TIP: Always choose pantry items that have multiple purposes. For example, green beans can be eaten alone, but also used in soups and casseroles. Remember, along with sweet treats like cookies, cupcakes, and cakes, baked goods are also bread, cornbread, tortillas, biscuits and so many more items that you can save money by making from scratch.

Oats are another great pantry item because you can use them for breakfast or dinner and they have several purposes — eating alone, binding agents for dishes think: meatloaf , baking and more! Can I be honest? This list will give you a start and you can even build full meals off of just what is listed here!

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This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. These offers do not represent all available deposit, investment, loan or credit products. As the cost of living continues to rise, one way you can cut down on expenditure is to cook more meals at home.

The good news for anyone on a tight budget is that you can find many pantry essentials at affordable prices. From pasta and rice to beans and basic baking supplies, here are the top pantry items that are inexpensive and must-haves in the kitchen. There are many flavors to choose from, such as chicken, beef and shrimp.

There are even spicy options for those who want something with more of a kick. You can spruce up your meal by adding hardboiled eggs, chives, bok choy or cooked chicken. Instant ramen is already inexpensive, but you can purchase it in bulk for even less.

Whether you love to bake or make homemade soups or sauces, all-purpose flour is a must-have pantry item. Another pantry essential is peanut butter or peanut butter alternatives like sunflower butter or almond butter. Peanut butter — and alternatives — often have a long shelf life.

An opened container can last around two months, while an unopened jar can last much longer than that. Plus, peanut butter is versatile. You can use it in the classic peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or you can make cookies or even fudge with it.

Like flour, sugar is a good multipurpose ingredient that any pantry should have. Not only is it useful in baking desserts, but you can also use it to sweeten your tea, coffee or fruit slices. As long as you store it in an airtight container, it can last up to two years. As anyone who likes to season their food will tell you, salt and pepper are pantry staples.

Rice is more than a pantry staple. Since you can use a single bag across multiple dishes, this makes for an inexpensive, long-lasting item to have on hand. Pasta comes in many forms, including angel hair pasta, farfalle, fettuccine, egg noodles, elbow noodles and fusilli pasta.

You can also get white refined wheat flour or whole wheat pasta. Like rice, pasta is a staple in different types of dishes, such as spaghetti, macaroni and cheese and chicken fettuccine alfredo.

Both canned and raw beans are must-haves in the pantry. Canned goods tend to last for years when stored at room temperature. Raw beans can last about a year — longer if kept in a cool place.

An inexpensive canned bean option is the It only costs 95 cents. But it also pairs well with main dishes — think tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches.

Bread is another staple that can last a few days or so in the cupboard, a couple of weeks in the refrigerator or a few months in the freezer.

Dried spices also last much longer than their fresh counterparts. Saving Money. It only costs 95 cents. But it also pairs well with main dishes — think tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. Bread is another staple that can last a few days or so in the cupboard, a couple of weeks in the refrigerator or a few months in the freezer.

Dried spices also last much longer than their fresh counterparts. I'm a Shopping Expert: 9 Items I'd Never Put in My Grocery Cart. Luxury Living on a Budget: 6 Tips for the Upper Middle Class. Experts: Make These 7 Money Resolutions If You Want To Become Rich on an Average Salary.

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates. com : 11 Pantry Essentials for Those on a Budget. markets closed. Dow 30 38, Nasdaq 15, Russell 1, Crude Oil Gold 2, Silver Bitcoin USD 49,

Canned Meat Stock Peanut Butter

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Affordable pantry essentials - Pasta Sauce Canned Meat Stock Peanut Butter

She starts by sprucing up her baking shelf with some basics—baking powder, baking soda, vanilla extract, confectioner's sugar, brown sugar, and chocolate chips.

She also adds cinnamon, cayenne, and hot sauce to her spice drawer, and some bulk pantry items like peanut butter, pasta, pasta sauce, and tomato paste. To get more bang for her buck, Vallery opts for dried kidney beans and lentils, which allow you to get more for less money than canned.

She also adds canned chickpeas and brown rice. Honey, canola oil, and rolled oats are adds that make breakfast better including a homemade granola using the honey and cinnamon. She also adds grits—as she loves to eat grits and eggs for breakfast.

She started with upgrading her salt game, with flaky Maldon salt to use to finish dishes and make her chocolate chip cookies even more irresistible , plus pink Himalayan salt because it's less refined. She added lots of different grains to change things up—farro, quinoa, popcorn, buckwheat flour, and cornmeal.

And three different types of rice—jasmine, wild, and black. A variety of nuts and seeds was next on her list—almonds, pecans, cashews, pine nuts great for pesto and a salad sprinkle , nut flour and nut butters, plus poppy and sesame seeds, which can add texture and flavor to dishes and baked goods.

For her baking shelf, there was chocolate—dark, milk, white, plus cocoa powder. Cooking spray and baking spray with flour make it easier to prep pans for cooking, and sprinkles and food dye are great for creating fun cakes and frosting.

Whole vanilla beans are a big splurge that give you a stronger vanilla flavor in your baked goods. You split the bean, scrape out the seeds, then put the beans into sugar to give your sugar a subtle vanilla scent. And she finished off the baking shelf with a variety of flours—wheat, self-rising, and bread flour.

Next, she opted to add in some specialty ingredients for different types of cuisines—tahini, a sesame paste that's used to make hummus, soy sauce and fish sauce for Asian cuisine, and jaggery for Indian foods.

And then the oils—sesame oil and coconut oil. She updated her condiments with sriracha, mayonnaise, dijon and yellow mustards, strawberry jam, and maple syrup. And canned tuna, canned salmon, and tinned anchovies are a great base for her cooking.

But her big splurge was spices—she got some saffron, the most expensive spice on the market, and a collection of 55 different spices from Burlap and Barrel. Her advice? Use limited data to select advertising.

Create profiles for personalised advertising. Use profiles to select personalised advertising. Create profiles to personalise content. Canned it is! Although the priciest item on the list, a good quality olive oil makes a difference to both taste and health.

Buy olive oil stored in thick, dark-colored glass bottles. A manufacturer knows the quality of their oils, a true quality olive oil should be stored in dark glass. Bigger flavor molecules!

Kosher salt is a healthier alternative to table salt without the additives that regular salt have. Freshly ground pepper is better in flavor and aroma which is important for a staple ingredient in so many recipes.

Tomato paste is super concentrated and inexpensive. During my SNAP challenge week , the first thing on my list was a small can of tomato paste. It can be made into pasta sauce or substitute anything that calls for tomatoes.

Popular in Mexican dishes, cumin pairs with well with chicken and ground meat for a quick and easy meal. Any soup, stew, casserole recipes that call for a splash of stock can be easily substituted using bouillon cubes which are small and do not need to be refrigerated. Curry powder is a popular, all-purpose Indian staple.

It can be used to make soups, stews or to enhance meat, and vegetables. I love Kraft. A delicious BBQ sauce can rescue many protein-laden dishes that call for tang and flavor. Canned tuna is versatile and can be eaten straight from the can or made into tuna salad instantly.

Best bang for your buck is a carton of jumbo eggs. Eggs may expire but it will take up to 30 days in the fridge which makes them great protein staples.

Freshly ground meat is also the easiest to cook and can be frozen for later. Make chili, tacos, rice bowls, hamburger patties, meatballs etc. I love the thought of fresh but not everyone can make consistent grocery runs. Frozen corn and broccoli make quick and healthy sides. The shelf life of whole garlic bulbs lasts up to 6 months!

Unpeeled cloves will last up to 10 days. Garlic is expensive and adds a lot of flavors, a lot of recipes calls for garlic.

Garlic powder can be purchased as a lazy substitute. Onion has a month shelf life if left in a cool, dark and dry place. They also pack a lot of flavor to each dish. It is the queen bee in our kitchen, along with garlic cloves.

We have 2 spice carousels, one was a gift and the other one we bought second hand from a garage sale. The best place to buy spices is Dollar Tree.

Rosler makes hauling back groceries less back-breaking. Soapy will be reading this so feel free to leave comments on your own favorite pantry items for a frugal pantry stock! Personal Capital : Sign up and use their net worth calculator for FREE.

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We eat LOTS of pork in various forms in our family. When I was little, my parents used to make pork bone soup with potatoes and carrots a lot. Great list! Canned beans are fine, but dry is definitely better and healthier.

With canned goods you run the risk of BPA exposure. Dried oats, quinoa, and other whole grains should be staples too. As well as ground flax seeds, chia seeds, hemp seeds, and raw unsalted nuts.

Whole food, plant-based diets are generally not expensive. It can be somewhat expensive if you always buy produce that are organic and out of season. But all things considered, plant based diets are significantly less expensive than meat based diets when you compare food of the same quality.

You have to compare apples to apples 😉. For example… organic, pasteurized, hormone-free meat and dairy is very expensive especially compared to organic vegetable produce. We did this by…. Cooking plant based meals is fun, creative, and A LOT cleaner 5 We planned meals and meal-prepped really well so that no food would be wasted.

But I love the list! We eat chicken mainly at our house. Tofu is also great to have fried with broccoli , soya sauce and garlic , it is good for you and not very expensive.