30 Inexpensive Pantry Staples That Make Homemade Meals Easy

THRIFTYFRUGALMOM

Keeping your kitchen stocked with cheap, basic pantry items is key to saving money on your grocery bill because it allows you to more easily make your own meals at home.

I often get asked what ingredients I recommend stocking, which I find hard to know how to answer since I feel like each family’s pantry staples list will look a bit different due to eating styles and habits.

But, I also know that it’s helpful to see how other people do things too.  So I put together this list of the top basic food staples that I try to keep on hand at all times.

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Having these cheap staples in my kitchen has been a sanity saver for me because it makes it really easy for me to create a variety of inexpensive meals at a moment’s notice.

FLOUR

One of the mainstays if you plan to cook or bake from scratch!  Not only do I use this in many of my baked goods, but I also frequently use to create roux to thicken soups and sauces.

No. 1

PEANUT BUTTER

From peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to energy bites to baked goods to Healthy Peanut Butter Fruit Dip, this is one of those inexpensive versatile ingredients that is just smart to keep on hand!

No. 2

RICE

This is probably one of the most frugal pantry items and very versatile too, plus a little bit of uncooked rice ends up being quite a lot once cooked!

No. 3

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