My secret to great food all the time: A well-stocked pantry

I am a recent college graduate with a low-paying job, and I love to cook healthy, delicious food all the time. And no, I don't have an expensive grocery bill. In fact, I spend $50 every two weeks on groceries regularly with the occasional splurge for parties or big dinners. The secret to this is a well-stocked pantry with a diversity of base ingredients that can be used in a wide array of dishes.

These are some things I always keep on hand. I know that I can go to the store, come back with mostly produce and the occasional meat item, and create dishes I will be excited about with these ingredients already in my kitchen.

Spices
Spices can't be emphasized enough! With a good arsenal of spices, you can liven up anything. Here is what is usually on my spice shelf:

Asian/Indian Cooking:
Cumin
Curry
Paprika
Garam Masala
Turmeric

Middle Eastern:
Mace
Coriander
Cardamom
Cloves
Cinnamon

French/Italian Cooking:
Thyme
Sage
Oregano
Rosemary
Allspice
Fennel seed
Herbs de Provence

Other/Baking:
Nutmeg
Ground Ginger

Ras El Hanout spice blend: I like to keep this on hand to liven up meat, vegetables, any substantial savory dish that could use a little kick. It's a slightly sweet, slightly spicy rich spice blend that is traditionally used in Moroccan food.

Vegetable Bullion: I use this sparingly as I am not a huge fan of the high sodium content, but its good in a pinch if you don't have any stock and need to mimic that rich flavor.

Shredded Coconut: Just because I am a coconut-nut. Shredded coconut can be used in chicken dishes, rice dishes, cookies, and my favorite, coconut french toast.

Oils/Sauces
Soy Sauce: Can be used in a variety of meat dishes including pork and chicken, and in soups.
Sesame Oil: Using sesame oil in Asian dishes adds nice flavor as opposed to using vegetable oil or olive oil.
Fish Sauce: A little goes a long way when you're using fish sauce. I use it most often to add an extra layer of flavor to stir fry.
Worcestershire sauce: A favorite to use with beef. I love using it in my burger patties.
Stir-fry sauce: A good standby for a quick dinner.

Canned Goods
Conconut Milk: Can be used in savory and sweet dishes: Asian food combined with curry, in rice, in oatmeal, in baking.
Black Beans: A good staple in a pinch that can be tossed in a salad or used in a burrito.
Canned Chicken Stock (or homemade frozen): I like to keep some chicken stock around to add depth of flavor to soups and sauces.

Long-life Vegetables 
Onions: Onions are as basic a staple as they come. Whether it's in soup, sauteed vegetables, in a sauce, and in most savory dishes.
Garlic: Garlic is essential to most savory food I cook! It's also known to have great health benefits as it contains vitamins including Vitamin C and Vitamin B6, and is a natural immune system boost.
Ginger: An easy to keep root that makes a nice addition to meat dishes, vegetable sautee, etc.
Potatoes: It's good to have potatoes around for a side by themselves, in soup, roasted, etc.

Grains
Quinoa: Healthy-a complete protein, tasty, and goes with most vegetables. I love quinoa.
Japanese or Thai Rice: A nice side dish to most dinners. I like to soak my rice overnight for sticky rice the next day. You can also substitute coconut milk for water and make coconut rice. Feeling sweet, add a little sugar, toasted coconut, and butter for a coconut rice pudding.
Penne Pasta: A great standby that can be combined easily with stray vegetables and spices if you don't have a lot of food options.
Rolled Oats: A favorite breakfast staple and a good baking ingredient.