I use the UHP boxed milk because there are only two of us and even a quart of fresh milk can go bad. Look for the expiration date on the top. It is usually good for 3 months, unopened and another week or so in the fridge. However, for longer term storage, I stock small cans of evaporated milk for coffee and dried skim for drinking milk, cereal, baking or cooking. I rotate my stocks and even the canned evaporated milk only lasts 6-8 months or so, IMO.
There are, as said, only two of us, and we love our Sam’s club membership. I buy whole cuts of meat and butcher to suit and repackage and freeze. Toiletries, vitamins, NSAIDS, TP, detergent etc are all cheaper there than at Walmart (except recently, the bone-in chicken breasts were much cheaper at Walmart than Sam’s, for some reason). You can usually find 4-packs of butter for under $2/lb. 8lbs of spaghetti for $2+. I am sure the $35/year is worth it. They have specials from time to time that are very good. I just got an enameled steel cooking pot, 1 1/2 gallon capacity, for under $40. They are usually well over $100.
Know the prices of items at the grocery store & Walmart, so you can compare. I have one store I use for produce and flavored water, another for meats and Walmart for dry/canned items, fresh dairy, cleaning supplies. Sometimes there are surprising sales.
I would add pasta & rice to your list, as they keep a long time. Yeast, cooking oil, trash bags and paper products like TP. Canned fruit and vegetables and some source of Vitamin C. If you have a toddler, some electrolyte replacer or enough sugar and salt and clean water to make your own. Clear broths can be soup base or food for someone who is ill.
Thank you very much for your informative and helpful information. I remember when I was first married and living on the Upper East Side, going into Agata and Valentina: saying wow, what a fancy place, with fancy prices - walked in hand with fifty dollars and walked out with just five things. I have come along way and as usual fellow freepers knock common sense and reality into this jaded New Yorker./Just Asking - seoul62.......