Pantry Problem

[RosettaStoned]

One of the first things I'm attempting to rein in and get into 'mustachian' shape is spending on groceries and staples. My household consists of myself, wife and our two sub 6 year-old children. We can't seem to nail down a consistent budget or menu/list of things we should keep stocked. The only common thing week to week is milk. The wife and I are also attempting to break our lunch buying habits.

So I'm looking for suggestions. What are you go-to items that you keep stocked for inexpensive and healthy meals? Any favorite recipes are welcomed to.

[kdms]

Can I suggest you start by going through your grocery bills and making note of what items show up on a regular basis?  That would give you a pretty good idea of what items are needed on a weekly basis, and what prices they usually sell for.  I started by going through a few months worth of receipts and quickly realized that we spent on average $110-$140 a week for consumables...which included stuff like toilet paper as well as food. 

I wouldn't try to change your actual eating habits right away (unless it's really unhealthy) just to save a few bucks....it's a big change to make and people (especially kids) have a tendency to get really grouchy when you mess with their food.  What about changing how you prepare your meals?  If macaroni and cheese in a box is a regular purchase, for example, learn how to make it from scratch instead.  Instead of buying a tray of pre-cut vegetables or fruit, buy the fruit in its original format and prep it yourself....you'll save scads of money just by doing prep work yourself.  (It also has the tendency of being healthier...less preservatives and all that.)

Figure out what you've been eating first....then figure out what you'd like to change.  At that point it should be a lot easier to figure out how to keep your pantry stocked, when you're running low on something, and when something is a good deal to stock up on.  Knowing what you eat will also prevent you from stocking up on good deals just because they're a good deal (that happened to us a couple of times before we figured it out.)

Hope that helps a bit!  There's lots of threads over in the DIY section with meal suggestions and sample grocery lists as well.  :)

[kudy]

I almost always have:

• tortillas/other things to make mexican-style food (this is my go-to meal if I don't know what to have)
• eggs/tomato/avacado/sausage/hashbrowns + some of the mexican food items for making breakfast burritos
• a home baked loaf of bread and some sandwich makings
• snacking vegetables like carrots/broccoli and hummus

I would love some additional inspiration in this department as well because planned meals only work if you take the time to execute the plan, and I am not all the way there yet - need some easy on-the-fly items.

For lunches I usually cook 1 or 2 big meals for dinner each week, and eat leftovers for most lunches.

[jpo]

We always keep "staples" and things for work lunches on hand.

Then each week before grocery shopping we plan a weekly menu based on what we already have and what's on sale. Make a list of ingredients based on those meals, bring only coupons for said ingredients, and stick to the list. We'll get extra of something if it's a great deal (i.e. racks of ribs for cheap).

We've found that making the weekly dinner menu has cut down on our average shopping bill.

[totoro]

Here is a fantastic, cheap, fast and very good Artisan bread recipe.  You can make enough dough for the whole week at once and keep the dough in the fridge:

http://www.food.com/recipe/5-minute-artisan-bread-325571

I made pizza buns for the kids this morning with it and a small loaf for leftover roast beef sandwiches for DH this morning.  For the pizza buns I flattened some dough and added shredded cheese and pizza sauce.  Rolled it and cut it in four and cooked them with the bread.

[BPA]

Here is a fantastic, cheap, fast and very good Artisan bread recipe.  You can make enough dough for the whole week at once and keep the dough in the fridge:

http://www.food.com/recipe/5-minute-artisan-bread-325571

I made pizza buns for the kids this morning with it and a small loaf for leftover roast beef sandwiches for DH this morning.  For the pizza buns I flattened some dough and added shredded cheese and pizza sauce.  Rolled it and cut it in four and cooked them with the bread.

Thanks for the recipe.

I try to do at least two frugal meals a day, and then one less frugal one.  And I make sure that I eat fresh fruits and vegetables.

My frugal standbys are:
1.  oatmeal
2.  peanut butter on toast
3.  rice, bean, lentil dish (I cook up a big batch on the weekend)
4.  eggs

I am trying to cut back on the amount of meat I eat. 

I do let too much of the fresh fruit and vegetables go to waste though.  That's something I need to work on.

[kudy]

Am I the only one who sees this thread title as "Panty Problem"?

[Worsted Skeins]

You might want to try doing some bulk cooking on the weekend. For example, you can make any sort of baked pasta dish (lasagna, baked ziti, etc.) and put one in the freezer for a go-to meal.  I make eggrolls in bulk and then freeze smaller quantities wrapped in freezer paper.  These go from the freezer to the oven (brushed with a bit of sesame oil). Cook extra rice and then use the bits and pieces  hanging out in the fridge for fried rice.

Frittatas are quick for week nights.  Serve with soup or salad.

One quick meal that I assembled earlier in the week consisted of broiled boneless chicken thighs and whole wheat cous cous mixed with sauteed veg.  You can assemble a rub the night before to flavor those thighs (sounds like I am referring to Kudy's panty problem).  Preheat the broiler or your grill while hydrating the cous cous (they only need to sit in boiling water) and chopping your veg.  Make a lot because this will be lunch the next day.

[Catbert]

Once you decide what you need to keep on hand then you need to buy it economically.  As someone else said look at your old grocery receipts (or start keeping them so you can review later).  Also save the weekly grocery ads for the stores where you shop for a couple of months.  See the patterns of what goes on sale, for how much and how often.  For example, if chicken breasts are on sale and you know they go on sale for this price about every 4 weeks there is no sense buying 3 months worth.  Many things so on sale every 4-6 weeks others only once a year (e.g., canned pumpkin) 

[Erica/NWEdible]

Ooooh...pantries! This is my favorite! Basically, what you should have in your larder is 100% dependent on what you ACTUALLY cook and eat. I know that seems obvious but people get sucked into buying stuff they will never really eat because its a good price or they got a sample at costco or whatever. In my pantry, I keep a lot of canned (home-canned, but only cause that's my deal) tomatoes, pasta, whole wheat flour, corn meal, oats, rice, various beans and other dry goods. I keep quite a few Asian-type seasonings on hand because we do a lot of curries, stir-fries, etc. for fast meals. I always have yeast because we make our own bread and if you stick one of those huge containers of yeast from Costco in the fridge it'll last for years and is way more cost effective than the little one-gram foil pouches. We buy meat in bulk and have it in the freezer. If you have a big freezer this is a good way to take advantage of food savings, but I definitely spend more on electricity because I have quite a few boxes that keep things cold in my house, so assess the actual benefit for your family to stockpiling. (In our case we buy from wholesalers and farmers, so when we get meat we get A LOT of meat and the freezer setup is good for us.) I dry and freeze a lot of fruit in the summer, so that is also on hand for us. Frozen fruit is great for smoothies, desserts, mock blender ice cream and just to eat out of hand and my kids like it a lot.

The short answer to "What should I keep on hand?" is - food you will eat, and that is flexible for multiple applications. That's why I love canned tomatoes - in the winter they go into just about everything.

[chucklesmcgee]

One of the first things I'm attempting to rein in and get into 'mustachian' shape is spending on groceries and staples. My household consists of myself, wife and our two sub 6 year-old children. We can't seem to nail down a consistent budget or menu/list of things we should keep stocked. The only common thing week to week is milk. The wife and I are also attempting to break our lunch buying habits.

So I'm looking for suggestions. What are you go-to items that you keep stocked for inexpensive and healthy meals? Any favorite recipes are welcomed to.

Plain, unprocessed staple foods that have basically an indefinite shelf life.
Oats
Raisins
Peanut butter (just peanuts and salt, no sugar, hydrogenated oil, etc)
Brown rice
Nuts, pecans, almonds, walnuts
Olive oil

Freeze: Frozen vegetables (I get the steam in bag kind because sometimes you're too lazy to get a plate), chicken breast

Weekly I'll buy- eggs, egg whites, greek yogurt (expensive, whatever)

[Free in Ten Years]

We eat a lot of meals that have rice as the main carbohydrate - curries, bean meals, chili, tuna and rice and so on.

We eat lots of meals based around the following:

-rice
-oats
-bread
-beans
-tuna
-eggs
-legumes
-lentils

I have found that cutting back on meat is also a really good start. If you live anywhere near the sea, a fishing rod can be a good investment too ;)

[KGZotU]

It's helped me a lot to put my dry bulk goods into buckets. Once I poured my rice into a 5-gallon bucket, I ate a lot more rice because of how much more convenient it was to get into.