The Art of Frugal: Learning What DOESN'T Save you Money
Saving money is terrific, but what if you are doing something that you think is saving you money and then you discover it's not? You stop doing that money "saving" activity! Or, at least find a way to do it that actually saves you money!
For the longest time I thought I was saving money by cooking up a big package of chicken thighs and then taking the meat off the bones and shredding it for future recipes. Sure it was more work than just cooking up boneless skinless chicken breasts, but was it worth it? The last time I cooked a batch I decided to calculate if it saved any money or not, in comparison to using boneless skinless chicken breasts.
Here's what I started with: $4.22 worth of .99 a pound chicken thighs -- complete with fat, skin and bones. Total package weight was 4.26 lbs Please note, the picture below shows them trimmed of most of the fat and skin. I don't know how your store does it but, mine seems to find a way to include all the skin from the whole hind end of the bird. I've plucked enough chickens to know they don't come with that much skin!
After spending 10 minutes trimming the 8 thighs I had exactly 1 pound of trimmings -- fat and skin. This is great if you have a pack of wolves you are feeding -- not if you are trying to save money. After I roasted and cooled them I spent about 15 minutes cleaning the meat off the bones, no doubt missing some of the meat as it's so hard to get into every little nook and cranny. I didn't weigh the bones, but I'm going to estimate they come in at a 1/4 of a pound to make for a nice easy calculation.
By my calculations, the 4.26lb package of .99 per pound chicken thighs has only 3lbs of edible meat so that means the meat comes in at $1.40 per pound. Now, how does this compare to boneless, skinless chicken breasts? In my area, boneless, skinless chicken breast frequently goes on sale for $1.79 - $1.99 per pound, which is anywhere from .39 to .59 a pound more than what chicken thighs cost. Guess what? The thighs are still cheaper, BUT when I take into account the 25 minutes I spend trimming and taking the meat of the thighs I don't think buying thighs are a big money or time saver for me.
For "stocking up the freezer" purposes I will be purchasing boneless, skinless breast because that works best for me. But, I will continue to buy the thighs for eating bbq style because my husband likes to be able to pick up a piece of chicken with bones in it for that kind of a meal.
What doesn't work for you?
This post is linked to WFMW @ Weare THATfamily.
great post! love looking at it from a different angle like you did. and i will be able to use your example as my chicken costs are about the same and i had been going for the thighs thinking i was saving money too. thanks again for the great post
I got out my kitchen scale one day and figured out the cost of boneless vs. bone-in. I also figured out that it really doesn't save much to buy it with the bone-in. However, for some recipes I make, I find the chicken with the bone in adds more flavour.
For me, buying dry milk doesn't work. Dry milk is often promoted in frugal books and blogs as a way to save money. However, where I live, dry milk reconstituted costs more than a gallon of milk. Not to mention "real" milk tastes better!
Great revelation on the economy of going for the boneless, skinless chicken breasts. And, the last time I bought thighs, I decided that breasts are the only way to go because of their superior taste!
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