Chicken and egg and beef prices, oh my! Food costs continue to rise for a lot of popular items but we’ve still got to eat, right?
I try to maintain a well-stocked pantry (and fridge and freezer), so that I can whip up a meal by buying just a few things to augment. If I have eggs, it’s easy to make a frittata with fresh veggies bought at the last minute, frozen spinach from the freezer and grated Swiss cheese purchased on sale. A jar of red sauce, dried pasta and seasoned bread crumbs already in the pantry come in handy to make Spaghetti with Meatballs when I find ground beef on sale.
Of course, the trick is to assess what you have and needbefore you shop. I sometimes forget to do this even though this is the best way for me to take advantage of what’s on sale.
Some of the shelf-stable foods I like to have: Various types of canned tomatoes, tuna, black beans, garbanzo beans, corn, chicken stock, salsa, crackers and peanut butter.
There’s more, of course, but I am wondering what food items you always have on hand and what your shopping strategies are to stock the pantry.
Me? I am a fiend for the BOGO items at the grocery store where I shop. Somehow, I am never more smug than when I can score two big cans of albacore tuna for the price of one!
