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Do you think you could do a column on a supplemental, WM or local grocery store accessible shopping list of stuff you could add to your weekly or biweekly shopping to build a food supply?

— Anji

I sure can, but know that this will be longer than my usual, so this is the only question I’m answering this week! Normally, my thoughts on these types of questions would go in a Monday article, but I really don’t have space in my roster and forgot that this really is critical information. Thank you for the reminder!

Inventory

The first thing a person should do when determining what kind of food storage they need is to first evaluate how much the household eats each day, and then to inventory what you already have. In a lot of instances, simple tweaks to how we use our foods can dramatically extend how much we can use them without the need to buy more! But make a list, or take pictures, or whatever is easiest for you to assess your existing resources before you add to them. Your pantry will get way out of control very quickly if you don’t start from a space of knowing what you’ve already got.

Y’all post your out of control pantry pics in the comments, please, if you were vigorously (or morosely) nodding your head while reading that. In the not-Positively Probiotic food group I run on Facebook, we are currently holding an event so people can deal with overfilled pantries (eating from the pantry) and SNAP challenge, where people can mix and match if they want to eat from pantry and/or eat according to the monthly amount they do or would get from SNAP if they qualified for it. We do these types of challenges every so often, but it’s a really good, judgement-free group that just wants to celebrate how we eat. Be aware that that group I’ve linked isn’t part of my job, so there’s a lot of cussing you’ll see from me in there. Probably others, too, but also probably mostly me. I have a potty mouth when I’m not talking to y’all. Big potty mouth.

This is totally me when I forget my list. Dang Tran/Getty

Listy Lists

Next step is to make your regular grocery list. In an ideal situation, you shop at a number of different stores and keep a mental or written list of what products are cheapest at each market. This is important because, in our efforts to save time or gas by avoiding going to more than one shop, we may wind up with a lot less food for the same money (often without gas cost balancing it).

For real, y’all. We are really talking about a lot of potentially lost dollars if you don’t know your local area markets and what they tend to gouge on (or have the best deals on). Also, remember that these days, most dollar stores are also mini grocery stores. Some carry fruit and veggies, some a narrow selection of dairy and meats, others just the canned stuff. If you’re not sure which does what, call them up and ask them! I looooooooove me some dollar store groceries! WHEN THEY’RE CHEAPER THAN THE REGULAR STORE. That’s being shouted for a reason: $1 doesn’t always mean cheaper. It definitely means cheaper right in the moment, but the per unit cost matters, too. In upcoming recipes where I’m telling you what I paid, that’s the actual cost rather than the start-up cost. If you want to make a rice dish, for example, but don’t have rice, you’d need to buy that and it’d cost more than the price of just the rice you actually used. I’m really into meals that cost about $2 to make in actual cost these days, mostly because I’m brainstorming new ideas for eating on the cheap.

Those little however many cents per unit of measurement on most labels allows you to figure out what’s actually cheapest or not. In my primary grocery store, and 20# bag of flour will cost me about $5 more than if I’d just bought 4 of the 5-pounders. That $1 bag of flour at the dollar store probably costs more than its grocery store counterparts once you account for the per unit cost. Your situation will determine how you feel about all of this. If you have no flour in your pantry and only have a dollar to spend on it? Dollar store. It gets you flour, which is what matters. If you’ve got $2-3, grab the 5# bag from the grocery store since it’ll stretch further.

Don’t freak out

If you’re not in a situation where you can just buy what you want, don’t freak out. It takes a little longer to build a pantry when you’re super broke, but it still can be done. Continuing on with the flour example, Dollar Tree (yes, I looked this up) sells 2# bags of all-purpose flour for $1. Let’s say you want to make the quick bread recipe you’ll see down there somewhere. That uses a bit more than a pound of flour. If you can stretch that bread out over the week, you’ll have just under a pound left. Still only have $1 for flour the next week? Now you’ve got a bit under 3 pounds. It’s a slower growth process, but it’s still growth.

I’ve used these methods when I ate for $10/week, and I still use them now. No matter my budget, there’s still growth when I don’t freak out about my budget and instead figure out how I’m going to most efficiently and productively use the money I’ve budgeted.

This next bit is really, really important. Jose Aragones/Getty

Some of this is being repeated from the prior section, because yes it matters that much. If you are in a situation where you do not have general pantry staples and cannot afford to get all the ones you need without paying a bit more upfront, pay more upfront. When you’ve got enough of your basics that you don’t feel like you’re living hand-to-mouth, that’s when the per unit costs of larger quantities start to matter. The per unit cost, except for canned v. dried beans, never matters when you’re hand-to-mouth.

If this is you, also please try to access local area pantries and such. If you need help doing so, either because you lack the spoons to figure it out or you really don’t think there are available resources, then you should email me so I can help you. Lastly, if this is you, don’t be ashamed. Lots of us have been there or are there now, and there is no shame in making some long-term impractical choices to get you through a time of crisis in the most practical way possible.

So make your list, and then just put a note next to each item about what store is cheapest. I usually do this by putting (K) for Kroger next to the items I need from there, (A) for Aldi, and so forth.

RULE: don’t buy stuff you don’t like. You’re wasting your money because you won’t eat it unless you’re actually starving. Favor things you like and eat, not foods you like but rarely eat.

Plus 1

Now, you are armed not only with lists of what you’ve already got, but what’s left to go! All of your staple items should be Plus 1 if you can afford to do it: rice, beans, flour, whatever that’s shelf stable. Food supply as security comes out of the ability to keep it for a while, not from impulse shopping or foods that need to be used quickly. You saw a lot of reference to this in the produce storage post, because my head is in the same place yours is, Anji! People waste a ton of food, so we want to see that stop happening and also see people be empowered to feel more secure about food. This is often “lost information” or “lost skills” we’re talking about, when we need to know how to increase our food security. For produce, if it doesn’t work for you to store it long-term fresh, then you want to preserve it. I personally find fermentation to be the least work, but I also do dehydrate, can, and freeze different items. These days, I do as much as I can to avoid canning, but needs must.

We need to add staples to build our pantries. Your staples might be different from mine. Pretty sure this isn’t the famous red Swingline, but that’s okay. Mel Baylon/Getty

Staple Foods

There are a lot of ways to determine what staple foods are, but I personally think the answer comes from what you actually eat. If you’re a GF eater, waste of money to grab that bag of wheat flour just because it’s available. If you have a nickel allergy, you need to focus on highly refined staples, such as all-purpose, rice, and pasta. Take stock of what your life really looks like and what your needs are. Either way, whatever stuff you eat that does not need refrigeration or freezing counts to me as a staple.

No matter what you consider to be a staple food, you want to be able to produce your own baked goods if you eat baked goods. This means yeast (jars are cheaper in the long run than packets, so if you can swing it, do a jar), sourdough starter if you’re into that kind of bread (me!), baking soda and powder for quick breads:

Basic Quick Bread

3 cups flour

1 1/2 cups water

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

Heat your oven to 375F and oil your bread pan. Mix together the flour, salt, and powder, then mix in the water. Pour into your pan and bake for about an hour. You’ll know for sure it’s done if it’s pulled away from the sides of the pan. Let it cool about 10 minutes, turn it onto a cooling rack or similar, and if you can bear it, let it finish before slicing.

NOTE: you can add a tablespoon of sugar if you like your bread a little sweeter. I often use beer or milk in place of water (this is 1 can or bottle unless they’re not the standard 12oz size). Sometimes I add cheese, herbs, and/or bacon. Sometimes I put fruit in there (with a bit more sugar). The base recipe never ever changes, but you can put more stuff in if you’d like to. I like to, because it mixes it up so I’m not eating the exact same bread each time.

Back to the Ranch

Anyway, staple foods matter. Rice, beans, lentils, whatever flours you can eat, whole wheat berries if affordable, condiments, canned goods, all the jazz. I think it’s important to keep a few cans of your favorite beans on hand for days you just can’t with cooking them from dry, but I do favor dry beans. They’re quite a lot cheaper, because a pound of beans costs around the same as a single can of it’s type but is worth 3.5 cans. Excepting kidney beans (includes white, not just red), beans can be cooked in the crock pot. Those of you with Instant Pots will find the cook time is wicked fast, too. But either way, I know that I have 3.5 cans of beans for every pound of dry I cook, so I can usually feed my family 3.5x as much food for the same cost.

I generally put the beans in the crock pot before I go to bed. My method is to put the beans in there (remember they will grow, so don’t go all nuts), add some salt and whatever other flavorings I may’ve chosen that day, then add boiling water and the lid. When I wake up, I stir them and then taste one, and if they’re done I either leave them on the counter (I know, I know) with the pot turned off, or I tuck them in the fridge. Those Little Dipper crock pots? They make 1 can of beans. Not just for dips, y’all! In the little dipper I tend to put 1/2-1 inch of beans in there, and it is full of cooked beans when I wake up.

I count bouillon cubes as a staple food, because I don’t always want to make a stock/broth, and I certainly don’t always want to use the expensive boxes of it. Plus, with bouillon you often can skip whatever salt was in your recipe beyond the broth you just made. Dried fruits are a good staple, featuring beautifully in oatmeal and other porridges, rice pudding, as iron-rich snacks, pastries, and all manner of jazz. Cocoa powder. If you want chocolate cake or brownies, gotta have that cocoa!

Just really quickly, if you eat meat, save your bones. Even from fried chicken and such. You are throwing away food otherwise, because all you need to do to make a stock is grab bones from the freezer (or veggie scraps!), toss it in a crock pot or regular pot with water, and cook it until it’s to your taste.

If you drink coffee, tea, or other fun drinks? Grab a little extra when it’s on sale or you otherwise find a good price. I personally believe that people who’re medically able to do so should stock a bit of candy and chocolate. Treats matter (even if they aren’t candy). Doesn’t have to be fancy, but after a hard day, sometimes that’s what you need as a pick-me-up!

I also keep lots of generic brand Jell-O in my pantry. I don’t really want to admit to how much, but I favor the generic brands since they’re usually about 1/3 the price of name brand (ditto most products) and I like having a good stock of this for days someone is sick or days when someone asked for dessert and I feel firmly no about making one. I also keep plain gelatin on hand for when I want to make my own flavors of Jell-O with juice or whatever, and also for when I want a particularly stiff batch of Jell-O that I don’t mind if Child Tester is walking around the apartment with a piece in her hand.

Bottled lemon juice. Even if you typically use fresh lemons, it’s not a bad idea to have this on hand. I float between bottled and fresh, depending on what’s most convenient for me in the moment. Also don’t forget spices. If you use a spice a lot, grab an extra. Jams, honey, and sugar, if you eat those, you want a bit extra. I also like to keep a few bottles or tiny boxes of wine to cook with. No one in my house drinks wine, so this is really just so I can cook with it. A little goes a long way, so a box or bottle can last several meals in most instances.

Do you eat jarred pasta sauces and think that if you need to, you’ll just make it fresh? Keep an extra couple of jars around for the days you really don’t feel like making fresh sauce. Canned milk (dried, too!) is awesome to have for pies (quiche!!!!!!!), and also for weird stuff like making fresh cheese or even your yogurts! Don’t forget your condiments, either. I am a great lover of mustard, so I keep extra on hand because I will be sad if I get hit by another condiments shortage at the store. Child Tester is into mayo, so we keep an extra jar for her.

Other jarred and canned foods. Whatever you eat. I keep a ton of canned tuna (and some other canned meats I use for lazy day soups), hominy, a few cans of corn and potatoes, and piles and piles of canned tomatoes. Maybe you do a lot of casseroles and find Can Of soups easier than making your own! Grab some extras, but don’t forget about the generic brands. Fun foods like pickles or other such. Again, whatever you rely on having in the house is a staple. That’s the real rule, no matter how many lists you might’ve looked at.

RULE: whatever shelf stable goods you’d be upset to not have or have access to are staple foods. No one else’s opinion matters on this, because they aren’t the ones eating what you stored. You are. Store what you eat, and without the #lifegoals aspect of “I want to learn to make…” Sure, get a bit of that, but don’t assume that you’re going to use it (i.e., low on priority list).

Salt, sugar, popcorn, all the jazz. I always consider peanut butter a crucial staple food for anyone medically able (and also willing) to eat it. Makes for some cheap meals, and especially when you keep the jam handy for PB&J. I consider green can parm to be a staple. I don’t always have a wedge of parm in the house, but the green can keeps a long time and gets the job done. Y’all maybe don’t like parm so much as we do in my family, and if that’s the case, NOT a staple food for you!

Planning

Everything up there is about planning. We talked about stores, Plus 1, so forth. But the last thing you should do regarding planning is read the circulars. If you somehow are fortunate enough to not get the weekly store ads in your mailbox, they’re online and you should look at them. Maybe you wanted to get oil, rice, pasta, and beans, for example, but you see there’s a sale on pasta. Buy the pasta and get some of the others on your list next time. Know what the prices are that week, because knowing this allows you to add more for less. Grocery stores last year did not closely follow the usual annual discount cycle, and they may not do so until the pandemic is over, so you do need to rely on the weekly circulars to know how best to maximize your food dollars.

Fats

No matter how you slice it, fats are staple foods. You need them in order to cook a lot of stuff, and you definitely need them to stay alive. Maybe for you that means veg oil, or olive oil, butter, or even lard. It might mean a combination. No matter what, you do need to buy a little extra fat for your pantry. Those of you who eat bacon or breakfast sausage might consider straining and saving that fat in the fridge. I personally do not always feel like spending $5 on a gallon of veg oil when there are other things I’d like to stock instead, and when that happens I schedule it. Literally schedule it. It goes something like this (I talk to myself):

”Allie, you really need more oil. You have only one container and said you’re not gonna go to the store for at least 2 more weeks.”

“Okay, Allie, but do we have enough beans, or do we need more? What about rice? What about, what about, what about?”

“Dude, slow your roll. You didn’t budget for oil and the amount of [whatever] you wanted to buy, so trim that down just enough to cover the oil.”

“But…”

“Pick 4 categories and drop the cost of them by $2. Then you’ve got enough in your budget for oil.”

Sometimes, I decide the oil isn’t as important because I do already have some, and in those cases I get the other stuff. Yep. This is my particular brand of wackadoo. Thanks for viewing the show!

Hard choices

In some situations, the choices are hard. Sometimes they’re easy. Sometimes they’re easier because you engaged in adaptive thinking. Adaptive thinking requires that you look at your current inventory and your list of stuff to buy, and you say, “well, I have 5# of pintos in the house. I really wanted to buy 5# of black beans, but I have enough beans to be okay until the next trip, so I’ll buy the oil.” That kind of jazz.

Everyone is familiar with this jazz, because we’ve all had to make hard choices at times (even if not about food).

With the starting premise of “need a better stocked pantry” and “this is my inventory and budget,” you typically can find the wiggle room that allows you to swap out one desired for another. Maybe not about oil, but most of us have had to figure out at some point how we’re going to navigate our budgets. Maybe you just grab a regular green cabbage instead of a Napa, and that frees enough money up in your budget for some extra staple goods (whatever they may be). Get creative, either way, and assess what needs to be bumped up now v. what needs to be bumped up at some point.

The only reason this picture is here is because I love Letterkenny and said “figure it out” in the last paragraph. I cannot deny myself an opportunity to Letterkenny! There’s no substantive message here beyond y’all knowing how much I love this show.

Plus 1

Before people were paying attention to the pandemic existing (January and February), I asked my friends to please just grab 1 extra, as affordable, of whatever they need or like to have on hand. When the shutdowns and shortages started, I received almost immediate feedback from my friends, and it was mixed. Some of them thanked me for telling them, because they weren’t in grocery stores trying to get whatever was left and instead were sitting tight at home with pantries that had more food than they normally kept on hand. Some of them told me they regretted not listening, and those ones started trying to do Plus 1 any time they went to the store. Obviously, none of us expected the toilet paper crisis, but now everyone knows to keep an extra pack in the house. I tend to think of food this way; if it last a long time, I’d like a little extra on hand. Although shortages are starting again, there’s still rather a lot in the stores (and shortages won’t be as extreme, since grocers have more experience on how to handle pandemics now) that you can add to your stockpile to increase your security.

That’s what I’m telling you is the best way to do it, too. All the other info up there is particulars and tips on how to think (not what to think) are geared around ways in which the Plus 1 rule manifests. It also guarantees you’re not buying stuff that’s weird to you instead of stuff you already know you’ll use. So if you’re feeling overwhelmed, stick to this: Inventory, List, Plus 1.

Special Edition Ask Allie: How to Build a Pantry without Major Budget Adjustments