How to Save Money on Meat!
Grocery shopping is the biggest monthly budget breaker, next to my mortgage payment. Remember, I have a husband and twin boys that are in their early twenties, so I need to buy a ton of groceries.
There are so many ways to save money grocery shopping I need to break it down into a few distinct groups. Today, I will talk about purchasing meat!
Saving Money on Meat
Read the circulars. Whether they came in the mail, in with the Sunday papers, or you go online….do your research!!! The only time, and I mean, the only time I buy meat is when it is on sale. You need to comparison shop. Know what a fair price is for each kind of meat that you normally purchase.
This is especially handy when you go to the buy in bulk places like Sam’s Club, BJ’s, and Costco. Know your prices on meat for your area. The day after Thanksgiving, Costco usually puts their whole turkeys on sale for that one day! We scored turkeys for only .69 per pound! Recently they had pork loins on sale for $1.79 per pound PLUS they had $6 off each pork loin. This deal was only available for five days. Great deal! We got two and went home and cut them up and packaged in freezer bags. I would say that 85% of the time, I can get a better deal at one of the local grocery stores.
Hamburger used to be the best priced meat available. Today, in our area, it can be anywhere from $3.99 to $4.99 per pound. I only buy when it is on sale for less than $2.99 per pound. One of our local grocery stores offers coupons in their circular. Usually about once per month they offer their hamburger for $2.69 per pound if you have the coupon and you must spend at least $50 for that visit. (There are some exclusions to that $50 so you want to go online and read the fine print.) I recently went to Walmart, and they had five pounds of hamburger for $1.99 per pound. I brought it home and divided it into three freezer bags!
My husband loves beef jerky, but it is so expensive. We are talking around $6 or $7 for a couple of ounces. When I see bottom rounds steaks or London broil on sale ($3.20/per pound or buy one get one) I will get a couple, and we will make beef jerky at home with one of them. You can find recipes online.
Another local grocery store is known for their quality meats. Sometimes they have their ground chuck steak for $3.29 per pound and I will stock up on that then. They also run great deals on their skinless, boneless chicken breasts for $1.99 per pound and you must purchase at least ten pounds.
I stock up and go home where my husband and I trim the little bit of fat on the chicken off and repackage it for dinner portions and put in the freezer. Do not forget to mark with a black sharpie what it is and the date that you bought it.
We do the same thing with the hamburger, chicken thighs (I scored those for $.59 per pound!), pork loin, etc.
This is where I genuinely believe that if you do not have a freezer that you should invest in one. (Check the scratch and dent sections at appliance stores or Craig’s List for even more savings.) Stock up when the meat is on sale!
You can even go one step further and make dinners that go in crockpots and freeze them so that every night before you go to bed, you can just grab one out of the freezer to thaw and put in the crockpot in the morning before you leave for work. You come home and dinner is ready!!!
Research, research, and research. Check out all the grocery stores in your area. Make a list of the stores and the types of meat that your family eats. Make a list of what each cost per pound at every store. Check here for a grocery printable that you can customize. Yes, it takes a little bit of time, but in the end this research will be time well spent!!
Remember, Saving Money IS Making Money!
