Dear Mary: I love "Everyday Cheapskate." Can you tell me the cheapest way to purchase raw meat items, such as pork chops and chicken? I usually buy the bone-in kind, but by the time I cut away the bones at home, it seems as if I haven't received much meat for my money. I feel as if I am getting cheated because of the weight of the bones, but I hate to pay the high price for already trimmed meats. Give me your advice, please! -- Jan L., Florida

Dear Jan: Make a rule that you only will buy what's on sale, and I mean really on sale at a low price, not just an advertised "special." When you find a great sale, stock up so you never have to pay full price. Then you won't have to worry about things such as bones or getting cheated. Last weekend, I got boneless, skinless whole chicken breasts for $1.67 a pound at the beautiful new Sprouts Farmers Market that opened in my neighborhood. That was such a great price I filled the freezer. I would have done the same even if the chicken breasts had bones and skin. That's just a great price for chicken where I live. How great? The supermarket price was $4.99 a pound on the same day.

Dear Mary: I am 60, and my wife is a few years older. We have two mortgages on one home ($130,000) and a $10,000 auto loan. We have investments with a current market value of about $250,000. My wife thinks we should not touch our investments and just keep paying down the mortgages and auto loan from our monthly income. I think we should sell some investments to pay off both the auto loan and the second mortgage. Considering today's market and everything that's happening, what is your recommendation? -- David C., e-mail

Dear David: If you plan to work another 10 years or more, I would leave the investments alone while you work hard to pay off your debts before retirement. I believe that despite all the doom and gloom currently, the next 10 years will include a season of tremendous growth. If, on the other hand, you are closer to retirement, you are in a difficult position with that big debt on your home. My first inclination is that you need a paid-for home to provide you the security of living rent-free for the next 30 years. In either case, I highly recommend that you spend a few hours with a professional financial planner.

Do you have a question for Mary? E-mail her at mary@everydaycheapskate.com, or write to Everyday Cheapskate, P.O. Box 2135, Paramount, CA 90723. Mary Hunt is the founder of DebtProofLiving.com and author of 17 books, including "Debt-Proof Living." To find out more about Mary and read her past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.
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