If you missed watching Good Morning America on Thursday morning, the clips of Chrissy helping Robin Roberts shop for ingredients and Wolfgang Puck turning them into a feast are now posted on the Good Morning America website. There don’t appear to be direct links to the video clips so to access them from the main page, scroll down the list of “Recently on GMA” video clips until you get to the bottom. Click on the links for “Wolfgang Puck’s Dinner Dare” and “Wolfgang Puck’s Meal Revealed.”
Chrissy did a fantastic job helping Robin spend her budgeted money wisely. Robin and Chrissy were the only team who came in under budget and had enough money left over to purchase pantry goods for a food bank which was the whole point of the challenge! With their purchased ingredients, Wolfgang cooked up a six-course dinner that could easily feed four adults and still leave leftovers! As Wolfgang said, “Why $15? Ten would have been enough!” Chrissy and Robin helped prove him right.
The tricks that Chrissy taught Robin in order to stretch their money farther are simple.
1) Use a calculator as you shop.
As Chrissy and Robin went through the store, they kept track of their running total to make sure they didn’t go over budget. When they had purchased the food they needed for the meal, they had enough money leftover to buy several boxes of cornbread to donate to a food bank.
2) Plan your meals based on sale items.
Rather than going to the store with a meal idea in mind and buying the ingredients needed, Chrissy encouraged Robin to shop the sales to lower the cost. Robin really wanted pork cutlets although chicken was much less expensive, but everything they bought was on sale. Robin summarized the benefits of this way of shopping at the end of the clip: “I got everything on sale and had money to give back–a lesson for everyday.”
3) Shop what’s in season.
Shopping seasonal produce is not only the eco-friendly option, but it saves money at the checkout, too. Chrissy and Robin bought carrots, oranges and apples, all of them on sale and in season. Another benefit? In season produces makes for a better tasting meal. It’s a win-win situation.
4) Match coupons to sale items.
Chrissy and Robin didn’t shop with coupons, and, really, coupons are only one of many savings strategies. But, had they wanted to purchase items with a coupon, they could have stretched their dollars the farthest by timing the use of those coupons with their store’s sale. Generally, store sales and promotions on certain items occur a couple of weeks after coupons for those items are issued in the newspaper. It pays to be patient. Timing is key when slashing the grocery budget.
Chrissy did a great job helping Robin navigate through the store with a budget-conscious mindset. They provided Wolfgang with enough ingredients to create a delicious looking feast, and they bought four boxes of cornbread to dontate to a food bank, all while staying under budget. You can find Wolfgang Puck’s Pork Chop recipe here, but if you want to try it, I suggest you wait until pork chops go on sale.
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