Stretchin' Them Doll Hairz

So everyone knows it ain't easy being a single parent. The struggle is real! Especially when you have a deadbeat ex and you don't make a zillion dollars or anything even close. I am constantly looking for ways to make every dollar I earn go as far as humanly possible. And I am going to be the first to admit I am not that good at it on the one hand... cause I have Champs taste on a PBR budget. And it's really fucking hard to never ever have enough money when you used to always have more than enough. Or at least  large amounts of credit like everyone else to make it look like we had more than enough. Sorry... it's the sad truth of a lot of the middle class at least where I live in suburban Atlanta.

Any who I have lots of ways now that I have figured out how to save money and cut corners. And maybe it's a little dorky but I get a huge cheapskate boner when I can actually make some dinero go a little farther than typical. My favorite way to do that is with food. Specifically home made food that is pretty, healthy and delicious. We don't eat out a lot because I like to cook and I'm damn good at it. So last night I made a super yummy and completely home made meal based on an idea I stole from my BFF. I just tweaked it a little to make it a little more fancy pants cause I'm a foodie and I eat with my eyes first.

Mini Chicken Sliders with Sauteed Mushrooms & Feta

So to start I bought 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts cause they were on sale and split them so I had 6 breast halves. Slice those chicky boobies up into little medallions so you end up with about 4 pieces out of each breast half. BOOM... that's 24 cute little pieces of meat for about $7.00.  Here's about how it all shakes out...

• Marinate those little chicken medallions in whatever you like, I did Cavender's cause I'm an addict and  Kraft Zesty Italian dressing cause who doesn't like that?
• Saute your shrooms in whatever strikes your fancy or use onions or veggies if you are not a mushroom fan. I like mushrooms in EVOO, Worcestershire, Garlic powder and Kitchen Bouquet (my favorite secret weapon for browning things up and making them purrrrdy and if you don't know what this is look it up and you can thank me later)
• Get some slider rolls  and slice them up
• Crumble a little Feta... again any/ALL cheese is good cheese... blue  with a little Frank's Red Hot would be the bomb as well 
• Put it all together and add a pickle... I always like to add a pickle... a biggin... kidding kidding kidding, not really. I have a neighbor that gives me bunches of home made pickles every year... the best. 
• We had some strawberries with it cause one of the pluses of having no mans around is no one gives two and a half shits what we have on the side. Might be a veggie, might be a rice krispie treat. We just don't care.  
• I froze half the chicken for later and we still have plenty of leftovers for lunch or another whole dinner tomorrow for at least a couple of us! Win.. win

So that is pretty much where all my money saving talents lie, in the kitchen and the grocery store. I know without a doubt that I can save decent amounts of money just by cooking and preparing our food and not eating out as a family. Sure....we order the occasional pizza or splurge on cheap breakfast out but that's about it.

How do you save money? Cause I am really not good at this stuff. Those extreme couponer people are like from another planet. I don't know how they do that shit. And what do they do with 50 boxes of rice a roni? Or a hundred bottles of ketchup? But seriously....  Give me all of your tips and tricks and favorite ways to cheat the man and/or work the system if ya got em... ethically of course!

Peaceoutcho!