Is a capsule pantry right for you? Find out how to save money, simplify meal planning, and create your own today!

As a single-income family, we’ve learned to significantly reduce our grocery budget. One of the major ways we’ve cut back is by creating a well-stocked capsule pantry. This has saved us so much money because it allows us to buy in bulk, avoid food waste, create more efficient shopping lists, and decrease eating out! If you’re ready to start saving money on your grocery expenses, then you’ve come to the right place!

What Is A Capsule Pantry?

A capsule pantry is a core collection of versatile ingredients in a pantry, freezer, and fridge that can be used to create several unique meals. Think of a capsule pantry like a capsule wardrobe, but the white t-shirt is diced tomatoes and the jeans are shredded cheese!

What Are The Benefits Of A Capsule Pantry?

• Save Money: A capsule pantry has a core set of staple ingredients. This means you can buy in bulk when items from the list go on sale without worrying that they won’t get used! You’ll also cut back on eating out and no longer buy ingredients that you won’t use before expiration.
• Decrease Meal Planning: Part of a capsule pantry is identifying meals that can be made from the ingredients on hand. This means you’ll always have a list of meals that can be easily made without having to run to the store, so you won’t have to spend as much time prepping your meal plan and grocery list!
• Food On-Hand: Always have food on hand to make complete meals at home.
• Healthier Meals: Having ingredients available and a list of meals you can create with these ingredients reduces the temptation for excess processed foods or frequent dining out.
• Reduce Food Waste: Buy groceries more efficiently to reduce buying groceries you won’t use up before they go bad.

How To Create A Capsule Pantry

Here is a 3-step guide to creating your own. You can check out an example of my personal capsule pantry, along with 30 dinner ideas with recipe links, here!

1. Brainstorm Family Favorite Recipes: Take time to write down all the recipes your family loves. Look through cookbooks, your Pinterest board, and past meal plans. No meal is too simple to leave out!
2. Identify Common Ingredients: Now that you have a list of recipes, look through the ingredients in these recipes to identify recurring ingredients. Likely, you’ll find things like rice, cheese, and broths to be in quite a few recipes. If an ingredient is in 3 or more recipes, is a key ingredient in a meal you eat weekly, or is a shelf-stable quick meal (like pancake mix), write it down. You can also check out common pantry staples on the USDA site here.
3. Create an Inventory: Your list of core ingredients will now become the inventory for your capsule pantry. These are the items you want to make sure you always have on hand to create the recipes your family loves with ease! Decide how many of each ingredient you’d like to stock. This will depend on how many recipes use it, how often you grocery shop, and how much storage you have. You can find a free printable here for creating your own inventory!

How To Shop For Groceries

Congratulations, your grocery shopping just got easier! Now you can compare your pantry inventory list to what you have on hand in the pantry, freezer, and fridge. Whatever is on your list but not in your cupboard goes on the list! You’ll also need to add fresh items like produce, dairy, and special ingredients you’ll need for new recipes or entertaining.

A capsule pantry will ensure you save money on groceries because you’ve simplified the number of ingredients you need, and you can avoid impulse Door Dash dinners. You can save even more money by comparing grocery prices across stores, using pickup orders instead of wandering aisles, and learning to make staple foods like bread from scratch!

Bonus Tips For Frugal Moms

• Engage the Kids: Involve the kids in finding family favorite recipes and helping with inventory each week. Older children can easily identify which items from the inventory list are not in the cupboard and can add them to the grocery list!
• Cash Back Apps: In addition to shopping sales, consider using cash-back apps like Ibotta for even more savings on groceries!
• Freeze Pre-Prepped Ingredients: Make dinner even easier by freezing pre-diced onions and celery or packaging pre-cooked and shredded chicken. You’ll be able to easily thaw these for making dinner even faster!
• Double Batch & Freeze: Consider making a double batch of some meals, then throwing them into the freezer for later. This is especially helpful if the meal requires an ingredient you don’t normally buy. You can use the ingredient completely so it doesn’t go to waste without having to eat it twice in one week!

You May Also Like:

• Lower Your Food Bill: 10 Tips for Frugal Shopping
• Frugal Finds: It’s Cheaper to Make Your Own Pizza
• Make a Great Dinner Faster with Flash Freezing

Let me know in the comments how your capsule pantry has changed your shopping habits!