what basics to have on hand to make stuff from scratch

This is a list of the basic stuff needed to start a kitchen - you may not be able to get them all at once, but a lot of them last a long time so you can keep them in rotation buying some every month. With these things in store you can make a wide variety of meals from scratch.

baking powder - 1 can double acting
baking chocolate - 1 bar for brownies, cakes and pies
baking soda
barley - is a good change from rice with beef and gravy
box macaroni and cheese - about three boxes are good to have for casserole base. You can also use the noodles without the cheese-sauce for chili-mac and use the cheese sauce later on some broccoli. (powdered cheese sauce is good mixed with other seasonings
brown sugar - light or dark - dark is more molasses in flavor
bullion - powdered/granulated chicken and beef (use chicken to flavor pork or veal sauces)
buttermilk - necessary for biscuits and cornbread - powdered is a good option unless you drink it
cereals - breakfast cereals - whole grain are best: rice crisps, shredded wheat, oat o's and hot cereals - farina, grits, cream of wheat, seven grain. Worst buy - instant cereals
cocoa - 1 can for hot chocolate, chocolate cookies, brownies
coffee - instant is good if you want to cook with coffee (instant granules sprinkled on french vanilla ice cream is a very good dessert!) but if you drink a lot - the big can is the best way to go. Store up the bulk of the can and keep it sealed - put about a weeks worth in a smaller cannister for everyday,
confectioners (powdered) sugar - good for icings and glazes
cornmeal - 5 lb white selfrising buttermilk mix - already mixed with flour and risers. Good for cornbread and coating fried fish.
corn starch - 1 box has many uses from gravy, atoles, puddings to a coating for oriental fried pork or fish
corn syrup - is used in many pies and some cooked icings and in candy. light is most versatile
crackers - 1 lb box saltines or wholewheat and/or graham - nothing fancy
cream of tartar - called for in some recipees involving whipping eggs and cooking sugar
crumbs - keep and save crumbs, crusts and stale pieces of biscuits, bread, cakes cookies, cornbreads crackers, pastries, etc
dried beans - 2-3 kinds of dried beans - lentils - black eyed peas - lima beans - redbeans
dried fruit - apricots dates etc add to cereals cakes and cookies
flour - 5lb all purpose white
jello - quick cheap healthy with fruit
jelly - jam or preserves are good fillings for cookies, or mixed with plain yogurt.
honey - 1 jar
instant mashed potatos - a small bag is a good thing to have on hand and can be used to thicken cream soups.
koolaid - can also be used as a flavoring for cakes, cookies and frostings (you have to experiment)
milk - powdered, condensed, sweetened-condensed is a special milk syrup blend and not milk - but it is good to have on hand for pies
molasses - jar
noodles - egg noodles are good in chicken or cheese dishes and have added protein
nuts - peanuts and or walnuts, almonds, pecans for flavoring cookies and cakes
oatmeal - keep at least a pound - it is not only a good cooked cereal but is good in cookies and meatloaf. Use the whole rolled (old fashioned) oats for best texture and flavor. Quick oats are gummy and do not measure the same in recipes.
oil - corn, vegetable, canola, soy - 1 large bottle for baking and frying - get a large glass bottle to store oil that has been cooled and strained for reuse
olive oil - small bottle extra virgin for mediterrannean dishes - get a small bottle of cheaper olive oil to scent and use as bath/body oil
onion soup mix - use for Beanie Dogs and Roast Beef - I usually use only 1/2 envelope for two people so it lasts a while
parmesan cheese - a cannister lasts a couple of months. Watch for lo-fat or lo-salt varieties that taste bad.
peanut butter - we use a lot of it. Look for ones without hydrogenated vegetable oil and highfructose cornsyrup.
ranch dressing mix - use for seasoning in small amounts or for dressing or for coating baked chicken
raisins - 1 big box
rice - 3 lb white longgrain is the most versatile and less sticky, brown takes twice as long to cook and is nutty and tougher, white short grain is sticky and comes in sweet varieties mostly for oriental dishes.
salt - 1 lb box
spaghetti noodles - 1 lb white or whole wheat - note wholewheat does not keep as well
spices: black pepper, chili powder, cinnamon, clove, curry powder, garlic powder, ginger, italian seasoning, thyme
sauces: barbque sauce, ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard,
pickles, relish,salsa, soy sauce, steak sauce, vanilla extract, worchestershire sauce. Watch for splenda and hi-fructose corn syrup in commercial brands.
sugar - 5lb - we seem to use 10-15 lbs a month
tea - black or green 100 bags
tortillas - Santitas tortilla chips, flour tortillas, corn tortillas or MaSeca
vinegar - white vinegar is most versatile (use to curdle milk for cakes or to disinfect vegetables) but wine vinegar is good for salad dressing and cider vinegar is milder for pickling
yogurt - i buy some and make some. I use the culture from a storebought batch to make my own until it gets tired and then I buy another starter batch at the store

check out seasonings
or find out how to save money buying by the month
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