Meat is a huge part of the budget each month for grocery shopping in most homes. I have gathered some awesome tips on how to save money on meat each month, to help your budget!
Meat is a staple in most meals, and let’s be honest, it is one of the major items that rack up the price at checkout.
It is expensive and at times overpriced. Learning simple ways to search out the best deals on price per kilo or pound, will really help you cut your grocery bill.
7 Tips for Saving on Meat
I will share some solutions below, to help you reduce your spending on meat each month! If you follow these tips, it can help drastically reduce the money you spend.
After you do this for a month or two, you will be able to be more aware of the lower prices your stores offer. You will be amazed at it saving you money in the long run.
1. Buy Bulk and Vacuum Seal
Consider buying bulk on meats that you eat often. Use a Food Saver to vacuum seal the meat into servings sizes.
Using a Food Saver system, allows you to freeze your food for up to five times longer than a storage bag! This is a great way to get a lower price per pound on meat, and then you can individually bag it, then freeze it!
It is worth joining a membership to a bulk food store like Costco.
You can even buy bigger packages of meat sometimes at some grocery stores. Look at the price per pound or kilo on the bulk items compared to the smaller packages, to see if it is worth buying.
2. Stock Up On Sale
Our stores around here sometimes offer buy one get one free on pork chops, roasts, packages of chicken, etc. So when you find a good sale price, stock up on it, and freeze.
Say it is buy one get one free on chuck roasts, maybe buy four and freeze them. You are paying for just two roasts, and coming home with four! They will taste just as good as fresh, and you will save a lot.
3. Buy a Portion or Whole Cow/Pig
If you live in a farming area, think about buying a whole or partial animal to have butchered. This is a great way to really save a lot on the price per pound.
Now it is a bit of an investment upfront, but it will stock your freezer up for less.
One thing to think about is going in on a whole cow or pig, with a friend or family member and then splitting the cost and meat. Just make sure you have the freezer room, and know your price per pound or kilo to ensure it is worth the investment.
4. Eat Less Meat
When you create a dish, try to eat less meat. This will help reduce your budget a lot. Meat can be the most expensive part of the dish, so by using less it can stretch the dollar.
One way is to fill spots on your plate with a salad, cooked vegetable, another side dish, to replace a larger helping of meat. The vegetables will be nutritional, and they help you reduce the amount of meat you will consume each meal!
5. Use Less Meat In A Recipe
Use half the portion a recipe calls for to help stretch your meat. If the recipe calls for two pounds of ground beef, use just one. Or six chicken breast, use just three.
This can help you stretch out the meat you buy, and you don’t really notice or miss the meat. This frugal living tip works especially well in casseroles, soups, and more.
Also if you are creating a beef stew, put more veggies in, and less meat, you won’t really notice it, and you will still have a hearty stew.
Related post: 9 Cheap Ways to Make Family Meals More Filling
6. Price by weight
The next few times you go to the store, write down the price per kilo or pound after each purchase.
This will help you begin to see a trend on the price, and you can reference the book to know if this is a higher cost than normal, or a lot lower.
7. Skip Specialty Meat
Know that when you spend money buying specialty meat, you pay a premium price. Boneless meats especially add up.
You can pay two to three times more compared to chicken on the bone, verses boneless. This goes for beef, pork and chicken.
Shop around and skip boneless options. Consider buying a chuck roast, they are just as good as other styles but one of the most affordable cuts.
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