Tip #11: Goodwill (1st Saturday of the Month = 1/2 Off!)

Did you know that the first Saturday of every month is HALF OFF at Goodwill? The first Saturday of March, Michael and I headed off to Goodwill to see if we could find anything good.

It was pretty packed! You can't just run into Goodwill and find anything quickly. We took our time, and weaved in and out of the aisles. Seems like everyone was going crazy for 1/2 off Saturday!

Good News / Bad News: Seems like most of the clothes are XXXXXXXX Large. (Not an exaggeration...) However, the clothes that were my size were really nice. I wasn't set on buying anything and told myself not to get anything just because it's cheap. However, two things hit me.


1. This dress. It was literally brand new and is great for work, church, weddings, or anything! Trying on clothes at Goodwill kind of grosses me out so I took a chance, brought it home (for $2!!!!!), washed it in warm water, and it fits perfectly! (Do you like my photo editing skills? It was awfully convenient to photoshop out my hot pink slipper, mess on the chair, and a picture of myself I would rather not be on the web!) I like the ruffle at the bottom.

2. A brand new pair of casual shorts. There were about 20 pairs of these shorts and for $1.50, I just knew I couldn't go wrong! After a nice warm wash, they were ready to be worn and I've already worn them a lot!

Will we always go to Goodwill the first Saturday of the month? Definitely not. However, if you're looking for an adventure and want to dig through a lot of junk, this might be up your alley! I think I am going to put shopping on hold for a while, save up my money, and go to H&M. I fell in love with this store when I was in Germany and was pleased to find that it's located in Indy! H&M was not located in Charlotte, and you can't order things online, so it's been a while since I've shopped there. Anyway, back to my main point.........

Goodwill is a great place to shop and look through junk to find some gems!

Tip #10: No Shop Weeks

Typically, the more you go to the grocery store, the more money you will spend each month on groceries (unless you are crazy self-controlled!). Michael came up with the idea to stop going to the grocery store for a certain amount of time - one week, two weeks, whatever works for you. I love this idea because it makes you eat what is in your pantry!

Last night I was determined to make something unplanned with everything I already had at home. What-do-ya-know- I was able to make really good enchiladas! Did I have enchilada sauce? No...but I was able to improvise and come up with a tasty dinner! If I had run to the store just for enchilada sauce, you know I would have come back with more (mmmm those chips look good, and wouldn't this salsa be a good addition, and while I'm at it I need more makeup...)

So, every once in a while stop yourself from running out and make do with what you have. I'm sure you can make some interesting and simple meals! If you can't find anything, then what about a good old-fashioned peanut butter sandwich?

Tip #9: Buy Whole Chicken

After doing some hunting on the website, I found some surprising & good news: Whole Chicken is the cheapest way to buy chicken and also the tastiest! Now isn't that a win-win? After hunting around and keeping track of prices, I found that the cheapest whole chickens can be found at Sam's club for 88 cents a pound. Walmart was a close second at 98 cents a pound. (Clearly this depends on where you live and what stores you have access to!)

Last week, I bought a whole chicken, covered it in spices and set it in the crockpot for a few hours. It was delicious and tender! Michael helped me shred all the chicken off the bone and we ended up with several cups of delicious, tender chicken! Our freezer now has several baggies full of chicken that is ready to be thrown in salads, stir fry, fried rice, soups, quesadillas...the list goes on and on!

I also read about how nutritious homemade chicken broth is. I was shocked and happy to hear this. So, I set out to make homemade chicken broth with the remains of the whole chicken, but it turned out horribly. All the spices I put on the chicken before were not good spices for a broth. It tasted pretty bad (and really strong!).

However, I don't want to waste any part of the chicken (yes, even the gross carcass has benefits!) Thankfully Becca came to my rescue again (Becca, you are becoming quite popular on here!) and showed me this recipe. I have another whole chicken in the freezer and I am so excited to follow this recipe and have lots of chicken broth! I think the only change I'll make is to do it in my crockpot (I am obsessed with my crockpots. Yes, I have two and they make me very happy!) I am so excited to have tasty and healthy chicken broth on hand and I can stop relying on this for large batches:


(Although, I love having these granules around for recipes that call for 1/4 c. broth or even smaller.)

Don't you love when you find something that is cheaper, taste better, and is easier than cooking small amounts of chicken for each meal? What a delicious time saver :)