We're retired - I was an adventurous cook but cancer has a way of making you not care about a lot of things. For me, it's eating and cooking. But my husband took over and is a great cook - he doesn't keep things in our pantry that he should, but it's a new gig for him. So for us it's cheeses, eggs, coffee, cream, some kind of bread that is freezer friendly. Butter. Pasta, tomato products, chicken stock, rice, canned beans and then the grocery store run for onions, peppers, carrots, celery, potatoes, squash, etc. Always frozen peas and corn. We also buy Italian sausage, chicken parts, pork chops and hamburger for the freezer.

I'm a little bit of a stockpiler of the non-perishable stuff (rice, pasta, barley, dried beans, etc.) and also meat when it's on sale. I vacuum-seal it and put it in the deep freezer. I really hate shopping. :)

I keep about a year's worth of food on hand. I still can sometimes and have many pints/quarts of soup, veggies, chicken, turkey that I have canned myself. I also have commercial canned foods, veggies, tuna, sweet potatoes, tomato sauce,etc. Around 15 lbs flour, plus other baking needs. Peas, beans, rice. Pasta. PB and J. Small freezer on top of fridge has frozen veggies and some meats and prepared by me from meals plus frozen grated cheese and alway frozen Costco basil pesto in one serving containers. I have some canned cat/dog food as well as kibble stockpiled for them.

Eggs, cheese, yogurt, sour cream in fridge.

Only a very small amount of fresh leafies for salad as I like them crisp and other veggies and fruits I prefer fresh, still have several large butternut squash as they keep well.

I have lived in remote locations and had to learn how to pantry items. Now I can just go to the store in a reasonable (about 30 min) length of time but I still like to keep things on hand. I have a freezer full of meat regularly rotated and I keep staples like flour, sugar, butter and similar sorts of things. I keep foods for the possibility of a major earth quake so keep rice, pasta, and canned goods. I don't eat the canned meats and so forth but I rotate them and donate to the food bank when that food gets older (before expiration) It is a win win. I have the security of having the food and poor people in need get to eat it. When I open a jar of Mayo or peanut butter I buy another and other similar things. I like to be prepared. I am ready for the Zombie apocalypse.

I have flour, regular and brown sugar,etc too. But the quantity I have is due to me needing an amount for a particular recipe, then I store the excess. I don't know if that counts as a stockpile. If I run out I won't replace it until I need it for another recipe.

Besides the basics for baking,

Avocados, cheeses (parmesan, brie, havarti, swiss), chicken stock, bread, green apples, oranges, peppers, carrots, snow peas, rice, cream cheese, sour cream, coffee, cream and my secret stash of dark chocolate. oh yea, and of course, food for the cats. I always have those on hand,

Cereal, yogurt, cheese, dried pasta or lentils and eggs are usually available at my house. I have a very small freezer which houses ice packs, cold brew coffee ice pops and some other odds and ends, including about 20 pre-made cookies that were sent to us as a gift. There's a can or two of tuna and salmon and chick peas in the pantry along with a whole shelf of weird, sort of gourmet, items that I get sucked into buying. We eat a lot of fresh vegetables, so I shop for those each week. I always have a small amount of flour, GF flour, sugar, butter, vegan butter, coconut oil and baking soda on hand.

My pantry is really well stocked. I started writing, and the list was far too long. I don't keep much in the freezer aside from some frozen peas and puff pastry. Otherwise, I can make quite a few dishes from what is on hand. Despite this well stocked pantry, I grocery shop every few days for fruits, veggies, meat, bread, and we eat out quite a bit.

We're pretty well stocked. I'd make a list, but it would probably take too much time and it's been a long day, I was just thinking of going to bed and watching some Nat'l Geographic....

Baking supplies. Butter. Canned tomatoes. Dried beans, barley, rice (wild, brown, basmati), split peas. Reg and extra dark cocoa powder. Honey, corn syrup. Canned sockeye, any number of things frozen. I know right now I have a Trader Joe's turkey frozen, steaks, pot roasts, pork roasts, shrimp, scallops in the freezer along with hatch chilies I roasted and froze. Assorted vegetables (if I don't have fresh, I prefer frozen to most canned exception being green beans). I buy Costco organic broth by the case (I use a lot of broth too Amy), and still make my own chicken and vegetable stock that I freeze.

I did just clean out my pantry a couple of weeks ago. Patted myself on the back, I had very few things close to or past the best by date. I thought there would be more. I defrost and check the contents of my freezer about every 6 months. When it was in a cool basement, it was once a year and sometimes something would get away from me, begin losing quality before I thought to cook it. Now that it's in the mudroom same level as my kitchen, I'm opening it a lot more, defrosting it every six months instead of 12. Not much has been getting away from me. A bread product sometimes, DH doesn't really like bread that's been frozen and thawed.

If not for bananas, berries, assorted lettuces and milk, I could go a long time without going to the store ;0)

I have an extremely well stocked pantry and my freezers are very well stocked. A few people have told me that if there is ever a major devastating event or a zombie invasion they were coming to my house. I don't like to shop so I keep what ever I can on hand. All things I use regularly. Not in massive quantities. Yesterday the grocery store had a great deal on nice thick pork chops. We like them cooked in a lot of various recipes. So I bought 2 packs and then divided them into packs of 2 each. Labeled them with date and froze them. When I go to Louisiana I visit the specialty meat store I love. I buy a good quantity of the items we love. Freeze immediately and put in the freezer. I don't have to buy a lot of meat weekly because I have a great selection in the freezer. I buy onions and potatoes regularly we use those ingredients regularly. I always have bags of dry beans in the pantry ready to make a great hearty pot of beans or a soup. Grocery shopping includes fruits and vegetables and breads and eggs, butter and cheese. Those are regular on the list.

I buy way too much food to try to keep a well-stocked kitchen but way too much of it ends up expiring and being tossed, so I need to fix my system!

My pantry is well stocked with pastas, rice, flours, sugars and canned tomatoes, beets, tuna fish, kippers, canned chick peas for hummas. Better Than Bouillion for making broths for gravy or recipes, onions, dried fruit for baking or snacking. I am used to living alone but now I have 2 adult family members living with me who needed a place to live. My fridge was sufficient for me with lots of room to spare, now it is overflowing with no room to spare. One can't have onions so there are 2 ketchups, 2 Worcestershire sauces, 2 mustards, other sauces. There are 2 different milks, 2 different types of yogurt and way more vegetables and cheese than we can eat. My brother works in a grocery store so brings home multiple roasts, pre cooked hams or whatever else he gets that are near the sell by date. My freezer was so overflowing I told them I wasn't going to buy any more meat or frozen items until everything was used up in the freezer. I was used to buying food for a month when I lived alone, now 2 people with vehicles and one who works in a store I decided I was going to start making a meal plan and only buying what we needed for those meals re vegetables and meat so the freezer would never get that full again. If we needed something one can run to the store. haha that didn't work out so much last week when a huge bag of frozen vegetables was added to my cart that we didn't need for the meal plan and then my brother's friend sent home 2 huge containers of frozen soup which he most likely won't eat, I won't eat and the other can't eat because of onions. Next time my brother brings home meat and my freezer is still full I am going to donate it to the local soup kitchen. I don't like seeing perfectly good food going to waste. No more grocery shopping for us for the next month except for milk and bread and yogurt.

My pantry is usually well stocked and probably enough for a year. I cook for my self but on occasions cook for family get togethers and if a daughter or a son need anything, I may have it on hand. I do not shop for groceries myself, my daughters do that for me and I usually don't have them to get much and I don't always need something each week. I tend to buy things that are at a good sale or I won't buy it to keep on hand. I have two large upright freezers and two big refrigerators with freezers and they are kept full. I will freeze vegetables and fruits when in season and when able I also can. Summer time I have a garden, not so big any more but still have a garden. I keep, on hand carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, apples, grapefruit and onions. These are not in the refrigerator, but in a dark cool place. Now we are planning two birthday celebrations and I will not need anything from the store but perhaps some bread or buns. I like to be prepared.

Sue

I do not like to shop so when I go I stock up. Then when it is all starting to get low, I go again. I freeze lots of things, potato chips, tortilla chips, cheese, cream, veggies, meats ect. I am very good at making something tasty without a recipe. We so like pasta and soups. Always keep onion, potato's, canned veggies and soups in cupboard.

I'm the same when it comes to pantry items, I want to be able to go in and bake or whatever I feel like doing without worrying whether I have all the ingredients or not. I also like to have some items that I can pull out when I haven't thawed anything out such as canned meats, fish, soup, etc. I can whip up a really good pasta and canned chicken in princess sauce in nothing flat. But fresh and fruits, vegetables, bread, dairy, eggs, lunch-meats and cheeses and such are the items that I don't "stock up" on and I have to keep a close eye on the inventory. I just don't like waste and throwing out food so I treat this stuff differently.

I don’t stockpile, but our pantry has the usual items for baking, flour, sugar (mostly used in the summer for the hummingbird feeders), brown sugar. I’m like Amy in that I keep only a few fresh items and prefer to purchase what I need when I’m ready to cook. I keep some bacon, several cheeses, eggs, sour cream, lemon, pasta, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, peanut butter, chicken stock, oatmeal, an onion, a potato and a sweet potato. I go to the store and have fresh lettuce and some fresh veggies on hand in addition to whatever I plan to cook.

We also have some frozen items from our garden.... tomato sauce and peas mostly left now. I don’t freeze a lot but do have some frozen mixed veggies on hand to throw into soup when I get ready to make it. And if I run across some good buys, I will buy some extra meat or freeze but don’t keep long. We don’t drink soft drinks, but DH keeps a supply of beer in our spare refrigerator.

I like to stay stocked up, so I can cook something without too many substitutions. I always have baking stuff, pasta, canned beans, dried beans, tomato products, rice, quinoa,. I also always have lots of onions, fresh garlic, salad vegetables, usually a few potatoes. Cheese. We don't eat meat at home except the fish my husband catches. There is quite a lot of that in the freezer.

We moved recently, and I thought I did really well using up pantry items so as to not have to move so much. Haha! I ended up with 12 boxes marked pantry. Now granted, several of those were spices and bottles of oil and vinegar and that, but I still have a lot of stuff. 🙄

I have a massively large pantry/storage room but only an apartment size refrigerator freezer so not all that much is frozen....a few leftovers (mostly soups or stews) and usually ground beef, sausage and chicken parts. Always something I could toss together for a meal.

My pantry is stocked much like most others have described - baking supplies, a few boxed things I like, pasta, boxed broths or stock, a few canned items I prefer (tuna, refried beans, canned beans, tomatoes) pet food, paper goods and usually back ups of items or ingredients I use constantly. I also have a kitchen 'pantry' cabinet that I work out of on a daily basis - PB, oatmeal, dried fruits, jam, breadcrumbs, crackers, etc.

I only grocery shop twice a month but almost always with a detailed list compiled and added to daily between trips depending on what I may be running low on and what I feel like cooking. It always includes coffee, breakfast items, dairy and cheese (I eat a lot of different cheeses), breads and fresh fruit and veg.

I have never been really short of food or gone hungry but somehow I feel compelled to make sure I always have what I want or think I need on hand. I get a little antsy if things get too low :-)

I agree with arcy about use by/sell by/expiration dates. There is definitely a lot more leeway there than most people think.

I am a stockpiler of regularly used items when they are on a great sale - for example a pound of pasta for $0.25, or the current sale of pork cutlets for $0.99/pound. Currently there is a small turkey in the freezer from the pre-Thanksgiving sales.

What I will always have on hand: fat free sour cream and cottage cheese; yogurt; plant based "butter"; hummus (or the ingredients to make my own); cheddar and mozzarella cheese (grated and kept in the freezer); veggie pasta; eggs; a variety of frozen vegetables, (including pumpkin, avocado, and leafy greens like kale that I bought fresh and froze, because I don't go through it fast enough); baking mix; walnuts; couscous; sweet potatoes in storage in the basement; canned tuna; other proteins: fish, pork loin, chicken, beef (all bought on sale & in the freezer); a can or two of refried beans, a jar of salsa, & a box of taco shells: one or two of my favorite frozen pizzas; a box of Cheerios or corn Chex; oatmeal; a couple of those shelf stable Indian entrees; tea and sugar; protein powder for smoothies, raisins and prunes. Chicken and beef stock. Dried peas and a variety of dried beans. Some canned soups also. Fresh: apples, oranges or mandarins, celery, carrots, mushroom, sweet peppers, one or two irish potatoes, a lemon (I grow my own.) Olive oil & a variety of seasonings/sauces/condiments for cooking.

I almost never plan meals ahead, other than having bought an main item that needs to be used in the next day or so. I am strictly a "what appeals to me right now" type.

In the past 20 years, I have lived without a convenient supermarket. Used to be 15 miles away, but since moving here, 20 miles.

Some things I always have on hand....beef and chicken broth. Like you, Amy, I use it in place of water in soups, stews, some gravies, etc. I always have butter, always buttermilk and usually cream, onions, celery, potatoes, self rising and all purpose flour, corn starch, corn meal, Claussen dills, eggs, a couple of small cans of tomato sauce, petite tomatoes (can), kidney beans, rice, brown, powdered and regular sugar. I always have bacon and several sausages from an particular place in Alvin, near where I used to live. I always have ice cream in the freezer. Black walnut and buttered pecan...have 4 half gallons in the freezer in the office in the barn, and 1 in the kitchen fridge. I always have carrots and celery and lemons....other fruit and vegetables I buy weekly, depending on what I plan to cook. I keep fairly large quantities of nuts in the freezer. Have pecans, halves and pieces and black walnuts, and regular walnuts. I always have cheddar cheese. but now also provolone and a mix of Italian..Romano, mozzarella, and parmesan. I keep soft drinks....right now cherry coke...and water...Ozarka. For the birds... peanut butter, oatmeal, raisins and for a special little guy who lives in my old chicken house on another part of this property....raw peanuts in hulls. I don't keep a lot of canned goods, except broth and tomato products for cooking. I usually have a can or two of pineapple. Always mayo, stuffed olives, spicy mustard, picante sauce, ketchup and Heinz chili sauce. And I have to keep an extra gumbo file, and Tony Chachere's.

When I grocery shop, I buy fresh fruit and vegetables and when I go to Sam's, I buy meat. I miss the fresh shrimp and fish we had when we lived on the bayou and Jody shrimped. I do keep catfish in the freezer at all times.

When I was growing up, my best friend's mother had the most complete pantry I have seen before or since. Since living far from a store, the past 20 years, I keep stocked up. Since I don't buy much in the way of prepackaged food or cans, I don't have waste. I have gained 15 lb since I moved here, because I cook all the time.

Marilyn_c, I am sorry you gained weight from cooking, but I am glad to see I am not the only one. I find it much harder to portion control when I am cooking.

I'm a pantry-stocker; always have been. The usual suspects......pasta, canned tomatoes, and vegetables, dried beans, cereal, etc.

I also buy flour in 10-kg bags, but I make my own bread and rolls. Sugar, I buy a couple of bags at a time when they come on sale. Brown sugar I buy at Costco, the price can't be beat.

I have a chest freezer, chicken, hamburger, beef roasts, homemade soups,chili, etc butter.

I buy my potatoes in 10-lb bags. By the time I get to the bottom there are some wrinkly ones but they still cook up and get mashed. At that stage, I make enough for leftovers to reheat as is, or use in a shepherd's pie, or make into little balls, roll in bread crumbs and bake.

I can't imagine not having something to make a meal out of, whether it's soup and grilled cheese, an omelette and toast, or a beef roast with potatoes and vegetables.

Raee, how do you freeze avocado?

aok, I peel & remove the seed, toss with lemon or lime juice, then into a ziplock bag with all air removed. They keep longer like this, but they lose flavor and texture if frozen more than a couple of weeks. I generally do this when they are on sale for 33cents apiece, and then use them in soup or smoothies - not plain so much..

Huh, ok. I never do smoothies, I guess my best bet it to make guacamole.

One thing I forgot that I stock up on is frozen prawns when they're on sale. So simple to make up a soup or a stir-fry with them because they're so quick and easy to thaw.

Interesting question.

We have plenty of fridge/freezer/pantry space but they're mostly empty because we have very little on hand. We like going shopping every few days because we prefer the food to be as fresh as possible. We tend to buy what we see that strikes our fancy, or go shopping for needed ingredients when doing a formal or new recipe. Impulse buys for meals for a day or two, no advance planning needed. We don't freeze purchased meat or foods/meals we cook.

The one thing we have a bit of a supply of is wine. But it's not large, elaborate, or particularly expensive types, Just stuff we like, most frequently bought a half case at a time. Also, we get drinking water delivered and always try to have an extra bottle or two.

If the Zombie Attack (or more likely earthquake) hits, we'll get in the car and drive to a less affected area. Or mooch from neighbors and friends. No worries.

I haven't been keeping a lot of food on hand because it's just me. But usually I try to have eggs, milk (for my iced coffee) and iced coffee. I don't buy much bread these days but when I do I usually end up throwing half of it out, even small loaves. Just not enough people here to eat it up. I went shopping yesterday and stocked up on some frozen foods, mostly vegetables to eat with the meat that is in the freezer. I also got a few fruits and vegetables as I was wanting something fresh. I bought 2 Asian pears at Trader Joes and the one I ate last night was hard and had no flavor. It felt soft but I guess not. Will wait awhile before eating the other one. They weren't cheap! I hate wasting food.

My only "must haves" are Ghirardelli cocoa, milk, sugar, butter, and good wheat bread. Gotta have my morning homemade cocoa and buttered toast--or the rest of the day is already wrecked.

My stockpile includes the things we eat regularly. At the top of the list are peanut butter bananas and salsa. We always have four packages of our favourite dried whole grain pasta tinned tomatoes tinned black beans and a few cans of soup.

In the fridge we always have one or two bunches of vegetables unless I am making zucchini lasagna or something then there will be lots. We also have eggs and cheddar cheese. Of course there are the assorted condiments.

In the freezer we always have frozen mixed berries whole grain rice and chicken that has been cooked and apportioned. We buy lots of chicken at a low price and cook it all up then portion it in to meal sizes. I tend to cook in huge batches. We always have frozen prawns but they aren't cooked and still have the shell on.

We don’t keep much these days. We are trying to eat whole, fresh, unprocessed foods, and I’m avoiding most canned items for a variety of reasons. I typically hit the grocery store (and/or farm market in summer) 2-3 times a week to get what i know we will use without anything going to waste. I used to meal plan a week or two at a time and we invariably ended up with changed plans that meant we pushed meals out and things would go to waste.

Inspired to take a serious look at my food supplies, I'd say we could easily eat 3 good meals a day for a month with what I regularly have on hand in the pantry & refrigerator. We'd run out of short-shelf life perishables (milk, fresh veggies, etc) but we'd still eat well using frozen, canned, or dried foodstuffs.

But we never run out, because both DH and I love grocery shopping and being retired, we go to the store almost every day. Perishables we always have on hard are: milk, eggs, broccoli, and lettuce. Other perishables (veggies, cheeses, fruits, and meats) we buy based on what looks good, is priced right, etc.

I admit I stock up on butter. We use ... let me think ... about 24 pounds per year, which averages to about 2 sticks per week! So when it's cheap (about half of normal price) I buy a dozen boxes and put them in the freezer.

I keep on hand: spices, condiments/butter, baking supplies/choc.chips/M & M's, eggs. Canned: soup, beans, diced tomatoes, a case of Stokes green chili & a few bags of tortilla chips. I freeze: ground turkey, bacon, salmon steaks, yeast, hamburger buns, bread. Then I make egg-a-muffins, I package and freeze for hubby's breakfast. Fresh lettuce, roma tomatoes, onions/3lb bag, bananas, cuties, baby carrots, organic: coconut, brazil nuts, shelled sunflower seeds, salsa, peanuts & peanut butter.

Nickel-kg, we consider shopping as our little 'outing' as well. Since we are fairly new to retiring and no longer have to shop on lunch breaks & weekends it's a treat 😏. My husband grew up in Saskatchewan (Canada) in a family of 12 so I have to stop him from buying food in bulk. We still have stock piles of pasta, rice & dried beans. He is old enough to remember hard times and famine. He's convinced another might well be in the making 😳.

Ladydi, that reminds me of an old boss of mine. He also grew up in a large family, with 8 or 10 siblings. Their table rule was: each person must always have a roll or a piece of bread in one hand. The parents reasoned that bread was the cheapest item at each meal, so make sure kids ate plenty of it! To the day when I knew him 50+ years later, he still felt uneasy if he was served a dinner without bread of some kind.

If it gives anyone pleasure to shop for groceries, keep in mind that food pantries often have a person in charge who will tell you what foodstuffs they need most often, and would welcome regular donations of. (I say that as a friendly note, NOT as an instruction! But sometimes the written word comes off as harsh, when you can't see body language or hear tone of voice.) Everyone's free to find their own preferred way to help others.

We keep hubby's favorite cereal, beans, rice, pasta, tomato sauce, a couple of cans of corn, tuna, clams, condensed milk, baking supplies and several bottles of our favorite taco sauce stocked in our pantry. Our small chest freezer contains a variety of meats, a few frozen sour dough baguettes and butter.

We always buy tortillas, bread, milk, eggs, cheese, yogurt and veggies/fruit fresh.

A few years ago, I stopped keeping all but the basic spices/herbs on hand. I buy those in the quantities I need, when I need them, from the bulk bins at my local health food store. As a rule, I don't like buying from the bulk bins because of people sticking their dirty hands in the bins and sampling the product, but I don't think it's is as much an issue with spices. I do this because these products lose flavor and pungency over time and when I'm cooking I like to use the freshest product possible. If I can get it fresh, I buy that but selections are usually limited. The only things I keep on hand are pepper, ground chili peppers, garlic powder, cumin, oregano and dill weed as I use those a lot.