Sunday night : Pull whole chicken fryer out of the freezer to thaw.
Monday night : Roast chicken for dinner.
Tuesday night : Use leftover chicken in a different recipe.
Sounds super frugal, huh? Yep, as I was cleaning up Tuesday’s dinner, I was feeling pretty proud of my thrifty little self. One chicken! Three bucks! Two recipes! Eight servings!
Proud, that is, until I got ready to toss out the chicken carcass. I seriously stood in the middle of my kitchen holding that sad little skeleton over the garbage can as I debated its fate. I was torn. In my head, I knew making broth was easy and economical.
You are probably thinking one of three things: 1) Definitely! You just put it in a pot, cover it with water… 2) What? You can make your own chicken broth?! or 3) Seriously? Why bother. I can get chicken broth at Albertson’s for free with my double coupons.
I finally did plunk that chicken into a pot instead of the garbage can, but it got me thinking about my time and money and priorities again. Using coupons and finding deals is only part of the equation. According to our man Webster, frugal means thrifty, economical, careful, prudent, resourceful.
I want to be all of those things whether I am in the grocery store or at home or on vacation. I want to be that resourceful woman who takes advantage of store sales when they’re hot and makes things stretch when they’re not. For every great grocery store deal, there are a hundred other small steps we can be taking on this journey toward a more frugal lifestyle.
Everyone’s priorities and preferences are different, but we all have things to learn, right? I am getting back to the basics in my home, and I am taking you with me.
Here are a few of the upcoming topics I’ll be covering over the next several months:
- Dried beans vs. canned beans
- Making breads and soups from scratch
- Kid-friendly snack food ideas that don’t involve red 40
- Homemade baby food
- Freezer meal swaps
- Explaining different cuts of meat & how to use them
You will be able to pick and choose the ideas that help your budget and appeal to your lifestyle.
Leave a comment! What are some of the ways you practice the frugal life? What are some skills you would like to learn?
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Yvonne says
I Love it all. I pour the juice from my veg’s we eat at dinner in to a freezer container with a lead it has little peaces of veg’s in them than when I cook down a carcass I add them to it gives really good flavor to the broth and make good soup starter.I’ve also canned it for later.
Emily says
I would be interested in a tutorial on making homemade laundry soap and dish washing detergent. I found a recipe on line once but couldn’t find the ingredients listed to make it.
This would be awesome!
Jessica says
I cannot wait to follow this series Emily! Although I don’t mind cooking, I feel like I really lack the basics sometimes. Can you believe I’m 29 years old and just made my own gravy this past week, as I attempted a homemade turkey pot pie. Thank God my MIL was here to show me how to thicken it up. We’d of been having soup instead!!
Carla M says
this is very exciting! I know how to do most of this, but can’t wait to see extra tips and tricks (like the vinegar).
The one thing I am scared to do from scratch is bread. I really, really, really want to learn how to make bread from scratch.
edcs10 says
@ Carrie: THAT was HiLaRiOuS!
There ain’t no subsititute for real chicken broth; unfortunately, organic is even MORE watery…I fill my DeMarle 6-cup (or any silicone divided pan) and then stick the whole thing in the freezer,bag the frozen disks up and take out what disks I need for whatever pot!
Shannon says
I tend to just put my chickens in the oven to roast without any seasoning. Then I use my crockpot to make chicken stock. I also strain out the veggies and puree them in the food processor and add the puree back into the broth. I find it gives the broth more flavor.
I am hoping to make vegetable broth this weekend. I found a recipe where you roast the vegetables first. A little more time, but I think the flavor will be better.
For storing the broth, I use zip lock bags and place it inside a 2 cup measuring cup. I place this on my kitchen scale to measure out 8 oz. I then seal the bags and place on a cookie sheet and flash freeze. I can then stack up the bags in my freezer. I have a small wire drawer that works great at containing them.
Looking forward to your forth coming posts Emily.
Hollie says
You can also throw your bones in the freezer & wait until you have more bones to make a larger batch of broth or more time.
I always add celery, onion & carrots as well as a bit of better than bouillon & a slew of seasonings. I didn’t know the vinegar trick, I will definently add that one.
Looking forward to this series & everyone sharing their little tricks 🙂
diana says
super excited about all the new ideas its nice to know that their are some of us out there that think the same way i’ve done the same thing with a chicken thinking i need to make broth out of it and saying to myself do i or not thanks for all your tips my frugal friend
Carrie says
When chickens are on sale, I buy 2 or 4, then I boil one, remove the meat and use the broth I made to boil another. I’ve had problems with watery broth before, and this seems to help – the broth is very chicken-y. Then I parcel the cooked meat and freeze it. That way I can just grab some to use for enchiladas or whatever and don’t have to cook it up that day. The broth gets frozen or used for soup.
I would love a tutorial on how to cut up a whole chicken. I can’t do it to save my life…I always end up with an odd number of pieces and hubby wonders what I did with the other thigh. 🙂
Anna says
Dry beans are also a very easy thing to do. Seems like frugal things just take some planning ahead. And once you try them you’ll never go back to canned.
Also, please refer your friends to Azure Standard (http://www.azurestandard.com/)! They have dry beans (organic and non-organic) for a great deal. And their price on Nancy’s Yogurt is always cheaper than any other place I can find it–for those of you who like to shop at New Seasons, Azure has the same stuff for a much better deal all the time–not just with coupons!
katherine says
I am very excited for your new series — It’s all things I want to do this year and don’t exactly know how!! I’ve mastered the homemade baby food, but had several bean-cooking-flops! 🙂
West Coast Engineer says
Here’s a recipe for even easier chicken and brown rice. Frugal LivingNW, please consider posting it. My twins ate and loved it, even at age one. (Rice is very tender this way.) On a related note, I recommend Better than Bouillon, available at Winco or (in a larger jar with low sodium) at Costco. Even professional chefs recommend it- google and see. It’s both cheaper and requires less storage than purchased broth.
Chicken and Rice
(need roaster pan or other pan with lid)
1 whole chicken, giblets and paper removed, I use ~6 lb Foster Farms ones
2 c long grain brown rice
1 t Better than Bouillon, chicken or equivalent bouillon
4 c water (could use 1/2 purchased chicken broth and 1/2 water instead of bouillon above)
Preheat oven to 325.
Place rice in roaster pan. Place chicken in roaster pan. Spread giblets and chicken neck (we don’t eat the neck, just use it for flavor) in the rice. Add bouillon to water and pour over top. (if your roaster pan is small, use 1.5 c rice and 3 c water) Bake at 325 for ~2 1/2 hr. Can sit in the oven an extra ~half hour if needed. If you like your rice saltier, use more bouillon next time.
Shannan says
I LOVE making homemade chicken broth/stock! Once you have it you can do things like make homemade risotto and homemade scalloped potatoes. Nothing beats homemade at our house. Thanks for reminding me I got get some carcasses out of the freezer and take care of them now that it’s getting cold. Time to “put up” some chicken stock!
Dorine says
Also- if you add a dash of vinegar in w/ your chicken bones and vegetable scraps it brings out the collagen in the bones and is super healthy and healing. I cook mine for a couple days in the crockpot and it makes everything richer and tastier.
Marissa says
I know this sounds lame but I don’t know how to make broth.
I grew up in a one parent household and we never learned basic things like
making broth or making your own soup for that matter!
Can someone please tell me how to do it?
I have never bought a whole chicken either.
My broth from Thanksging Safeway deal is about out!
Emily says
Not lame. I’d say you are in good company. Cooking from scratch/real ingredients is somewhat of a lost art that is making a comeback in this tough economy.
I’ll be covering broth and soup in future posts. Help is on the way! 🙂
Marissa says
Emily,
Do you think you could do a tutorial on canning?
This is how little I know. When you say “can” you are really putting
it in a jar, right?
I may be way off base here too, but how do you make sure it stays safe and edible?
I have heard botulism can be a problem with canning?
Doreen says
Thanks for including kid snacks without red 40, I am looking forward to some other insights, other than reading the labels! My daughter can’t have it as it changes her behavior! In your bread post do you have gluten-free recipes? Just curious.
Maegen says
P.S. I know my post kind of went off topic-it was just sort of where my brain went! I definitely like the posts you have planned already as well.
There is a website where the gals has recipes from a whole year she spent using her crockpot every day, and I love it. I think it’s called something like crockpot 365 blog.
Maegen says
There are definitely times I do the easy thing over the cheap thing.
Time Is money, and if skipping Walgreens for a week means spending more time with the kiddos, I’m o.k. with that.
On the other hand, I feel my lack of organization really inhibits my frugalness. My husband has the flu, and we’ve probably spent 30.00 on cold and flu medicine in the last two days that I should have stockpiled before I needed it, and heck-probably even have somewhere in this house! I am really not a naturally organized person, and I would love to see really, really basic posts on those kinds of topics. I’ll look forward to seeing what you come up with!
Jen says
I use to have a hard time throwing away the chicken carcass (okay….so I’m still not totally guilt free), but have learned that there is no double coupon for getting more time! I hope to do this type of thing in the next few years when my kids are older, but for now I’m okay with getting great deals on broth and spending more time with my kiddos. Really looking forward to this series!
Diana says
I’m all about spending time with my kid too, but it seriously takes me 5-10 minutes in the morning before the kid is up to take care of the broth that has been cooking all night. I guess it does take another 5 minutes to pull all the leftover meat off the chicken, but you do that anyway, right? Then just throw the carcass in the water and simmer all night. Easy-peasy. Strain in the morning and put in the fridge for later use. I spend MORE time searching out deals for other things than I do making broth!
Sunny says
Another couple of thoughts…totally second the crockpot broth. Add a bit of vinegar as well. Also, I throw them in the freezer until I have enough to run both crockpots (yes I have two) and you can throw veggie scraps in the same bag to make the broth!
Kelleigh @ Kelleigh Ratzlaff Designs says
I have GOT to know how you do the crockpot broth! Do you keep all the jigglies at the bottom of the crockpot? Have I been tossing the good stuff?
christy says
Thank you so much for all you do on this blog. One of my new years resolutions is to waste less. Even if I get something for free, I need to use ALL of it or else it’s wasteful. I am also, going to start making my own flour tortillas this year,yummy.
stacey says
up next you’ll be blogging about meatless mondays or cooking with your kids 🙂 Kidding – just something I try to blog about when I have time. But really – I think this is great and I can’t wait to see more!
Caryn says
I feel such a fabulous sense of satisfaction when I take something like an old yucky chicken carcass and transform it into the broth that is about 1000 times tastier than anything you can buy in the store. I suppose not everyone finds join in a carcass, but I sure do!
Can’t wait to see what you have to say about those beans and bread. Making bread is on my list of things to embrace in the new year. Breads and pies. Oh, and carcasses.
Misty says
can’t wait for this!
Jessica (Cheapskate Life) says
In addition to the meaning of frugal: Webster should’ve included “satisfaction guaranteed if done properly”. LOL. It is definitely a unique way of life, and some things are things that people just stopped doing since the 1800s due to convenience. But, frugality is extremely rewarding too! I can’t wait to read your articles!
Emily says
I couldn’t agree more. The satisfaction that comes from the frugal life is rewarding in itself.
Amy B says
I am very EXCITED about the freezer meal swap. I have been looking at youtube and the internet for ideas on how to the the best swap with 2 or 3 people. I also did the Zaycon ground beef sale – need ideas for that too 🙂 LOVE it!
Amy says
Hi Amy-
Have you ever seen this site? It tells you step-by-step how to do a freezer cooking group! http://fabulesslyfrugal.com/how-to-start-a-group
AND, in the tab “Fabuless Cooking” it has all the freezer recipes you will ever need! It’s SO helpful! Good luck!
~Amy
Emily says
I am excited about ALL of the things you listed. I’m new to the couponing thing and am trying to make it work for my family. I’d also like to see a post (maybe even with photos?) on HOW TO roast a kitchen. One of my NYR is to get more comfortable cooking meat, and if you did a little tutorial it would really help:))
Thank you for the inspiration,
Emily
Emily says
I did a post awhile back on roasting a whole chicken. Even if this is your first time tackling it, trust me, it doesn’t get any easier than this recipe:
http://www.frugallivingnw.com/frugal-living/frugal-homemaking/in-the-kitchen/recipes/simple-roast-chicken/
Meat really can be one of the most intimidating parts when learning how to cook from scratch. I hope to take some of the mystery out of it in future posts.
Thanks for your comment!
Heidi says
Oh I am excited! This is something that I have been stressing to my friends for so long. It’s good to find the deals, but it is so important to know how to do the basics.
I have been canning my dry beans – yes…you can can your dry beans- and making freezer meals for quite some time now and I am especially excited for the possibility of additional recipes. I am getting the 30# of ground beef from Zaycon Foods and I need some good recipes.
michelle waite says
I am even more hard core about the whole chicken thing. We raise some chickens through out the year, butcher them ourselves and get as many meals as we can out of them.
I put the broth in freezer containers, freeze it and get it out when I need it. I often use it to hydrate beans in the crock pot. I run the frozen container of broth on hot water in the sink. When it is a bet loose, I dump in the crock put and set it on high. It usually defrosts in about a half hour. I add my beans and cover with water if needed. I want to make empanadas tonight. I might go do that right now in fact.
Tami F says
Another thing I have done to make myself feel even better is when the broth is done and you have strained everything out. Take the bones and put them in an onion bag and hang them in the garage for a few months. After that, if you garden put them in your soil they act as bonemeal for you plants. They compost and help your plants. I then take the wilted veggies and compost them in my tumbler or the kids put them in the worm bin. It makes me feel so go to have made all that food for my family and have absolutely no garbage. And my kids have fun in the worm bin.
Emily says
Wow, Tami F, I am super impressed. It always feels weird to just throw the bones away, but I had never considered using them in my garden before… Do they dry out in the garage so you don’t have to deal with odor or pests?
Tami F says
They are actually pretty dry from all the cooking in the liquid. I hang them up for a while to just get even more brittle especially if it is the winter and you aren’t gardening. When summer comes I wack them with a hammer to break them up they usually crumble and sprinkle away. Then you don’t have to buy bone meal anymore for you garden.
Jen says
So excited! Exactly what we’re trying to do in our own home. Can’t wait for more ideas. A note about baking bread, I use the Artisan Bread in Five minutes. Works great for our family and a loaf costs pennies.
Kelleigh @ Kelleigh Ratzlaff Designs says
Oooh! I want to check that book out!! Sounds awesome!
Christy M. says
Thank you for sharing! This is exactly the direction our family is heading in and I’d love you insight.
molomatic says
I’m really looking forward to your series, thanks!
jolene brant says
I cook chicken overnight in the crock pot and freeze the broth. I use the meat in casseroles that I freeze. I’m always looking for good freezable recipes. I have a couple bags of dried beans (because we are on WIC) that I don’t know what to do with. I’m excited about this new series.
Amy says
Jolene-
Try this site for GREAT meals that tells you how to make them into freezer meals too! http://fabulesslyfrugal.com/category/freezer-meal-recipe
My family’s all-time favorite dish came from here! It’s FAB and super easy!!! http://fabulesslyfrugal.com/2010/05/rotel-crock-pot-chicken.html
Hope this helps!
Kelleigh @ Kelleigh Ratzlaff Designs says
You must have been reading my facebook status updates!! I did the same thing. Roasted Chicken on Tuesday, Chicken Noodle Soup on Thursday. Except that it was such a pain and took forever to pull the leftover chicken off the scorching hot carcass!!!!! And then, my broth tasted super bland. As I posted on my status, I’m not sure it was worth it. Looking forward to this series!
charolyn says
I think it is because it was from an already cooked chicken-my grandma told me that-raw cooked would give more flavorful broth. You could add some bullion to this one, to make it tastier. I agree, it does take a long time to pull the meat off. But homemade soup is very tasty in general. Lat year I made a great one from the thanksgiving turkey.
Lately I have been adding cooked noodles (whole wheat & or wacky maci), cooked whole grain rices, and/or canned beans to canned soup, to make it more nutritious and tasty, and is very quick. If I have left over baked chicken-I add more of that also, and the juice that cooks off. My son loves this. I must confess I get the baked chicken from the store, and the juice under that is great in soup.
I did buy a whole chicken after I read this & am going to try a crock pot meal.
kalin says
when you make broth, add in some veggie scraps-celery, carrots, onions (i save them in my freezer so i have lots on hand, otherwise you can always chop up a few and throw them in)
WAY more flavor.
and i pick the meat off before i make the stock
Kelleigh @ Kelleigh Ratzlaff Designs says
I did that, Kalin! Only I should have added garlic from the beginning, too. I ended up with my homemade chicken broth with carrots, celery, onions and garlic, plus some yummy spices (rosemary blend and something else I can’t remember) and salt and pepper. I had to add some bullion to make it taste better. I think there must me something true about Charolyn’s idea of using raw chicken to begin with. WHICH, of course, totally defeats the purpose of using leftovers. Oh, well!!
We are HUGE homemade soup eaters around here, but I’ll probably just stick to tossing in some boneless/skinless chicken breasts and prepared stock! That will give me more time to play games with the kids!
kalin says
hmm, i always have good luck with mine.
i do add garlic, forgot that! and peppercorns (whole)
and salt. packaged bullion and stock has a lot of salt-not enough could be making it bland?
but I have no kids to be playing with yet-more time to fuss over stock 🙂
if you do try it again, making it in the crockpot means you don’t have to watch over a pot on the stove!
Dani says
To get more flavor in broth from a cooked bird, aside from adding herbs/veg to the water: stick the pulled apart carcass (minus usable meat) back in the oven on high heat (425 should do it) for 20-30 minutes. You might even break some of the bones first. Seriously makes a difference.
Diana says
Also, add in a few tablespoons of vinegar to get more calcium from the bones! You won’t taste the vinegar, but it helps make the broth better for you! And I will simmer mine all night on the stove, or longer. I basically cook it until I have time to strain it and freeze it. I love my broth. So dark and yummy. I do use veggies, garlic, onion in it. And then add more when I use it when cooking.
Oh, and do clean it before making broth. Much easier! Broth is such a great way to stretch your meat! It’s soooo healthy for you!
Carrie says
From my experience, the longer you boil the carcass, the more flavor you get out of it. I take most of the useable meat off the bone (if you take off all the meat, then there won’t be much flavor to pull from) after we finish eating, and then boil the carcass all evening while I am cleaning up and getting the kids to bed. You want it to boil, but not boil hard. When you start running low on water, just add more, but remember everytime you add more water, you have to boil it longer to make sure that water gets good flavor. I usually let it cool somewhat and while holding it with tongs, I scrape the carcass with a fork to get the rest of the useable meat. It comes right off the bone. No reason to burn your fingers. Set aside meat and the best way to strain the broth is through cheesecloth to catch the small bones. I usually refrigerate overnight and then add vegetables and seasoning to taste when I’m ready to make dinner. We like ours with noodles and dumplings, so I add meat, noodles, and dumplings at the same time and in 20-30 minutes we are eating. Most of the work is done while you are cleaning up the night before, so your dinner the next day is quick and simple.