The Obama Administration has finally unveiled the Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan.
Wrap your mind around it NOW

Like many Americans, my wife and I have been looking for ways to save a few dollars during this scary chapter in our nation’s history. Neither of us are very frugal, but I’ve been told it only takes twenty one days to create a habit. Why not give it a try.

The first thing we did was look at our fixed expenses. Our monthly utilities and whatnot. Within minutes we were able to bring down our High Speed Internet bill and scale back on some unneeded Auto Insurance. In addition, both of us agreed to keep an eye on the thermostat. No need to keep the temperature in the house at 75 degrees when we’re not there.

Well, what about our dogs? Won’t they get cold?

Next we busted out the MasterCard bill. Not fun. This usually goes right into the shredder. Today, however, it was center stage on our dining room table. As I went down the long three page list, I put black dots next every item that could have been avoided. This was a serious wake up call. Nearly 75% of our expenses were needless or could be seriously scaled back. The number one culprit – EATING OUT. $800. Need I say more?

Now, with an agreement in place that we would only eat out once a week – we moved on to groceries. This is our toughest subject – and largest expense. Both of us agreed that we would continue to purchase only organic or range free meats coupled with organic or locally grown fruits and veggies. This was non negotiable. Everything else – fair game.

So how could we save money on groceries????

Use coupons?

Pleeeeeeeeeeeeease. Not Moi. I’d rather do an open house on a vacant lot.

The next day, while yapping it up in the office (I can be a real yenta sometimes), I struck up a conversation with a coworker. Wearing a deep smile on my face, I told her of my metamorphosis from an extreme money waster into an incredibly cheap bastard. Well, maybe bastard is a little strong. Perhaps “financially prudent individual” works better. As she pounded on her keyboard politely pretending to listen to me, I explained to her that our only unresolved issue was groceries. I needed a real strategy to bring down the price of our groceries.

“Coupons.”

“Here we go again.”

“No really. I save so much money using coupons.”

She then began telling me of how she was saving nearly fifty percent off of her grocery tab by clipping coupons.

“No way!”

In fact, on a recent visit to the supermarket, at the checkout stand, she pulled out a massive pile of coupons. Seeing this, the overly hair dyed woman standing behind her let out a huge sigh. How dare she make her late for Saturday Botox. But when the price adjusted from $175 to $83.50, the woman let out another sigh, paid $30 for her overpriced tap water and eagerly followed her out the door.

“How did you do that?”

“Coupons.”

Ok. That peaked my interest. She was saving some serious duckets. Serious Cash. I needed to find out how she did this. Not only that — I needed to pass along her amazing strategy to all of my loyal readers.

It wasn’t easy, but after groveling at her desk for a half hour, this is what she sent me today. I’m posting it “As Is” — so enjoy.

My Best Coupon Tips — I save between $50 – $100 every week using coupons paired with store sales & using my store club card.

I clip & save coupons. Most are good for several months, some never expire. I keep a pocketed coupon organizer, organized by product type or grocery store section (personal care, pet foods, baby products, refrigerated…etc). I check for expired coupons once a month. Every Sunday I clip coupons while having my morning coffee and peruse the store flyers to plan my purchases. If ketchup is on sale for $1.00 and you have a .50 cent coupon for it, it will get doubled, and voila – Free Ketchup.

Beginning in 1971, when Jesse was around 4 years old, until 1986, when he went off to college at NYU, I was a full-time single father. During those years, in which I regularly cooked dinner and we ate together, I perfected a rotating repertoire of dishes, some better than others. Among the best (in my opinion) was one that became known as “Chicken John.” Now Jesse would probably tell you that it was just another chicken dish, and that I was a (barely) average cook, and that might be true, but then you would have to ask yourself why he has begged me to write down the recipe for his blog. The answer? Because it was a great dish and he wants to know how to cook it himself. And to also pass it along to his readers.

That I’m going public with this recipe is risky, mainly because there may be people, once they’ve tried “Chicken John,” who will not be impressed, and this negative appraisal might then leak over to the rest of his blog. But that’s his problem. I’m just the chef.

So here it is: “Chicken John.”

1. I rarely cooked a whole chicken. I would buy 2 large breasts (around 1lb each) that I would have the butcher split, keeping the bone in; 4 wings; and two drumsticks. Don’t ask me why I buy all the pieces separately, I just do. I’m the cook; I do what I want.

Most important thing to remember: Do not buy pre-packaged chicken. Go to an upscale poultry butcher or Whole Foods. And make sure that the breasts (4 when split) weigh no more than 1/2lb (give or take a few ounces).

2. Seasonings. Salt, pepper, fine herbs, summer savory, a few bay leaves, a touch of rosemary, Paul Prudhomme poultry seasoning (if you can find it; if you can’t, no biggie), and Lawry’s seasoning salt, and mucho garlic.

3. Season chicken liberally with above ingredients. Crush enough pieces of garlic to smear over the individual pieces. Don’t skimp on garlic. Lemon juice takes the smell off your hands, so buy some while you’re at the market.
*What makes Chicken John “Chicken John” are the seasonings and garlic combo + step 5 below.

4. Pre-heat the oven at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

5, Melt a stick of butter in a frying pan and baste chicken. Do this before you put the chicken in the oven and then every twenty minutes while cooking. Three times total .

Total cooking time 50 -55 minutes, depending on stove. But when the chicken is brown and the skin crusty, it’s done for me. That’s the way I like it: brown and crusty. Sometimes I…

6…turn on the broiler 5 minutes before the chicken is done. At the 50 minute mark, I then I put the chicken under the broiler for about a minute. This is optional. I do it, depending on my mood.

7. Eat the chicken. It’s good. It better be, since I made it for Jesse 5000 times, and he never complained. And if he did, who cares? Like I said, I’m the chef, and I do what I want.

8. Buy one of Jesse’s properties, so I can retire in style, instead of the .0005/word he’s paying me to write this stuff.