Big Y

The Spanish expression "ahorrarse el chocolate del loro" describes cutting an insignificant expense while leaving major costs untouched. Popular tradition traces it to an impoverished family that cut the pet parrot's daily portion of chocolate to save money, a saving the household budget barely noticed. The irony, often noted, is that chocolate can be toxic to birds, so the cut may even have helped the parrot. People use the phrase to mock token austerity.