I’m currently unemployed and this is the state of my pantry. What can I do to fill it up with sustainable and inexpensive food? I’m located in the US. Thank you.
by SouthpawCalligraphy
34 Comments
wizardcowpoke
pasta, just-add-water pancake mix, peanut butter, canned meat / tuna. visit a food bank or food pantry!
Independent_Dare_336
Pasta/Noodles, potatoes, canned veggies, peanut butter, tuna, and rice
FiveFingerDisco
Caned tomatoes, flour, pasta
Mamacitia
Food pantry near you if available
cremecrulee
Dry beans or lentils, keep an eye out for spice and herb medleys ( the dry ones) when they go on sale. Pasta, maybe oats or other grains that can go sweet or savory and work with different ingredients
Upset_Confection_317
Canned tomatoes and canned green beans can go in a lot of meals. Don’t buy canned mixed veg, they’re mostly potatoes. Fresh onions and potatoes/sweet potatoes. Garlic. Rice, pasta.
killmetruck
Have you contacted your local food bank?
Upset_Confection_317
Campbells (or generic) cream soups can make good casseroles
Bulk chili powder, cumin, and/or paprika can go a long way and in a lot of foods. Tacos or fajitas just become the price of whatever meat you get. You don’t need anything else, really. Get flour, and you can make your own tortillas. Then find meata on sale.
Granted, if the spices don’t fit in your budget and you’re okay with blander food, I would still stick with flour. Learn to make bread, tortillas, biscuits.
Bulk Beans and Rice go a long way as well.
Potato-chipsaregood
Lidl and a food pantry
Kaleidoscope1522
All of the above… Ramen noodles, cereals, tuna
-Spookbait-
Lentils and beans, rice and oats
myancy704
Lentils, rice, canned meat, tuna
GrubbsandWyrm
Tuna, rice, beans, pasta, sauce, canned tomatoes. Canned fruit and applesauce for vitamin c.
Bread is getting expensive, so you could get a bag of flour and Google “simple flatbread recipe.” Hintofhelen.com has a good recipe with pictures for reference. Bread is about $4 a loaf here, so i find it a lot cheaper to just make flatbread
Kaleidoscope1522
If you have a dollar type store there, you can get smaller servings if things that are pretty inexpensive. In addition to food banks, many churches offer pantries, and also free or offering based meals. I live in Iowa, a my small town often has 3 or 4 places to get free evening meals in a week… some will package for pick up as well.
AeroDepresso
Rice
Major_Cheesy
Currently, my go-tos are pasta, rice, beans and legumes, eggs, only if they are cheap, peanut butter, flour for flat bread … meat, I only buy seasonally when on sale. Cheese once in a while, cuz it constipates me. And frozen pizza rarely, or I make my own of sorts … and tea or coffee, but tea I may have to drop cuz it’s bothering my bladder … I like to think outside of the box by having lettuce sandwiches with whatever veggies I may have bought with dressing … cabbage stuff like coleslaw or healing soup
That’s pretty much my current diet. And I lost weight with it. I may have to start thinking of downsizing my clothes a bit.
earmares
Buy store brands, not brand name. That would have been a few dollars saved on just the items in your cupboard already.
Capital-Designer-385
Beans, canned tomatoes, a bag of onions and a bag of potatoes. Lots of utility in those items
MikaLaShae
You need a few more main seasonings – garlic powder, onion powder, a good Cajun seasoning, a decent priced garlic and herb seasoning..
BonnieErinaYA
How much of a cook are you or that you are willing to become? When I needed to radically change my food budget, I went straight to cooking from scratch and becoming an ingredient household. No more ready made foods and convenience foods. I filled my pantry with rice, pasta, sugar, oatmeal, canned goods like Rotel, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, dehydrated vegetables, canned and dried beans, etc. my system wouldn’t work for my daughter though because she doesn’t cook and doesn’t have the equipment in her apartment to do it if she wanted to. So let us know if you need suggestions like boxed macaroni and cheese and Ramen or if you want to make things like split pea soup or refried beans and homemade tortillas.
Material_Disaster638
Rice, lentils, black beans,kidney beans, gravy packets, $8 bag of chicken leg quarters. Oven roast the chicken till felling off the bone. Debone the chicken and chop it up into little pieces. Reserve all the juices from cooking the chicken. Save the bones and skin from the chicken out them into pots and boil them with water for 45 minutes. Remove bones and skin and fat combined the juices from cooking the chicken mix well and divide into containers.put into refrigerator or freezer.
Now with the rice, lentils, or beans cook them using the broth you made from the chicken. Make up a gravy packet and combine with some of the chicken and add to the rice, lentils, or beans. It makes palatable food that will sustain you at the lowest cost. You can use the chicken broth to cook the rice completely adding further flavor and nutrients. You can also add some crumble sausage in place of the chicken.
ASherrets
I always buy the little generic flavored tuna packets, I always have rice and dried beans on hand, noodles for casserole or soup, instant potatoes, canned chicken can be added to a rice-a-roni Mexican flavor along with a can of rotel and you have a meal for days.
AceyAceyAcey
Ramen, tuna, pasta, pasta sauce, rice and beans (a complete protein)
Fairybuttmunch
Rice, pasta, canned food, oats, maybe some more spices or a nice spice blend. I use McCormick grillmates on chicken almost everyday. Otherwise paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper combine to make a great seasoning for meat or potatoes.
Edit – also tuna!
ImportantSir2131
Tuna, pasta, various beans-kidney, pinto, black-, rice, tomato sauce
Garden_girl97
I think the sriracha and mayo should be refrigerated?
ThingUnderTree
I love granola but I’m allergic to nuts and it’s expensive. There are a ton recipes online to make it in bulk. I’m not a good cook but they’re very straightforward and inexpensive for the nutrients they contain (stay away from adding chocolate etc as it’s unhealthy and expensive).
Thank you for asking this question, I’m going shopping now!
Old-Fox-3027
Food bank.
Think-Offer3354
Sardines!!!
AppleCookieRose
I really would start with food banks first. Check Craigslist, FB marketplace for free food offers. Use word of mouth to let others know you’ll help take extra off their hands, maybe they need help cleaning their pantry or fridge. I’ve left a laundry basket of canned goods for friends or fb acquaintances 2x.
My mother in law got a new fridge and wanted all brand new condiments. She also emptied her freezer at the same time. I helped her donate to a distant family member.
So people will donate unexpired, unopened pantry staples.
The thread is full of great ideas for cheaper filling starches. Another tip is volunteer at school, community events that include food. You might go home with 5 pounds of potato salad, or 200 napkins, or cute decorations for the next birthday.
34 Comments
pasta, just-add-water pancake mix, peanut butter, canned meat / tuna. visit a food bank or food pantry!
Pasta/Noodles, potatoes, canned veggies, peanut butter, tuna, and rice
Caned tomatoes, flour, pasta
Food pantry near you if available
Dry beans or lentils, keep an eye out for spice and herb medleys ( the dry ones) when they go on sale. Pasta, maybe oats or other grains that can go sweet or savory and work with different ingredients
Canned tomatoes and canned green beans can go in a lot of meals. Don’t buy canned mixed veg, they’re mostly potatoes. Fresh onions and potatoes/sweet potatoes. Garlic. Rice, pasta.
Have you contacted your local food bank?
Campbells (or generic) cream soups can make good casseroles
Pasta, pancake mix. Broth, canned veggies, canned tuna/chicken. Crackers.
What are your dietary restrictions/requirements?
Bulk chili powder, cumin, and/or paprika can go a long way and in a lot of foods. Tacos or fajitas just become the price of whatever meat you get. You don’t need anything else, really. Get flour, and you can make your own tortillas. Then find meata on sale.
Granted, if the spices don’t fit in your budget and you’re okay with blander food, I would still stick with flour. Learn to make bread, tortillas, biscuits.
Bulk Beans and Rice go a long way as well.
Lidl and a food pantry
All of the above… Ramen noodles, cereals, tuna
Lentils and beans, rice and oats
Lentils, rice, canned meat, tuna
Tuna, rice, beans, pasta, sauce, canned tomatoes. Canned fruit and applesauce for vitamin c.
Bread is getting expensive, so you could get a bag of flour and Google “simple flatbread recipe.” Hintofhelen.com has a good recipe with pictures for reference. Bread is about $4 a loaf here, so i find it a lot cheaper to just make flatbread
If you have a dollar type store there, you can get smaller servings if things that are pretty inexpensive. In addition to food banks, many churches offer pantries, and also free or offering based meals. I live in Iowa, a my small town often has 3 or 4 places to get free evening meals in a week… some will package for pick up as well.
Rice
Currently, my go-tos are pasta, rice, beans and legumes, eggs, only if they are cheap, peanut butter, flour for flat bread … meat, I only buy seasonally when on sale. Cheese once in a while, cuz it constipates me. And frozen pizza rarely, or I make my own of sorts … and tea or coffee, but tea I may have to drop cuz it’s bothering my bladder … I like to think outside of the box by having lettuce sandwiches with whatever veggies I may have bought with dressing … cabbage stuff like coleslaw or healing soup
That’s pretty much my current diet. And I lost weight with it. I may have to start thinking of downsizing my clothes a bit.
Buy store brands, not brand name. That would have been a few dollars saved on just the items in your cupboard already.
Beans, canned tomatoes, a bag of onions and a bag of potatoes. Lots of utility in those items
You need a few more main seasonings – garlic powder, onion powder, a good Cajun seasoning, a decent priced garlic and herb seasoning..
How much of a cook are you or that you are willing to become?
When I needed to radically change my food budget, I went straight to cooking from scratch and becoming an ingredient household. No more ready made foods and convenience foods.
I filled my pantry with rice, pasta, sugar, oatmeal, canned goods like Rotel, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, dehydrated vegetables, canned and dried beans, etc.
my system wouldn’t work for my daughter though because she doesn’t cook and doesn’t have the equipment in her apartment to do it if she wanted to.
So let us know if you need suggestions like boxed macaroni and cheese and Ramen or if you want to make things like split pea soup or refried beans and homemade tortillas.
Rice, lentils, black beans,kidney beans, gravy packets, $8 bag of chicken leg quarters. Oven roast the chicken till felling off the bone. Debone the chicken and chop it up into little pieces. Reserve all the juices from cooking the chicken. Save the bones and skin from the chicken out them into pots and boil them with water for 45 minutes. Remove bones and skin and fat combined the juices from cooking the chicken mix well and divide into containers.put into refrigerator or freezer.
Now with the rice, lentils, or beans cook them using the broth you made from the chicken. Make up a gravy packet and combine with some of the chicken and add to the rice, lentils, or beans. It makes palatable food that will sustain you at the lowest cost. You can use the chicken broth to cook the rice completely adding further flavor and nutrients. You can also add some crumble sausage in place of the chicken.
I always buy the little generic flavored tuna packets, I always have rice and dried beans on hand, noodles for casserole or soup, instant potatoes, canned chicken can be added to a rice-a-roni Mexican flavor along with a can of rotel and you have a meal for days.
Ramen, tuna, pasta, pasta sauce, rice and beans (a complete protein)
Rice, pasta, canned food, oats, maybe some more spices or a nice spice blend. I use McCormick grillmates on chicken almost everyday. Otherwise paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper combine to make a great seasoning for meat or potatoes.
Edit – also tuna!
Tuna, pasta, various beans-kidney, pinto, black-, rice, tomato sauce
I think the sriracha and mayo should be refrigerated?
I love granola but I’m allergic to nuts and it’s expensive. There are a ton recipes online to make it in bulk. I’m not a good cook but they’re very straightforward and inexpensive for the nutrients they contain (stay away from adding chocolate etc as it’s unhealthy and expensive).
Thank you for asking this question, I’m going shopping now!
Food bank.
Sardines!!!
I really would start with food banks first. Check Craigslist, FB marketplace for free food offers. Use word of mouth to let others know you’ll help take extra off their hands, maybe they need help cleaning their pantry or fridge. I’ve left a laundry basket of canned goods for friends or fb acquaintances 2x.
My mother in law got a new fridge and wanted all brand new condiments. She also emptied her freezer at the same time. I helped her donate to a distant family member.
So people will donate unexpired, unopened pantry staples.
The thread is full of great ideas for cheaper filling starches. Another tip is volunteer at school, community events that include food. You might go home with 5 pounds of potato salad, or 200 napkins, or cute decorations for the next birthday.
A multipurpose seasoning