I got greedy in the meat department yesterday .

Ruth n Jersey

Ruth n Jersey

Well-known Member
Location
Northern New Jersey
I learned something today. It takes a whole day for me to bone 8 chickens,package, and get them in the freezer. I made cubes, strips, and cutlets according to some of my chicken recipes. Also separated the drumsticks and boned the thighs for meals. I cooked the bones and anything else the chicken owns for broth and meat. Once it cools down so I can handle it, I will spend another half day picking the meat off for salad and soup. I kept track of how many pounds of strips, cubes, etc. I ended up with. When I go to the store next week I will price the separate items per pound to see if it was worth it. As it stands now I don't think so. I cut my finger and my back and knees hurt. Took me another hour to wash everything down with bleach because I am scared to death of raw chicken. All this because chickens were 49 cents a pound. You were allowed four chickens but hubby was with me and he bought four more. How greedy can one get? Well the next time I buy a package of chicken already cut the way I want it I will really appreciate it. I may even kiss the butcher. Well maybe I won't go that far .lol
 

I know how you feel (or rather, how your back and feet and knees feel :(). For a while we were Costco members (for those not in the U.S., they are big warehouse-type stores, selling grocery items in large or even commercial-sized pkgs); they used to have very good meat. I would buy the tenderloin roasts and break them down.

But after a while the quality of their meat declined a bit. The crowds and parking were a hassle, and I realized I was always left with almost 2 lbs. of waste scraps and ligament trimmings that I was paying $6.99/lb for (it would be more now, of course). Didn't have a Seal-A-Meal so was always racing to use up the frozen steaks before they freezer-burned.

Decided it wasn't worth the gas, driving time, and effort for just the two of us. Easier to just buy a few steaks at a time, when we wanted some!

But have to admit, a sale of chicken at 49 cents/lb is awfully compelling! Totally understand why you went for it. And think of all that great chicken stock! Makes the clean-up almost worth it, LOL. There is nothing like a great homemade soup.
 

I love Costco......recently bought a membership to buy my hearing aids and have been shopping there several times.....they have many good products at bargain prices...some that I have discovered.......hamburger meat (lean and very tasty) I divide it up and freeze, Kirkland clothes washing liquid detergent, kitty litter (brand..Scoop Away) cheap, raisin oatmeal cookies (the best I've ever tasted)...all my supplements and vitimins, hearing aid batteries (cheaper than any I've found) etc etc......, oh their chicken salad.
 
I'm a Costco fan too!! I actually look forward to going there.. (shows what an exciting life if live)... I only buy what I use regularly and spend the rest of the day chopping and separating into usable portions to put in the freezer.
 
Well, the verdict is in! After breaking down the chickens I bought for 49 cents a pound, putting them in portions that I need for my recipes, making strips, etc. boning thighs and breasts and cooking the frames for stock. Packing them in freezer bags and weighing everything. I priced the different cuts per pound in the store and did a little bit better than breaking even. Bottom line for me in the future, is to buy the different cuts on sale and be happy about all the work I saved. I was sure I would come out way ahead but I didn't. All those bones are heaver than I expected. Live and learn. lol
 
I can picture you with chicken blood all over your shirt and sweatin' and weighing things and even swearing a little and all to save a few pennies it seems. I guess we learn something every day, huh. That's the way I like to look at it anyway.
 
We have a Costco in Adelaide,the Capitol city of South Aust ... ( I live in Australia ) We don't live in the city in fact I live 2 hours away ...we are down in the city today for business and a social outing .We area member of Costco and have been since it opened 18 months ago ..We filled up with petrol ( Gas as some members may call it ) today for $1.09 a ltr ...all other petrol outlets were $1.29 that's a big difference and it certainly didn't take long for your membership costs $60 in Aust to pay for it's self with the savings you make by being a member ..
 
Aghhhhh! You've made me very jealous. Low prices - we haven't seen prices like those since the old king died.

I do stock up with bargains when ever I get the chance, but sometimes the cheap chickens have had very little flavour. We prefer Guinea Fowl instead. I could save a lot of money by buying commercially raised pork, but the quality and taste is nothing compared to our home grown pork.
 

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