Purchasing meat can bust your food budget. Especially now with increasing prices at grocery stores due to inflation. I primarily eat a meat-based diet, so I definitely have to be stringent and strategic about my food purchases. Because of that I developed some tips to eat meat on the cheap, which I will share with you in this post. Let’s save some money and eat a juicy cut of meat!
Tip #1 To Eat Meat On The Cheap: Shop The Sales
Many, if not all, grocery stores in the United States run regular sales, including meat. These sales are collected into a “weekly ad” or a “circular.”
Where I live, the grocery stores have new circulars every Wednesday. Some stores like Aldi start a new sale every Sunday. Depending on where you live or shop, you need to check when your local grocery start and end their sales.
After you determine that, then you check out the weekly ad to see what meat is on sale. From there, you can make a meal plan. If I see ground beef is on sale then I buy that. Or if the store has a great deal on bacon then I stock up on that.
Tip #2 To Eat Meat On The Cheap: Choose Inexpensive Cuts
I know you want to eat ribeye steaks or center cut pork chops, but you can’t spend that type of money all the time. If you want to eat meat on the cheap then choose inexpensive cuts.
For beef, you’re looking at the following:
- Chuck steak
- Tri-tip
- Flat iron
- Top round steak
For pork, look at these cuts:
- Pork loin roast
- Pork shoulder
- Ground pork
- Spareribs
If you’re a chicken lover, all those cuts except chicken wings are pretty inexpensive. However, buying a whole chicken usually gives you the best price per pound.
Finally, for you lamb and goat fans, I suggest buying those from an ethnic grocery story, a local butcher, or a local farm. Although you can get these items from regular grocery stores, I don’t see many sales for these meats.
Tip #3 To Eat Meat On The Cheap: Learn Different Cooking Methods
My final tip to eat meat on the cheap is to learn different cooking methods. When you choose inexpensive cuts of meats you can’t cook them as you would a choice cut of steak or pork. Usually because these meats don’t have much fat or are a very fatty cut.
With cheaper cuts of meat I suggest you cook low and slow. Roasting meat in a oven or in a slow-cooker is a fantastic option. You can still sear the meat but cook it slowly in liquid. Braising these meats are a good option too. If you don’t know how to do either then search on YouTube for a tutorial.
Look into marinating your meat too. Yes, you can buy pre-made marinades, but it’s incredibly easy to create one. Basically it’s oil, water, and spices. However, you can find a recipe online.
Finally, invest in the proper cookware. Because the proper cookware will help you not waste money by cooking meat incorrectly. I highly suggest you buy a good stainless steel or cast iron pan due to their versatility.
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