Frugal Pantry, 25 Items to Stock to Save Money

Inside: 25 frugal pantry items to stock in your pantry to keep your meal cost low and your grocery spending in check.

Stocking your pantry with frugal staples is one way to keep your grocery cost down. I’m sharing my top 25 frugal pantry staples to stock.

Having a good supply of frugal staples on hand to make meals from can keep your grocery cost lower. If you make your own items at home, you can really save quite a bit over the ready package items at the store.

In this week’s podcast I’m sharing 25 staples I stock in my frugal pantry. When the ingredients you use to cook with are low cost your whole meal cost less to make.

Show Notes,

25 Frugal Pantry Staples

Scroll down and fill out the form below to get the printable version of these 25 frugal pantry staples.

Oats

Oats are really versatile. I like to keep rolled oats on hand and oat groats. Rolled oats can be used to make oatmeal packets, as filler in meatloaf, or leftover oatmeal can be added to muffins or other baked good. The oat groats are a nice variation from the regular oatmeal for breakfast.

Rice

Rice is really inexpensive. So easy to make and can be used in many dishes. Mix rice with beans for a yummy vegetarian burritos bowls. Serve it with stir fry using up the leftover vegetables in the crisper before they go bad. Or use leftover rice to make a bowl of rice cereal in the morning.

Dry Beans. Peas, and Lentils

Dry beans are a great frugal pantry item. After cooking a pound of beans you have the equivalent of about 4 cans of canned beans for a fraction of the cost. You can use them in soups, along with rice for vegetarian meals or add to a salad. I try to keep a variety of dried beans, split peas, and lentils on hand.

Pasta

Pasta may not be as cheap as rice or oats but it’s still a great frugal pantry item. We use all kinds of pasta in our dinners. It’s easy to store and great to include in casseroles.

Eggs

Eggs are so great for a frugal meal. You can eat them for breakfast, boil them and make deviled eggs for a snack. Or use the boiled eggs in an egg salad sandwich. Or make breakfast for dinner for a cheap and easy meal the whole family will love. I usually pay about $.10 an egg so it’s a great frugal protein source to have in your kitchen.

Yeast

Yeast is something I always have in my kitchen. I use it in my frugal bread recipe, for making homemade cinnamon rolls or dinner rolls. Baking your own bread and other items at home is so much less expensive than purchasing those items at the store.

Purchase yeast in bulk to save the most money. I purchase a 2 pound package at Costco but you can also find a one pound package at Winco Foods. Skip the small packages as that is the most expensive way to purchase yeast.

I store a small amount of yeast in my refrigerator in a sealed container. I vacuum seal the rest of the yeast to keep it fresh until I need it. It keeps a very long time this way.

Baking Soda and Baking Powder