Be More Flexible

Now is also a great time to learn to be more flexible and patient. For instance, with meat prices going up, I’m noticing that I’m buying a lot less beef and I often can’t find some of my favorite cuts, like chicken wings.

So, to keep prices down and get the occasional serving of wings, I’ve taken to buying whole chickens and learning how to butcher them myself. Now, out of one chicken, I get two breasts, thighs, wings, and drumsticks. I freeze the wings until I have about 8, then I air fry them and they come out better than most restaurant wings.

As a bonus, it’s also taught me some new skills: I had never bought and butchered a whole animal before. The first few chickens came out a little bit rough around the edges, but now they look identical to the pre-packaged cuts you see at the grocery store. The quality of the meat is usually better, too.

Something like learning a new skill comes with its own rewards if you’re doing it to be flexible. Aside from the money I’m saving over buying pre-cut chicken, I also have learned how to make the best chicken stock I’ve had in my life. And, it’s also deeply satisfying to know that whatever I’m eating, I took a large part in making it better. What started out as a small thing to get some wings and save some money, has developed into a set of skills I plan to use a lot more broadly.