Purchasing meat takes up a big chunk of a family’s grocery bills. With lean hamburger averaging $3 a pound and a decent cuts of steak running between $5 to $15 a pound, it’s no small wonder why a family’s grocery budget feels so pinched. In fact, at the food bank where I volunteer, the number one requested item by our clients is for meat.
For families who are in search of cheap meat bargains, you might not have to look any further than your neighborhood grocery store. To take advance of these cheap meat deals, you will need a small chest freezer and a bag of freezer Ziplocs.
Shopping the sales
Just like anything else in the grocery store, cuts of meat also go on sale from time to time. Store ads are a great place to find out what’s on sale in a given week and can be picked up in front of the store as you walk through the door. If you are a regular weekly shopper, keep a journal of when certain cuts of meat go on sale. In my store, I can practically predict when chicken, pork, steaks, and roasts will be discounted.
Watching the sales is only one way to buy cheaper cuts of meat. For larger families, “family packs” are usually discounted an additional 20¢ a pound beyond the sales price. To make the most of a family pack, the package should be divided up into one pound portions when you get home. This is where the Ziplocs come in! Once the family pack has been divided, identify and date the package, then toss in the freezer for a future meal.
Shopping the “quick sale” section
Most stores have a corner with cheap meat “reduced to sell.” It is here where a frugal shopper can find cuts of meat marked down between $1 to $4 off the original price. There is absolutely nothing wrong with day old meat. In fact, up until about 35 years ago, older meat was considered to be much more desirable than freshly cut. It was the aging process of storing meat for a week or two that tenderized meat the natural way. Load up on steaks from the cheap meat corner and stash them in the freezer for a future meal.
If your store doesn’t have a “reduced to sell” section, it may keep the discounted meats in the regular section. Our local Winco puts the reduced meat out with the newer stuff, where it generally disappears before 9:00 in the morning.
If your grocery store has a butcher or meat counter, ask the butcher if he has “yesterday’s grind” available at a discounted price. Our corner market will sell “yesterday’s grind” of lean hamburger for a bargain priced 79¢ a pound.
Meat bundles
Certain grocery franchises such as IGA and independent Associated Food markets will sell “meat bundles”. For a certain price, a frugal shopper can buy a mixed bundle of meat that can includes anything from chicken, steaks, hamburger, roasts and more. These bargain bundles are amazingly inexpensive and one of the best meat bargains out there. The catch is that they have to be ordered and paid for ahead of time with a minimum order of 30 pounds.
Once the meat bundle comes home, wrap up the individual portions in Ziplocs and toss in the freezer.
As with any grocery item, the best bargains are to buy in bulk and stock up on the sales. With a small chest freezer and a bag of storage bags, a frugal shopper can take advantage of those cheap meat deals when they happen and ease the pinch of a tight grocery budget.
