The 30 Best Budget Foods to Stockpile In Case of An Emergency (2024)

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Do you want to know what food you should stock up on for emergencies? In this post, I’m sharing the best budget foods to stockpile on for future emergencies.

Having a stockpile of any size can be extremely helpful in many situations and future emergencies.

There may be a national emergency, where it is unsafe to leave your home. Or there could be a food shortage or uncertain economic times, and not much food to buy at the store. Or you could have a change in your income and are unable to buy groceries for some time.

All those situations are scary and we of course they never happen. But instead of being afraid of a possible emergency, we can do something to be prepared should anything ever happen.

The 30 Best Budget Foods to Stockpile In Case of An Emergency

If an emergency ever did occur, you would be able to feed your family still. In the meantime, you will have a great frugal pantry to shop from to make budget friendly meals for your family, and replace items as you see great sales.

You can decide how much food you would like to stock up, and what types of food you want to keep on hand. This list is meant to give you an idea of some budget friendly foods you can stockpile in your pantry.

What food should you stock up on?

Think about the types of food your family likes to eat, and what food will keep for several months or longer.

You don’t want to buy “emergency food” that no one will ever eat. Make a list of ingredients you use regularly, then you can start stocking up slowly each week when you see good deals.

Here are some stock up food ideas:

Use this stockpile list to make your own list of food to stock up on for your family.

1. Canned beans
2. Dried beans
3. Canned vegetables
4. Canned soup
5. Tomato sauce & other canned tomatoes
6. Pasta sauce
7. Pasta (find a great stock up sale)
8. Peanut butter
9. Oats
10. Broth
11. Sugar
12. Cooking oil
13. Salt and pepper
14. Butter (buy on sale and freeze)
15. Shredded cheese (buy on sale and freeze)
16. BBQ sauce and other bottle sauces and dressings
17. Water
18. Canned meats and tuna
19. Rice
20. Frozen vegetables
21. Bread (keep in the freezer)
22. Tortillas (keep in the freezer)
23. Meat in the freezer (buy in bulk and freeze in portions)
24. Flour (keep in the freezer)
25. Crackers
26. Granola bars
27. Apple juice (find a good stock up sale)
28. Peanut butter and cracker packs
29. Breakfast meats – sausage and bacon (buy on sale and freeze)
30. Eggs – these won’t keep as long as, but they do stay fresh for a few weeks and can be used in many ways.

Again, think about what foods your family eats, and what foods will keep for several months.

Household Items to Stock Up On:

You may also want to stock up on household items when you see great sales. Look for deals on household supplies like:

• Laundry detergent
• Shampoo and soap
• Toilet paper
• Paper towels
• Dish soap
• Hand soap
• Batteries
• Lighters
• Freezer bags
• Aluminum foil
• Diapers and wipes
• Personal care items

How do I start a stockpile on a budget?

Here’s a few ways to start a pantry stockpile so you can stock up on food and household supplies, and still stay on a budget:

• Set a weekly grocery budget, and one stock up budget each month.Meaning most weeks, you buy your normal amount of groceries, and one week you do a big stock up at a store like Aldi or Walmart for the best prices.
• Add $10-$20 to your weekly grocery budget for stock up items.Spend your normal grocery budget on things you need for that week, and take $10-$20 extra to buy items for later (especially when there is a great sale.)
• Make a list of items you would like to stock up on, and make room in the budget when you see a great sale.I’ve been keeping a running list of things I would like to stock up on, and when I see a great sale on that item, I’ll buy a few and mark it off the list.
• Look for bulk deals.We were so blessed to find the bulk meat deal! Ask around and see if there are any bulk grocery options near you – butcher shop, local farmer, bulk produce box, etc. You can also compare prices at places like Costco and Sam’s Club.
• Organize your stock.I tackled this the other day and feel so good about it! We don’t have a pantry, so I had items in a few different cabinets and it felt very disorganized and I couldn’t see how much I had of each item. I grabbed a shelf we weren’t using and turned it into a pantry in our laundry room. I neatly stacked like items together, so I can see how much I have of each item. And everything is organized by date, so the soonest expiring items are at the front, and I will add new items to the back. This was a game changer!
• Use your freezer.You can freeze a ton of different groceries, just Google “Can I freeze ___” to see if you should stock up on something and stick it in the freezer.

I hope this helps you find some ways to build up a stock pile of food and household items for your family.

I would start by getting organized and seeing what you have, what you need, and making a list of things to stock up on. Then, when you see a great deal, stock up! You can also add a few dollars to your weekly grocery budget for extra items to slowly build your stock pile pantry up.

Our Pantry Stockpile:

Here’s our little stock up pantry I just put together. It’s nothing fancy, but it works for us!

We also have our meat freezer, our freezer with our garden vegetables, frozen bread, and freezer meals, and our regular everyday items in the kitchen.

I also kept a stock pile of pasta, sugar, and items that aren’t in cans in the kitchen in case of unwanted rodents in the garage and laundry room area.

I hope this list of budget foods to stockpile helped you make your own list of foods to stock up in case of potential emergencies.

Make a list of foods your family eats, and wait for the best sales to stock up on those items. Start small and buy just a few things at a time to keep this budget friendly. You can always buy more next week or next month.

Organize your stockpile and be sure to regularly check dates and eat food that will expire. There is no use in stockpiling food if it is going to sit there and expire.

We regularly eat from our pantry stockpile, and I add a couple things each week as I see good sales or markdowns.

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