Thursday, November 6, 2008

Turkey ... and a POP Quiz?

“Tis another blog aimed at helping you stretch your budget.

It is rapidly becoming the seasonal time of the year when we are once again going to see and hear the phrase, “It’s Turkey time”. Whether you like it or not, commercially turkey has become totally integrated with the promotion of fall and Thanksgiving. But if you are a wise shopper turkey can and should be a boon to the budget. As the seasonal sales progress a few pointers may help you recognize even greater bargains.

The nutrition in a C grade turkey is not much different than the one with extra fancy wrappings and a self-timer. But it’s almost a sure thing there will be a difference in the price! The A grading on poultry simply indicates the bird has all of its parts and there are no observable flaws. Whereas a B grade may be just as delicious, but have a broken wing tip. If you personally prefer the kind with the self-timer, it still is usually a bargain when compared with the price of other meats. Turkey freezes well. Generally you pay less per pound for larger turkeys, a 20-pound tom being cheaper than a ten pounder. You get more meat per proportion to carcass on the big ones. If a 20 pound turkey would be too large for you, ask someone in the meat department to cut it into halves and/or quarters. Wrap the pieces individually and put them in your freezer. That way you will be able to take advantage of the savings.

Keep in mind turkey and turkey sales are available year round now, with the most noticeably promotions at this time of year.

Turkey parts are economical and create good tasting budget meals. Even the carcass of the turkey is a bargain when used for good old-fashioned turkey and noodle soup.

Now let’s change the subject for an important message from your friendly blogger. Actually, it’s a POP quiz.

Today’s blog bonus is to remind you that the time has come and gone to set the clocks back. That means this is the time of year that you need to take the hour or two, or however long it takes, to make sure that your preparedness items and equipment are ready and functioning. They need to be ready to get you through whatever adventure may come your way during the stormy, windy, foggy, dreary, wet, cold, blustering, freezing … Let’s see I ought to be able to come up with a few more descriptive words to set the mood for you. Or you can fill in the blanks for your neighborhood __________, ____________, and _________.

* Do all of your flashlights work?
* Do you have relatively new batteries for ALL of them?
* Are your sleeping bags or additional blankets clean and full of “warm” as they wait on an accessible shelf?
* Do you know where all the tops and bottoms for the thermal underwear sets are that you plan on using to keep you warm?
* Do you know where the old-fashioned popcorn popper and old-fashioned popcorn is – just in case?
* Is your emergency cooking stove ready to work when you need it?
* Do you need matches for anything? Where are they?
* How will that first aid kit hold up if everybody needs a band-aid at once?
* Food? What about food? Do you have a sufficient amount of the right kinds of food?
* And most important of all – do you know where your chocolate is? (Well maybe not most important.)

And your score was?

Return to the Neighborhood


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