How to Build a Stocked Pantry on a Budget

As a rule, I always have my pantry stocked so on the off-chance that we could not do any grocery shopping for 2 months, we'd still have enough food in our pantry to basically get us by. This means pasta, cereal, powdered milk, flour, canned fruits and vegetables, etc have filled our pantry to the max. Knowing we can get by if we cannot afford groceries for a few months allows us (a family of 6) to feel a bit better about the economy in our home.

Anyone can use any budget to build a fully stocked pantry. We build our pantry on a very slim income (combined we make about $17 an hour) by stocking our pantry bit by bit every time we go shopping. If only $10 or so of your shopping budget is spent on your pantry storage every time you shop, the task of building a stocked pantry isn't so daunting.

We always stock our pantry with on-sale, clearance, or cheap items that will last. Hamburger Helpers that are on sale 2 for a dollar- you bet they are in our pantry (you don't really need hamburger to eat this meal). Top Ramen is a stand-by since it is cost-effective and versatile (add vegetables or a raw egg and you have a meal!), and instant oatmeal by the box is only about a quarter a serving and can last a few years (all you need is water). When you stock your pantry with mainly super cheap items, that $12 can of powdered milk is hardly a dent in your budget.

note: always check expiration dates before you buy. If any pantry items you are considering don't have a shelf life of at least a year, skip them. You want items that will last. Dented cans are still good, and will have a super cheap price tag as well. And always stock up on chili when it's on sale- you can make a meal for days on chili. Rotate your pantry stock by expiration dates so you don't waste food by letting it expire.

If you drink coffee or tea, then stock up on off-brand versions of your hot beverages to store in your pantry in the off-chance of an emergency. We recently purchased 2 full-size cans of off-brand coffee for under $7 to store in our pantry stock. We perfer Maxwell House, but if we are ever too broke to afford coffee for a month, we will be super grateful we have these on-hand.

If you have pets, buy 2 bags of the most generic and cheap pet food you can find for your pantry. When you can't afford groceries for a month or two, you will be glad you can still feed your pets, and they won't care that you aren't feeding them Iams. Same goes for kitty litter if you have a cat. Buy a bag or two of the super cheap stuff.

Check out the clearance section of your local grocery store whenever you go shopping, looking for dented cans, opened and then taped shut boxes of cereal, and discounted items like can openers and plastic wrap. Our local Smiths has a line of plastic containers they fill with discount items, like spaghetti sauce for a quarter. A box of cereal for a buck is nothing to frown over.

When case-lot sales hit your local stores, take advantage of them. Smiths had a case-lot sale this week, and we bought a case of cream of mushroom soup, chicken noodle soup, and sugar. These are items we know we will use and often buy, and getting them in a case-lot sale seems pricey, but the price per unit is practically pennies (like $1.20 for a 5 lb bag of sugar). 12 cans of cream of mushroom soup and 4 boxes of instant rice can feed our entire family for a month of casseroles if it has to.

Our entire pantry stocked up is estimated at a cost of around $200- this is at least 2 month's worth of food to feed our family of 6 3 meals a day. It's not the most diverse pantry, nor is it the most attractive, but it contains everything we need to eat in a basically healthy manner for a few months if we had to rely on it. Since we spend about $500 a month on groceries anyhow, this is a pretty cheap pantry- and it just may save our hides some day!

note: save your gallon jugs of milk for an emergency water supply that you keep somewhere in your house. We have 12 gallons of water on-hand (and saving more jugs) just in case we need it. If you lose water access due to a burst pipe or emergency, you will be grateful you had a water storage to use for drinking, cooking, and bathing.