Rice, beans, broth, oil, and pasta cover more weeknights than specialty sauces you open once.
Long grain rice and spaghetti still carry most Jackson weeknights. Add black beans and chicken broth and you can stretch leftover meat into another meal.
Olive oil for finishing and canola for frying covers both salad and skillet work. Sea salt and pepper do more than a dozen half-used spice jars.
Buy peanut butter and oats when they hit deal pricing. They outlast the fancy sauce that sits behind the vinegar.