How to Make Flavorful Chicken Stock

Every holiday season I stockpile chicken broth when prices are at their lowest, but despite my best efforts my supply is usually gone by this time each year. Rather than buying expensive broth, I started making my own stock a few years ago. It’s fairly simple to make and it saves me a lot of money! I've tried freezing homemade stock just about every way possible, but the easiest way I've found is using silicone muffin cups. They freeze well and they hold around a cup, so I always know how much stock I’m throwing into a recipe.

I keep raw and cooked chicken bones/necks in the freezer until I have enough to make stock. I throw the frozen bones into a pot with whatever veggies I have on hand: onions, carrots, celery, garlic, and parsley. I add a little salt and pepper, cover with water and simmer for at least 4 hours, occasionally skimming off the foam that comes to the surface. Then I remove the bones and strain the stock. Refrigerate overnight and scrape off all of the fat that has risen to the top. Then I ladle the stock into muffin cups, place on a baking sheet and freeze for several hours, and then I remove the stock from the cups and toss in a freezer bag.  Considering the fact that 4 muffin cups equal about one 32 oz. box of broth ($3.50 each), the savings is well worth the effort! 

Weekend Project: $2 DIY Cash Envelope

One of my New Year’s Resolutions is to contribute even more to my emergency fund. I’ve read articles in the past explaining how easy it is to save if you skip your morning stop at your favorite coffee shop or if you automatically transfer $30 from each paycheck into your savings account. It’s frustrating because my husband and I live within a strict budget, so there are no frills to cut and no “extra” money to save.  We needed a way to save without going into the red each month, so two years ago my husband and I started using cash for the majority of our purchases; which has actually allowed us to save.  We still use our debit card occasionally for bills, but 90% of the time we pay with cash.  No more guessing how much money is left in our account and getting slapped with expensive overdraft fees. If we have extra cash at the end of the month, we have 3 options: add it to the next month's budget, put it toward paying off a debt or place it in a savings account. The bonus is all of the change you accumulate when paying with cash! I use the quarters for laundry and save the rest :)  I've tried just about every way to organize and keep track of my cash. This is by far the simplest way! I've had this adorable Mary Engelbreit bag for years so I just needed the expanding file, which I found at Goodwill for $1.99!

Supplies:                

Money bag or pencil bag

Check size expanding file (plastic)

Remove the expandable dividers from the expanding file.

Measure your bag and cut the expanding dividers to fit, making sure to keep one end intact which will help keep all of the dividers together.

 Label and start sorting your moolah!