Other eternals

1. Canned tuna. Be as fussy or unfussy as you like.
2. Other canned fish/seafood (same deal).
3. Pasta - there are no rules.
4. Rice - there are some rules, but start by just buying something basic. I recommend a decent basmati, and will provide the recipe that gave me the confidence to start making rice.
5. Canned AND dried beans. See what works for you. I keep both on hand.

Garlic, onions. Garlic, onions.

There's basically no excuse not to have those two.

1. Carrots are also a solid pantry item. Plus, you can just eat them raw!
2. Celery, sure, if you like it, but I seldom have it.
3. Ginger is something I am not above buying in a jar, but with the coming cold and flu season (and given my seeming eternal susceptibility to germs in this "southern" locale), ginger will often be finding its way into my shopping basket.
4. Potatoes, yeah.
5. In the fall, there's kind of no excuse not to keep squash around. So just do it already.

My basic spicerack

1. Cumin (Don't be afraid to buy ground, but do try to buy it in bulk so they don't take you to the bank.)
2. Cayenne
3. Oregano

Hell. You can do a lot with those three humble spices.

Keep it on the shelf - lasts basically forever

1. Olive oil - You can basically use this for whatever you want, despite what people might say. Get the big 4L cans if you can. Mine last about a year.
   
2. Vinegar - You should have at least two or three kinds, but you can get small bottles, they'll only cost a couple bucks. Some good and basic choices are balsamic, white, red wine. But they keep, so if you see something interesting, even if you're not sure if you'll ever use it, just pick it up. You won't regret it.
   
3. Stock- Bouillon cubes or cans or boxes. I'd say go whole hog and get chicken, beef and veggie.