Stocking a Real Food Pantry

Save time and money by stocking the most important food essentials! Learn how to stock pantry staples on a budget, plus ideas for a grocery list.

As a frugal foodie, I always have a well-stocked pantry. When I have my kitchen essentials, I have everything I need on hand to make healthy, fresh, and budget-friendly meals.

I snag an extra jar when peanut butter is on sale, shop seasonal produce, and recognize a great price in the weekly circular.

These frugal habits can work to our benefit: we have good food readily available AND a grocery budget under control.

Of course, there are more benefits to having all of our food essentials, so I thought I’d share reasons why WE have certain items almost always on hand – so you can see that stocking your kitchen well can help you on your real food journey.

BENEFITS OF HAVING PANTRY STAPLES STOCKED

I have found that there are many benefits to having a well-stocked real food pantry:

• There’s always something to eat.
• Last-minute trips to the drive-thru become less frequent.
• Stocking up provides the opportunity to buy in bulk.
• Your weekly shopping list is shorter.
• Meal planning is easier.
• Prep work and cooking are easier, too!

Having certain pantry staples ready for use in your pantry can not only save you time but also money.

BASIC FOOD ESSENTIALS EVERY KITCHEN SHOULD HAVE

The point of planning a meal isn’t to show off our culinary skills. The purpose of making a meal is to fuel our bodies with good food. If you stock your pantry with cooking essentials, you’ll be able to do that at every meal.

Consider your basic food essentials (this could look different for you, but here are 9 categories I always have on hand):

• Whole Grains. Items like quinoa, pasta, white rice, brown rice, barley, whole wheat berries, and oatmeal fit in this category. Before you stock up, make sure to have proper storage for your grains to prevent infestations.
• Oils and Vinegars. I like to keep a good supply of extra-virgin olive oil, avocado oil, and coconut oil. Vinegar is a must, too, especially for making your own salad dressing. Apple cider vinegar is my go-to but I also keep rice vinegar and red wine vinegar on hand.
• Spices and Seasonings. Basic seasonings like salt, black pepper, paprika, garlic powder, cumin, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, chili powder, kosher salt, and so on have a fairly long shelf life. Dried herbs like oregano, bay leaf, thyme, and sage are a must too. I like to make my own spice blends and have these on hand, especially Homemade Taco Seasoning. Spices add flavor for marinating meat or making delicious homemade dressings.
• Baking Pantry Essentials. Baking soda, baking powder, flour, sugar, yeast, cornstarch, chocolate chips, and vanilla extract (here’s how to make it homemade) are some pantry staples I always have on hand.
• Dried Beans. I keep a good stock of my favorite dried beans and lintels for making in the Instant Pot or slow cooker. Dried beans are cheaper than canned beans.
• Stock and Broth. Both are fantastic for recipes. I make my chicken stock homemade in the Instant Pot and store it in the freezer.
• Canned Goods. Whether you like to can food yourself or you use items like canned tuna or canned corn, it’s always good to have some canned goods in your pantry. Soups and tomato sauces are good too if you can find some with clean ingredients.
• Honey. Being on a real food journey, I’ve found that switching sugar for honey in many recipes works and is much better for you! I always keep a good supply in my pantry.
• Condiments. I prefer to make my own mayonnaise, but I keep mustard, ketchup, BBQ sauce, and hot sauce on hand. I suppose pickles, olives, and soy sauce fit in this category too!
• Vegetables. We almost always buy carrots, onions, and potatoes in bulk. When I’m cooking dinner, I know my bare minimum veggies options: carrots, onions, and potatoes!

Beyond the Pantry

If you have the freezer space, stocking foods that freeze well is a great way to keep food on hand. You can even freeze yogurt, and eggs too!

• Meats. Ground beef, whole chicken, pork chops, sausage, wings, etc. These are often always in my freezer. We love to buy our meat through Butcher Box, they have great prices on quality meats!
• Fruits. Dried fruit like apricots, raisins, and cranberries, will have a long shelf life, but freezing fruit is a good option too. Strawberries, peaches, blueberries, bananas, oranges, lemon, raspberries, lime, avocado and more can all be frozen! We use these in smoothies, baked goods, and for making jam.

KITCHEN ESSENTIALS FOR STOCKING A NEW PANTRY ON A BUDGET

What about if you just moved to a new home? Or you’re helping an adult child set up their first kitchen? If you’re stocking kitchen essentials for the first time, follow these tips.

• Consider the items you’d like to have on hand all the time, then try to purchase them in bulk as you’re able.
• Look for sales and build your pantry up as time and your budget allow.
• Start off with your food essentials first, even if they are not purchased in bulk, then, when you can, buy them in bulk!

BUY FOOD ESSENTIALS IN BULK

The key to stocking up in an affordable manner is not to buy every item in bulk at the same time. By choosing to buy just a few each month (or each grocery budget cycle), you reap the rewards of buying in bulk without breaking the bank.

You can take an extra step when buying in bulk and use some of your bulk purchase to build up a stockpile, for as little as $5 a week (remember when there was no toilet paper?).

Here are just a few examples of how we save by buying in bulk:

• Cashew nuts are $5.99/lb when you buy them in bulk from Costco, compared to $7.99/lb from other places when you buy smaller portions at a time. Savings = $4.99.
• Bob’s Red Mill rolled oats are $10.48 from Amazon for a total of 128 ounces. You can get the same rolled oats from Walmart for $8.80, but you only get 64 ounces – half as much! Savings = $7.12
• Organic butter is $3.99 per pound at Costco when you buy 4 pounds at a time. My local grocery store has organic butter for $4.99/lb – a whole dollar more! Savings = $4

The total savings of buying just these three items in bulk is over $16 – I could buy a whole organic chicken with that savings! Or I could use that savings for another bulk purchase of food essentials.

IDEAS FOR A GROCERY LIST FOR A YEAR

You can also use these ideas for a grocery list to shop for a longer period of time.

If your budget allows it, and you’d like to stock your pantry in one big shopping trip, you can do this by following this process:

1. Make a list of all the items you would like to have on hand.
2. See how much of certain pantry items you use in a month.
3. Calculate how much you think you will need for the whole year. Keep in mind holidays and feeding guests usually mean more ingredients, so factor in a little wiggle room for these items.
4. Shop in bulk for the items on your list.

If you end up with too much of an item at the end of the year, you know you don’t need to buy as much the next year.

Personally, I like to shop for grocery staples every few months, instead of for the whole year. But if this is your shopping style, go for it!

PERSONAL GROCERY ITEMS LIST

Along with the pantry and fridge essentials I’ve already mentioned, you’ll likely have a few specific food essentials that are unique to your family or your specific food goals.

For my family and our healthy eating habits, we also have this grocery items list for our kitchen staples:

• Einkorn Flour. This flour is made of ancient grains. It makes amazing bread, pizza dough, muffins, and so much more.
• Honey and Turbinado Sugar. When we decided to cut down on sugar, we switched to using honey or turbinado sugar. The kids haven’t complained about recipes not being sweet enough, and they’re eating less sugar!
• Quinoa. This whole grain is filled with protein and fiber.
• Apple Cider Vinegar. I make mine at home and use it for Detox Elixirs and other recipes.

I recommend deciding what the healthy food essentials are for your family and trying to stock up as the budget allows every few months. Keep an eye out for sales, too!

STOCKING YOUR PANTRY WITH FOOD ESSENTIALS

I think it’s safe to say that being well-stocked in basic pantry essentials can save time, money, and make the world of a difference in your real food journey and everyday life!

What food essentials are on your list?

MORE SAVINGS IDEAS FOR A GROCERY LIST

• 10 Ways to Save Money on Coffee
• Best Foods to Stock up on During Holiday Grocery Sales
• 8 Ways to Save on Cheese
• 25 Food Substitutions That Will Save You Money
• Best Healthy Food to Buy in Bulk