A well stocked pantry is beneficial in so many ways. Whether it is uncertain times, a job loss, or just convenience, a well stocked pantry is the way to go. With a few intentional steps, it’s possible to stock a pantry on a budget.
I love having a well stocked working pantry. It means less trips to the grocery store and I can stock food on a budget. I can seek out frequently used items at the best prices rather than purchasing each item individually on an as needed basis. It also comes in handy when cooking because I don’t unexpectedly run out of ingredients just when I need them.
Stocking a pantry on a budget is easier than you think. All it takes is having a good understanding of what your family uses frequently, keeping track of your inventory, and implementing good money saving strategies when shopping.
If you are struggling to create and stock a good working pantry and stick to your budget at the same time, I hope this can help you out a bit.
Organize Your Pantry
Having a well organized working pantry is key if you want to avoid storing food that goes bad, for using your pantry efficiently, and for saving money. When our pantries are organized we are able to have a good system for regularly rotating our food. We are also able to know exactly what we have. This is crucial for knowing when it is time to start looking for the best prices to restock.
Everyone’s pantry will look different based on their family’s needs. However, it is rather simple to organize it based on a few core categories. I like to organize mine similar to what you would find in the grocery store.
Some of the categories we use to organize our pantry are
- Baking
- Flours
- Condiments
- Spices
- Oils
- Pasta/Tomatoes
- Grains
- Nuts
- Spreads- fruit spread, almond butter, peanut butter
- Jars and Cans
- Snacks/Bars
Bulk Storage This is where we store frequently used items in larger quantities. It is stored in 5 gallon buckets with gamma lids for easy access.
- Oats
- Various Beans
- Lentils
- Rice
Freezer Since we purchase whole chickens, those are always at the bottom of our freezers. The rest of our items that we always have stocked have their own baskets for easy organization.
- Pork
- Beef
- Lamb
- Seafood
- Raspberries
- Blueberries and Strawberries
- Cauliflower and Broccoli
- Peas and Green Beans
- Peppers
- Tomatoes
- Zucchini
- Greens
- Broth (various bones and chicken feet)
- Premade Items ( freezer meals, muffins, breads, meatballs)
Keep A Stocked Pantry With Inventory Lists
The best way to know exactly what to stock in your pantry is to create an inventory list for your pantry and freezer.
Start with the ingredients needed for some of your family’s favorite meals. A good starting point would be ingredients for 3 breakfast meals, a few favorite snacks and treats, and 10 meals which can be used for lunches and dinners.
Create an organized list of these items along with any additional items you currently have in your pantry. Using this list, take inventory of what you already have.
I just do a basic chart for the pantry and another one for the freezer. The chart is organized based on the above categories. I mark the number of each item that we have after each item on the chart. I use a pencil to do this so the number can easily be changed. Keep the lists easily available in the kitchen so they can be updated each time an item is used up.
Determine How Much You Need For The Long Term
After creating a basic inventory list, go through the list and try to determine how much of each item is needed for your family for 3 months, 6 months, or whatever your goals are. Once you have determined that number, mark it on your inventory list so that you know what your storage goal is for each item.
I like to keep the number of each item that I would like to have stocked in front of each item on the charts. This allows me to easily see how much we have and how much we should have stocked. Once those numbers start getting further apart, I just add that item to the stock up list.
If you are unsure how much of each item you use each month, there are a few things you can do to figure this out.
Make a second copy of your master inventory list. Tally each item on the list each time you use it over the course of one month. This will give you a good baseline. Then if you would like to have enough food stored for 6 months, just multiply each number by six.
For items that take time to get used up like peanut butter, flour, or maple syrup, mark the date on the item when it is opened. When it is done, you’ll be able to figure out how long that item lasts.
Once you have a good idea of the number of each item you will need for a designated period of time, mark that number on your inventory list so you know the number of each item you would like to have stored up. This enables you to plan more easily when stocking your pantry.
The same system can be used for stocking your freezer as well.
Start Meal Planning From Your Pantry
Rather than roaming the grocery store and tossing whatever looks good into your cart or making a grocery list a mile long, start getting into the habit of meal planning based on what you have available.
When making your meal plan, try to plan meals that require no or very little extra ingredients from the store. The goal is to have a weekly grocery list with just a few items on it. For our family, our small weekly grocery list mostly consists of fresh produce.
This will save a ton of money because it allows you to shop around and find sales to fill your pantry at the best prices rather than buying every item as needed at regular price.
Allocate Most Of Your Food Budget For Stocking
After spending time building up your pantry and freezer, you’ll be amazed at how little you will need from the store each week. As you gradually build your pantry and this starts to happen, you will be able to shift your food budget spending so that it works better for you.
When we don’t have a good working pantry, we require a lot more from the grocery store each week. So in the beginning, your entire food budget is going for food that will mostly be consumed that same week. As the organization with the pantry and meal planning improve, the weekly needs decrease.
This results in a surplus of money from your food budget that can be used to replenish the pantry. Over time, this strategy allows you to spend the majority of your food budget on stocking up the pantry and freezer.
So let’s say that you have a food budget of $600 a month. That comes out to $300 every two weeks. With a good working pantry and meal planning, it’s possible to spend $60 every other week on items you need to use now like fresh produce and $240 every other week on restocking the pantry.
The Best Way To Stock A Pantry On A Budget
Rather than sticking to one grocery store for all of your shopping, try shopping around for the best prices on regularly used foods. This allows you to figure out where to find each item you consume at the best price.
Over the years, I have heard lots of people say that they don’t have time to go to multiple stores. I get that. I don’t either. Remember that you don’t have to go to multiple locations each week because you will no longer be shopping for all of your weekly needs. Instead you’ll be shopping mostly to restock the pantry.
The key to stocking up is to find where you can purchase those everyday items at the best price and buy multiples at one time. It’s also important to seek out alternatives to the grocery store since you can often find better prices elsewhere.
When stocking up, the goal is to always stock up on items when the prices are the best. That means looking for sales, bulk buying, and buying in season. It’s also important to purchase enough to last your family for months. Then you don’t need to restock that item for quite a while.
Should You Replenish Your Pantry Right Away?
After using an item in the pantry, the standard rule of thumb is to replenish it the next time you go to the store. This is not always the best practice since you may not be getting that item at the best price. As I start to use up items in my pantry, I make note of it and start looking for that item at my buy price if it is an item that I can typically find on sale.
The buy price is the price that I am willing to pay for an item. For more on how to determine a buy price, check out Change the Way You Think About Money.
Once I find an item at my buy price I know I am getting a good price on that item and I stock up again.
What About Trying New Recipes?
It may seem as though this system is set up to eat the same thing all the time. That couldn’t be further from the truth. This system allows us to eat differently depending on the season and easily try lots of new recipes.
We love to throw new meals into our rotation. It is possible to try new recipes without taking a huge chunk out of the grocery budget. The key is to try new recipes that mainly use items that you already have.
If a new recipe has a ton of items that you don’t have in the pantry, skip it and look for another one.
How To Get A Jumpstart On Stocking Your Pantry
Stocking a pantry full of foods that your family actually eats does take a little time. However, with intentionality, it can be done in less time than you think.
When first starting out, create meal plans that are really low cost. This will allow you have a minimal amount of your grocery budget going to your weekly needs and free up more money for stocking the pantry.
Next, using what is left in your food budget, spend half on a few expensive pantry or freezer items and half on less expensive food items.
Let’s say I’m just getting started with stocking my pantry. I have $300 for 2 weeks. If I use what I have, look for sales, and plan more frugal meals, I may need $200 to meet my family’s needs for two weeks. That leaves $100 for the pantry. I might spend my $100 like this
| Item | Amount | Price | Total |
| Organic Oats | 1- 25 lb bag | $35 | $35 |
| Olive Oil | 2 | $11 | $22 |
| Organic Salsa | 11 | $2 | $22 |
| Organic Pasta Sauce | 10 | $2 | $20 |
| $99 |
By spending half of the stock up money on more expensive items and half on cheaper pantry items, it accomplishes two things. It allows me to start to accumulate the expensive items slowly but feel like I am making good progress with the less expensive items and the bulk buy.
Also, although this purchase doesn’t stock a variety of items, it takes a few items off of the stock up list at least for awhile. Over time, the pantry and freezer inventories build.
In just a few months, the result is a really good working pantry that is stocked from the bulk of your food budget.
Where To Shop
Growing up, our main source of food was the grocery store. However, I have learned that the grocery store is not always the best source. This is especially true if eating good quality, organic food is a priority to you. Over the years, I have really become passionate about the types of food that we eat. Where we live it has been difficult to find good quality, organic products. Since I couldn’t find what I wanted at the grocery store or if it was too expensive, I had to seek out alternatives.
Here are a variety of ways that we have stocked our freezer and pantry at the best prices.
Grow a garden. Gardening is a great way to produce a ton of produce that can be eaten fresh in season, canned, dehydrated, frozen, and fermented to eat all year long.
Buy in bulk from a local farmer. Typically if you buy in bulk they will give you a discounted price. We always buy a ton of butternut squash from a local farmer in the fall because we can never seem to grow enough. It lasts us for months throughout the winter.
Purchase meat in bulk from a local farmer. To cut out the middle man, and know exactly how the meat was raised, buy meat directly from a farmer.
Find a discount grocery store. We found an amazing discount grocery store that offers items including our favorite organic snacks at 75% off your average grocery store. The only catch is that some of the items may be close to expiring. As long as you pay attention to the dates, it’s possible to still buy enough to last months at a time. Many cities also have discount bread outlets where you can purchase bread and other baked goods at a discount as well.
How To Shop
Buy in bulk. This can be big box stores, but my favorite is Azure Standard where you can find lots of organic items at prices that beat the grocery store.
Purchase produce in season. This is a great way to get produce at the best price all year. Find a local berry farm and ask for a bulk discount. Many also offer discounts if you pick the fruit yourself. Pick enough to freeze, can, and dehydrate for your family’s needs for the year.
Purchase #2 fruits and veggies. Buy these direct from a farmer and preserve them to last all year. All farmers have produce that is perfectly good to eat, but may not be the best size for selling or may have other minor blemishes or reasons why they aren’t perfect for selling. You can always purchase these at a discount as well.
Look for sales. When you see an item that you use regularly on sale, don’t just buy one or two. Buy enough to last for months.
Create a sinking fund for large bulk purchases. We purchase a years worth of pastured poultry in the summer from a local farmer. Since this is a big purchase, we have a sinking fund where we save a little each month so that we have the money when we need it.
When stocking a particular item, try to purchase enough to last for at least 3 months at a time or longer. As you get in the habit of doing this, you’ll find that over time your need to go to the grocery store decreases more and more.
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