What basic pantry staples would you require on a "no-spend" food budget?

[worthy]

Or perhaps a "spend as little as humanly possible" or "pantry challenge all the time" food budget?

I'd first start by stocking my pantry with essentials to make the cheapest ingredients go the farthest.  So I'd want herbs, spices, condiments, oils, and other add-ins to make beans, lentils, rice, and other storage grains taste good.  I might also find certain dried or canned or frozen or root-cellared foods essential -- canned tomatoes, for example.

In your pantry, what are those seasonings and essentials, and why do you find them necessary?  What meals or recipes would you make (or DO you make) with them on a no-spend or similar budget?

I'm thinking specifically of dinners (with leftovers for lunches) but breakfasts and snacks are also important.  My go-to pantry breakfast is oatmeal with cinnamon (and possibly raisins) and snack is scratch popcorn. 

If you could stock your pantry with such frugal essentials now, knowing that your grocery budget would need to be as close to no-spend as possible for a number of months, what would you make sure you had in your pantry?

[honeybee80]

Great topic!  I did a recent Costco run with this in mind (not QUITE as extreme as no-spend, but wanting to keep weekly expenses down).  Here's what I bought:

Annie's Mac and Cheese (for lunch for kids)

beans

rice

canned tomato sauce

canned diced tomatoes

canned tomato paste

quinoa

oatmeal

frozen corn

frozen peas

peanut butter

multigrain crackers (a bit of a luxury, but it's a big box)

cheddar cheese

salsa

pasta

chicken broth

pesto

Herbs/Spices/Condiments I use on a regular basis:

olive oil

soy sauce

agave/honey

italian seasoning

chili powder

cumin

cinnamon

garlic

Meal Ideas:

Breakfast--oatmeal, peanut butter crackers

Lunch--leftovers, peanut butter crackers, mac and cheese

Dinner--

rice and bean casserole with salsa and cheese

pasta with tomato sauce

pesto pasta

soup with rice, beans, corn, tomatoes

quinoa with corn and peas

tacos/burritos (would need tortillas)

quesadillas (would need tortillas)

stir fry (could use frozen mixed veggies) with quinoa or rice

pasta bake (would need mozzarella cheese)

pesto pizza (can make crust from scratch or use tortillas)

I'm not super creative with my meals (I'm sure you will get some better suggestions!) and I can manage to NOT be, as my kids are with their dad a few days a week, so I do lots of repeat meals and leftovers for just myself.  I make pesto wraps and pesto pizzas for myself a lot.  Here's my meal plan calendar for October (I believe you can click to make it bigger).  My food budget this month is $300 and I already had a bunch of the bulk basics.

HTH a little!

[Basylica]

Ramen or similar noodles

rice

pasta

instant mashed potatoes

pb+j

anything carb heavy is generally cheaper and tends to have a good shelf life. it's not GREAT for you however... :(

I was caught up in the whole dot com/IT bubble burst about er...13ish years ago. I was still low man on the totem, so it would take me 4-6m to find a job and then after 6-8 weeks of employment i'd be "let go" because they couldn't afford the extra person.

I didn't file for unemployment until this had happened like 3 or 4 times.

I lived off about half a chicken breast or less and a cup or two of rice a DAY for months. I'd grill the breasts and slice them. Then reheat by cutting tiny and stir frying them in a little oil, adding in some cooked rice and soy/teriyaki. I actually lost like 20lbs in a few months that way.

SOOO not healthy!

during divorce dramaz I fed the kids decently and i'd eat pb+j or ramen at night when they were in bed. also cheap but not great for you.

[EmsMom]

Flours, white and whole wheat (if I was gluten sensitive, i would probably skip all flours and just eat lots of potatoes and rice), white and brown rice, dried beans and lentils, popcorn, tuna and canned chicken, canned tomatoes, basil, oregano, thyme, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, Better than Bouillon vegetable stock.  Yeast to make bread.  cornmeal, oatmeal.  Salt, baking powder.  whole wheat pasta and egg noodles.  Produce -- potatoes, carrots, yams, onions and garlic, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage.  Other produce as I could get it cheap (either seasonal or from the marked down bins).  Apples, bananas, oranges or whatever fruit was in season and cheap.  Buy cheap in season and freeze or can!  Dairy: Cheese, milk (fresh and/or dry), eggs.  Fats: olive oil, non GMO oil -- I can live with canola but I usually buy sunflower and only use it in baked goods -- and butter.  Also, peanut butter

From those ingredients (although I am probably forgetting several) I can make daily bread, fancy breads like cinnamon bread for a treat, biscuits, popovers, muffins, tortillas, pancakes, cookies, cakes, waffles, quick breads like banana or apple bread.  I can make homemade pizza with homemade sauce, several different types of casseroles such as tuna noodle casserole, or chick pea noodle casserole which is the same but with chick peas.  Numerous kinds of soup: lentil, chicken, bean, vegetable noodle, potato chowder.  I can eat the fruit fresh or make apple butter or apple jam.  Milk can provide puddings, yogurt, an ingredient in baked goods and drunk fresh.  Condiments: sugar, maple syrup, ketchup and mustard. 

Both of my kids are vegetarian, although I am not.  I do buy chicken parts when they are on sale.  I recently actually saw some organic chicken legs on sale for .99 a lb, so I stocked up.  They can be cooked and used in stirfry, casserole, etc.  I just split up big packages and split them up in small packages for the freezer. 

Leftovers become lunch, snacks are popcorn, homemade cookies, bread with butter or jam or peanut butter, fruit.

This is pretty much how we eat.  It is easy to stock up on most of those things -- I always look for sales -- and then I can go for long periods without going into a store except for fresh produce and dairy, which also saves $$.   Even eggs and cheese can be stored for some time when they go on sale. 

My cheapo diet is totally from the 70s when I grew up, I am curious about what others do.  I know there are some fantastic ethnic dishes that use different seasonings.  I use them, but some of those seasonings are expensive and if I really had to stock the pantry from scratch I would only add them slowly. 
 

[EmsMom]

Wanted to add that in times of crisis, many things can be asked for from our friends and/or neighbors.  Things that are in their house not being used and likely to be thrown away.  For example, everyone always seems to have extra herbs and spices and I can't imagine any one saying no to a request for a couple of tsps of cinnamon or oregano and that would easily last you a month.  Or maybe they have a crock pot you can borrow for a while to cook dried beans in while you are at work.  Same goes for canning equipment in certain areas.  Also, I have had excellent luck when at the supermarket when I see produce being removed from the displays -- if I ask politely "could you mark that down for me?" I have gotten whole cauliflowers, broccoli, eggs, etc, marked down to 1/2 price or less right there on the spot.  Eggs at the end of their sell by date keep for at least a couple of week in the frig.  I recently discovered that if I hit one local supermarket around 8:30 am on the way back from dropping the kids at school, I can have a HUGE selection of day old italian bread, bagels, even donuts

[marsupial-mom]

Absolute cheapest foods:
Dried split peas
Dried lentils
Dried pinto beans
Dried black beans
Dried black eyed peas
Dried lima beans
White rice
Brown rice
Canned vegetables
Canned fruit
Pasta
Tofu
Soymilk
Peanut butter
Flour
Sugar
Spices and herbs
Canola Oil

Things I'd "splurge" on (not absolutely necessary but makes life easier):
Fresh and frozen fruits and veggies
Convenience foods
Vegetarian meats
store bought salad dressings and other condiments
Bread

[Basylica]

Originally Posted by EmsMom 

Wanted to add that in times of crisis, many things can be asked for from our friends and/or neighbors.  Things that are in their house not being used and likely to be thrown away.  For example, everyone always seems to have extra herbs and spices and I can't imagine any one saying no to a request for a couple of tsps of cinnamon or oregano and that would easily last you a month.  Or maybe they have a crock pot you can borrow for a while to cook dried beans in while you are at work.  Same goes for canning equipment in certain areas.  Also, I have had excellent luck when at the supermarket when I see produce being removed from the displays -- if I ask politely "could you mark that down for me?" I have gotten whole cauliflowers, broccoli, eggs, etc, marked down to 1/2 price or less right there on the spot.  Eggs at the end of their sell by date keep for at least a couple of week in the frig.  I recently discovered that if I hit one local supermarket around 8:30 am on the way back from dropping the kids at school, I can have a HUGE selection of day old italian bread, bagels, even donuts

Totally....if I know anyone hard up for cash I tend to bring them in food when I cook in bulk (coworker got a large meal of guiness beef stew and about 3doz cookies recently) or foods I know we won't eat....etc

[SweetSilver]

Quninoa (not cheap, but we have allergies)

Potatoes

Onions

Oats for dd1 (which we whiz up into flour sometmes)

Various wheat flours (the only cereal I can tolerate, oddly): All purpose, white- and whole-wheat pastry, whole wheat bread (white bread would be there, too   if I could find it organically in small quantities.)

Beans (pinto, usually)

Lentils, in small quantities

Oil

Shortening 

Fatty bacon (we have dairy allergies, this is really nice for making bacon fat)

Butter, salted and un-

Sugar

Honey (I by local honey in 5-gallon buckets--lasts me 2-3 years!)

Maple syrup

Cinnamon

Nutmeg, clove, ginger

Turmeric

Cumin seed (to toast and grind)

Coriander seed (same)

Chile powder (spice mix)

Bay leaf (from the garden or dried)

"Italian seasoning" or home-dried oregano

Thyme from the garden

Salt+pepper

Hot sauce

Other condiments, like ketchup+salsa

Must-have produce:

Cabbage

Apples

Bananas

Celery

Carrots

Broccoli or cauliflower

Eggs (mostly for dh and some baking for the girls)

ETA: Almost forgot cocoa, leaveners, and canned green chilies!  

We also have cheeses, avocado, nuts, seeds etc. which can be added as toppings, but because we have so many allergies I don't cook *with* them.  We need to have several milks on hand for the same reason.  Snacky-staples include popcorn and sunflower seeds, which I fry and salt, and prunes.  We cook the bacon for a snack when we run out of grease.  I rarely bake with dried fruit, preferring to snack on them instead.  Other produce, like sweet potatoes, kale, pears, squash, tomatoes, are loved but seasonal.  Meats, while expensive, are unfortunately eaten more than I would like, but we have so many allergies to veg protein sources I add them to avoid extreme monotony, so those are "pantry" staples as well.  Homemade chicken broth in the freezer for soups.  We don't have a lot of canned goods around the house, but I like to have some pumpkin in cans or frozen homemade puree for baking.

Our cooking is pretty simple these days.  Fry up some onions in bacon grease and go from there.......

Edited by SweetSilver - 10/4/12 at 8:29am

[Basylica]

I ALWAYS have tomato "sauce"

(pic on this link as well as some good pantry info) http://www.theperfectpantry.com/2006/09/tomato_sauce.html

I say sauce with quotes because I don't mean premade spaghetti type sauces. I mean basically tomato puree.

I use it in a TON of things I make, sloppy joe meat (see use up thread for how I make it last a week with different uses!), goes in stews, etc.

and I have a thing about texture....I always have...so I hate chunky tomato sauce, I don't mind onion flavor but sieve out the onions in soup mix when making dip...lol.

So I use it to make pizza sauce, pasta sauce, etc.

I usually keep a variety of sizes, I use the 6oz (most common) size to add to sloppy joes and stews, and two of them usually do it for me with pasta for me and the kids.

Sometimes I use straight out of can ontop of pasta without reheating and sprinkle on some seasonings, sometimes I throw into a pan and add basil/garlic/etc.

Right now I have a couple GIANT cans sitting in my pantry because i'm planning on making a huge pot of sauce and making manacottis to freeze for later. so i'll be going full tilt with garlic and onions (rehydrated onion flakes because of texture deal), basil, wine, etc.

I usually add in a can of tomato paste if making a good deal of sauce to thicken slightly.

They also come in a variety of "flavors"....roasted garlic, basil, no salt added....etc.

Even if you prefer chunky sauce, they are cheaper than jarred sauces and make for a quick meal.

[SunRise]

My pantry staples are:

Huge bag of elephant basmati rice (upfront cost, lasts a long time)

Lundberg rice bags of gourmet wild rice, black rice (I would buy it in bulk if my store carried it that way)

puy / indigo lentils - in bulk

red lentils - in bulk

other lentils - small bags

cannellini white beans (cans)

black beans (I have cans, but I suppose dried beans would be good)

diced tomatoes (although this year I grew tomatoes and have a tonne diced and frozen)

coconut milk

different pasta shapes (for fun, changes things up a bit); I like the Barilla Plus spaghetti (feels a bit healthier and holds its shape0

kraft dinner (quick go to stuff).

chicken noodle soup (quick go to stuff).

pouches of indian type food (quick go to stuff).

potatoes

onions

garlic

curry paste

broth (or make your own)

olive oil

turmeric

allspice

cumin

cinnamon

coriander

(these are my favourite spices and pretty much all I have - buy small portions at the bulk store, refill my bottles as necessary)

sea salt & pepper

raw sugar

coffee

baking things (flour, baking powerd, etc) (although I have not been able to bake for a few years due to bad oven, so I dont know off hand)

popcorn kernels

Meals:

~Black rice and Puy lentils (I have tried other lentils, these ones stay firm. and it tastes best with black rice); This is jacked up with turmeric, allspice and cumin. eat with a side of salmon or tasty bread or fresh tomatoes. heats well the next day for lunch / snack. high protein

~basmati rice - pilaf, cut colourful peppers, eat it plain, with butter and salt & pepper (this was a staple during my college days, snacks, dinner...)

~spicey lentil soup - red lentils, carrots, celery, corriander, cumin, turmeric... a some bread.

~coconut curried beef stew

~mixed dahl (requires yellow split peas, mung beans, but all the spices are above)

~creamy broccoli soup (ok, nothing in the pantry but potatoes and broth, but its tasty :))

~KEEMA ALU (ground meat&potatoes&the above spices); heats well the next day

~beans and rice and salsa and cheese&sour cream

~white beans and sausage one pot dish

snacks - popcorn :)
 

Edited by SunRise - 10/4/12 at 11:44am

[kellybeth]

dried: lentils (red and green), chickpeas, adzuki beans, navy, pinto, etc. beans. great protein, iron and other important essentials.

fortified nooch (high in b12), bulk organic dried hummus mix, bulk organic dehydrated soup mixes.

varieties of rice, flour, dried fruits, nuts, popcorn.

millet, grain amaranth, israeli couscous, winter wheat berries.

these will last you a couple months or more, with a ton of nutritious and yummy options good for you, baby & family.

[tiqa]

I'm not sure this qualifies, but I'm stocking up our pantry for the winter.  We live in a colder climate and we don't have a great all-weather car, so in the winter we basically hibernate.  If it clears up we will make a grocery run and the roads are dry and safe to drive on, we'll venture out and stock up but basically it's pantry meals for the winter.  We still manage to eat well.

I like to have lots of bread making supplies on hand - they also double as ingredients for cakes and other sorts of baked goods like pancakes, waffles, etc.  So we have a lot of the usual.  Flour, sugar, salt, dried milk, yeast, oil.  I also have little sweet things for baking which I don't go through quickly at all.  Cocoa, chocolate chips, coconut.  If I was rich I'd buy nuts all the time but they cost a bunch.

Oatmeal is good.  So is cream of wheat (semolina) and that sort of thing - but usually I make them up with milk which we don't have a lot of in the winter, so ironically I eat more of those in the warmer months.

I use a lot of butter when cooking, so we always have a lot on supply.  Also lard and some oil.

We have sour cream as well, and a bit of plain yogurt.  It keeps well.  In the warmer months we have regular supplies of milk and yogurt and kefir, but those spoil somewhat quickly and they can easily be cut out.

Teas are cheap and keep well.  They're also good cold (especially with lemon juice).  We keep a lot on hand and are our go-to beverage, especially during leaner times.  (I make them much more diluted than it says on the labels, and loose teas are even cheaper than bagged.)

I have a full spice cabinet and I use it frequently.  I won't list them all but I suppose the ones I buy most frequently are tarragon, garlic powder, rosemary, and thyme.  We grow the rosemary and thyme and use both a  LOT.

Umm... Potatoes.  Our staples are potatoes.  We have some form of it every day.  Sweet potatoes and other roots are good too - carrots, beets, etc.  They also store well, as does cabbage.  We also do pasta, but often not with tomato sauce - usually with some sort of butter or in soups.

We freeze meat and only buy on sale (or from the farmer).

I miss eggs in the winter but we have a few dozen in our fridge at any one time... they keep moderately well but they're not as fresh as I'd like in the winter, and we definitely don't have as many as in the spring/summer when we can stock up more frequently.  They're mostly to include in recipes, not to eat on their own as in scrambled eggs.

Our fruits and vegetables are frozen in the winter, or home canned.  We have a large freezer full of frozen ingredients.

And finally (I think) we have a shelf full of dried peas, beans, lentils, etc.  All different colors.  (We have some rice too but none of us are huge rice fans so I don't make that too much - sometimes I will make up some rice with vinegar and onions or fried rice with peas, and that's alright, but we're not huge fans of plain rice.  Wild is a little better.)  DH grumps when I make a meatless meal, but hey, it's so cheap, and filling.

Oh, and vinegar.  We go through lots of vinegar.  I make pickles and also add vinegar to soups and stews and lentils.  So we have lots of that on hand as well at all times.

[mamarhu]

Not exactly frugal (but it does save $) - if I were looking to coming lean times, I would invest in some flowerpots (maybe creatively repurposed containers), soil, and herb seeds. Most fresh herbs can be grown in a sunny window, and would make a world of difference to an otherwise bland pantry meal. Currently, I have basil, sage, marjoram, thyme, and cilantro starting on the kitchen counter. No direct sunlight at all, but the room is bright. I have rosemary outdoors in a pot (no garden space at all). Through the winter, I have even grown baby lettuce indoors, with no special lighting or anything fancy. Fresh herbs feel luxurious to me.
 

[Ragana]

This resource might be helpful (from Australia, so adapt as needed):

http://www.simplesavings.com.au/21dollarchallenge/

USDA Cost of Food (looking at this makes me feel I'm not going crazy - prices really are shooting up):

http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/USDAFoodCost-Home.htm

USDA Food Plans Recipe Book based on the above (pretty meat-heavy for a cheap diet, in my opinion - I would do more eggs, beans, side salads with stuff like cabbage, etc. but maybe something useful in there)

http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/FoodPlans/MiscPubs/FoodPlansRecipeBook.pdf

Universal Muffins - use up all sorts of odds and ends

http://baskersfunfoods.blogspot.com/2009/02/universal-muffins.html

Hillbilly Housewife emergency menus (prices have gone up since then & not everything is the healthiest, but a useful way of looking at things)

http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/40dollarmenu.htm

http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/70dollarmenu.htm

[Basylica]

Tiqa!

I'd kinda forgotten about that mentality having lived in DFW for err.....13 years now!

Growing up in outskirts of chicago, you def have to stockpile in the fall because you DO get snowed in for days at a time or just plain don't want to deal with going to store in nasty weather and hauling groceries about!

The trick is to stock up on anything cheap with long shelf lives, and atleast half require no fresh ingredients like milk/meat/etc. We were lucky we had half a cow in a freezer so we never bought meat and always had it (however that ment having steak every day for the 2 months it was grilling weather because you can't cook for 8 people any other way!) but sometimes we didn't have milk for a week or more at a time.

Mom always kept a big stockpile of AP flour, sugar, etc. I LOVED to bake (brought in snickerdoodles and double batch of KAF's fudge drop cookies to work today!) and it's helpful to make your own bread if you have to even if you normally buy it, for biscuts, pancakes, cookies, etc. I don't bake much anymore so my stuff languishes more :(

One of the big things that is nice is you can make cheap pizza dough and use for pizzas. Keep my suggested canned sauce around, freeze motz, and you can add leftover veggies, hot dogs, sausage or bacon from another meal, etc. Or use dough to make foccicia for soups and stew meals.

Mom fed us on next to nothing back then, albiet i'm surprised I don't have rickets and scurvy or something. LOL.

We almost never had fruit except fall when my dad (divorced when I was 9) would take me and my sis to apple orchard and then give my mom the big bushel of apples for all of us kids (6 total) in the house.

There was a green giant plant in town, so twice a year I think they had sales where you could get flats of canned veggies for like a buck or something super cheap. often dented or without labels or whatever. Mom pretty much only bought corn and green beans and a few peas. Sadly I love canned GBs but fresh totally weird me out. thanks mom :S

I never went WITH her to the sales so I don't know the variety, but I do know they did pilsbury stuff too and she'd buy like 24 brownie mixes there too.

she also kept our pantry stocked with minute rice (gag...why she never did fresh i'll never know. we rarely ate it then, but I make it a lot now) but never beans for some odd reason?

egg noodles were a favorite of hers....we'd have them buttered with salt sometimes, with gravy, etc. common side dish with meals for us.

a LOT of hamburger helper (ew), mac and cheese, rice a roni, those sorts of things. All easy to make healthier versions of.

Point is, we had meat but a lot of the meals you didn't need to ADD much....so if you couldn't get meat/milk/whatever they were still edible.

You can freeze butter too, but mom bought cheapest on sale and we'd always have about 6lbs in the fridge at any given time. Milk we didn't have much because we were NEVER allowed to drink it. only on cereal was the rule. She still had to buy 4 gals at a time and we'd be out before they expired.

We were not allowed juice (too expensive) nor soda. mom drank dr pepper and very watery cranberry juice (blech) and still does. we always had a HUGE pitcher of koolaide (Again with the surprised we didn't have rickets or scurvy. LOL) in fridge and bottom door shelf of fridge we had 6 containers of water with our names on them. Otherwise we'd have 89 cups to wash a day.

I'd google around and see if there are any food-thrifts available to you within a hour or so drive. worth a bit of a trek to stock up. I have a GREAT bakery outlet near me that stocks orowheat breads which actually freeze and thaw really nicely. for 10 bucks I come home with atleast 8-10 loaves of orowheat bread, plus about 6 other goodies that are bagels, english muffins, sandwich thins, tortillas...etc. Every 6 bucks you spend you get 2 free items from a select shelf - plus a free item with purchase, plus a free loaf of bread and snack when you spend 10 bucks, plus free snack cakes for kids....

It's mindblowing sometimes...hahaha.

Spices I have quite a lot, but I don't really use that many on a regular basis...

vinigar for salads

balsamic vinigar for season/bread dip

veg oil for baking/sautee/salads

a1 (I love a1 on baked potatoes with sour cream. i'm a fruit)

salt (Sea) and black pepper

fresh garlic (or frozen from Tjs)

garlic powder

oregano

basil

onion powder and dehydrated onion flakes

freeze dried garlic bits

and a variety of more meal specific spices

cumin, curry, chili powder

Celery salt (chicago style hot dogs)

paprika (for chili with C. powder)

and for baking I have B.soda, B. powder (I have HUGE cans of this because my pancake recipe calls for 3tsp per cup and blow through it quickly)

cream of tartar (snickerdoodles!) cinnamon, ground cloves (my fav oatmeal spice cookie uses them) vanilla extract, almond extract,

Those are the big ones....

[catnip]

Brown rice

whole wheat pastry flour

Black, pinto, navy, garbanzo beans

Brown and red lentils

sunflower seeds

pasta

sugar

apple cider vinegar

cocoa powder

mild/neutral tasting vegetable oil

salt

baking soda

baking powder

oatmeal

raisins

brown sugar

Most essential fruits and veggies:

apples

carrots

onions

potatoes

cabbage

(plus whatever I can get from the garden/orchard, and what ever is cheap, in season, on sale at the markets)

Canned:

Light coconut milk

tomatoes

spaghetti sauce

spices:

cinnamon

curry

soy sauce

salt

garlic powder

onion powder

thyme

sage

cumin

fresh garlic

Other:

soymilk

tofu

peanut butter

bread

(we always have homemade jelly in the pantry)

corn tortillas

Essential luxuries:

coffee, vanilla, chocolate chips

Edited by catnip - 10/5/12 at 3:34pm

[mommariffic]

I guess what I'm going to post is basically some form of everyone else's list : ) 

Oats (and consequently brown sugar, cinnamon and BUTTER because oatmeal is a must on winter mornings here)

dried cereal/granola *either homemade or store bought*

Freeze dried blueberries (the one thing my DS will eat) 

Almond flour 

Homemade pancake/waffle mix

Raw honey 

Chocolate chips 

Cous-cous 

Yams and regular potatoes

SPICES GALORE! Bay leaves, curry, salt, pepper, garlic and onion powders and the list could go on

Chicken and beef stock

Coffee (whole roasted beans) 

Vanilla 

Almonds and cashews 

Peanut butter 

[sundaya]

yeah, we have intolerances here, so lots of our pantry staples are just not cheap :(  None of us can do wheat, I can't do lentils or beans, DH can't do oats or white potatoes.

Our pantry staples are:

almond meal

rice flour

maple syrup

cocoa

vanilla

lots of spices, but cannot live without: cinnamon, cloves, garlic, fennel seed, curry powder, thyme, rosemary, cilantro

raw local honey

nut butters

oats for the rest of us

coffee

canned tomatoes

full fat coconut milk

curry paste

apple cider vinegar and balsamic vinegar

olive oil

lard

My basic needs that send me running to the grocery store are:

coffee, cream, milk, eggs

anything else I can be flexible about, but any of those things being gone is darn near an emergency around here.

[WittyNameHere]

I love looking at the lists above and seeing what I need to pick up for my monthly shopping trip!

We try to be frugal and, while we love to try new foods, save money by not being very adventurous with what we cook at home. Our pantry staples mostly come from a nearby Indian market where the bulk prices are AMAZING and the spice selection is top notch. Here's what we keep on hand:

coffee, tea

rice (brown, basmati, whatever's on sale)

dried beans (red kidney, black)

lentils (we're partial to masoor dal, a red lentil)

spices (cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, red chili, pepper, paprika, a curry blend, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom if the price is very good)

herbs (basil, oregano, parsley, marjoram)

salt (regular table salt, kosher)

oatmeal (the big box of Quaker from Costco)

vanilla

whole wheat flour

peanut butter

baking soda and powder

sugar

quinoa (Stop and Shop had bags on clearance because no one out here seems to know what the stuff is. More for us!)

canned goods (tuna, tomato paste, diced tomatoes, peas)

Trader Joe's Os (because that's the only thing DS will eat 3/4 of the time)

Olive oil

White vinegar

strawberry jam

bread

chicken breast (huge bag, frozen, from Costco)

We buy fresh foods seasonally and when the prices are good, but we always try to have apples, potatoes, and onions in the house. 

[Shanesmom]

I love this thread. I'm learning.....

So I'm the type of mom who feeds her kids organic and I eat Ramon.

At Trader Joes I can get very inexpensive organic pantry items that I feel good about feeding my kids.

Organic pasta (wheat, rice or corn)
Organic pasta sauce
Organic cereals and oatmeals (mixed with bananas or raisins. Sticks to the ribs!)
A huge jug of olive oil (my kids love rice pasta with olive oil and salt and pepper. Cheap and filling!)
Organic popcorn. (.99 cents for bag, and we have fun popping it. Makes a healthy, yummy snack)
Canned organic beans
Sugar free coconut milk (I don't like them drinking cows milk)
Triscuits (mommy loves them and you can dress them up so many ways)
Bobs Red Mill Dairy Free Pancake Mix (I throw in some frozen organic blueberries, which are cheap; make a huge batch and freeze them for quick meals or snacks)
Organic Quinoa (a super healthy source of protein and amino acids. I just have to dress it up fancy to get the kids to eat it. A little goes a long way with this)
Organic Brown Rice
Shelf Stable Meals (trader joes has a large variety for around $2)
Organic frozen veggies (cheaper than fresh and keeps!)
Frozen hash browns


Costly necessities:
Organic free-range eggs enriched with omegas. (Ouch! These are expensive. I always have some on hand, but I push the oatmeal)
Any cheese or meat is always going to be organic (because of this, we don't eat meat or cheese very often.....which suits me fine)