Frugal shopping list

[PrairieFlowerC]

What do you recommend for keeping your fridge/freezer & pantry stocked? what staples are a must?

[NickiB]

Well, I always have to have lots of baking goods on hand (flour, sugar, eggs, yeast etc). That way no matter how little money I have I have the ability to bake. I also always have lots of ground beef in my freezer and chicken if I can get it at a good price. Those are my 'staples' and I always feel like I can feed my family and well if I have those on hand.

[sunshine]

I totally agree with the baking supplies!

Also rice, oatmeal (for breakfasts ,etc), eggs, and some sort of cheap cheeses.

But mostly- it's a matter of buying/stocking at sale prices the items you normally eat every day.

[Kimberlina]

Lentils and other dry beans, as well as TVP or TSP- all good, fairly shelf-stable sources of protein.

Rice to go with.

Baking supplies for sure- I kick myself whenever I accidentally run out of flour (about once a year, probably.)

Evaporated milk.

Lots of dried pasta, as well as canned sauces or tomatoes to go with.

Chocolate chips for when DD or DH has a craving.

Oatmeal, cornmeal (poletna....yummmmm!) barley, dried herbs and spices, cornstarch, dry or evaporated milk...

Lots more stuff, but I will leave some for others to add.

[QuilterMom]

For me personally.....

flour (whole wheat, whole wheat pastry, unbleached all-purpose)
soy flour (I use this in place of eggs when baking)
butter
cheese (singles, cheddar chunks, mozzarella chunks)
variety of dried beans
variety of frozen and canned veggies
canned pineapple
canned tuna
canned salmon
canned tomato sauce
vareity of herbs and spices
pure vanilla extract
molasses
honey
brown rice
evaporated cane juice crystals (use in place of white sugar)
baking powder
baking soda
sea salt
quick cooking oats
grits
vareity of pastas
pasta sauce
olive oil
mustard
ketchup
mayo
ground beef
fish, shrimp
variety of crackers
peanut butter
raisins
a few cereals
maple syrup

[canadian gardener]

Freezer:

(we aren't vegetarian any more but you can stock Tofu on sale in the freezer, and home cooked beans in little packs ready to use which you make cheap and easy using a crockpot, some water and dried beans)

Chicken leg quarters, back attached. The cheapest chicken meat going, usually on sale for super low prices, I make several recipes routinely out of this staple including soup.

Chicken breast skin and bone attached that I buy on super sales. I repack, sometimes freezing right in a marinade for a wonderful defrost and go tasty meal.

Whole chickens, sale priced. Sometimes I leave them whole for a roast dinner, sometimes I cut them myself for a change.

Ground beef several ways: raw both lean and regular grind on sale, that I repack in conveniant sizes. Cooked as "crumbles" which is the equivalent of a one lb size browned and drained. (I have a system which I describe in my OAMC threads here in OAMC cooking, look under the cooking section)

I also make and freeze meatballs for future meals with various sauces. AND raw meatloaf mixture which I do up in a huge batch then portion out and freeze flat in ziplock bags because I prefer the taste of it fresh cooked, and flat frozen equals faster thawing.

I keep roast beef, whatever is on sale in there along with any turkey sales. Steak specials, and I cut my own stir fry beef meat which I use in stir fry or in stroganoff.

Pork loins-- good specials-- I cut up into boneless chops, roasts and stir fry meat. Pork chops ready cut off good specials.

Fish: Lately I've been getting good deals on frozen Basa fillets which are like sole. I buy boneless wild salmon fillets when they go on special and also whole frozen wild pink salmon also on special.

Seafood: Shrimp, ready cooked, frozen just thaw under running water in a seive and toss into a stir fry.

Cheese: I freeze cheese. Mostly as grated cheese which I CHOP in my food processor because it's so much easier than grating. I bag in useable amounts, usually now in 1 cup measures. Think about how you use grated cheese, cheese sauce, pizza, macaroni, cheese biscuits, casserole toppings, and measure what you use. Freezes great!

I still buy big hunks of cheese on special although we are empty nesters, so I eat what we want, and when I'm ready, I chop the rest and freeze it.

You can freeze cheese and slice it later but it will be crumbly.

Bacon sometimes. We aren't big bacon or ham fans.

Frozen veggies such as big sacks of peaches and cream corn or baby peas in the 2 kg sacks from Costco.

Chopped spinach is SO handy to have for a green veggie and it goes in soups, dips and many casseroles. I stock up on sales.

Frozen orange juice.

Then in the summer in blueberry and strawberry season I toss them in whole, as is. Tray freeze dry and unwashed, bare naked. When frozen tumble into a bag and tie off. All winter you can scoop what you need from the jumbo bag in the bottom of the chest freezer where it sits all nice and handy. Muffins, cakes, cobblers, you name it. Or just a bowl full, nuked with a tsp of sugar.

I freeze plums and cherries too for various recipes in the winter. YUM!

I make HM pancakes and waffles and toss them into the freezer on a cooling rack. Later I bag em for toaster breakfasts.

speaking of toast, find a local bread outlet and start buying in bulk. Day olds are a good deal and it's no different than fresh bread once it is frozen. Peel off the slices you need and always have fresh bread.

[canadian gardener]

Flour
Oats
Cornmeal (waffles, cornbread, oven fry chicken coating)
Barley (soups, pilaf)
Couscous and buckwheat (sides)
Pasta various shapes, lasagne, macaroni, rotini, spaghetti, orzo
Noodles (egg noodles for sides)
Chinese noodles
Rice (minute and converted)

used to keep lentils, tvp, beans asstd before allergy to legumes hit.

Walnuts and almonds in the freezer to stay fresh

Sugar
Brown Sugar
Icing Sugar
Maple syrup
corn syrup
condensed milk one or two cans
Jams, marmelade and honey and peanut butter for dh

Ranch dressing mix in packets (sales)
Taco mix in packets (sales)

Baking soda
Baking Powder
Vinegar regular in bulk 5 liter jugs (cleaning and cooking)

balsamic vinegar, also red wine vinegar
Lemon juice bottled.

Hoisin sauce, Oyster sauce, soy sauce for Chinese food
also sesame oil, sherry and rice wine vinegar for same.

Mustards, regular, dijon, hot sweet types.
Mayo
Ketchup

Spices I keep in my jars, but buy in the bulk section of supermarket or health food store (fresher and 100 times cheaper!)

Onion soup mix
Chicken noodle soup in cans, along with crm of mushroom and tomato.
Chicken broth in the liter tetrabrick containers, shelf stable.

Tomato paste
Tomatoes diced in tomatoe juice
Hunt's Thick and Rich pasta sauce (our favourite)

canned mushrooms in peices and stems (cheap and PRE CHOPPED if you think about it)

Tea
Coffee
Coffee filters (bulk at Costco)
Cocoa powder (brownies, cocoa-- unsweetened no name)
canned evaporated milk


NON FOOD:
laundry detergent powder from Costco
washing soda
Bleach
stain stick or stain treatment
OXICLEAN powder from Costco

Dishwasher detergent from Costco
Dish liquid

"red juice" concentrated automotive degreaser that I dilute to make my own cheap spray cleaner (see Clean Team site--google)
Windex in bulk from Costco to refill my sprayers for less.
Comet
Future floor polish
Furniture polish
ammonia for a floor stripper
and floor sealent (janitor supply)-- years back, bought as terrazo sealer, but I use it under the polish as a scratch seal and shine coat. It needs polish on top but I have the same bottle for the last 15 or more years.

Shampoo
Conditioner
razors
shaving cream for dh
bar soap
toothpaste
dental floss
deoderant
lotion and vaseline
Q tips
Tea Tree Oil (my all purpose natural disinfectant)

Toilet Paper Costco Kirkland, I like it, it's cheap
Paper towels Bounty, in bulk from Costco
kleenex-- no name in bulk packs of many boxes

Tylenol -- costco's house brand for me
Aspirin-- costco's house brand for dh
Vitamins- combination of costco and Jamieson from sales at grocery or drugstores.

[canadian gardener]

veg oil
olive oil
lard (in freezer)
Becel from Costco in the big tubs. Superstore (Loblaws back east) sells a President's Choice one that is a Becel knock off for a couple bucks cheaper than costco.
Butter (in the freezer) from costco

black gbg bags, the big ones for trash pick up day (we won't need them soon, they are selling special bins which can have trash tossed in small packages into the bin but I buy these in the noname from Costco.

White trash bags (kitchen catcher style) Costco, no name. To line the garbage cans around the house, but especially the kitchen gbg can.

I also find that the following are good keepers in the veggie drawer in the fridge and come in handy:
Carrots
Celery
Cabbage
Rutabagas

and on the counter, onions and garlic and sometimes lemons and ginger root which I keep in a pretty bowl by the fridge. Decorative and handy.

[suesue]

Wow, Margery. That is a great list!!! Thanks so much.

Suesue

[PrairieFlowerC]

yes thank you everyone for posting! i buy MANY of the same items. i alsways have a well stocked pantry. im in good comapny.

[canadian gardener]

It's always fun to see each other's rock bottom pantry lists, it sparks good ideas.

I forgot the 2 boxes of cold cereal. I have had them hanging around since June when I bought them for all the company who stayed for the kid's grad ceremony.

Made me realize just how little we use them now the kids are gone. How long before they go stale? They are no name cornflakes and cheerios. They are good tasting, we just don't eat them that much.

[Deborah_Kate]

I usually keep a very well stocked pantry and freezer. With the exception of defrosting time we always have chicken, ground beef and whatever other meat I can get for a good sale price. When it's empty I just restock.

For the pantry I have at any given time, loads of dried pasta, grains (barley, wheat, buckwheat, amaranth, millet), rice, cold cereal, oatmeal, flour, sugar, canned veggies, canned meats (tuna and salmon) and fruit cocktail at a bare minnimum.

Fridge gets a two gallons of milk, cheap cheases, salad (I can get bagged cheaper than head lettuce), baby carrots, eggs, lunch meat for DH's lunch, and condiments.


My barebones grocery list would be this:
1 gal milk (1.99 at Aldi)
1 doz eggs (0.79 at Aldi)
2 boxes mac & cheese (.25 each at Aldi)
1 bag egg noodles (0.59 at Aldi)
2 cans cream of mushroom soup (0.33 each at Aldi)

This is about all we would need in any given week if we didn't have the money for groceries because I have kept so well stocked that we can draw on our resources. My barebones list is $4.20 and yes I have had occasion to feed to four of us in a week on $10 or less. I am going to try to do that from now until I get a job so I can have more for the bills. We are also fortunate that the boys get all their meals at daycare so it's just us at dinner.

Deb