I always have certain things in my pantry and fridge. It’s how I know what to buy each week, how I figure out if I can make spaghetti for dinner or grilled cheese for lunch.
Freezer
1 bag Frozen mixed vegetables (great for soups)
1 bag Frozen stir-fry (or California) vegetables
1 bag frozen meatballs, fish sticks, or chicken patties
Ice Cream, Sorbet, and/or frozen fruit
Fridge
Gallon of Milk
Water, bottled or gallon
Other drinks: prepared lemonade, soft drinks, G2
Soy Sauce
Worcester’s Sauce
Pancake Syrup, regular and sugar-free
Cream Cheese
Margarine
Sour Cream
Salsa
2 lbs hamburger meat
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken or pre-cooked chicken strips
32 oz Velveeta cheese, to be used until it’s gone
1 bag Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Lunch Meat
Sliced Cheese
Mini candy bars, apple sauce, or other quick snack
Pantry
Angel Hair Past
Macaroni Noodles
Regular Spaghetti Noodles
Jar of Spaghetti Sauce
2+ cans diced tomatoes (plain and/or flavored)
1 can Rotel tomatoes
2 (small) cans tomato sauce
1 can Ranch style beans
2 cans Cream of Chicken soup (Healthy Request)
2 cans Cream of Mushroom soup (Healthy Request)
1 can Tomato soup
Various canned fruits and vegetables
2 cans Chicken Broth
2 cans tuna fish in water
1 can chicken
Rice (boil in the bag minute rice, to save time)
Mashed Potatoes
Jif Peanut Butter
Bread
Bagels
Various cereals
Cookies, Chips, granola bars, or other snacks
Seasonings
McCormick Taco Seasoning
Garlic Powder/Garlic Salt
Salt
Powder
Gravy Mixes
Italian Seasoning
See, I told you guys that I never go hungry. Any night I don’t plan for I can fix grilled cheese with chips and fruit, chili with sour cream and rice, spaghetti with garlic bread, vegetable soup, stir-fry….the list goes on and on. I try to plan a few meals a week so the same things all the time, but just in case I decide I don’t want BBQ Pork sandwich leftover, I can make something else.
This week we spent about $40 on food for the week. Most of the things I needed to make the meals we wanted were already in my kitchen. I started small. When we first moved in, I would buy exactly what we needed for the week, plus one or two extra cans of something. Like if I was making Tuna Casserole, I’d pick up a Cream of Chicken soup AND a Cream of Mushroom soup. Then I’d pick up 2 cans of tuna instead of just 1. It added less than $1 to my bill and slowly I had a full and ready pantry.
What’s in your pantry? Share your Shopping Secrets!
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