Pantry staples list with real prices
The 20 pantry staples every Australian kitchen needs, what they cost at each supermarket, and how to stock up smart.
A fully stocked pantry costs 40–60 dollars at ALDI, 50–75 dollars at Coles or Woolworths. Once you've invested that money, you can make dozens of meals without buying a single fresh ingredient. No more saying "there's nothing in the house to eat."
The 20 essential pantry staples
These items last months. Buy them when they're on special and you'll never pay full price again. Most families already own half of these but forget what's in the cupboard, so they buy duplicates.
| Item | Size | ALDI | Coles / Woolworths |
|---|---|---|---|
| White rice | 1 kg | 2.00–3.00 | 3.00–4.00 |
| Pasta | 500 g | 1.00–1.50 | 1.50–2.00 |
| Plain flour | 1 kg | 1.00–1.50 | 1.50–2.00 |
| Sugar | 1 kg | 1.50–2.00 | 2.00–2.50 |
| Cooking oil | 1 L | 3.00–5.00 | 4.00–7.00 |
| Olive oil | 500 ml | 4.00–6.00 | 5.00–8.00 |
| Tinned tomatoes | 4x 400 g | 3.00–4.00 | 4.00–6.00 |
| Tinned beans (mixed) | 4x 400 g | 3.00–4.00 | 4.00–6.00 |
| Soy sauce | 500 ml | 2.00–3.00 | 2.50–4.00 |
| Stock cubes or powder | 10 cubes | 2.00–3.00 | 2.50–4.00 |
| Sea salt | 750 g | 0.80–1.50 | 1.00–2.00 |
| Ground black pepper | 50 g | 2.00–4.00 | 3.00–5.00 |
| Dried herbs (mixed) | 20 g | 2.00–3.00 | 2.50–4.00 |
| White vinegar | 500 ml | 1.00–2.00 | 1.50–2.50 |
| Honey | 500 g | 4.00–6.00 | 5.00–8.00 |
| Peanut butter | 375 g | 3.00–4.00 | 3.50–5.00 |
| Rolled oats | 1 kg | 2.00–3.00 | 3.00–4.00 |
| Tinned tuna in brine | 4x 95 g | 5.00–8.00 | 6.00–10.00 |
| Long-life milk | 1 L | 1.50–2.00 | 1.50–2.50 |
| Vegemite | 380 g | 4.00–5.00 | 5.00–7.00 |
| Total cost | 40–60 | 50–75 |
Prices vary by location and season. ALDI is consistently 20–30 per cent cheaper on staples than Coles and Woolworths. Compare prices for your local area using Pinch and buy when items are on special.
What you can actually make with these
A stocked pantry isn't just theoretical. Here's what a week of meals looks like without buying fresh food.
- Pasta with tomato and bean sauce (tinned tomatoes, beans, garlic, olive oil)
- Fried rice (rice, tinned beans, soy sauce, oil, salt)
- Omelettes with herbs (eggs if you have them, otherwise skip, still works as crepes or pancakes)
- Porridge with honey and peanut butter (oats, honey, long-life milk)
- Tuna pasta (pasta, tinned tuna, tomato sauce, olive oil)
- Beans on toast (tinned beans, flour made into bread, salt, butter)
- Stock-based soup (stock cubes, whatever veg is in the crisper, pasta, beans)
Add one thing (an onion, carrot, tin of vegetables) and your options triple. Add eggs or frozen chicken and you've got full variety.
When to restock (the strategy)
Don't wait until you're out of something to buy it. That's how you end up paying full price and making bad decisions at 7 pm when you're hungry.
Instead: stock up when pantry items are on special. They last months. A tin of beans or tin of tomatoes on sale for 60 cents instead of a dollar: that's the moment to buy. Work backwards from how much you use. If your family eats pasta twice a week, you need maybe 8–10 boxes a month. When they're on special, buy 12 boxes. You're locked in at 40 per cent less.
Set a reminder on your phone: "Check ALDI specials on Tuesday mornings." Their catalogues drop early. Find the pantry staples and grab them before they're gone. Same with Coles and Woolworths.
The pantry audit
Before you shop, open every cupboard. Most people already own half these items but buy duplicates because they didn't check. That's just burning money.
Make a quick list: what do you actually have, what's running low, what's gone? This takes 5 minutes and saves you 15 dollars a week. Multiplied across the year, that's 780 dollars you're not throwing away.
Budget shopping: ALDI vs Coles vs Woolworths
ALDI wins on pantry staples consistently. Their store brands are good. Rice, flour, pasta, canned goods, oils: all cheaper than the major chains. If you've got an ALDI near you and haven't been, you're leaving money on the table.
Coles and Woolworths have wider ranges and run more specials. Shop the specials. Don't pay full price for anything if you can help it. Vegemite full price is painful. Vegemite on special is fine.
Most families do a mix: ALDI for staples, Coles or Woolworths for fresh food and specific brands. That's smart shopping.
Track grocery prices to build your pantry smarter
Pinch tracks prices at ALDI, Coles, Woolworths, and Harris Farm so you know exactly when your pantry staples go on special. See the price history and never pay full price again.
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