If you’re wondering what should I buy to stock-up my pantry? What are the best foods to stock up on? Or, How do I stock up on a budget, you’re in the right place. I keep stocked up on groceries all the time and it has always served my family well. I’m hoping to answer all the questions you might have and there’s even a FREE Printable Stock Up Price List you can get access to below.
This post contains affiliate links. This supports my family and allows me to keep providing you with great resources. You can trust that I only promote products I love or would use myself. Read my full disclosure for more details.
What Does it Mean to Stock Up?
To stock up (on something) is to buy a large amount of that thing so that you will have enough to use in the future. There are a lot of different reasons that people stock up.
Some people may live far from a store so they need to stock up until they get into town the next time. They may want to stock up so they have enough to last through an emergency. And, my main reason for stocking up — in order to get the best price and save money on household supplies.
I mainly use my stocking up process for groceries. You can get my Stock-Up Price List and blank printables below.
Why Should You Stock Up On Groceries?
1.) Save Money on Groceries
The #1 reason you should be stocking up on groceries is that it can save you tons of money. It helps you save money because if done right, you’re buying foods when they are at their lowest price and keeping them in your pantry. You then need to be eating those foods on a regular basis instead of buying ingredients when they are at sky-high prices.
Let’s use Spaghetti as an example. The regular price for pasta is $2.00 and sauce is $3.00 for a combined price of $5.00. My stock-up price for pasta is $.79 and sauce is $.99 for a combined price of $1.78. So if every time I make spaghetti I use my pantry instead of paying full price, I’m saving $3.22.
I know, that doesn’t sound like much but I make it 2X per month or 24X per year. That savings now totals $77.28. Now, imagine doing that with 10 other pantry meals, it’s a yearly savings of $772.80. That’s a pretty good chunk of dough.
2.) Save Money by Not Eating Out
The 2nd reason is that if my pantry is stocked with food all the time, then I won’t have to run out for fast food or order pizza when I can’t find something to eat.
3.) Security During Emergencies
If you live where the weather turns bad and can keep you from being able to head out to the store, having a nice stockpile is very handy. I easily have a week’s worth of food in my house at all times so even during snow and ice there is plenty to eat, here. Fortunately, that doesn’t happen much where I live, but we should all be ready for an emergency.
What foods should I stock up?
You should be stocking up on any of the food items that you eat on a regular basis. It will be important for every person to determine what foods they eat the most and start tracking what they pay and what the sale prices are in their area. I created my post, How to Make a Grocery Price Book specifically for this tracking practice.
If you like, you could also start tracking household items like:
- Soap
- Shampoo
- Toothpaste
- Toilet paper, etc.
- Razors
Related Reading: How to Make a Grocery Price Book
Top 10 Foods for Stocking Up
Again, this depends greatly on what foods you eat, but I find that these are the foods that I can save the most on. They are also eaten frequently by most families and can be stored safely.
- Cereal
- Peanut Butter
- Chicken Breast
- Pasta
- Salad Dressings
- Condiments
- Baking Essentials (flour, sugar, baking soda, salt)
- Butter (store in the freezer)
- Beans, canned and dried
- Crackers
How Do You Stock a Pantry on a Budget?
If you’re planning to stock up on food to fill your pantry, it’s possible to completely blow your grocery budget. It’s important to be smart about the way you shop and how much you’re spending.
If you’re on a budget, you may want to allocate a specific amount each week, paycheck, or month to spend on your pantry. Even if it’s only an extra $10 per month, you could buy 20 cans of beans, 15 lbs. of rice, or 10 boxes of cereal with that $10.
Just don’t overdo it. If you do, you won’t have enough money left to spend on the rest of your groceries.
- Determine a weekly or monthly amount that you can use for stocking up.
- Create a list of items you use frequently.
- Figure out the best possible price you can get them for.
- Watch the ads and in-store sales for when the items hit their rock-bottom price.
- As the items go on sale, stock up as much as you can without going over budget.
- Be sure you don’t buy more than you can use before they expire.
- Now, be sure to use the items you’ve purchased in your meals.
Related: Ultimate Guide to Monthly Meal Planning
Stock up Price List – FREE Printable
Be certain that you create a stock up price list for yourself. You absolutely need to know the items you buy the most and how cheap you can get them. Once you’ve done that, you can start to stock up and be certain that you’re getting a great deal.
You can get my free printable stock up price list below. It comes with examples of my stock-up prices and a blank price list for you to complete with your favorite products. You can make as many copies as you need.
