Here’s another thrift shopper special, this time of the pasta variety. Sure, there are plenty of monthly expenses you can cut corners and save money on like drinking tap water instead of bottled, watching movies at home instead of the theater, getting half off for the pregnant hooker instead of the one who just started out and only has a few stds, but when you start cutting corners on food, you had better be careful! Did I make a wise purchase? Let’s find out.

I do a lot of my thrift shopping at Family Dollar. These bargain stores are everywhere around here. I buy their store brand stuff to save money. Sometimes I don’t like what I saved money on, sometimes I do. In this instance, I do like what I saved money on and really, really enjoyed this chicken bacon pasta salad concoction. This pasta salad only cost a dollar! I added a can of Picket Fence brand chicken ($2.50) and a nice plop of reduced fat mayonnaise (pennies). The pasta cooked up just right and the flavor packet offered a nice helping of dehydrated vegies, herbs and spices.