How to Pinch Your Pennies in Daily Life to Confront Tight Economy

A New Reason to Pinch Your Pennies

Up until early this morning, pennies really bothered me. Smug in their copper brownness, the tiny coins are virtually worth nothing. With the exception of a few general stores left in small-town America where you can still buy penny candy, you can't purchase anything for a single cent. Nowadays a penny will buy you nothing, zip, zilch, nada. We're talking goose egg here.

How to Pinch Your Poultry Pennies

Shopping the sales, but still need to take the grocery budget to the next level? Figured out that poultry is cheap, but want it to be even cheaper? I've got your back. Following are several penny pinching poultry strategies, including how to feed four to six people from a single chicken breast.
Poultry is a penny pincher's dream. It's also yummy, widely popular and readily available throughout the world. It's also incredibly versatile. Here are some of the ways I put to work in our house.

Chop and dice.
I do this with boneless, skinless chicken and routinely am able to come up with 4-6 servings from a single breast. Some of the ways I stretch it? Stir fry over rice, lo mein, fajitas (you need thin strips for that one), chicken pot pie, tacos, chicken – pesto pizza, southwestern soup, etc. The more thoroughly you dice, the further it will stretch. Notice I didn't say “cube” the chicken. It's all about flavor and a more balanced intake of protein.

Search out some discount meat sources.
With as often as the ten pound bags of leg quarters, split bone-in breasts and full roasters go on sale, this is more of an issue when it comes to the boneless and skinless breasts, tenders and thighs. I have noticed at one of the warehouse stores we have a membership to consistently carries these for as low as the regular grocery chains have been selling the bone in varieties for. If you stretch the servings in ways that don't require an entire breast per person, you can still save some money (and stress) this way.

Creatively extend your rotisserie purchases.
The best deal I've seen on these is also at the warehouse stores. Sam's sells the fully cooked rotisserie birds for only fifty cents more than the raw roasters cost, at least at the few I've checked. If you've had a full day shopping, and that extra fifty cents will save you oven energy (not to mention skipping a take out meal), I say go for it. We've already discussed this as a way to save some sanity on days we are out and about. A pot of basmati rice and a three minute sauté of some skinny French green beans in olive oil and garlic and we've got a nice sit down dinner for less aggravation than standing in line at Boston Market. As much as I like to try new things, a simple, traditional roast chicken dinner is still one of my all time faves. Plus you can get an extra meal the next day, for example sliced chicken salad or chicken and cheese quesadillas. We also go the extra mile and make our own stock, but I'll get to that in a bit.

Stretch it out with another filler.
The two that come most quickly to mind are TVP and refried beans. Think chicken and bean burritos or a TVP – chicken combo in such recipes as chicken and dumplings. You can also stretch the meat further by using several of the strategies listed in the chicken leg quarters link above, or consider chicken veggie kabobs as a fun grilling option.

Go for the stock options.
Whenever we finish a roast chicken dinner or have de-boned chicken leg quarters in abundance, we use the bones that nobody has eaten off of and simmer them with some leftover celery ends, onion bits and a touch of sage. Then we strain out the the bone bits and let the liquid cool, which lets the fat rise to the top for easy skimming. As a hack, we ladle most of the liquid into freezable ice cube trays for later use and save enough for soup that night, since we have already got the base in the slow cooker. If doing all that (particularly on an exhausting rotisserie option day) is too much in one setting, we often start a large bag or empty container of the leg bones and body cavities for the freezer. On a day when I have the time, I do it. It really takes the pressure off that way.

Regular and seasonal sales.
In addition to all of the chicken sales, it really helps to keep an eye out for seasonal markdowns on a bird many people will be shopping for this month, turkey. Any time now, it will seriously start going for a song. It also drops in price occasionally during the summer. Stock up for the freezer and always be prepared to feed a large crowd on the cheap. While the oil free, infrared turkey fryers are more than a little cha-ching, we are keeping our eyes peeled for sales. Why? Because we see this as an opportunity to use turkey as a crowd pleaser during a time of the year many people wouldn't consider doing so: summer. If my house doesn't have to heat up with an oven or large counter roaster (my answer to not being able to dish out for a double wall oven yet in my adult life), I'm more than happy to whip up the traditional picnic sides and have people over for a back yard gathering.

Explore the world of bone-in breast.
For many folks I know, this is just unheard of. But if you are a real heavy-on-the-meat, lots of potatoes on the side person, this is a way to enjoy it while spending less.

Creative cutting.
While I have de-boned breast meat before, it is not my idea of a good time. And I know some people go the extra mile and cut up and de-bone entire fryers to save a buck. While I certainly would if I had to, I'd rather not. A couple of things I wouldn't mind incorporating? Cutting leg quarters into thighs and legs. This would allow for a light breading and oven frying of the drumsticks, which are almost always kid pleasers. It would also separate the thighs for other recipes. All with one single cut per quarter. Not too much stress and no de-boning required. Also, the butterfly technique looks like something I wouldn't mind doing from time to time, and it makes for a way shorter cooking time in the oven. Other cool ideas for butterfly-cut chicken are cutting into halves to roast separately, or tossing them on the grill for an affordable way to enjoy non-boneless chicken in the summer. The whole chickens tend to go on sale quite a bit and while the price is similar to what thighs go for, you actually end up with some lower fat breast meat out of the deal.

How to Pinch Your Pennies in a Tight Economy

With the economy being at the top of everyone’s mind, I thought it might be useful to share some penny-pinching tips that you can apply and maybe free up some spending money for the holiday season. I’m sure that my list isn’t complete, so I welcome others to add their 2 cents with other cost-saving ideas.

1. GREAT FOOD FOR ALL. You can get a large amount of food for $30. The December menu is: 32 oz. sirloin steak, 4 lb. chicken, 12 oz. shrimp, 1 lb. thin sliced ham, 15 slices fully cooked Hormel bacon, 1.5 lb. fully cooked meatballs, 3 lb. frozen vegetables, 5 lb. potato wedges, 1 lb. margarine, 12 ct. rolls or biscuits, 32 oz. whole grain rolled oats.

2. Great clothes can be found at the Goodwill Stores in Sandusky and Huron, the Salvation Army Store in Sandusky Plaza, the Thrift Shop on Market Street in Sandusky and the one inside the Erie County Senior Center. When I say there are some great “finds,” I know. I shop there. There are two consignment shops you should check out, Labels on W. Perkins Avenue -- I shop there too -- and there is a consignment shop in Vermilion. I am told they have great clothes there, as well.

3. Homestead Tax Exemption. If you are permanently and totally disabled or age 65 or older, save on your real estate taxes by applying for the Homestead Tax Exemption. You will receive a reduction on your tax bill.

4. If you are on Medicare and your gross annual income is $15,600/year for a single person or $21,000 for a married couple and your assets (this does NOT mean your house, one car, your jewelry, furniture, etc.) are less than $11,990 for a single person or $23,970 for a married couple, you qualify for “Extra Help.” This is a great benefit, and you shouldn’t pass it up. Erie County residents age 60 and older should call Serving Our Seniors office if they would like assistance applying for “Extra Help.”

5. If you heat with natural gas, shop around for the best price. If you buy your natural gas from Columbia Gas, it is selling for $1.19 per ccf. This price varies from month-to-month. If you live inside the city limits of Sandusky, you can buy if from Direct Energy for a fixed price $1.03 per ccf ($1.02 per ccf if you are age 65+). Thank you City of Sandusky! If you live outside of Sandusky, there are still good buys if you want a fixed rate (a price that doesn’t vary month-to-month during the heating season).

6. If your gross annual income if 175% of the Federal Poverty Guideline or less ($18,200 for a household of one; $24,500 for a household of two; $30,800 for a household of three, space limits me from sharing the full list, but you get the drift) you should apply for HEAP (Home Energy Assistance Program). Those who qualify will get a credit on their heating bill to help defray the cost of heating their home.

7. Many generic prescription medications are available for $4/script at most chain stores. Tell your doctor to prescribe the generic over the name brand. If you have no prescription insurance there’s the DRUG REPOSITORY at Buderer Drug Store, 433 Hancock St., Sandusky. For $7.40/script you can get up to a 90-day supply of a generic medication if they have a large supply in stock. You can get a 30-day supply of a name brand drug (if they have it in stock) for $7.40/script. These are unexpired medicines in tamper-proof packaging donated by institutional pharmacies to the DRUG REPOSITORY to help people who are without prescription insurance.

8. If you are age 60+, you can get a great meal for $2.50 at the Erie County Senior Center, 620 E. Water St., Sandusky.

9. If you have a low income, you should know about the weatherization program administered by WSOS out of Greensprings. Although the office isn’t in Erie County, they do serve Erie County. This program will inspect your home and implement a plan for improving its efficiency by insulating your home free of charge. Call 419-639-2802 for more information.

10. If you have a computer that you leave on throughout the day, turn it on only when you are using it. Computers use more electricity than you think. Don’t just take my word for it, try it.

11. If you use a credit card, consider doing most or all of your spending on a credit card, and set your money aside so you can pay it off at the end of the month. Use a card that pays you back some type of cash benefit. I use a Mastercard and pay it off each month, but every few months they send me a gift card for $25 worth of gasoline.