With food prices on the rise, maintaining a well-stocked pantry of healthy foods appears to be a more challenging feat. Yet, despite these setbacks, our family has been successfully maintaining a low monthly food budget. It seems remarkable, but as a family of seven, we manage to limit our grocery expenses to $800 a month while still eating healthily.
Often, we even manage to stay below our budget and still consume a broad spectrum of delicious foods. This is all achieved by constantly stocking up on inexpensive, yet highly nutritious basic food items that have the versatility to be integrated into various dishes.
1. RICE
Rice, with its flexibility, is an excellent staple to keep on standby. The plethora of rice varieties available allows you to frequently switch things up, preventing monotony. Some of our essential pantry rice types include Basmati (white or brown), Jasmine, Forbidden (Black), Jade Pearl, Pink, Purple (when available), and Wild rice.
While grocery stores routinely stock traditional white and brown rice, we prefer more diverse rice types enriched with essential nutrients. The cost of your rice will vary depending on where you shop and what type you favor. Also, the size of the bag you purchase plays a role in the price. We generally keep a large bag of brown Basmati rice handy, alongside smaller bags of more exotic varieties, enabling us to mix things up according to our preference.
2. BEANS
Beans, an economical, versatile protein source, are another staple in our pantry. Pairing rice with beans yields a complete protein dish. Moreover, they’re superb in various scenarios — from tacos, spiced side dishes, casseroles, bean dips to nachos. We buy beans in their dried form because it’s considerably cheaper than the canned ones and devoid of unnecessary additives.
3. TOMATOES
Canned fire-roasted tomatoes are another great pantry staple, ideal for many dishes and packed with considerable health benefits.
4. VEGETABLE BROTH
Another usually overlooked staple is vegetable broth. We often use it as a soup base, a rice cooking liquid, or a component for stir-frys, among other things.
5. POTATOES
Coming to potatoes — a favorite of our kids and a weekly fixture in our kitchen. We experiment with different varieties in varied recipes to keep things fresh.
6. FROZEN FRUITS & VEGGIES
Frozen fruits and veggies are handy during a pinch and work well with a variety of dishes, making them a value addition to our grocery budget.
In conclusion, small measures like keeping staple items in your pantry can help stretch your grocery budget considerably while ensuring a healthy diet. Buying diverse types of rice, beans, canned tomatoes, vegetable broth, different potato varieties, and frozen fruits and veggies are some strategies we use. This approach helps us incorporate nutrients into our diet while improving our health and reducing medical expenses — truly a dual benefit! What food items do you find most helpful to stretch your grocery budget without compromising on nutrition?
