this wasn't in the plan |but life is still pretty good

When it comes to grocery shopping and meal planning, I normally make a dinner menu (to some extent using what's on sale at the store as a guide) and then create a shopping list from that. This week I decided to try something different. I could claim it's a result of wanting to use up what we do have, but really it's due to laziness.

After making a list of what we needed to fill the refrigerator after being gone for a week, I had no desire to make a menu. So I just bought the basics that we were lacking and created a menu after the fact. Or, in reality, thought up a few dinner meals in my head (why does pregnancy have to make meal planning so difficult?). Then I checked our budget for the previous month. Oh wow, I spent a lot at the grocery store. There certainly must be a lot of food around this house somewhere.

So now I've decided that focusing on what is already in our pantry and freezer would be a great way to save some money in March and offset February's grocery shopping spree a bit. This month, I'd like to concentrate on keeping "the basics" on hand (we're decently stocked now). Will it save money? I don't know. I also want to add some basics to my repertoire. It seems that all too often I see a new recipe that I want to try and don't have one or more of the ingredients it calls for. At which point I think, why don't I have that, I should keep it on hand!

I realize it's different for everyone, but what are some of your staples, or basics, that you almost always have on hand?