Okay, just getting ready to go fry by BOGO free chicken, and pondering the forum discussion on ethics of saving.

30 years ago, Foster Farms used to have an unconditional product guarantee on all chickens, in whatever form or pieces you purchased them. If you were dissatisfied for ANY reason, just send in the label POP and they would send you two coupons for free replacements, be it two whole chickens, two packages of breasts, no specifications other than that it was the original product purchased.

We were DIRT poor. And, my mother was raised on a chicken farm, and had a chicken farm until they were lost in a drought. So...she was picky about her chickens, and a super saver. She purchased one chicken, found a few pin feathers, sent in for her coupons, purchased two additional free chickens, found some discoloration on one, sent in for two more coupons, etc.

TECHNICALLY, the chickens weren't perfect. CERTAINLY the intent of the offer was not to provide free chickens for life. And reality is, we couldn't afford to eat bread crusts, let alone buy meat or protein.

I've always wondered how she balanced the ethics of all those free chickens with the ethics of a mother feeding her family. This is a balance in saving. Someone always pays, there is never a perfect balance.

Thought for the day. Got a free chicken to fry!