Cheap Chicken

I processed all my split chicken breasts. I removed the skin and deboned each breast, then tossed the carcass with the tender into the stock pot - or in this case pots. I had three pots going on the stove at once.

I ended up with six 5.5 lb packages. I had seven, but Mom (who taught me how to price match) didn't manage to score any, so I gave her one - would have given her two, but she refused. Love you Mom! Most packages only had five breasts per package - they were big! I ended up with ten bags of three boneless skinless breasts. Five bags (approx. 2 cups each) of cooked shredded chicken. And last but not least, ten bags of broth (2 cups each).

The cost breakdown: Each package was 5.5 lbs and cost $3.14 @ .57 cents per pound. So, I got it all for $18.84 Roughly $1.25 per package and I should be able to get two meals out of each package. The broth, we will just count that as FREE!

It's funny, I wouldn't even let my Mom teach me how to cut up a whole chicken when I was a kid. I told her that I would buy my chicken already cut up! LOL Now, I prefer to buy it as unprocessed as possible. The less a food product has been handled, the fewer people have had their hands on it. And it saves money!

Meal Planning

Planning is a huge part of saving at the grocery store! For me, the first step is having a "Master Dinner List". A list of all the meals we enjoy. Some will be seasonal or meals that we wouldn't have on a regular basis, but I include everything we eat on the list.

Some examples from my list:


Rotel Chicken & Rice
Chicken Cordon Bleu
Brown Sugar Chicken
Sweet & Sour Chicken
Souvlaki
Tomato Basil & Spinach Soup
Tortellini & Chicken Salad
Enchiladas - Beef or Chicken
Black Bean & Rice Burritos
Cashew Chicken
Meatloaf
Steak
Pizza
Hamburgers

I have over fifty items on the list and I try to add a new item at least once a month.

I collect all the local ads and see what meat items are on sale for the week and try to plan my menu around that and what I have stockpiled in the freezer. I also try to plan at least one meatless meal per week.

Before I developed my Master List, I would look at the ads and draw a blank. As a plus, I can give the list to DH and ask him what he would like next week. It adds a great deal of variety to our dinners. Studies show that without prior planning, most people eat the same ten meals 80% of the time. I know I would make spaghetti several times a month before the List. Now the only thing we have that frequently is pizza. Since I started making homemade pizza, we have instituted "Pizza Fridays".

I don't plan what day (except Friday) we are going to have particular meals so we have some flexability.

Pop Tart Deal at Wal-Mart

This week our local Wal-Mart had the NEW 20% daily value Fiber in Frosted Chocolate Fudge and Frosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon priced at $1.98 for the 8 pack. Each box had a $1.00 pull off coupon. I was able to combine this with price matching at 3/$5 making them $1.66 each, less the $1 coupon for a grand total of .66 per box.

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

A few weeks ago, my son wanted a particular Hot Wheels toy at Wal-Mart. Even at four years old, we are trying to teach him to save his money for larger purchases. He didn't have quite enough money for the item he wanted, so I told him, "You need to save for a bit longer to get what you really want". He replied, "What I need is a coupon and a sale!" Wonder where he gets that? :D

I confess, it was hard not to just give him the extra couple of bucks, but I think we did the right thing.

Shopping at Wal-Mart

I know some people hate Wal-Mart. But, not everyone in these United States has the luxury of multiple stores from which to choose. The closest town with more than two grocery stores is almost 40 miles from here. But, I can and do save a lot of money by shopping at Wal-Mart. None of the stores here double coupons, so if you are in an area with lots of choices and they double coupons, you might do better elsewhere.

Wal-Mart price matches. So, I can collect the ads from neighboring towns and WM will sell me their sale ad items for the same price. You have to match size and brand exactly, except in the case of store brands like "Best Choice" or "Always Save", then WM will sell you their store brand "Great Value" for the other store's price.

This week a local store had split chicken breasts on sale for .57 lb. That is correct. Fifty-seven cents per pound. So far, I have bought five packages.** I debone the chicken breasts (discarding the skin) and package them to freeze. Since I am not great at deboning, I put tender and bones in a stock pot and boil with some onion, celery and carrot. I pull out the meat and pick it off the bones - great for chicken noodle soup, chicken salad - anything you would use canned chicken for and it tastes so much better. Strain the stock and you will never have to pay for chicken broth again. I just freeze it in a ziplock type bag. Easy Peasy.

The best way to get the most bang for your buck at WM is to match coupons with your price matching. This week Ritz crackers (that the boy LOVES and his mommy is usually too cheap to buy - lol) were $2.98 at WM. Country Mart had them on sale two for $5. And I had a coupon for $2 off two. My price? $1.50 per box. Almost half price.

Herbal Essences shampoo and conditioner. It can't remember the exact price, but it was over $3. This week another store had them 2/$5 and I had a $3 off two. That is $1.00 each. Cheaper than Suave!

** I didn't buy all five packages at once and I didn't take all they had. I will make at least one other trip this week to WM - when we go to church - I can't make special trips to town for just chicken - lol. We are fifteen miles from the nearest town.

Saving money is better than earning more money.

I always thought, if we needed more money, well, we could just earn more. It wasn't until I wanted to stay home with our son that I learned saving money is better than earning more. Why is saving money better than earning more? Taxes. If I need $100 more per month, then I need to earn $100 PLUS about 15 to 25 percent more to make up for the taxes. If I shave $100 out of my current budget, then all I need is $100.