As I gathered up a bunch of old newspapers and magazines for the recycle bin I noticed a 50% off sale on Perdue chicken in this week’s Giant circular. I needed to pick up a few staples like bread and milk anyway, so I decided to head over to the grocery store after work. I actually thought the store might be out of chicken. After all 50% off is a really good deal for Perdue. Even with a good sale the price is typically only reduced by a dollar or two. My store just happened to be loaded with chicken. In fact, a butcher was loading the shelves with pounds and pounds of the stuff.
My husband and I eat chicken a lot. Actually, ‘a lot’ is quite the understatement. We rarely eat beef, seafood or pork, so chicken seems to make it’s way into our meals at least three or four nights a week. I couldn’t resist the wall of chicken in front of me. I pulled 15 packages of chicken off of the shelves and into my cart.
When I got to the checkout counter the cashier chuckled, because I had one gallon of milk, one package of white bread and 15 packages of chicken. I told the cashier I actually considered filling the entire cart, but I wasn’t certain how long I could store poultry in the freezer. When I got home, Google told me I could store it for up to 9 months.
I know that I can buy cheaper cuts of poultry or purchase whole fryers or thighs, but I like the taste and convenience of chicken breasts and it’s one place I just won’t skimp. I’ll buy store brands if they are on sale, but even at sale prices I rarely find chicken for $2.50 a pound, which is the price it was tonight.
So here’s the question of the day. Should I return to the store to pick up more chicken while it’s on sale or should I look at the stocked freezer and say enough is enough? I could easily stock up on another 15 packages and have enough chicken to last a couple of months, but I must admit that it feels a bit insane to stock this much. On one hand I don’t want to seem crazy, on the other hand, I don’t want to turn a blind eye to saving nearly 50 bucks!
Why are you sitting here reading comments? Go back to the store!
You should see the spaghetti noodles in my cabinet. We were halfway across the country visiting family when my about-to-expire coupons matched up with a sale. We literally brought back an ENTIRE SUITCASE full of spaghetti noodles.
Crazy is in the eye of the beholder.
That’s a fantastic bargain. I love chicken, too, but our family tries to get some variety in just for nutrition’s sake. We eat a fair amount of chicken but we occasionally eat beef with quite a bit of fish. I’ve heard that variety leads to getting more nutrition. That’s a great find. Kudos. You’ll have chicken for a while and you’ve provided a little insurance for your budget!
Jerry
I’m saving for another car. I really hate car payments. I really do. It makes living so much easier without making that payment every month.
I figure my car is good for another 2 years, so I’ve got that long. I’ve saved about $5K already.
Stock up, but be wary of power outages! I have lost a freezer full of meat that way in the past…