Meat money saving tips

Meat is a pricey item in any grocery budget. We've gone over how going meatless even one meal a week can save money and reduce your carbon footprint. The thought of going without meat for one meal is just too much for some of you true carnivores out there. If you'd still like to save money while wearing a happy meat face, follow these tips.

Buy bigger packages

We used to buy those 1 lb. packages of meat all the time when my husband and I were younger. It was so convenient because there was no need to separate meat into other packages. Little did we know, that bit of convenience cost us more money. You can save quite a bit by buying the family packages of meat and separating it yourself into the portions you need.

Buy marked down meat

Many grocery stores mark down meat a few days before its "sell by" date. This meat is perfectly good, and if you don't plan on using it by that date, just put in good baggies or containers and put it in the freezer. I don't recommend leaving meat in the original packaging in the freezer. I learned my lesson the hard way with freezer-burned meat several times.

Buy cheaper cuts of meat

I've usually been reluctant to follow this tip, but after reading Life As Mom's tip for cheap cuts of meat, I can't believe I didn't think of it before. Use those cheaper cuts in crockpot recipes and it'll be tender and falling apart by the end of the day. Genius!

Grind it later

Buying meat already ground is a convenience that many of us enjoy. You can often get a cut of meat that's cheaper if you buy it in large cuts. You can then grind it yourself (but really, how many people own a meat grinder?) or have the butcher grind it for you if your grocery store has a butcher. We do this often when we buy roasts and get them cut into steaks or ground.

Make small changes

The Thrifty Frugal Mom has a great tip about ground turkey. Like her, we enjoy the fact that ground turkey is usually cheaper than ground beef, but sometimes the flavor of ground turkey just doesn't work in a recipe. She recommends buying a package of each, mixing them equally, and then dividing into 1 lb. packages. It doesn't save as much money as switching over to turkey completely, but it saves a little and still offers the beef flavor that you want.

What are your tips for saving money on meat?

Photo courtesy tarale, via Flickr.