Photograph Credit: Flickr (Artizone)

The Using Time Wisely countdown has built up to this final reveal for the #1 post, viewed by you, my fabulous, patient, and appreciated readers, in 2011. Thank you for spending your time at Using Time Wisely this year. 🙂

Bone-In Split Chicken Breasts

By Tracy on March 17, 2011

A little over two years ago I learned about bone-in split chicken breasts from reading a blog post by Erin Chase. Before reading her explanation I had seen this cut of chicken on sale, but I really did not have any recipes or ideas of how to use it. Since I had no clue, I bypassed the great sale.

Today I hope to let you in on a secret that saves our family lots of money on chicken. For the most part, I cook and bake only boneless chicken breasts and tenderloins. But on sale chicken breasts can still be over $2.00 per pound – OUCH!

Without a sale, bone-in split chicken breasts run about $2.50 per pound, but you are still paying for the bone. But with a sale – a great sale, I find bone-in split chicken breast (a/k/a split chicken breast with ribs) on sale for $.99 per pound. At this great price, I stock up!

In fact, three weeks ago I purchased 7 lbs. of split chicken breast with ribs, which was two packages, at Bi-Lo at $.99 per pound for a total of $6.95. I then brought the chicken home and cut it. The result was 6 boneless chicken breasts, 6 tenderloins, and 8 cups of chicken broth!

Do you want to know how you can snag this deal as well? Let me share how you can do the same:

1. Look in your grocery store sales ad and wait for split chicken breast to go on sale for $.99 per pound. If you live near a Bi-Lo, you can snag this sale Friday – Sunday, March 18-20, per the weekly advertisement.

2. Purchase what you need to last you about 6 weeks. Since sales usually run in cycles about every 6 weeks, I stock up on items when they are at their rock bottom price to last me until the next sale. In this case, the chicken sale repeated in 3 weeks. I will still be going to Bi-Lo this weekend to stock up!

3. Read this post by Erin Chase a/k/a the $5 Dinner Mom. Erin walks you through skinning and cutting the chicken. I love the picture explanations!

4. After watching Erin take the chicken and remove the breast and tenderloin from the bone, go try it! Erin does a great job in her post, but she is a pro at cutting the chicken. I am not! I have learned along the way, so I will include what has worked for me.

Tracy’s Tips from Erin’s instructions:

• The first few times I tried to cut the chicken, I tore up the tenderloin. I could not find it because I did not cut the breast all the way to the bone. After the third or fourth try, the chicken was cut differently in the package. The butcher was really kind, and I found the tenderloin very easily in that batch of chicken. I have not had any more problems finding the tenderloin since that batch.

• If you only get the chicken breasts, then you still got a great deal! I just chalked up my mistakes to needing some more practice. My practice has paid off! But I did not start out well. I tell you this to encourage you if the tenderloin does not surface.

• I have found it easier to use a knife to start getting the chicken away from the bone. Then I use my hands to pry the chicken away. This system has worked for me since I do not end up cutting the tenderloin which is tucked up under the breast against the bone. If you are squeamish about handling raw chicken, then this tip might not work for you.

• When I make my chicken broth in the crock pot, I cook it all night, and then let it cool during the day. I then measure out 2 cups at a time, and freeze it in GLAD containers.

How about you? Are you ready to save some money? This process used to take me quite some time – about an hour – from start to finish. Having perfected my system, I can accomplish cutting and freezing the cuts in about 30 minutes. Is this time well spent? It is for me. I try to work on the chicken after dinner or while dinner is cooking. This little bit of time saves me so much money. I hope you find the savings worth your effort as well!

Photograph Credit: Flickr (Tinely)

Timesaver: Veggie Cups

By Tracy on June 14, 2011

Do you get inspired from magazine articles? Though I do not read many magazines, I scan pages for ideas. One magazine I enjoy skimming is “Martha Stewart Living.”

Now, I do not have my own garden, bake from scratch, make my own spices, entertain each week, sew, or make my own centerpieces and décor.

However, I am a homemaker, event planner, and organizer, so I love picking out tips and tricks that will save me time, money, and energy.

THE INSPIRATION

While browsing the latest issue of “Martha Stewart Living,” I was inspired by a party trick I can adapt for my style. The author suggested:

1. Placing vegetable dip into the bottom of clear shot glasses or votive candle holders,
2. Adding sliced veggies (carrot sticks, cucumber spears, celery sticks, etc.) to the containers, and
3. Serving the glasses or candle holders on a serving tray among a layer of ice.

MY ADAPTATION

I loved this idea. I often serve colorful, accessible vegetable trays at small parties. With a little adaption to my style and my budget, this event trick can be useful. I am thinking of events where many attendees need to be served in a limited amount of time. For this type of event, a buffet line works well. With about ½” ranch dressing poured into the bottom of each clear plastic cup and a handful of veggies placed upright, event attendees can quickly pass through the buffet line, pick up a veggie cup, and  continue to the next station.

For a sit-down event, having the veggie cups prepared on the serving trays would make the delivery to the table quick and efficient. For more formal events, the container would be upgraded to fit the occasion. Click here to view Snack Girl’s detailed instructions with a photograph showcasing her Veggie Shots.

Just taking a few minutes to glance through a magazine has inspired me to use a new tip at my next party. What tip or trick have you discovered that can be adapted to your style?

Photograph Credit: Flickr (Chang Min Park)

The countdown continues:

#10: Fuelperks!: Lowering Gas Prices at the Pump – Part 2 of 2

#9: My Alarm Clock Mission

#8: Junk Facebook Account

#7: Pork Chops: Experimenting with Pork Loin Assorted Chops

#6: My Top 5 Preschool Board Games

#5: My Organized Nightstand Drawer

Coming in at #4 is the Rock Bottom Pricing series. All the links are included in this third post in the series. Enjoy!

Rock Bottom Pricing: Maximum Savings Version

By Tracy on May 5, 2011

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!

Photograph Credit: Flickr (Northland Furniture)

Spent our Christmas celebrating with our family and enjoyed some time outside when the rain ceased. All six kids needed the space to run and burn the pent-up energy. What a joy to be using time wisely with my family!

Though Christmas Day has come to an end, our family celebrations continue throughout this week while relatives are still in town. Besides making more cookies, I hope we get to drive through more neighborhoods viewing the beautiful Christmas displays.

After taking a moment yesterday to consider the journeys traveled by Joseph and Mary, the shepherds, and the Wise Men, our Top 10 list countdown continues today through Friday, December 30.

In case you missed one of the previous five posts, here is a recap:

#10: Fuelperks!: Lowering Gas Prices at the Pump – Part 2 of 2

#9: My Alarm Clock Mission

#8: Junk Facebook Account

#7: Pork Chops: Experimenting with Pork Loin Assorted Chops

#6: My Top 5 Preschool Board Games

In the coming days, our family will be purging and organizing our home to make room for the new items received. I look forward to cleaning out, trashing, and donating our unused items. In preparing to organize more spaces, I am excited giddy to reveal the #5 most-visited post of Using Time Wisely in 2011. Enjoy! 🙂

My Organized Nightstand Drawer

By Tracy on February 28, 2011

As I went to put away some prescription samples, I found there was no more room in my nightstand drawer. When this happens, I must clean it out. I cannot just stuff the extra items in a drawer and close it. Leaving an area unorganized bothers me until I take the time to clean it out and make room for the needed items.  In this case, I cleaned out the drawer immediately.

To organize my nightstand drawer, I followed these steps:

• I made three piles: (1) items to keep, (2) items to toss, and (3) items to give away.
• Then I placed the items to keep back in the drawer and had plenty of room.
• The items to toss included expired medication, which I disposed of, and empty boxes from used medications, which I threw away.
• The items to be given away were placed in a bag to be distributed later.

Now there was plenty of room for the prescription samples. I placed these in the nightstand drawer and surveyed my clean, neat, and organized drawer.

Does disorder bother you, too? Like me, do you organize as you put items away, or do you need to set a schedule to organize?