This month I mastered roasting chickens. I rarely roast chickens, unless I do it in my Showtime Rotisserie and roast them whole. That was my initial intention. Stop & Shop had roasting chickens on sale for sixty nine cents per pound and I sent my husband to the store to get four of them. No luck. They were out. In fact, they are still out. Rather than pay nearly four dollars a pound for boneless skinless chicken breasts, I opted for Perdue’s cut whole chicken for $1.79 per pound. It amazes me that Perdue charges one dollar and ten cents per pound more just to cut the chicken. Or are we that lazy and willing to pay that much more?

After reducing my hours from forty to thirty, I have made a conscious effort to monitor how I spend my money and determine where I can save it. Turns out I can save it by buying whole chickens in the meat department, rather than paying to have the butcher do the rest. All you need is a strong knife. When Stop and Shop finally replenishes their supply, this is one way I’ll save money and do it myself. Not to mention, cut roasted chicken is divine. I preheat the oven to 400 degrees. While the oven warms, I place the chicken parts (breasts, drums, wings and thighs) skin side up on a shallow roasting pan. I like to season them with plenty of kosher salt, black pepper and fresh chopped herbs. Tonight I used rosemary, thyme, marjoram and lime basil fresh from the garden. I would have paid at least three dollars for those herbs at the grocery store. Instead, I save the money and grow them all myself in a sunny window. Water, soil, seeds and light. How much simpler can it get than that?

I roast the chicken pieces at 400 degrees for 30 minutes and then reduce the heat to 300 degrees for the final 30 minutes. Then I turn off the oven, remove the pan and allow the chicken to reduce to temperature naturally. The juices should run clear and the skin will be a crispy brown. I remove the skin after cooking and devour the pieces with my family. Leftovers can be made into chicken salad sandwiches, or you can shred the remainder and toss with pasta and vegetables.

I have found other creative little ways to save money although my mother would think they were unethical. I pilfer Equal packets everywhere I go. A box of 200 at the grocery store runs me almost ten dollars. Why can’t I grab five when I walk into a Dunkin Donuts? The problem is, I go to Dunkin Donuts just to get Equal. I don’t order the coffee. I walk in, grab the packets of Equal and leave. I do the same with condiment packets. I have tons of little ketchup packets that come in so handy when I pack lunches for the kids or I have to travel and need portable food. The soy sauce packets I stockpile from the sushi bar are instant sodium portion control when I cook. I also have several drawers with endless pouches of salad dressings, chop sticks, plastic cutlery, napkins, salt and pepper packets, after dinner mints, toothpicks, shampoo, conditioners, bathing caps, sewing kits, lotion, deodorant and facial soaps. If I’m lucky I get glass jars of jelly and jam when I travel.

I’ve tried more honest approaches to saving money too. I started to buy simpler foods at the store to save money. A bag of potatoes is inexpensive and versatile. Tonight, I took five potatoes and rinsed them off. I preheated the oven to 400 degrees. While I waited for the oven to come to temperature, I cut the potatoes in half and then into thirds. Then I cut them into chunks and placed them in a single layer on a nonstick roasting pan. I seasoned them with salt, pepper and fresh chopped herbs. Then I drizzled a homemade seasoned Thanksgiving Oil over them. After a quick toss to evenly coat all the potatoes, I roasted them for an hour. They were golden, crisp, yet soft in the middle. A quick splash of more kosher salt and you have an updated side on a traditional classic. Sometimes, I vary the potatoes for color, or even use half sweet potatoes. The contrast in color is gorgeous and they look like a fall side dish at a Boston eatery. The best part is they cost me about two dollars to make myself.

We can save a lot of money by making meals ourselves with simple and pure ingredients. It does not take as much time as you think. It just requires creativity and commitment. When I made the decision to leave the drive-thrus and cook meals for my family, I found the time on the weekends to make and freeze meals. Crock pots are a necessity and should be used more often to help women along. I can prepare meatballs in the crock pot while roasting chicken in the oven and grilling vegetables outside. The whole process takes about three hours, but I have dinner ready for the week and it eases the stress of juggling the demands of motherhood and marriage.

Often people ask me "How do you find the time?". The answer is I make the time. I made the time by working less. I made up for working less by working more at home to save my family money, eating as a family and spending more quality time with my kids. And wouldn’t you know, this simple strategy works. I call it a greener approach to parenting. The simpler I make life, the happier my family is. Finally, we are as grounded as the potatoes we ate for dinner.