5 Tips For Buying Meat Without Breaking The Budget

We have cut back considerably on the amount of meat we eat around here, opting for as many meatless meals as we can in a week. We also have found that serving meals where meat is not the main feature but rather mixed into a casserole or other dish stretches it much farther. I usually cut the amount of meat in half for recipes. For example, if a recipe calls for 1lb I will cut back to a 1/2 pound and bulk up on the other ingredients that are usually less expensive.

Every now and then though, my family loves a steak (I am a vegetarian so I don’t eat any meat), especially in the summer, on the grill. I try to watch for sales and meat coupons that show up every now and then so that I can purchase items like steak as cheaply as possible.

This past week, a coupon showed up in my mailbox for $2 off any NY sirloin and the store flyer (Hannaford if you are wondering) had the steaks on sale for $2.99/lb which is a great price.  I was on a mission!  For $20 I was able to purchase this:

6 NY Sirloin Steaks and  a family pack of ground beef

I waited until the store marked down the meat, got some additional coupons from the customer service desk and bought as many as I could.  The total before coupons and markdowns, even with the sale would have been $37.16!

Here are a  few tips for saving on meat:

1) Only buy when it is marked down

I have a pretty keen eye for those little yellow stickers! I know which days of the week our local grocery stores mark down their meats and shop then. And even then, I only buy the on sale marked down meats and a coupon sweetens the deal. I will also rollover some catalina deals if the store is doing them and use them for meat/produce, the most expensive parts of my budget!

2) Set aside a weekly budget for meat purchases

I try to keep my weekly meat purchase between $15-20 per week. I have my two freezers stocked full of meat that I have been able to get marked down and on sale mainly because I consistently budget for it. While there are many weeks I don’t have to buy meat, if I keep a budget for it and always be on the lookout for the cheapest priced meat I am always well stocked!

3)Know your target price

Setting a target price for meats helps me determine good deal and a stock up price. For example, my target price for whole chickens is .89/lb. At this price it goes on sale every 6 weeks or so. If I find it on sale for less, I know to stock up on it. It is a good idea to know your target prices so if you run into a great impromptu sale at the grocery store you know you are really getting a good deal. I learned this the hard way

4) Buy a lot in smaller packages

When  you find a great sale and the meat is marked down, purchase the smallest sizes for the biggest savings. Have your calculator handy and figure out the per pound prices after the discount.  This is especially true when you are buying the family packs like I did. Unfortunately that is the only way they were being sold, but the savings would have been even better if they were individual.

5) Be prepared to take care of the meat when you get home

Meat is usually marked down because it will expire soon, so it needs to be taken care of as soon as possible. Cook it up into meal size portions or freeze it up. My favorite books that have helped me with cooking up batches of meat and using in later meals are Cheap, Fast, Good and Make A Mix. This is not only a money saver, but a huge time saver!

Buying meat doesn’t have to break the budget with a little planning and preparation! And for the steaks, we grilled up two and had a huge salad fresh from our garden. Just because we are on a tight budget doesn’t mean we don’t have great food!

For more frugal tips, visit Frugal Fridays!