Could have gotten a whole lot of chicken but did not have enough money
By suspenseful
@suspenseful (40192)
Canada
November 18, 2009 10:02am CST
When my husband was working, and before he got disabled (after he retired early of course) we used to take advantage of the sales on meats, etc. So well on Monday, I went out shopping and had to be careful because now we are on a pension and I am using my own money. So I go into the store and it seems to be a chicken bonanza. There are large packages of drumsticks, thighs, br*asts, mini br*asts, etc, but I cannot take advantage of that. I had bought a small package of thighs and br*sts a couple of weeks previous. And we were out of salad stuff, vegetables, and ground round as well as the basics, milk, etc.
I sure wish we had a lot more money to get two packages, br*st for me, thighs for him. (He loves drumsticks, but then because his hands do not work, I have to cut it off the bone for him. He also loves spareribs - but same problem.)
But I could have used those two large pkages of chickens. Yes that takes the run out of retirement. 
Now do you wish you could take advantage of sales of food items that only those with a lot of people to feed can or what you could do before you retired?
Now do you wish you could take advantage of sales of food items that only those with a lot of people to feed can or what you could do before you retired?4 people like this
15 responses
@whiteheather39 (24403)
• United States
18 Nov 09
I only cook for one but when I get my Social Security check it fall on a Wednesday which is also the day I get 5% senior discount at Kroger's so I take advantage of the meat specials. I split the large amounts into portions that I need for one, freeze them and they usual are enough for the whole month.
2 people like this
@cynthiann (18612)
• Jamaica
18 Nov 09
My greatest treat is smoked salmon - and of course it is expensive. But when I lived alone and saw it on special then I would buy a huge smoked fillet and then divide it into about 15 good sized pieces. I would just take one out of the freezer twice a week and grill it when I got home for dinner. Apart from tasting wonderful I would first put a potato in the microwave and then fix a salad or veggies while the potato was cooking. I just loved those dinners! We just have to find a way to do things and it is not that easy sometimes.
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
18 Nov 09
We have only a limited food budget for the two of us, for instance around $80 a week and these specials that cost about $20 a package - even if they have about ten or twenty pieces of chicken are too much for us when you consider we also have to get the lettuce, tomatoes, onions, canned tomatoes because I make my own tomato sauce, plus bread, and the other meat, etc. Like my husband wanted me to buy some sandwich meat, but could not afford it. I was lucky to have two tins of tuna so that would go for four lunches, plus the eggs for one more, and that half ham that I will use part and grind to make shredded ham, plus the cheese. Even so, this week the food budget was over $100 because I had to buy coffee.
That means that I cannot take advantage of these chicken sales unless I have enough produce in the house and that stuff does not last that long.
@whiteheather39 (24403)
• United States
18 Nov 09
My goodness where do you shop? I have never heard of $20.00 specials for chickens!!!
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
20 Nov 09
We used to spend from $100 to $120 on the four of us. I do think you get better deals with more people. And it depended on the season. During summer and fall, we would spend less because we could buy locally.
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
19 Nov 09
We have a regular fridge and a medium sized freezer. Right now the latter is almost full as our friend is storing her fruit in it, but usually we stock up on meats and bread. We only allow about $80 to $100 a week for groceries, depending on whether it is a 5 week or 4 week month so we cannot get that much in bulk and since I am now paying for the grocery shopping, I have to be extra careful.
Yes, treats are going to be in short supply. 
@jennybianca (12912)
• Australia
19 Nov 09
Im semi retirted & have to be very careful with money.
I lok at specials & bargains & buy them if its appropiate.
So with beef mince, I bought a small packet yesterday on special for $3.60. Then when I got home I divided it into 3 sections, for 3 different meals. This may seem like a very small amount of mince, but as Im on a diet & add lots of veges, it works out good value.
I tend not to buy packages of food on sale, as it just means storing too much.
@jennybianca (12912)
• Australia
19 Nov 09
Im fussy about the kind of meat I eat too. My problem is dietry, I must have low fat.
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
20 Nov 09
I am on the border of diabetes and I have to have olive oil (they say canola oil is good but it is too processed) and a little butter, but olive oil is expensive even the regular kind so it makes things a little more expensive. I am looking into getting some non stick pans but most of them only go up to a temperature of 325 degree the coating being dangerous, but I heard that there are some that can take very high heat so I am looking into that and I will use the points in my grocery shopping to get them.
I usually make pasta casseroles and cook enough for four. Since there are two of us, that means I will put the other one in the freezer until a day when I do not like to do much cooking.
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
19 Nov 09
I divide the meat up as well. We will buy stew meat on sale (beef and pork) and divide it for two people. The trouble is that sometimes the meat on sale is not the kind that I can eat that often. Like this time, we got ham and i cannot eat ham that much. And I cannot buy large quantities. I am lucky if I am able to get a large package, but then I have to also have other kinds of meat in the freezer as well so I do not have all chicken, all pork, or all beef for a whole week.
Then since my husband cannot use his hands anymore, I have to make sure there are no bones and that the meat either has been cut or is easy to cut, so that means no pork chops, etc.
1 person likes this
@zed_k4 (17589)
• Singapore
19 Nov 09
For me, I would stack up on sales food items too. But I am particular about the expiry date; if it's nearing to it and I know I'm going to have to keep that food for some time (like for instance, I don't eat cereals everyday), then I would have to consider. If I know the food will be done pretty fast with, I don't mind buying something near to the expiry date.
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
19 Nov 09
I am careful of things near the expiry date. Since there are only two of us, I want to make sure I do not throw anything away especially since we are on a budget. I will buy meat if I have the money to buy it, but I also have to buy the produce for that week as well as the milk, eggs, marg. etc. So I cannot have a meat where all I can buy just one item even if there is a good bargain. With cereal, I prefer high fiber low glycemic like All bran, but unfortunately that seldom comes on sale.
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
20 Nov 09
And it is much more healthy then the other cereals. No wonder they tell us pre diabetics or those with metobolic syndrome to eat a lot of veggies, and salad stuff. With what we have to eat, we cannot afford much meat. 
1 person likes this
@suzzy3 (8341)
•
20 Nov 09
It is a shame you cannot take advantage of cheaper prices on bulk buys.maybe you could find someone else that is in the same boat as you.You could split it with them.We are not retired but sometimes if we buy to bigger packs we get stuck with it for weeks.We do take advantage of the buy one get one free.It is like getting two weeks shopping in one at only half the price.
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
20 Nov 09
It depends on what is already in the house or whether the lettuce or salad stuff will last more then a week, or a couple of weeks. I do use the green bags, and it makes the food last a little longer. The trouble with lettuce it grows brown, but then it does not cost as much. So if I can afford it, i will buy in large packages, but that means that I will have to forgo picking up toilet paper, laundry detergent, or the other non produce things.
@vandana7 (102698)
• India
18 Nov 09
Hi suspenseful, I am a vegetarian by choice. I dont particularly relish non veg. But I can understnd this. I have been thru some very rough times. But there is a way suspenseful! The Indian way! What we do is get together with others in same boat, and buy and thereafter share it equally. I wish you all would leave your inhibitions for once, and join hands. After all, we get to live only once.
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
18 Nov 09
I am an omnivore and I like a variety of food. I also am not a socialist and do not live in a small village where everyone gets together and pools all their money together and one person buys for all. What I find is if there is a lot of people they can buy cheaper, but if you are one or two, you cannot and besides would not you all have to contribute the same amount in the share pot?
@vandana7 (102698)
• India
19 Nov 09
Hi suspenseful, you dont have to live in a community to do that! When you visit the store, I am sure there may be others like you, thinking almost the same thing! So just ask them, shall we buy, we can share 50:50. That is it! As to cutting it, and re weighing it, you all can take the help of the store itself! Our people are quite open to such things. I have joined hands with many people, people whose names I dont know, whom I never met again. :) Does it really matter what a stranger thinks about you? :) How do you identify? Well, there will be some people walking past the offer, eyeing it, and then feeling - what will I do with that much? :( All it takes is a little bit of courage to break the ice. May be you can start it conversationally, I wish they had such discounts for smaller families as well. In India people from small families join hands and buy things. Here, it is so different. Then the other person might just sieze it as opportunity, if she is interested. :)
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
19 Nov 09
Here in Canada unless you pool all your money together, it will not work. For one thing, many of us do not use cash. We use debit cards or credit cards. That means that one person has to put all the groceries on his or her credit card and then ask each family to pay him or her back. Some will but a lot will not on time so that one who used his debit card may not have enough to pay the other bills, or if the credit card was used, will have to pay interest on the amount not given from the members who were unable to pay.
The only way it would work is for each one on the list to give $50 for his amount, $70 for his amount, $100 for her amount, etc. before the grocery shopping and the buyer marks it off. Tben also if the one who put down $70 may want to use his credit card because of the discount and would resent you using yours to get the points.
It would only work on a cash only society where there are not credit or debit cards.
@peavey (16936)
• United States
18 Nov 09
I probably would have got the chicken instead of the ground round and made do. It would have saved money and maybe you would have had some left over for the next time, then maybe you would have had a little extra money left over to buy more of something else that was on sale.
I understand about having to budget carefully. Since it's just me, though, I can eat the same thing for awhile if it's on sale and that helps stretch things.
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
18 Nov 09
The trouble is that here in Canada, ground round is much cheaper then chicken. That is the whole trouble. I want to eat more chicken, but chicken br*st and chicken thigh here is around $4.00 a pound or more like $4.99 while I can get ground round for anywhere from $1.50 to $3.00 a pound. I also would like to buy turkey fillets but they are expensive as well. The only chicken that is cheap are the chicken drumsticks, and they are half bone anyway and also much fattier and have dark meat.
I do buy and freeze most of the food, and I like to have a variety. I am also running out of ground chicken but my husband will get a fit because he thinks that ground chicken is a waste of money and ground beef is much better.
@riyasam (16556)
• India
19 Nov 09
our sisters marraige was announced this month and we went slightly over the top shopping for her that we donot have much money left now ,i saw a beautiful cardigan on sale but since we didnot have the required amount ,i had to give it up.
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
20 Nov 09
That hurts. We got a new dishwasher, a microwave and on top of that we have to go over $2,000 to get the van fixed. I am already paying for the groceries and I do not want to go over the budget. On top of that my husband wants to wait until January to pay off the credit card bills. I do not want to use any of my emergency savings fund because that will mean there will be nothing left.
@sweetgirl_k1 (3972)
• United States
19 Nov 09
I'm not retired but I still have to stick to a budget when I go shopping. I wish I could take advantage of meats when they are on sale. I would like to stock up my freezer with meat because it's an expensive item and I usually only buy it when it is on sale. I did go to Aldi and bought a couple bags of chicken the other day. They have some meat on sale right now at the grocery store near us so I think I might go see if there are some cheap packages of chicken and hamburger meat. I bought some veggies and things at Aldi the other day so meat is all I would have to buy this week as we still have the other things we need right now. I still have a bag of salad that we haven't opened yet but I plan to open it tomorrow because I'm going to make spaghetti with salad and rolls.
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
19 Nov 09
I got a head of lettuce and also some Romaine plus a carton of arigula and baby spinach. last week I got a bundle of spinach but it was not washed and my husband said to put it in the fridge, it would be all right and wash it as i use it. Yes sure sure. That did not work as it went slimy anyway and I wound up throwing much of it out.
I try to buy meat on sale , but often it is not available and I have to buy regular price so I do not buy as much. I wish chicken br*ts and thighs were not as expensive here in Canada and wish they were the price they are in the States. And then I could buy more and stock up.
@iamprolife2005 (414)
• United States
19 Nov 09
Food has gone up substantially across the US since hurricane Katrina. It is so hard to find a deal and most times you need to shop at several stores just to finish your shopping list. I feel for you. Hubby and I have seven children so we can relate. I used to be able to go to two stores and only spend $60 a week for groceries when we only had five kids. Now with a total of nine people in our family it is double that and then some. Not because of our two newest children eat more but because everything costs so much more and the packaging and its contents have been shrunk down so you need to buy more packages to get the same amount you used to buy. I am glad for the no frills stores. Places like Aldi are a real blessing!
Sincerely in Christ,
Leesa C.
Eph.2:8,9
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
20 Nov 09
We have a big box store that sells almost anything and if you use their credit card or debit card, you get points and 20,000 points means you get $20 of Groceries free. On top of that they give you points for how many recycled bags you use. We also find that the packages are getting smaller. I used to live with a large family and they did a lot of canning and eating a lot of macaroni and cheese plus ketchup soup that was not that healthy and since we lived in British columbia on the coast the soil was so damp that they could not grow much.
Bit then food was cheaper and we did a lot of shopping at rummage sales. Things are getting rather costly now.
I also think much of the food has been taken out of production so they could put the fields into ethanol.
@Maggiepie (7816)
• United States
19 Nov 09
[b]I don't have the money. But if I did, the only real freezer space I have access to beyond my limited one is Elic's freezer, which she has kindly agreed to allow me to share. if I can get such a deal.
You do whatever you can in such an economy. Sigh...
Maggiepie
"WHERE'S THE BIRTH CERTIFICATE?"[/b]
Maggiepie
"WHERE'S THE BIRTH CERTIFICATE?"[/b]@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
20 Nov 09
Our freezer is almost as old as our marriage. We bought it in Saskatoon and moved it here. The stove and fridge on the other hand are much younger. We just got rid of most of our apples as my husband wanted to have apple pie, and my friend is storing her rhubarb in it.
1 person likes this
@rg0205 (2636)
• Hong Kong
19 Nov 09
Reading your story made me sad. It's heartbreaking for me to see or hear about people in situations like yours. I wish we were neighbors so I can bring over some food every now and then.
There is an old couple my family and I are acquainted with. The man is around 70 and the woman is nearing her 80s. They both are on pension. As far as we know, their kids are overseas but do not help them financially. That said, they do everything on their own and survive through pension which really isn't enough money at all.
When my family and I cook and we go to the grocery store, sometimes we'd pick up some extra stuff for them. They can't really cook their own food so we buy them ready to eat meals. When we do cook at home, my Mom would ask me to bring food to them so they'd have fresh home cooked meals.
Years ago, when we lost our family business during the SARS crisis, money was very tight. I can't say that I understand completely but it is very difficult not to have enough.
I hope things get better for you and your husband.
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
19 Nov 09
We did not expect my husband to get Lou Gehrig's disease. We were told it was a stroke and that with proper exercise, he could get better. But we had to make the house handicapped friendly, put in a ramp, and while there stay in the motel. My husband says that he is going to pay every off in January with the retirement income since he might not live until he is 65.
The trouble is that when there is just the two of you, you cannot take advantage of the sales as much. There is a store near some old age homes and they put the prices of food there up because the old people there cannot go anywhere else. We sometimes shop at that store when there is a good sale, but that is seldom.
But the other trouble here is that unlike in the States, Chicken costs more per lb then beef and for people on the edge of diabetes like I am, chicken and fish are much better, but what can I do?
@sasalove (1709)
• China
19 Nov 09
It will be a little upset that we can not take advantage of the sales on meats, I think you worked very hard on mylot, which will help the replenishment on your expense.
I did not get that problem right now and surely I would like to take advantage of sales of food items that only those with a lot of people to feed can. I am reserving money in my age now and hope that the amount can afford at least 10 years for retirement. The pension is mean and I will not reply on the sons to feed at that age as well.
Good luck to you.
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
19 Nov 09
When there is a sale, I get upset that I cannot take advantage of it. For instance, there was a sale on chicken br*&ts a couple of weeks ago and in fact, they included a coupon of $1.00 off in the paper. That would mean that if I got the smaller club packages that cost around $12.00 that would mean $11.00, but a week before that was the Halloween candy sale and my husband wanted me to buy two large cartons for the kids who come to the door, and the next week we ran out of some stuff, so that chicken br*st was a low priority.
Oh when we were the four of us, we could take advantage of sales, but now I cannot do it that much.
@paleorainy (630)
• Italy
19 Nov 09
I don't know if this can help, over here there are packages of thighs, wings...let's just say, single parts...but they cost more than a whole raw chicken. Instead, whole raw chicken are quite cheap, can you look into that? Maybe that's the same in your country.
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
20 Nov 09
it is the same here. A whole chicken is cheaper then packages. The trouble is that if I get a whole chicken, my husband would want me to make it all into soup like his mother did and I would like to cut it up and use the br*sts and the thighs and make the rest into soup or chicken pie. Yes but just for two people?
@dragon54u (31633)
• United States
18 Nov 09
It's always disappointing and frustrating when you can't take advantage of a sale like that. I stock up when I can. I'm going to make some purchases today, in fact, and put up some canned goods because prices are going up drastically here and I think it will be sooner rather than later. Gas went up $.30 from yesterday to today!
Maybe in a case like this it would be good to charge the chicken on your card and pay it off at the end of the month.
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
18 Nov 09
The week before there was a sale on canned tomatoes, but it was only for four large cans so I stocked up on then and the week before the canned tomatoes, tomato soup was on sale and bread was on sale. Most of the time, i cannot take advantage of the sales. I do put it on my charge card, but then I still have to limit it to $320 a month so i have to be careful. In fact, most often I will make a list but have to not buy all the things on it because I do not have enough or will go over budget at the end of the month if I do.
