Using Time Wisely

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Pork Chops: Experimenting with Pork Loin Assorted Chops

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In last week’s post on Pork Chops: Slicing a Boneless Pork Loin, I shared that my rock bottom price is $1.99 per pound. When I find this cut of meat at this price, I stock up. The last sale I found was in April, and I purchased a half pork loin which netted about 11 pork chops. Do you think I purchased enough? I thought so, but after 3 or 4 open-faced pork chop sandwich meals, I was out. Having been looking for another sale and finding none, my troops requested more pork chops.

The Experiment:

Since I was not finding a sale and refused to pay full price, I decided to check the price at Sam’s Club. While browsing, I found 10.49 pounds of pork loin assorted chops for $1.98 per pound for a total of $20.77. Since this price was my rock bottom price for pork chops, I chose to purchase this package.

When I unsealed the meat, I immediately noticed the fat and the bones in each one. My eyes bulged. For some reason, I thought I was purchasing boneless pork chops and was shocked to find bones. Oh well, I have bones. Here is my pictorial tutorial for getting boneless pork chops from a pork loin.

  1. Place the meat on a cutting board and find the bones by feeling the pork.
  2. Cut away the meat from the bones.
  3. Stack boneless pork into meal-sized piles.
  4. Wrap pork in plastic wrap or place in zipper-topped bags.
  5. Place in freezer.

My Conclusions:

  1. Though both packages were about $1.99 per pound, the pork loin assorted chops is not the same deal as the boneless pork loin.
  2. The boneless pork loin half resulted in  3-4 meals for about $10 while the same 3-4 meals with the assorted chops cost $20. Ouch!
  3. With the assorted chops, I paid $10 for these bones.
  4. The Chicken Fried Chops tasted the same with both cuts of meat.

Overall, this experiment taught me to use my time wisely by waiting for a sale on the boneless pork loins, stocking up, and bypassing a $1.98 per pound sale on pork loin assorted chops. If I run out of boneless pork loins and really need them, I will consider paying full price for the boneless pork loin. Though it is hard to see so much money wasted on the bones, I have learned from this experiment and will be able to bypass this sale without wondering if it is a good deal.

Have you tried any experiments in the kitchen? I’d love to learn along with you.

Pork Chops: Slicing a Boneless Pork Loin

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Planning for Success

Photograph Credit: Fotolia

When Paul and I were first married, we enjoyed cooking together a new recipe each week. We had received some cookbooks for our wedding, and we would browse and choose one recipe to make. Besides giving us time with each other, these sessions also helped us find meals we both liked. I tended to cook foods that were coterminous with my mom’s style which was vastly different from Paul’s mom’s style. As a couple, we worked to find meals that were our style.

During these experiments, we tried different cuts of meat, including pork. We found that we liked the taste once we overcame the chewy consistency. As we added children to our family, the consistency of the pork I cooked, baked, or roasted was not tender enough for our little ones to chew. To spend my time wisely, I chose not to make pork until . . . I came across this great post from centsiblesavings.com.

After reading her post, I waited for boneless pork loins to go on sale for $1.99 per pound. At the sale, I purchased a small pork loin and tried her Chicken Fried Chops recipe in the crock pot. (Her recipe is included in her post here.) The result of trying this new recipe was . . . a family favorite! The pork was so tender after cooking in the crock pot for 6-8 hours. The realization that this was a “keeper” meal came when my children asked for more.

We love this recipe, and I have made some minor adjustments to stretch the pork more which saves me time, energy, and money. These are Tracy’s tips for this recipe:

  1. Purchase the boneless pork loin when it is on sale for $1.99 per pound or less. My rock bottom price for this cut is $1.99 per pound. In April, I purchased 5.17 lbs. of a “pork loin, loin half boneless” at $1.99 per lb. for a total of $10.29.
  2. At your time of purchase, ask the butcher to cut the pork loin into chops. Our butcher at Publix used a sharp knife to cut our pork loin into 11 pork chops. My kids loved watching this process. I am thankful for all the wonderful employees at Publix who willingly demonstrate and teach my kids as they help me save time, energy, and money.
  3. Consider using 3-4 pork chops for each meal instead of 6 or 7. To feed my family of 5, I use 3 pork chops.
  4. Add more ingredients. About an hour before serving the meal, I remove the fat from the edges of the chops, shred the chops using a fork, and stir in another mixture of ½ cup of milk and 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup.
  5. Allow the chops to complete the meal. Instead of serving a side of meat per person, I make open-faced sandwiches using toasted hamburger buns. The leftovers make great lunches. By using my time making this meal, I can serve one dinner and at least one lunch. Yeah, saving money, energy, and time while feeding my family makes me happy.

This meal is such a hit in our house that my son requested pork chops for his birthday dinner. I highly recommend this delicious recipe. You, too, can save time preparing dinner by allowing the crock pot to cook all day for you. Stay tuned next week for more on pork loins.

Hamburger Helper: Asian Beef Fried Rice

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Delicious new variety

Do you enjoy the boxed Hamburger Helper mixes from Betty Crocker? I have purchased some of the varieties in the past, fixed them for quick dinners, and decided not to purchase those again. I like the convenience of the boxed meals, but the taste of the ingredients, especially the cheese, leaves an aftertaste. Not caring for the lingering sensations, I have opted to bypass sales on Hamburger Helper. Until . . .  last week when I had a $5 off any purchase of $25 or more at a local grocery store. Knowing I needed to refill one of our propane tanks with the sale of $15.99, I began scouring the Bi-Lo weekly advertisement for other great sales. I again found Hamburger Helper on sale for $.99 which I could pair with a coupon for $.75 off any 3 boxes resulting in $.74 per box.

Putting Hamburger Helper on my list means – check it out at the store. I don’t always purchase everything on my grocery list. Sometimes I am just looking and considering purchasing that item. I will indicate the deal on my grocery list, and then check out the deal with the available varieties while shopping.

At the store I browsed the Hamburger Helper section to find a new boxed item: Asian Beef Fried Rice. Since we love Japanese food, I decided to try this variety. I purchased 2 boxes of the Asian Beef Rice and another variety for the third box. On Wednesday night, I made the meal using ½ pound of hamburger rather than the suggested 1 pound. (Our family prefers a small amount of hamburger.) The entire family enjoyed the meal. I’m thankful we tried this variety, I found it tasty and filling. I will definitely purchase it again.

Having found a variety of Hamburger Helper that I like, I am ready to try other foods and varieties which is a big step for me. I get in my comfortable zone and continue to prepare and serve foods I enjoy. Breaking out to try something new keeps my family on their toes. I’m glad to find another quick option for those crazy weeks when every meal needs to be made in 5 minutes.

What about you? What new variety or new recipe have you tried recently? Please leave your answers in the comments.

Rock Bottom Pricing: Free Pricing List

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In concluding this series of posts on rock bottom pricing, I am thrilled to embed a link to Money Saving Mom’s free Customizable Stock up Price List. The owner of Money Saving Mom, Crystal Paine, posted her rock bottom prices. Taking Crystal’s list, Joy (from Fivejs.com) designed a spreadsheet for Money Saving Mom readers. Instead of starting your pricing book from scratch, you can print Crystal’s list and tweak it to fit your grocery needs. Why be concerned with a pricing list?

  • This pricing guide can save you money. If you wait for a sale on an item at the price listed on your pricing list, then you can stock up on that product. I get so excited when I find deals at my rock bottom price since I know I am saving money by not purchasing when the product is at full price.
  • This pricing list can save you energy. You will not need to create your own list with your store receipts. Updating this pricing guide takes less energy than creating a new list. Save your energy for playtime or another project.
  • Using this pricing list will save you time. You do not need to pull out all your grocery store receipts, type in or write out the products, and create categories. All the work is done for you, freeing up time for the things you enjoy.

Are you still skeptical? You have nothing to lose. Just click on this link, follow the directions, and print your free pricing list. Thanks, Crystal and Joy, for helping us save money, energy, and time.

Rock Bottom Pricing: Maximum Savings Version

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Have you started your pricing list? We have looked at the term “rock bottom pricing,” considered two ways to discover those prices, and considered the simple version. If you are just starting, then continue working on the simple version. Once you have mastered the simple version, let’s kick up your savings with the maximum savings version.

MAXIMUM SAVINGS VERSION:

Transfer your Rock Bottom Price List to a Price Book

By tracking each item, you will get to know the cycle of the sales your stores run.  You can organize your pricing book in a number of ways. Yes, I said pricing BOOK. To get those awesome deals, you will be tracking the stores as well as the items. I would recommend a binder or notebook with moveable pages. As you run out of room, you will want to add pages to your book.

Here are some ways to organize your pricing book:

  • By store,
  • By department,
  • By categories that correspond to your coupon file, or
  • Combination of the above.

You can be as specific as you need to be. This is your book. These ideas are meant to help you get started. Your creativity is the limit.

Continue updating your Rock Bottom Price List

Be willing to adjust. If you start organizing your book by store and then find it is not working, be willing to change to another option. The goal is to make this system work for you. What works for me may not work for you.

Using your Rock Bottom Price List

Making choices will become easier as you see the cycles of savings. When the prices are low, you will be able to stock up to last you until the next big sale. As you buy ahead at rock bottom prices, you will see a significant savings to your grocery budget.

Whether you choose the simple version or the maximum saving version, you will be spending your time. As you evaluate how to spend your time wisely, I wish you lots of savings while you feed your family!