It’s been a late day at work and you forgot to lay out anything for dinner. You run to the pantry in hopes of finding the items necessary to create a meal in a little amount of time. Oh no there’s not much in the pantry. A bag of chips, a box of cake mix and some crackers are all you can find. That won’t make much of meal for those hungry family members.

That’s probably an exaggeration for most pantries but it never seems to fail that on those crazy days we don’t have the staples necessary to create a quick, hearty delicious meal. Staples like pasta, soups, vegetables, fruits, sauces and gravies to name a few are important to keep on hand. These five reasons really spell it all out for us.

Cooking On A Budget – Staple foods are generally cheap. Everyone uses them so many stores mark them way down to get people in the door. Staple foods are also good when it comes to cooking on a budget. Because they are so affordable and can be used as the base to a huge number of dishes, they are great to have around in a frugal kitchen.

Make Meal Planning Easy – It is great to have a stocked pantry. Walk over, take a quick peek inside and automatically know what you plan on cooking for the whole week. For instance, pasta with meat sauce on Monday, Beans and Rice on Tuesday and each day of the week thereafter makes it easy to plan as well as with the shopping list. This allows you to save time when the schedule gets busy, by having food readily available that doesn’t take forever to cook.

Rescue For Last Minute Meals – You forgot to take the pot roast out of the freezer this morning. It is now exactly 30 minutes until dinner time and even if you soaked the hunk of meat in boiling water, there is no way it will thaw and be able to cook by then. What to do? Having your pantry stocked with staple foods allows these last minute meals to take the stress off of you. Go grab some canned chicken, salsa and some Orzo and make a Southwestern chicken pasta dish in less than 30 minutes.

Provide Comfort – It is amazing to look how many comfort foods came from standard pantry items. Take for instance, tomato soup and grilled cheese; or mashed potatoes and gravy; or even biscuits and jam. Most of the foods known for their ability to whisk you back to days of ole’ had to apply the same standards then, as they do today. They have to be affordable, be able to feed large groups of people, store easily and make cooking a breeze.

Feeding Large Groups Of People – Food is a great way to build relationships. Oddly enough, everyone likes food and they all know someone who can and should be invited to come have some; at your place. Next thing you know, the neighborhood is lined up in your living room and you were only planning to cook for two. Staple foods from the pantry can come to the rescue. You need only look to your pantry for welcome relief. It truly is amazing how many people a couple boxes of pasta can actually feed.

These types of staples make preparing you dinners easier and more affordable. They are easy to store and will last in your pantry for more than just one week. When the supply starts to dwindle, add it to the grocery list and replenish. It will make your life in the kitchen much easier and a whole lot happier.