Cheap Things To Stockpile Right Now

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Whether it’s times when you’re trying to reach a big financial goal, you are working on a tight budget, or the world is going through it’s own tough times (recessions, pandemics, etc), a full pantry can lessen the stress of it all.

Cheap Stockpile Items All Kitchens Need

In this post, we’re sharing cheap things you need to stockpile right now, as they are staples in many households.

Because they’re pantry staples, they tend to be the first items to leave shelves during hard times. Use this simple list to create a stockpile that will stretch any other items you bring into your home.

Also, feel free to comment below to let us know what items you think we should add to the list.

Tips And Hacks For Cheap Pantry Staples

While the list is pretty simple, there are a few things to note as you stockpile. These are tips we’ve learned over the years, and they’ve not only saved us money, but time and space.

• Look for 1 pound boxes of pasta, and only spend $1 or less on each box. 1 pound boxes are perfect for cheap belly buster meals, like homemade hamburger helper. Plus, it’s the best bang for your buck.
• Stockpile dried beans your family actually enjoys, and you know how to cook. This sounds silly to mention, but if you’re family won’t eat that variety of bean, you’re wasting money.
• Canned beans are needed. It may seem redundant to list canned beans and dried beans, but a canned bean isn’t expensive, and can come in handy for quick, cheap meals. We always have canned chickpeas in our pantry for this very reason.
• Chunky soup is a cheap dinner hack! Put chunky soup on top of cooked rice or mashed potatoes, and it becomes a very cheap meal that will fill bellies. If you don’t usually buy it, be sure to have a few cans on hand for emergency meals.
• Rolled oats over oatmeal. Rolled oats are way more versatile than oatmeal, so be sure to keep it in your stockpile as much as possible. If you need actual oatmeal, measure out your rolled oats, place in a food processor, and pulse a few times. Presto! You have oatmeal.
• Tomato paste will save you, always. There are so many uses for tomato paste, so don’t be shy with your stockpile of it. We make our pizza sauce from tomato paste, and we’ve even used it as a base for cheap tomato soup.

Your Cheap Stockpile List

Below, you’ll find the list of the cheap stockpile items we suggest you keep on hand as much as possible.

This isn’t robust because it’s just a starter list to get items in your cabinets. You can easily build on this list as you think of more specific and cheap ingredients you need in your kitchen.

1. rice (brown, white, and basmati)
2. dried beans
3. Canned beans
4. canned meat
5. canned fish
6. canned fruit (we love canned pineapple and peaches)
7. canned vegetables (we love canned corn the most)
8. chunky canned soup
9. powdered milk (at least one box)
10. canned evaporated milk
11. Rolled oats
12. nut butter or sun butter of choice
13. white flour
14. jelly/jam
15. honey/agave syrup
16. pasta of all kinds
17. pasta sauce
18. tomato paste
19. table salt
20. kosher salt
21. ground black pepper
22. cooking oil of choice
23. ground coffee
24. tea bags
25. dried herbs of choice

Well, there we are. A starter list of 25 cheap stockpile items to help you fill up those cabinets.

Which cheap stockpile items do you think we need to add to the list? Comment below to let us know, and we’ll update it!