Let’s face it: Meat is the biggest expense in most Americans’ grocery budget. Our meat tips included here offer simple ways to slash the meat portion of your bill without depriving your family!
- Try using 1/2, 1/3 or 1/4 the amount of meat in your dishes. Most of the time it doesn’t change the taste and you save money on meat.
- Cook twice as much meat for dinner. Freeze half and then when you need a quick meal just remove from the freezer and use.
- Stock up on meat when it is on sale. If you don’t have enough money to stock up, try making a double batch (like lasagna) when you cook the next meal, then freeze it for later. Use that frozen meal for a quick dinner instead of eating out when your too tired to cook. Take the $30.00 savings and stock up on meat the next time it is on sale.
- Use liquid smoke in place of bacon grease or salt pork in recipes. The liquid smoke saves time and money if you don’t have any bacon grease on hand.
- Save the plastic liner bags from empty cereal boxes. Next time you need to pound steak, chicken breasts, nuts or crackers, pop them inside to eliminate the mess. Also use plastic liner bags to shake coatings such as flour or bread crumbs on meats. Just throw away after using. Store in a file folder.
- Use leftover gravy in soups. It adds great flavor!
- When making meatloaf, mix the ingredients and fill a muffin tin with the meat. Each mini loaf is one serving. Also very easy to freeze!
From: Dining On A Dime
photo by: doopokko
I love the tip about using cereal liners to pound meat out — saves your more expensive gallon-size Ziploc bags. Thanks for the info!
I love the idea of dividing the meat into smaller amounts. For instance we buy ground beef in 5# packages and dividing it into 10 half pound packages before putting it into the freezer. We do other ground meats the same way. Great idea about reusing cereal liners to pound meat in!
Another way to save on meat for soups or stews is cut the meat into bite size pieces. The ones the butcher sells can be cut into 4. It makes the stew look meatier but it also is easier for little ones to eat since they don’t have to cut it up.
Meat balls are also easier to eat when small and look like just as much as a few big ones.
When making mini meat loafs make extra and freeze them raw. Place them on a cookie sheet and less grease is absorbed back into them. They can also be thawed and formed into hamburger patties if everyone wants burgers instead of meatloaf.
I save money on plastic bags by placing my flour and seasonings in a butter tub to use for flouring chicken. Just put the chicken in there and put the lid on and shake it. No mess.
This also works for flouring or mealing squash and green tomatoes for frying.
A question on grinding my own hamburger.
for some reason my husband can’t eat the store bought stuff.
He loves shepherds pie and burgers so he misses them now.
I buy large crypac roasts and I was thinking about grinding my own.
I know the texture will be different and can live with that.
But what type of roast would be best for this?
any help would be appreciated. We will be in the city next week to stock up on groceries.
Grandma, I sometimes grind my own beef if I can’t get a good deal on lean hamburger and roasts are on sale. Chuck works well for burgers because it has enough fat to keep them from getting hard and dry. Round is good for tacos, sloppy joes and other items cooked in sauce. Trim off fat and grind it while cold. I also cut up roasts for stew and stirfry meat because I can get more even strips/chunks than the meat department has time to bother with. I cut those while still partially frozen.
Thanks lois. I do all my own roasts, and steaks and stewing beef usually sirloin roasts. I buy the huge cryogenic packs and one roast gives me enough meat for a month or more. Just tried hamburger once and it was not a huge success. Lucky my son was home with his family for a visit and they liked chili.
I also buy turkey when it is on sale for .99 cents a lb thaw it out and cut it off the bone for stir fries, soups and stews or pot pies. Then I refreeze it to use when we want a change, from chicken.
Will definetly try the chuck roast for my next attempt.
Like burgers and shepherds pie so it will be nice to have them back in our diet on a more regular basis.
Love the idea of using the cereal bags for pounding meat. I have always used them for Rice Krispie treats because it does not stick and your hands don’t get messy from pressing the mix into the pan.
I really hate tossing these heavy bags because they are so sturdy. Thanks from other commenters for their ideas, too.
your thanksgiving is coming up so that means left over turkey.
here is a quick dish and a change.
Turkey Potato Patties makes 4 servings.
Ingredients
1egg
1-1/2cups cups diced cooked turkey
1 cup mashed potatoes
1/4cup dry bread crumbs
1green onion finely chopped
2tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
2tsp Dijon mustard
1/4tsp dried thyme
1/4tsp dried sage
1/4tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tbsp vegetable oil
Preparation:
In bowl, beat egg; mix in turkey, potatoes, bread crumbs, green onion, parsley, mustard, thyme, sage, salt and pepper. Form into eight 1/2-inch (1 cm) thick patties. (Make-ahead: Cover and refrigerate for up to 8 hours.)
In large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat; fry patties, turning once and reducing temperature if browning too quickly, until crusty and golden, about 6 minutes.
You do know, don’t you, that you can get the butcher to grind the roasts for you? For free. If the meat is really lean – like London Broil is, I’ll have them add a little bit of fat to it, otherwise, I just have them grind the roast. If I notice an especially fatty pad, I’ll have them remove most of it. I also have them run a flank or round steak that is on sale through the cuber for me for cube steaks.
They will also cut a turkey in half (fix half and keep other half frozen until you want it.) I have them cut a whole smoked ham into two pieces, but first I have them cut about 4-6 one inch thick slices from the middle of the ham for fried ham. One of those will make a meal for at least 2 people. I also have them cut off and cut up into large chunks both ends of the ham for soup bones/ham hocks. That way, the two pieces that are left over fit in my crock pot. I’ve also had them thin slice/shave the shank portion (keep the bone and take it home for soup). I can then fry the slices for breakfast or use for ham sandwiches. They will do all of this for free. At least, the only place I’ve EVER had try and charge me was Food Lion. And that was because the meat was “on sale”. I told them no way, so they “let” me have it “this time”. This was about 15 years ago and I haven’t bought meat from them since. YMMV with them. Every place else (4 cities in 2 different states) has always cut the meat for free.
I have noticed a difference in the meats from the local stores in the last couple of years. An off flavor/texture to them. I think it’s all the additives that the beef/pork/chicken are being fed and it’s causing me to not like meat so much anymore.
Every month, I have a friend that goes down to Atlanta (about an hour, 15 mins from here). So I’ve started going with her. We go to Harry’s Market and Whole Foods market. I’ve been getting a little bit of organically grown meat. WHAT A DIFFERENCE. I’d rather have a LOT smaller portion of GOOD meat than a larger of the regular meat. The texture and flavor is wonderful on the organic meats. I only buy whatever cuts are on sale and then I just use smaller portions of it. Same thing with the organic veggies and fruits. I really can taste a difference. I notice I don’t eat as much of the organic. I think it’s because it’s so flavorful that I register “full” sooner with it. So even though it costs more to buy it, by eating less of it, it’s costing me less in the long run.
I buy up an extra turkey or two around the holidays. I have gotten it as low as $0.39 a pound. I cook one up for a Sunday dinner and us the leftovers in place of chicken. I divide the meat up and freeze it. I also will skim the broth and freeze it to use for soup or gravy.
I made a big batch of chili a few weeks ago and I bought the ground beef at the last minute. I was able to save almost $2/lb because meat’s “sell-by” date was the next day and the store marked it down for quick sell.