Basic Pantry Food Staples

My husband was told recently that his job working at Convergys for Microsoft will be once again shipped to a new location, which may be India, Canada, or the Philippines. He right now helps people with limitations such as being blind, deaf or things of that nature program or fix computer issues they are having. This is the second time in this past year he has been told his job from Microsoft will be no longer. Because of the nature of the layoff, he could take part in the government fair trade act, that would pay for him to finish his school so he would be able to get another job. This would be fantastic but he really cannot work while doing the fair trade act, unless he is making less than he would be bringing in on unemployment (which figures to about $5.00 an hr). Since our little family cannot afford to live on $5.00 an hour, he will be transferring to a new job position within Convergys making 6 dollars less an hour than before. We've been though this type of thing almost countless times in the past 4 years, so my reaction to the news isn't the typical crying and despair it used to be. I know that there are many avenues we could go down to "make things work", but right now were going to try to keep it simple, and let Jared take the work in the different department and continue to have me home with the kids while he pursues work and school.

I don't know if any of you reading this have also been through this sort of thing in the past couple years or are experiencing it now, If you are you have my condolences its never an easy thing to figure out. Since we will be experiencing a giant pay cut, the cash that we normally use to purchase food will be slim to none, gas for his commute and our bills will more than likely suck up the whole paycheck. Because we are not extreme "fasters" and need sustenance I have yet again applied for WIC (we way more than qualify) to help bring in some basic food stuffs.

From past experiences I found that I could make a whole lot of stuff with just very basic food supplies, things to have on hand that certainly make living more comfortable include a good stock of these pantry items:

• Pasta noodles
• canned tomato sauce
• cream of chicken soup
• rice
• flour
• sugar (white and brown)
• salt
• oil
• canned chili
• oats
• spices- cinnamon, Italian seasoning, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, black pepper etc.
• chicken and beef bouillon (great for gravy, soups, to make chicken or beef stock cheap)
• Potatoes and Potato pearls
• shortening
• honey
• vinegar
• chocolate chips
• vanilla
• bread crumbs
• baking powder, baking soda
• peanut butter (my son is allergic, so right now we don't have it)
• beans
• syrup
• dried or fresh onions
• garlic

The items I like to have stocked in my fridge or freezer include

• butter
• eggs
• milk
• yeast
• soy sauce
• cheese (mozzarella and sharp is the way we go)
• bread/ tortillas (but you can make these with the items above)
• jam
• carrots
• frozen peas, corn, broccoli, spinach - other vegetables you like or your kids will eat
• fruit
• ground turkey
• frozen or fresh chicken breasts
• Parmesan cheese
• cream cheese
• sauces- BBQ, ketchup, mustard, ranch, mayo or miracle whip

Those are the items that really can make the world go round if you have a decent supply of them before you get a huge dock in pay. Of course your list may be different from mine but if your new to having to make everything you eat with little money this list really can create many meals.
If your still unsure, here is a list of what I can think of off the top of my head, that can be made :)

• waffles
• pancakes
• BBQ chicken pizza
• spaghetti
• cinnamon rolls
• Navajo tacos
• Hawaiian haystacks (you may want more toppings but you'll at least have the gravy and cheese)
• baked potatoes
• mashed potatoes
• from scratch hamburger helper type meals
• chicken and broccoli casserole
• burritos
• grilled cheese sandwiches
• quesadillas
• chicken stir fry's
• cheese pizza
• fettichini Alfredo
• biscuits and gravy
• hamburger on sliced bread (you can also make your own buns)
• meatless burger (made with beans)
• chicken and dumplings
• chicken noodle soup
• chocolate chip cookies
• sugar cookies
• oatmeal cookies
• cake
• sweet and sour chicken
• Parmesan chicken
• french toast

you kinda get the idea. Luckily there are many ways to get recipes and how to's in this day and age but I do have a favorite cookbook that I turn to when I want to do my basic recipes and that is the book below. I use its biscuits, pancakes, waffles, pie crust, cake and cookie recipes all of the time. This edition is a couple years old but there newer (and older) additions would probably still have those basic made from scratch recipes, or you can always try google or pinterest.