Tuesday Tip: Saving When Buying Meat

I like to stock up on foods when they are on sale. One thing that I make sure to stock up on is meat (in my freezer). I was really surprised at how much meat costs at regular price. I guess I never really stopped and looked how much meat was, when it was not special! I usually buy ground turkey but I had set out to find a lean beef for hamburgers this weekend and the price was crazy. I've put together tips that I use and others have shared with me as far as saving when buying meat.

Times to stock up:

• When a meat is on sale at a great price, stock up. Weather it's chicken, beef, turkey etc if you have the room for it in your freezer buy a couple extra. Don't pay more for "ground". If a meat such as a roast is on sale, ask the butcher to grind it for you as usually this service is free.
• Around holidays or events (such as Super Bowl), this is typically when the best sales are.
• Clearance, usually the day before and sometimes two days before the "sell by" date approach the meat counter will mark the meat down. When you see clearance meat this isn't bad meat they just have to get rid of it so they don't lose money. Again if you have the room for it, stock up in your freezer.
• Buy bulk, a lot of times when meat is sold in a larger package it is cheaper by the pound.

Get the most out of your meat, educate yourself on what cuts are the best, leanest etc. I like the resources found at http://www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com/default.aspx

You can stretch your meat to make more meals out of it by adding other foods to it for your meal. Ask your grandparents, they may have done this.

• Rice: You can add cooked rice if you are "frying or browning" your beef or add uncooked rice to ground beef if you are cooking it in the oven. If you do this, the juices from the beef will cook the rice.
• Beans: Kidney beans, Pinto beans etc in a can work great. Drain and rinse, then add to the meat prior to cooking. This would probably be better for meals such as meatloaf or meatballs.
• Other fillers include vegetables (grilled or sautee'd) crumbled bread or bread crumbs and rolled oats (uncooked).

I prefer a leaner meat but the fatter meat is cheaper. If you opt for this, they say you can cook it and rinse the cooked meat in a colander and pat dry to save on calories and money. I don't know the whole truth behind this so you may want to do some research.


How do you save money on meat?