I am up early today because I have a lot to do. It’s 4:20AM. I started thawing an 18 lb.+ turkey yesterday by soaking it in cold water in the sink. Before I went to bed last night, I put it in the refrigerator. When I got up this morning, I put it back in cold water in the sink so it can finish thawing. Then I will roast it in my convection oven for dinner. We will have mashed cauliflower and green beans with it.
Since we are not stuffing it, it will take less time to roast. The convection setting on my oven will save 25 % of the energy needed if I roasted it in the regular oven.
After dinner, I will take all of the meat off of the carcass for other meals. Some of the meat will be put into food saver bags and frozen for future meals. I will put all of the skin and bones into the crockpot to make turkey broth. That will simmer on low all night. We will eat leftovers on Monday night. Then on Tuesday, I will make a big pot of turkey soup. We will probably eat that for 3-4 nights. I paid $ .58 a lb. for this turkey before Thanksgiving. I am going o keep track of how many meals we get from it. It will be the cheapest protein we can eat.
Besides thawing the turkey yesterday, I ordered a Walmart grocery delivery. It has been cold and snowy here and I didn’t want to go out. We got a couple of bargains: a half gallon of milk- $ 1.72, 6 Great Value Naturally Hickory Smoked Bacon Thick Sliced, 24 oz. packages – $ 5.97 each or $ 3.98 a pound, a case of 12 cans of Great Value Premium Wild Caught Solid White Albacore Tuna in water, 5 oz.- $1.42 a can and a 60 count box of eggs- $ 19.98. The food total for this order was $ 81.56 including a $ 7.00 tip. Before I purchased the eggs, I contacted the store in my area that had a dozen eggs for $ 3.59 to see if they still had them and as I suspected they were all gone. You win some and you lose some. But I am glad I got them because there was a large fire at a huge commercial coup in Connecticut yesterday and I suspect that egg prices may rise because of it.
I refuse to give up bacon and eggs for the time being. They aren’t as cheap as they used to be but we only eat one egg each(about $.33 each) for brunch now and 1 strip of this thick bacon. I cook a bit more than that for Sunday breakfasts with my son and grandson because they eat more than we do plus my teenage grandson has a hollow leg. Even with the bacon it works out to cheap protein. This is the best price on thick bacon that I can find and it is delicious. It is not like Aldi’s bacon which works out to the same price but is so thin and transparent when you cook it. I find Hatfield to be just as bad. I don’t know what they are doing to Smithfield but it does not taste good to us anymore.
The tuna is cheap for Wild Caught and it is delicious. We stay stocked on that because Hubby loves it. I will be freezing some of the eggs.
I forgot to send this last night. So sorry! There will be another post later today.
4 replies on “Sunday’s Frugal Things”
Hi Precious, I was thinking about you this morning as I was putting things together in the crock pot for split pea soup tonight. I had some carrots, potatoes, and celery that were getting older so I chopped them up to put in the soup. Hubby had chopped up an onion last night for Skyline chili and I put the leftovers of the onion in also. I took out some ham that I had portioned for beans and saved from Thanksgiving and put that in also. Add a little salt and some water and pepper and dinner is cooking now. I have some leftover bread from shopping last week that we will eat with the soup. I had gotten a loaf of artisan bread to try since I had a good coupon loaded to my Kroger card for it. So, a very nice frugal dinner tonight.
Yesterday I worked on our puzzle while hubby was doing some work upstairs on his computer and last night we watched the football game. We had Cincinnati chili in honor of the Bengals. I keep several cans of Skyline chili in my pantry for occasional quick meals. The cans are getting fairly pricey now, so we don’t have it often. It is still cheaper than going out to eat.
You got some great deals on your Walmart trip. Thanks for the recommendations of some of the store brand products. Believe it or not, we are not close to a Walmart. Meijer and Target are closer. I hear you on the bacon. I buy the thick sliced also. I try to get the Oscar Meijer kind when it is on a good sale here and freeze it (on your recommendation). We don’t eat it as often as you do. Fish in general will be on sale when Lent starts the end of Feb. I will be looking for canned tuna and salmon then and will stock up for the year. Hopefully the supply chain won’t be a problem this year.
Hi Chris,
I think I can smell your soup cooking! It will be so yummy. I am considering making the turkey soup today. We love soup! I hope you and Hubby enjoy yours.
I was hoping your Bengals would win! They were so good to our team when Damar got hurt! They are all good men!
I have never had Skyline chili. I don’t believe they carry it here. Our Walmart doesn’t have it.
The supply chain is going to be a major issue. The federal agencies have been warning us. So get it while the getting is good!
You had some nice wins! My husband still eats eggs & bacon, although I encourage him to eat other protein first (leftovers), if available in the fridge, which he will often do.
I made a large batch of taco meat last night, because that’s one of DS15’s favorite dinners. That, and steak, but steak is now a 2x/year splurge.
Question about the weather – have you started to enjoy the weather less as you get older? My mom is particularly struggling with the weather, now that she’s 70ish. It just bothers her more than it did before. They live in the PNW, so lots & lots of rain, but often snow as well. She’s mentioned moving to CA before for the sunshine, but that won’t happen due to COL, but she does plan more trips here to see us (bonus) to soak up the sun.
Hi HP,Thanks! You have to love leftovers for breakfast. 🙂
I think we would like your husband. It’s one of our favorites too especially on top of salad.
Yes, the weather is killing me every time it snows or rains. I am 70ish also and it started bothering me about a year ago. I have extremely bad arthritis in my upper legs and lower back. The doctor gave me meloxicam and it caused worse issues so I just tolerate it. Once in a while, I use a pain patch. It’s so bad that I am seriously considering getting steroid injections. I went out this morning to pick up a couple of grocery items and it was snowing. When I got back, I could barely walk. UGH! Getting old is not fun! When we lived in AZ where the climate is dry, I had none of these issues. I hope it helps her when she visits.