Learn my pantry restock plan for a large family, including the 15 pantry staples I am focusing on and how I am rebuilding my grocery stockpile on a budget.
How I Am Restocking My Pantry on a Budget
It is that time again. Time to restock my pantry and slowly replenish my stockpile of non perishable foods. This time, I actually made a plan so that I am not spending a huge amount of money all at once. I thought it would be helpful to share that plan here and walk you through how I am restocking our pantry on a budget.
I have shared my pantry and stockpile before, both here on the blog and on my YouTube channel. (See my original stockpile video here.)
We try to keep a non perishable food stockpile mainly for situations like power outages, when we need foods that do not require cooking. Lately though both my pantry and stockpile have started to look pretty sparse!
We have been pulling from the pantry and stockpile as needed, and we also used quite a bit during a recent winter storm when we could not easily get to the store for a few days. I started noticing that we were getting low on a lot of basics, and I wanted to restock before we completely ran out.
Prefer video? I share about my pantry and stockpile restock plan on my YouTube channel here.
Why I Am Restocking My Pantry Slowly Instead of All at Once
The ideal way to stock a pantry or build a stockpile is to add to it a little at a time. That way, you can take advantage of sales, buy items at a discount, and avoid a big hit to your grocery budget.
If I am being honest, I have not always done a great job with this in the past. Usually I would get to the point where we were almost out of everything, then spend $100, $150, or even $200 at once to restock. After that, we would slowly use everything up and the cycle would repeat.
This time, I wanted to do things differently and be more intentional about my grocery stockpile planning for our large family. My goal is to spend a little bit each week and gradually rebuild our pantry and stockpile without blowing the budget.
My Weekly Grocery Budget for Pantry Stocking
Our current grocery budget is $175 per week. Out of that amount, I am planning to set aside about $20 to $25 each week specifically for pantry and stockpile items. That still leaves enough room in the budget for our regular groceries while making steady progress toward restocking.
I do plan to do a separate grocery trip in the next month or so to stock up on convenience foods before baby #6 arrives! That will likely be a Costco trip with items like frozen lasagna and other easy meals, and I will budget for that separately. For now, though, this pantry stock-up plan is focused strictly on pantry and non perishable basics.
The 15 Pantry Staples I Am Stocking Up On
To keep myself from feeling overwhelmed, I decided to focus on just 15 items that I really want to always have on hand. This list was honestly hard to narrow down, because there are so many useful pantry foods, but I wanted a clear starting point.
Most of these items are non perishable pantry staples that work well for pantry stocking on a budget. The only exception is butter, which I included because it is such an important baking staple.
1. Diced Tomatoes
Diced tomatoes are something I always want in my pantry. We use them often for soups, but they are also helpful in many other recipes.
2. Black Beans
Black beans are a staple in our house and get used regularly in different meals.
3. Pinto Beans
Pinto beans are another favorite, especially for taco soup, which is one of our go to meals.
4. Canned Tuna
Canned tuna is something I eat regularly, so it is important for me to keep it stocked. I also keep canned chicken on hand, but tuna is the priority for this list.
5. Peanut Butter
With five kids and one on the way, we go through a lot of peanut butter. We use it for sandwiches, snacks, and recipes like energy bites and no bake cookies. It is also an easy source of protein.
6. Applesauce
Applesauce is the canned fruit we use the most, so that is what I am focusing on. For our family size, buying larger containers usually makes more sense than individual cups.
7. Cereal
Cold cereal is not the most economical breakfast option, but it is easy and my kids love it. We go through it quickly, so having extra on hand is helpful.
8. Oats
Oats are another breakfast staple and give us an easy alternative to cereal.
9. Pasta
Pasta makes quick, easy meals and is one of my favorite pantry staples for large family meal planning. I like to keep a variety on hand, such as spaghetti, macaroni, and a couple other shapes like bow ties or ziti.
10. Pasta Sauce
While I can make homemade sauce, jarred pasta sauce is convenient and something I like to keep stocked.
11. Flour
We ran out of flour during a recent winter storm, which made me realize I had not been paying close attention to how quickly we were using it. Oops! Definitely something I want to stay stocked up on.
12. Sugar and Brown Sugar
These are basic baking supplies that I want to always have available.
13. Butter and Oil
I grouped butter and oil together because they are both essential for baking and cooking.
14. Basic Baking Supplies
This includes salt, baking powder, baking soda, and yeast. These are easy to forget to restock until you suddenly run out. (Ask me how I know!)
15. Chocolate Chips
Chocolate chips are not an essential, but they are nice to have. Many desserts call for them, and it is convenient to already have them on hand.
Why I Chose These Pantry Staples First
There are so many other things I could focus on stocking up, and you might already be thinking of items you would add to this list. Condiments, spices, honey, jam, crackers, paper products, toiletries, and even perishable items like meat and cheese are all on my radar.
For now, though, I wanted a clear, manageable list. Starting with these 15 items gives me a solid foundation and helps me stay focused while sticking to our regular grocery budget.
What Comes Next With My Grocery Stockpile Plan
I am hoping to do a follow up video on my YouTube channel in the next month or so to share how this plan is going and how much progress I have made before the baby arrives. We will see how much I can get stocked up over the next several weeks and adjust from there.
I would love to hear your thoughts. Would your list of pantry essentials look similar to mine, or are there items you would definitely include that I left out? Let me know in the comments!
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