More Benefits to a Stocked Pantry

I have posted more than once about how important it is to keep a well stocked pantry.  Usually my reasons are related to preparedness for uncertain events.  Today, I am grateful for my pantry because it is a tight food budget week!  Well, it's always tight, but I'm at the end of the month's food money.  I realized today that I have $45 to stretch for 9 days of meals.  I don't know how much you usually spend, or how much the cost of food is in your area, but around here that doesn't go very far!

However, I am very happy with the fact that I have come far with planning frugal meals and making my grocery money streeeettttcccchhhh.  I thought it might be tough to stretch that money, but....I sat down with my pen and paper, and in less that five minutes I had a list of 9 meals down.  AND....all I would have to spend in order to make these nine meals was 6 dollars!!  Wow!  Why???  Because of my well stocked pantry and freezer.

Here is the list of meals that I quickly came up with:

• Whole chicken (need to buy: $3.50) with either potatoes or rice, veggie (all on hand)
• Chicken rice soup with leftover chicken (rice in pantry, veggies and stock in freezer)
• Ham and Bean soup with leftover ham from fridge (pantry FULL of beans)
• Pork chops (in freezer) and potatoes (in pantry)
• Steak (in freezer), baked potatoes
• Beef stew (stew meat in freezer, potatoes, carrots, beef broth, etc. in pantry and fridge)
• Beans and rice (pantry)
• Pasta with marinara sauce (both stored in pantry)
• Shepherd's pie (buy ground beef:$2.50)

Now, I will likely add bread and/or salad to some of these meals, as I'm not completely done planning them yet.  I can bake the bread or biscuits or whatever, and I have a lot of lettuce in my fridge.

So, with my measley little $45, I'll be picking up the ground beef and chicken that I need, then using the rest to stock the fridge with the basics: milk, yogurt, butter, juice, etc.