• Join the Club!
  • About
    • Media
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclosure
    • Contact Me
  • Subscribe
  • BLOG
  • MEMBERS ONLY
    • Login
    • Club Homepage
    • GCE Meal Plans
    • Digital Meal Planner
    • Club Resource Library
    • Downloads
    • Live Club Events
  • Purchases
  • SHOP
    • Cookbooks
    • Planner
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Good Cheap Eats

eat well on a budget with easy recipes from Jessica Fisher

Find a Recipe
  • Budget Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Baked Goods
      • Yeast Breads and Rolls
      • Muffins and Quick Breads
      • Scones and Biscuits
    • Breakfast
    • Dessert
    • Lunches
    • Main Dishes +
      • Beef
      • Bowl Meals
      • Meatless
      • Pasta
      • Pizza
      • Pork
      • Poultry +
        • Chicken
        • Ground Turkey
        • Turkey
      • Sausage
      • Seafood
    • Salads
    • Slow Cooker
  • Money-Saving Tips
    • Take the Pantry Challenge
  • Affordable Meal Planning
  • Show Search
Hide Search

Stocking Your Pantry with Canned Foods

Jessica Fisher · July 26, 2013 · 8 Comments

The following content is sponsored by Cans Get You Cooking in partnership with the Mom It Forward Blogger Network:

grocery store aisle of canned goods

We’re coming off the heels of a Pantry Challenge. As such, my cupboards are pretty bare. The freezer, too. I look forward to restocking both. FishPapa and the boys are going to help me fill the freezer. As for the pantry, I’m looking to replenish some of the staples that I lean on.

Items like diced tomatoes, beans, tomato sauce, salsa verde, tuna, hominy, sweetened condensed milk, and coconut milk are pantry staples for me. If I’ve got a cupboard stocked with those items as well as rice, pasta, and some fresh fruit and veg in the fridge, I’m good to go.

I am not afraid to buy a whole flat of beans at Walmart or one big multi-pack of tomatoes at Costco since I know what a help those canned items are to me when I’m in a pinch.

Canned goods are, in fact, an integral part of a frugal pantry. A pantry well-stocked with favorite canned goods can help you save time and get a healthy, home-cooked meal on the table, more often. I have several meals, those ones to make when there’s “nothing to eat” that rely heavily on canned beans and vegetables. Cans can make homemade a little easier, especially when your other plans fly south.

Not that I would know about that.

This past month, we’ve spent a lot of time talking about not letting food go to waste. One study shows that a lot of us Americans throw away spoiled fruits and vegetables on average two times a week. Canning food can help make sure nature’s bounty doesn’t go to waste.

Here are some of the strategies I use to stock my “cantry”:

Jalapeno Chili sm

1. Determine what you really love.

Years of doing the Pantry Challenge have helped me refine this list. If it sits in the cupboard languishing from disuse, it’s probably not a good buy for me. I still have the canned pumpkin I bought after the holidays in 2010. They expire this year. Time to get baking.

Buy one of something to try; buy dozens of something you love.

2. Stock up when it’s on sale.

Since I do so much cooking at home, buying in bulk works for us. It could also be that we have eight mouths to feed. Ahem. If I see a good deal on canned goods, I’ll buy a lot.

For example, S&W canned beans were on sale at Ralphs back in January for $0.49/can. That’s about 40- 50% off the regular price in these here parts. I bought a lot. I put some in the emergency food storage which I’ll rotate out this fall, and some went into the regular pantry. They disappeared in a flash. I should have bought more!

By buying a lot of something that I know we love (see rule #1), I save money and can keep a full pantry. It’s all about building a useful stockpile.

canned goods pantry

3. Rotate your supply.

Canned goods have a pretty good shelf life, but they do lose quality over time. I’ll be checking our emergency supply for cans to rotate out as well as using up that pumpkin. Ahem. Be sure to use your oldest cans first, so that you avoid compromising your investment.

Check out this method for keeping track of your canned goods and rotating stock in a timely manner.

About Cans Get You Cooking

“Cans Get You Cooking” is a program dedicated to spreading the message that the ironclad technology of cans seals in freshness, flavor, nutrition, and goodness so that you can create meals you feel good about serving and that your family will love.

Do you have a favorite trick for keeping your cantry stocked?

Disclosure: I have received financial compensation from the Cans Get You Cooking Campaign, through my partnership with the Mom It Forward Blogger Network. All opinions are my own.

Filed Under: Food Storage, Frugal Pantry Tagged With: pantry

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Liz says

    July 26, 2013 at

    I don’t have a particular “trick”, but this reminds me i still have two cases of organic canned tomatoes from when they were 50 cents a can at costco. Need to check the dates on those and may as well check the rest of my canned goods… Thanks again for the awesome information! 🙂

    Reply
  2. Molly says

    July 27, 2013 at

    I have a similar can of pumpkin. Today I’m using it to make pumkpin pudding and then taking it to knitting with some friends.

    Reply
  3. Erika says

    July 27, 2013 at

    For the pumkin, make pumkin muffins or pumkin chocolate chip muffins to put in your freezer. They are AWESOME! Then, when a muffin is needed–just pull out of the freezer and microwave for 30 seconds. Warning—your family would probably eat a double batch before they even get to the freezer!

    PS Money Saving Mom (the blog where I found you from years ago)—has a great recipe, if you need one.

    Reply
    • Jessica says

      July 27, 2013 at

      Thanks. I actually have a whole collection of favorite pumpkin recipes here: https://goodcheapeats.com/2012/10/fill-the-freezer-with-pumpkin-love/ I just need to get moving on the baking thing.

      Reply
  4. Sandi says

    July 27, 2013 at

    If you aren’t looking for an actual pumpkin flavor, just swap out the pumpkin for the oils in your baked goods (or even do half and half) and the pumpkin will disappear in a hurry, plus make the muffins/cakes/cookies a little healthier.

    For my “cantry” – a new word that I quite like – I pretty much use the same rules you listed, with a great big emphasis on #2. The only other thing goes along with #1, which is to stick to brands you like. I’ve learned, for instance, that the Publix store brand veri-green beans are my absolute favorite, and I do not care for some of the name brand canned veggies. There are actually few Walmart brand items I like at all, so I just avoid them completely. (and actually, I now avoid that store in general if at all possible so it isn’t an issue any more)

    Since we are talking about canned goods, and we are coming off a pantry challenge, does anyone have any great suggestions for canned sardines? I had a dish I saw and made once, we loved it, I bought them in bulk, and then we got tired of that recipe. Now I’m stuck with these sardines and haven’t seen anything else that sounded great. I’d really like to get rid of them, though.

    Reply
  5. KimH says

    August 1, 2013 at

    One type of canned item that I dont think most people utilize enough is the large gallon size cans of vegetables ,fruit, tomato sauce , ketchup & puddings.
    When I was raising my kids back in the 80s, money was extremely scarce and I would often buy giant cans and divide them into freezer containers, freeze, and use them as needed. I payed less than half what I would have paid if I were buying the same things in single serving cans.
    I havent bought any in a long time but Im willing to bet that the gallon cans especially at a wholesale club would seriously slash the cost of most if not all of the items you can find in these jumbo sized cans.

    Reply
  6. Julia says

    August 4, 2013 at

    I too love to use canned pumpkin for our favorite pumpkin bread recipe, but I also like to keep it on hand as a thickener for soups and stews. It’s delicious in vegetable soup or beef stew!

    Reply
  7. Sae Mae Wong says

    November 17, 2014 at

    This is the perfect time of year to stock up on nutritious foods. Because the holidays are near by, the canned goods isle is going to be screaming with sales.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

HI! I’M JESSICA.

Jessica preparing food in a kitchen

I believe anyone can prepare delicious meals -- no matter their budget. Click here to learn more.

SAVE MONEY ON GROCERIES

2021 Grocery Savings Challenges

Ralphs receipt with groceries in a flatlay

How to Audit Your Grocery Spending

flatlay of groceries cookbook and money with coins and bills

Save Money on Groceries Right Now with These Simple Tricks

good cheap eats grocery bag on lounge chair in maui

The System I Used to Save Money on Groceries & Pay Off Debt

flatlay of groceries on table

How to Create Your Own Grocery Staples Checklist

LET’S CONNECT

HUNGRY FOR MORE?

big pot of marinara sauce on red striped cloth
white sauce in pot with whisk
woman holding carton of talent in store

Footer

Disclaimer/Disclosure

Please note that the advertisements posted here do not necessarily represent Jessica Fisher’s views and opinions.

Also be advised that some of these advertising partners may use cookies and web beacons on our site (when you click through). You should consult the respective privacy policies of these third-party ad servers for more detailed information on their practices as well as for instructions about how to opt-out of certain practices.

To better serve my readers, I have implemented Google Analytics cookies in order to better know visitor demographics. For opt outs, go here.

For more specific details on my disclaimers/disclosures, go here.

Head here to view our complete privacy policy.

Tags

30-minute meals appliances baking basics buttermilk Cakes casserole cheddar chocolate christmas cooked chicken cooking for one or two dairy-free DIY Convenience easy meals efficient kitchen enchiladas Food processor GCE basics gluten-free grains granola grilled grocery savings challenges holiday Holiday Food instant pot leftovers meal planning 101 mother's day no cook packable pantry pantry staples pressure cooker product quick dinner ideas real food products save money on groceries shop thanksgiving time-saving tips updated Veggies Most whole 30

Copyright © 2021 · Daily Dish Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in