Cheap Foods To StocK

If you've gathered enough information from my first few posts (or elsewhere) you should be ready to get started with your first plans. It's pointless to try and include every aspect in just one plan, so you should begin with a small and quickly achievable goal. By doing this you not only prepare yourself a little more than you were before you started, but you build your confidence to create and complete larger plans and goals.

Shelter, security, and food are all equally important when it comes to prepping, but when I sat down to write out my first plan I decided to start with food and water, and being a mother of 5 children I had to set a small $10.00 per week budget. Instead of trying to plan for 30 days of food and water or anything like that, I thought about the foods that had a long shelf life, were easy to prepare or could be eaten right out of the package, and were regularly low priced without them being on sale or having a coupon. I'm going to share the original list, but first I'll explain how I use it. This may not be perfect for everyone but it's a good start and very affordable.

Here's how it works:

First off, if you don't have a dollar store near you, I suggest finding one in a surrounding town. I'm not talking about Dollar General or Family Dollar, I'm talking about a store that has everything for $1.00 or less. The one near us is called Dollar Tree. The other place I shop is Walmart. I don't buy these specific items at any other store.

Each week I buy two things on this list, just starting at the top and working my way down, or sometimes I decide to go once a month in which I'd take $40.00 and buy 8 of these listings instead. Either way works. After I get everything on this list I work my way through a similar non-food items list that I have, then back to this after that one's done, and so on back and forth. Sometimes the things on this list go on sale or you can find a coupon for them, but without any sale going on and without a coupon, you can get each listed thing in the quantity stated from any Walmart or dollar store for $5.00 or less including tax.

4 cans pinto beans
4 cans re-fried beans
4 cans black beans
4 cans kidney beans
4 cans white navy beans
4 cans black-eyed peas
4 cans chick peas
4 cans of baked beans
4 cans beef stew
4 cans chili
4 cans of Treet (generic Spam)
2 cans of chicken
6 cans of tuna
8 cans of Vienna sausages
4 pounds dry pinto beans
4 pounds dry black beans
4 pounds dry kidney beans
4 pounds dry white navy beans
4 pounds dry black-eyed peas
4 pounds dry chick peas
4 pounds dry split peas
4 cans of generic condensed cream of mushroom soup
5 cans of condensed tomato soup
6 cans of mixed vegetables
6 cans of corn
6 cans of carrots
6 cans of green beans
6 cans potatoes
5 cans of fruit
15 cans tomato sauce
5 cans of diced tomatoes
5 cans sweetened condensed milk
8 cans evaporated milk
4 cans of spaghetti sauce
5 pounds of white sugar
3 pounds of brown sugar
10 containers of iodized salt
4 boxes of black pepper
8 boxes of baking soda
4 bottles dry seasonings
8 small plastic seasoning envelopes
2 pounds chicken bouillon powder
2 pounds beef bullion powder
2 pounds tomato bullion powder
5 bags of dehydrated onion flakes
5 bags of garlic powder
8 packets of gravy mix
8 pounds of flour
3 pounds of cornmeal
3 pounds of powdered milk
4 bottles of barbecue sauce
5 pounds of rice
4 pounds popcorn kernels
6 pounds of dry pasta
20 packs of Maruchen (Ramen) noodles
1 box 10-pk macaroni and cheese
2 containers quick rolled oats
4 boxes 12-pk instant flavored oatmeal
4 boxes saltine crackers
4 boxes cereal bars
4 boxes granola bars
4 packages of 8pk raisins
2 jars of peanut butter
4 small jars of jelly
4 bottles ketchup
4 bottles mustard
8 boxes of instant pudding
4 boxes 24-ct family size tea bags
4 boxes herbal tea bags
4 canisters of iced tea mix
4 canisters sweetened drink mix
4 packs of 10-ct generic Kool-aid mix
4 bottles apple juice
4 gallons fruit drink (generic Hawaiian Punch type)
1 case of bottled water + 2 gallons
5 gallons water


Like I already mentioned, these things can be bought in the quantities listed for $5.00 or less after tax. Every time I go on my shopping trip I take only what I can spend and not a penny more. All the change left over after checking out goes straight into a savings jar that I cash in once it gets full. This is how I save for larger supplies that cost a bit more and it ensures that I won't spend more than my $10.00 a week budget at any time. It may not seem like much at first, but soon your shelves will be getting full and your savings jar will too.

Don't be tempted to add another thing on to the quantities listed because it's 'just going to make the total $5.27 and that 27 cents isn't that much.' If you do this every time you're going to be blowing past your weekly budget... just as quick as savings add up, so do spending overages. Do NOT go over your budget, no matter how tempting it is.

With all that being said, I'll leave you with three food storage tips and then let you be on your way.

1. Light, oxygen, and heat are your foods' worst enemy. Avoid all three to give your stash the longest shelf life possible.
2. In most cases, the food's expiration date pertains to the specific packaging it's in. Some things can be re-packaged to extend their shelf life for up to 20 years, in some cases even longer. (I'll discuss re-packaging foods in a future post.)
3. Remember to always rotate your stock. First food in is the first food out, just like rotating stock in a store, so you don't have waste due to expiration dates. 

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I hope this list comes in handy, especially if you have to shop on a small budget like I do. If you can think of any other foods that store well and cost less than $5.00 for a decent amount, please comments below so I can check them out and add them to this list.  All questions, comments, and suggestions are welcome. If you're curious about brand names or which store I buy a specific item at, don't hesitate to ask. I'm interested in checking out other blogs and sites that I may not have stumbled across yet, so please share your favorite if you have one. Please take a second to subscribe, share this with others who may find this useful, and don't forget to comment. I'll be sharing a non-food items list similar to this one in the next post, so be sure and come back to check it out. Until next time my friends.