Homey Chicken Hash will save you money

We have a love-hate relationship with grocery coupons. We love the savings — not so much the time and organization they require. Our best advice? Gradually work toward becoming coupon royalty.

Most people start clipping with good intentions, get overwhelmed and end up tossing these slips of paper worth hundreds of dollars into the trash. We've been there, done that, too! But if you start out slowly, giving yourself time to develop some new habits and a sensible system, success is highly likely.

Here are our best tips:

• Set a realistic goal. At first, ours was simply to save the cost of the Sunday newspaper. After several years of clipping, our current goal is to save 10 percent of our grocery bill. We often do.

• At first, clip only coupons for items you already buy and use. It's easy to end up buying unnecessary items or products that are more expensive than the store brand or brand you'd typically buy, and thus erase any savings.

• At first, clip only coupons worth 75 cents or more. Too many coupons spell disaster.

• Always keep the coupon file in your car or purse. It's quite frustrating to know you have the coupon back at home.

Today's recipe for Homey Chicken Hash from our cookbook "Cheap. Fast. Good!" will save you money whether you clip coupons or not. When the budget was running tight, our grandmothers turned to hash. They were "stretcher meals" to make the month's final groceries last until the next paycheck. Our modern version is loaded with potatoes and spiked with carrots and chicken, ensuring everyone leaves the table satisfied.

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Menu suggestion: Homey Chicken Hash

Lettuce wedges with ranch dressing

Frozen biscuits

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HOMEY CHICKEN HASH

Start to finish: under 20 minutes

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 small onion (for about 1/2 cup chopped)

2 medium carrots (for about 1 cup slices)

4 cups diced cooked potatoes (see Cook's note)

2 cups (1 pound) cooked chicken chunks (see Cook's note)

salt, to taste

black pepper, to taste

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese

ketchup for serving, optional

Cook's note: For the potatoes, you may scrub, peel, dice and boil 1 pound of raw potatoes until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain well, and proceed with recipe. Or use 1 package (1 pound, 4 ounces) refrigerated diced potatoes with onion, such as the Simply Fresh brand.

Leftover cooked chicken, already-roasted chicken meat removed from the bone, or already-roasted or grilled chicken breast from the refrigerated meat case at the supermarket works well. Or first cut 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts into bite-size chunks, and saute until cooked through, then proceed with the recipe.

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