Penny pinching ideas

Times are tough right now for just about everyone, so here are some ideas on ways to save a buck or two.

I love flavored iced tea, but it's more expensive than the plain ole tea bags...so I've started adding 1 flavored bag with 2 regular ones. It adds a hint of flavor and it saves money, because the flavored tea bags last 3 times longer! I've also started drinking much weaker tea; it's a double good idea...I get in more water throughout the day while still saving money. Yippee.
I've started slicing my chicken breasts into strips and adding sauteed onions or other veggies in with them....I've tested it and you eat a lot less that way. I've found that if I put a whole chicken breast on my plate, I will eat the whole thing in one sitting, BUT if I cook 2 chicken breasts sliced and add onions or other veggies, I can get 4 meals out of what would have normally been 2. Saving dollars and calories!

And my last advice for saving: box mac-n-cheese. I prefer Velveeta shells and cheese, but the amount of sauce they provide in each package is ridiculous. So, when my water comes to a boil I add an extra cup or even more of dried pasta (whatever kind you have on hand) to the macaroni that comes in the box. Once the pasta is done, I add the sauce to all of the pasta and if it's not enough sauce I will add a little skim milk to combine it all and it will add an extra 1 or 2 servings than what came in the box. I also add seasonings (garlic powder, dried dill, S&P, smoked paprika, etc.) to bulk up the flavor and you won't miss all that extra missing cheese.

If you have any suggestions for stretching the ole dollar, please share.