This week in the grocery ads there seems to be a theme: Inexpensive whole chicken. It’s always a budget friendly option to have a whole chicken or two waiting in your freezer to thaw and roast or make into soup.
Many people are intimidated by handling a raw chicken, bones, skin and all. We are used to getting pieces of meat, cut and packaged so we can forget that it was ever a living animal. Consider handling a whole chicken as your way of getting re-acquainted with where your food comes from. It wasn’t all that long ago that a person would go out back and kill the chicken we would enjoy for Sunday dinner.
When you respect your food, where it comes from and that it was once a living creature, the value of it becomes more apparent. This isn’t just about frugality, this is about respect.
So, go out and buy your whole chicken. Roast it, skin on until it’s delicious and crispy. Use the giblets and neck to make gravy. Then, pull that chicken apart to make sandwiches, enchiladas or tacos. Finally, cook those bones in some water and make an amazing broth to add the last bits of meat into to make a soup.
This is not a new concept. Using a chicken in this way is often called “Rubber Chicken.” Here are a few links to rubber chicken recipes to try.
- FlyLady’s (Leanne Ely’s) Rubber Chicken Recipe
- Stretching a chicken four days
- Full tummies Rubber Chicken Menus
Your cheapest chicken is at Saar’s this week. You can purchase a whole chicken for 78 cents a pound for 5lbs or more. QFC, Safeway and Albertson’s is just behind that price with whole chickens for 88 cents about. An added incentive is that QFC and Safeway chickens are locally grown. If you’re after organic chicken, Alberston’s has organic whole chicken for $1.49 a pound.
Saar’s coupon specials
As usual, Saar’s has a strip of coupons that come in the mail only. Be sure to take these with you because these specials aren’t available on the in-store flyer.
- Western Family Canned Goods including corn, peas, green beans, tomato soup or chicken noodle soup are 10 for $5 with coupon
- Western Family 6oz flavored Yogurts, 10 for $4 with coupon
- Western Family Macaroni & Cheeze 38 cents per box with coupon
- Western Family Butter $1.99 for a lb of quarter cubes with coupon
- Roma Tomatoes 68 cents a pound with coupon
- Navel Oranges 48 cents a pound with coupon
QFC has some great deals as well with your card. One of the benefits of shopping at QFC is that they offer many locally raised and grown foods and inexpensive organic produce.
- Organic Blueberries $4.99 for 18 oz with card
- Organic Anjou Pears $1.49 a pound with card
- Organic Fuji or Gala Apples $1.49 a pound with card
- Angus Beef Bottom Round Roast, buy one get one free with card
- Red Seedless Grapes $1.99 a pound with card
Safeway doesn’t have the eye-popping bargain to compare with Saar’s or QFC this week, but be sure to check their coupons and use their just for u program. Though you may not use the just for u coupons loaded on your card, it’s still doesn’t hurt to take a few minutes to go through them on their website www.safeway.com or use their App.
Just for U bargains this week:
- StarKist Light Tuna or Beach Cliff Sardines 75 cents with 25 cent off coupon loaded on card
- Signature Cafe Soup 24 oz $2.99 with $1.50 off coupon loaded on card
- Kashi Products 30% off with coupon
Safeway also has their $5 Friday specials that are always a good idea to load on your card so you can purchase these specials through Sunday.
As always, be sure to also check out your local produce stands for bargains. View my previous article, Grocery bargains this week in South Seattle: Grocery Outlet and produce stands for some ideas.
Though these (nearly) weekly articles focus on bargains this week, there area always recipe ideas, links, videos and more included. So please take a look and be sure to subscribe.
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