Pantry Staples for a Month

If you’re not used to planning ahead for weekly meals suddenly finding yourself needing to purchase a month’s supply of food can feel overwhelming. Fortunately I’ve got you covered.

I’ve been shopping once a month or less for the vast majority of our staples. While I won’t go into the why we made the switch in this series, but I will share with you how I calculate our needs and create our monthly shopping list.

Hopefully these exercises will help provide you with a sense of direction and control during this uncertain time.

In case you are currently in a situation where you need to head to the store or are already there and need to stock your pantry right now I’m going to start by sharing what I keep in my pantry.

If you have a little bit more time you can work through my meal planning exercises found on my post titled “How Much Meat do I Need for a Month.” please feel free to do so. You’ll have a much clearer idea of what your family needs and ways to cook with it.

What Pantry Staples do I need for a month?

We are currently a family of 5 however the youngest is only 4 months, however we all have good appetites.

Here is what we keep our pantry stocked with year round.

25 lb bag of rice
25 lb of millet
15 lb bag of sorghum
25 lb bag of oats
15 lb bag of buckwheat groats
10 lb bag of kamut
4 lbs dried beans (rotating varieties)
2 lbs dried split peas
3 lbs of raw honey
32 oz bottle of maple syrup
3 lbs dried seaweed (this will last almost a year)
2lbs flax seed
5 lbs of raw nuts (we rotate between walnut, almond, hazelnut, pecan, and occasionally splurge on macadamias)
1-2 lbs raw seeds pumpkin and/or sunflower
1 lb sprouting seeds (rotating through different varieties)
1 lb chia seeds
3lb bag of onions x 4
6-12 cloves garlic
2-4 cans whole coconut milk
4 bags rice pasta
56 oz jar unrefined coconut oil
34 oz bottle of virgin olive oil
1 gallon white vinegar
16 oz bottle of white wine vinegar
16 oz bottle of balsamic vinegar
16 oz bottle of coconut vinegar
2 boxes baking soda
1 lb arrow root powder
10 lbs potatoes
5 lbs sweet potatoes
32 oz bottle of raw apple cider vinegar
10 lb bag of raw cane sugar (for feeding kombucha)
1 lb Hannah’s Special Tea Blend
32 oz jar of Vital Protein’s unflavored gelatin
1 lb bags of spices and herbs (we keep the following on hand: Cumin, Coriander, Curry, Chinese 5 spice, Chili Powder, Paprika, bay leaf, garam masala, horseradish, ginger, turmeric, basil, and thyme) We have fresh rosemary, sage, parsley, oregano, and mint that grow almost year round in our garden.
1 lb bags of the following herbs for teas and infusions (raspberry leaf, stinging nettle, oat straw, goats rue)
4-8oz bags of orange peel, lemon peel, red clover, hibiscus flowers, rose flowers, lavender, chamomile, lemongrass, passion flower, and lemon balm
5 lb bag salt (we rotate between Himalayan and sea salt)

Do I really need to buy all of that to last me through one month?

Absolutely not! Pantry staples when bought in bulk and stored properly can last a very long time.

Items like grain, dried seaweed, sprouting seeds, flaxseed, and herbs and spices can easily last several months. (Depending on who’s cooking of course. My husband tends to be a little heavier handed with certain spices, like the cumin).

Items with a shorter shelf life or heavier use, such as potatoes, onions, olive oil and vinegar will need to be purchased more frequently.

If you’re starting with an essentially bare pantry and have a tighter budget I suggest starting by purchasing in bulk just one item in a category, and then adding a second variety the next month.

For example, when we initially switched to shopping this way several years ago I started by purchasing a 50 lb bag of oats (which lasted a very very long time even with eating it almost daily for breakfast, which is why we now do 25 lbs). The next month I used the money set aside in the budget to purchase 25 lbs of rice. The following month I chose millet. Then Sorghum, then buckwheat.

This way we always have a variety of grains available but I only ever need to purchase one type each month. This works well for things like spices, vinegar, sprouting seeds, herbs, and nuts.

Pick your favorite in the given category first as you’ll be using it exclusively and may get a little sick of it before you are able to add in more variety.

What about crackers, bread, tomato sauce, salsa, and other condiments?

Due to our families history with food allergies we had to make the switch to non or very minimally processed foods. This means we very rarely purchase items like crackers or bread, and when we do it’s a very special treat. If you would like to include these in your pantry staples please do so. While I cannot give you an estimate by filling out my meal planning exercises you should easily be able to calculate what your family will need for the month.

Food allergies is also why you do not see tomato based products in our pantry as my oldest daughter still reacts to tomatoes. So far on our healing journey we’ve been able to reintroduce egg, wheat, carrot, and apple, so I’m hopeful that she will be able to eat tomatoes again at some point, however as of right now we’ve found multiple ways of cooking without them, and we all go without.

As far as condiments go, again food allergies forced us to quite purchasing the pre-made variety and we now make all of our own from scratch. Because of this all of our condiments such as mayo, mustard, (ketchup the few times we make it), salsa verde and the like are kept in the fridge. I will be sharing more about our condiments in my next post about what we keep in the fridge.

Again, if those are items that you and your family prefer to purchase please feel free to do so. You’ll find the meal planning exercises helpful in determining just how much of each item you should keep on hand.

How do I keep items purchased in bulk from spoiling?

Depending on the food item and the company you purchased it from their are several options for keeping your bulk items fresh over the several months it takes to consume them.

1. The most obvious is simply to keep them in the container they were purchased in. This works well if they come in a jar or bag that seals to prevent air and critters from getting in.

2. 5 gallon food grade buckets work best for storing bulk grains. They seal ensuring moisture and critters stay out. They also help prevent opened bags from spilling as you move them from cabinet to counter when measuring for cooking. If you want to avoid having to purchase buckets you can always check in with the bakery at your local grocery store.

All of the buckets we use for storage came from our local Kroger’s bakery. I suggest asking as soon as the store opens as that is when they are most likely to have empty frosting buckets available.

3. Glass jars – For items that take up less place, such as seeds and nuts you can simply use glass jars that seal. We use a variety of mason jars ranging in size from 1 pint to 1 gallon.

4. Zip lock bag in the freezer. Another option for long term storage, especially those that have been pre-ground into flour is to place them into gallon sized zip lock bags and store them in the freezer.

Don’t overly stress about storage. Get creative with the containers you already have on hand and add others as you are able. If you do not have 5 gallon food grade buckets available, or you want to avoid all plastics you can always divide bulk grains into multiple smaller containers.

Get creative and figure out what works best for you and your family. Remember to remain flexible as you navigate the switch from weekly to bulk shopping. Over time you will find yourself rearranging your pantry and cabinets until you find the rhythm that works best for you.

I know it’s currently a stressful time, but try to have some fun with this. Experiment and see just how creative you can be!

Additional questions? Drop them in the comments or shoot me an e-mail and I’ll help you trouble shoot!