If you’ve seen any of my recent posts on Instagram, you’ll know that we had the flu run through our house recently. In general, I like to keep my cupboard full with frugal pantry staples. It doesn’t always happen, but it’s appreciated, especially in instances like this. Not only does it keep the grocery costs down and help simplify our meal planning process, but it also ensures that I don’t have to run to town for food while our house is in the middle of illnesses.
Here is a list of the frugal pantry staples that we always try to keep on hand.
Baking Supplies
Flour
I keep two types of flour on hand: unbleached all purpose, and bread flour. All purpose flour gets used for baking items, pancakes, biscuits, and as a thickener in soups and gravies. Bread flour, on the other hand, is used for homemade pizza dough and cinnamon rolls. As a disclaimer, bread flour can be a little more expensive, but in the end it’s still cheaper than buying premade pizzas and cinnamon rolls.
Sugar
I’ll be honest, sugar gets used daily in my household. In my coffee. Beyond that, it’s used in baked goods, pancakes, & homemade jellies and jams.
Baking Powder
Baking powder doesn’t have many uses in our house, and to be honest, one container lasts a very long time. That said, it’s in nearly every recipe I bake, from banana bread bars, to biscuits, but it’s also in our pancake recipe.
Baking Soda
Baking soda has many more uses in our house than as an additive for baked goods. I also use it in my laundry, and in scouring scrub to clean stuck on food on the dishes.
Pantry Items
Rice
When we were in grad school, rice was something we served daily, either as a side or a the bulk of a meal, like chicken & wild rice soup. It’s cheap, at $0.99 for a pound. Your area may have it at a cheaper price since food in my region tends to run a little high.
Pasta
Just like rice, pasta was something that we had a few times a week throughout grad school. Since then, we’ve cut back on the amount of pasta we serve to a few times a month. In general though, it’s still something that’s nice to have on hand in a pinch for spaghetti & meatballs, noodles for chicken noodle soup, and mac & cheese.
Beans
Beans used to be something that we ate when we made chili. Since then they’ve become a vital part of our diet. I prefer to buy dry beans and cook them up in a large batch and freeze them for later rather than canned beans. I then take a bag and add them to taco meat, fajitas, add them to chicken chili, and even rice and beans.
Oatmeal
I prefer to buy my oatmeal by the canister rather than the instant packets. It makes it easy to have plain oatmeal on hand for adding to recipes, like meatloaf, salisbury steaks, and baked goods, and be able to use the same canister for oatmeal for breakfasts. I do keep two types on hand though. Quick cooking oatmeal gets added to meatloaf, salisbury steaks and other recipes where I need some filler and binding, while old fashioned rolled oats are used for homemade granola, breakfast oatmeal, and no bake cookies.
Spices
In the summers I grow a lot of herbs, and dehydrate them with out dehydrator when I can. But even when I can’t and have to buy herbs from the store, dehydrated herbs are a wonderful way to help give your food some extra flavor. For the most part, I prefer to buy herbs and spices as singles rather than higher prices for premium mixes.
Peanut Butter
Peanut butter in this house is a must for sandwiches and banana boats. Bookworm also loves to take a spoon of PB and eat it plain.
Tea
I love having a cup of hot tea at the end of a stressful day to help me unwind, but I we also enjoy making iced tea in the summer.
Broth Base
When we have roasted chicken, I like to keep the bones and make homemade broth. Times when I don’t have chicken broth on hand, or if I need some beef broth, I use Better Than Bullion* base. It’s MSG free, which is a must for Monkey to help keep his migraines at bay.
Oils
I like to have a few different oils on hand for cooking. Olive oil helps as a base for many things, as well as adding it to water before adding in some pasta. Vegetable oil gets used in pancake batter and for frying, and I’ll use sunflower oil or avocado oil as a replacement for butter when I saute veggies as well. Coconut oil has a place in our pantry for popcorn, but it has uses beyond our kitchen. I use it in salves, vapor rub, and other DIY projects around the house.
Vinegar
Vinegar gets the most use in our household as a fabric softener replacement, as well as a cleaner {it works wonders with some lemon essential oil to clean our coffee pot}. But that’s not it’s only use. It’s used in the summers for canning and pickling, as well as making homemade buttermilk for pancakes.
Tuna
This is probably one of the more expensive items on this list for its per pound cost, but it’s a nice way to get some extra protein. If I’m making tuna burgers, or tuna pasta salad, I prefer to buy the cans, but the foil pouches can be purchased on sale with coupons, and are the perfect addition to salads that Hubs and Monkey bring in for their lunches.
Tortillas
Ever since Lady Bug, tortillas have a special, and permanent place in our pantry. Between quesadillas, fajitas, soft shell tacos… the list goes on.
Popcorn
My kids absolutely LOVE eating popcorn. It’s hard for me to not love it too. It’s a great snack, that’s high in fiber, and has some magnesium. But when I buy bags of it prepopped, it can get a little expensive. I prefer to buy unpopped kernels and then pop them in our popcorn popper*. I add a little bit of coconut oil to the popper so that I don’t burn the popcorn while it’s popping, add a little salt when it’s done, and snack is served.
Fruits and Veggies
Bananas
Bananas have got to be one of my favorite frugal foods. Not only are they wonderful to have as a snack, or with some peanut butter for some protein, but they are very versatile in making breads, muffins, and banana chips. Because of their versatility, they’re at the top of our produce list every week.
Potatoes
Potatoes, just like bananas, are on our list nearly every week. Between sides of mashed potatos, oven fries, or even as potato soup, our family can go through a 5 pound bag relatively fast. It’s a good thing they’re cheap in my area, at less than $2 for a 5 pound bag, it’s a must on our grocery list.
Onions
Onions start as a base in nearly every recipe I use, between soups, stews and so on. As a matter of fact, if it’s not a baked good, odds are really good there are onions in it.
Garlic
Garlic, just like onions, are in nearly every recipe we make. I also add some cloves of garlic to my dutch oven before I roast a chicken.
Peppers
Peppers, like onions and garlic, get added to nearly every recipe I make. On top of that, peppers get added to salads and make a wonderful snack when paired with some ranch dressing.
Lettuce
Lettuce is on our grocery list at least every week. Hubs likes to take salads in his lunches, and Monkey has been taking salads in every now and then as well.
Spinach
Spinach, like lettuce, is on our list often. When we’ve had spinach overload, this gets swapped out with super greens. No matter which we buy, it’s a nice filler for salads, but can easily be added to soups and stews for some extra nutrition, as well in my beans and rice recipe.
Carrots
I’m not picky when it comes to buying carrots. Lately I’ve been buying baby carrots more than the others, but it’s only because they’re quick to grab in the mornings as I’m making lunches. But carrots make great snacks and excellent additions to soups and stews.
Fridge
Eggs
I try to keep at least a dozen eggs on hand at a time, but it tends to be more like 2 or 3 dozen. We all eat them, in a variety of ways. The kids especially like them when they’re hard boiled, devilled, scrambled, sunny side, and once over. They’re also a vital ingredient in pancakes and french toast.
Block Cheese
Every week I purchase at least a small 8oz block of cheddar cheese. It’s only $2 for a block, and it lasts us all week, whether Lady Bug eats it as snack or I’m adding it to different recipes. Mozarella cheese is a little but more expensive, at $3.50, but one block can be spread over 2 pizzas, making the cost worth it for us. Plus, shredding it ourselves helps save money when compared to those little baggies of pre-shredded cheese.
Sour Cream
Sour cream was one of those things we bought at the store every now and again when we were making tacos. Since then, sour cream has become something I buy every week or so. From toppings on chicken chili and potato soup, to being put into our mashed potatoes, sour cream has found more uses in our household than just as toppings on tacos.
Cottage Cheese & Yogurt
Yes, I realize these are two separate items, but they have the same use in our house. Yogurt is packed in the kids’ lunches every day, and Hubs takes in cottage cheese with peaches every day. Lady bug has also been known to eat some cottage cheese for breakfast with either applesauce or peaches. Packed with protein, these two make a great frugal breakfast, or a healthy addition to packed lunches.
Whole Chicken
I debated putting this on the list, because depending on the weight, these can run upwards of $8. But with one chicken, I get numerous meals out of it, from roasted chicken, to chicken sammies, and then broth with the bones afterwards. With careful planning, one chicken can easily get us three or four meals throughout a week. For that reason alone, I decided to add this to our list of frugal pantry staples.
What are some frugal pantry staples you have to have on hand?
Leave a Reply