white meat....best chicken deals

Ah, the glorious chicken. Produces eggs and meat for us, and even feathers for our pillows. I LOVE chicken, and could eat it five times a week, but we probably average only once or twice. So what's the beat deal for the money??

Let me just start by saying that I rarely purchase meat unless it's on sale. I've often wondered what gives the most bang for the buck with chicken. Obviously, boneless, skinless breast is the easiest to prepare and usually the tastiest, but it is also considerably more expensive, upwards from $2.50 per pound. So, I did some experiments.

First, I purchased ten pounds of legs and thighs for a sale price of 59 cents a pound. I cooked, boned and skinned them and ended up with 3.5 pounds of edible chicken, which is about $1.70 per pound. Then I compared bone in, skin on breast to boneless, skinless. My conclusion was that, overall, pound-for-edible-pound, bone in, skin on breast is the beast deal. I often find this on sale for as low as 79 cents a pound, and when I do, I fill my freezer. Boneless, skinless is rarely less than $2.00 a pound, even on sale, and it is very easy to remove the skin and bones from the other, either before or after it is cooked. Little effort for a decent cost savings. You only lose about one pound in ten after removing the unedible parts. Of course, you have to consider what you are going to be using the chicken for in the first place.

So there's my very unscientific analysis...anybody have some good recipes to share??

New system...

Here's my new strategy after not even LOOKING at my blog for weeks....I plan to post on Mondays and Thursday for those of you who really want to keep up with me.

Coming posts: which diapers are best for the money and great chicken ideas (eating it, not growing it:)!!

Movies, movies, movies...best deals in town

Ah, the movies...gotta love them! What can be more relaxing than falling asleep watching your favorite flick?? With so many options these days, allow me to tell you about some of my favorites:

The library!!! Yes, my all time favorite place to pick up a good movie. Our library has thousands of titles and lots of good documentaries. And if your favorite isn't there, you can place it on hold and they'll call you when it comes in. Best place for a freebie (if you don't count your taxes, that is.....TANSTAAFL)

Netflix: You sign up for Netflix online. There are different levels, but basically the way it works is that you pay X amount per month and get to chose from thousands of titles. For $8.99 a month, you get unlimited titles. You indicate the movies you want, Netflix sends out one or more at a time (dependent on your level) and boom! they show up in your mailbox usually the next day. When you're done, you mail them back in a prepaid envelope. This is especially great if you are in a rural area, which was the reason we participated in Maine. They have a 1 month free trial...you have nothing to lose!!

Redbox: Like a vendng machine for DVDS, these things are showing up on every corner. Swipe your credit or debit card and select a video. You are charged a buck a night until you return it...and you can return the DVD to ANY Redbox, not just the one you got it from. After 20 nights, the billing stops and you own it. You can also reserve copies online if you want a certain show. Biggest negative: not a huge selection.

Family Video: SOOOO much better than Blockbuster or Hollywood video. Huge selection, and not to be outdone by Redbox, new releases are now $1.00 for FIVE nights!!! Free kid videos, too. Can't beat that!!

So go get a movie!!