 13, went back to 1! and got back up to 11 again and it's currently 9 (I use 1 of them per 2 weeks)
Because there is only 1 spire a week the RNG is quite random and you need quite the stock to overcome bad RNG periods.
but it also shows that you schould not start overspending because I got 13 of them anyway, plenty of stock, it would have screwed me over big time if I had done that.