Some of you may remember the last post I wrote about how to save money on meat for April Fools Day. I’m sure you’ll be relieved to know that I’m writing the post for real this time! Here are a few tips to save money on meat:
- Check with your grocery store’s butcher and find out if/when they mark down close dated meats. I’ve been able to find close dated meat for more than 50% off at times. You do not have to worry about using it all right away – just throw it in the freezer!
- Sometimes buying meat in bulk is cheaper. Be sure to do a price comparison per ounce to make sure you’re getting the better deal.
- Try to plan a meatless dinner each week. Some of our favorites are black bean burgers and zucchini casserole.
- Consider making the meat stretch by using oatmeal or breadcrumbs and making a meatloaf.
- Stock up during the sales. If there is a great price on chicken, don’t just get enough for that week, get enough for several weeks. Freeze it until you need it.
Do you have any tips on how your family saves money on meat? Leave a comment and let us know!
lori says
i have a couple of stretching tips:
when i make chili for a big crowd, i also make rice. if you put the chili over the rice, you’ll fill up faster and have plenty to feed every one and then some left over!
also, when making lasagna, instead of using more than a pound of meat, i use more sauce, so it’s more meatless than meaty. i also use cottage cheese instead of ricotta because it’s usually cheaper and tastes just as great!! if you use quality spaghetti sauce or make your own with great flavor, no one will be asking “where’s the beef?”
Cassie says
I do most of the things you mention above. Another thing we do frequently is but a rotisserie at either Kroger or Sam’s. We usually eat about half of it at a meal then I pull the rest off the bone and use it for either tacos or burritos the next night. Kroger will run theirs 3.99 frequently. Sam’s is a little more but their bird is also bigger. It’s a great deal considering the chicken is already cooked so you don’t have to turn on your oven.
I have actually shied away from buying chicken and freezing it. Most chicken comes into the stores frozen and it is put out to thaw (at least it is at Kroger where I shop most of the time). There is one brand that comes in fresh/stays fresh but I don’t recall it at the moment. It is NOT good to re-freeze chicken (or really any meat for that matter) so I’ve been buying the bulk bags of individually frozen pieces, usually breasts or strips. Then I just take out what I want to cook for one meal.
Torri says
We only buy meat that’s on sale that week and plan our meals according to that. I don’t have a big standup freezer like we used too, so I can’t store as much meat as I’d like. 🙂