The health of my family is of utmost importance to my wife and I. We like to cook up nutritious and balanced meals for our kids (and ourselves, of course). But I’ve noticed that the prices of meats have been going up lately. Instead of buying whatever high-priced meat is available, I got creative and started looking for ways to save money on meat. I know a lot of other families are also looking for ways to save money on meat (as well as other groceries!). If you want to save money on meats, read on! I’ll be sharing all the tips and lessons I’ve learned.
Get a Larger Freezer
I know this piece of advice may seem counterintuitive. After all, the point of this post is supposed to be how you can save money, right? But hear me out. When you buy a freezer with a bigger capacity, you might have to pay a big amount at the beginning. But a larger freezer will let you store more food, and that could amount to greater savings.
A freezer with a larger capacity will enable you to buy in bulk, and store all that meat without worrying about it going bad. As long as your freezer is in tip-top shape, your meat should stay good for a very long time. If you have any doubts, just check out this article on the government’s food safety website. Make sure you read the entire guide, but here are a few excerpts that you might find interesting (note that these are for freezer times – the article also has refrigeration times):
"Fresh Beef, Veal, Lamb & Pork
Steaks – 6 to 12 months
Chops – 4 to 6 months
Roasts – 4 to 12 months
Hamburger & Other Ground Meats
Hamburger, ground beef, turkey, veal, pork, lamb, & mixtures of them – 3 to 4 months
Fresh Poultry
Chicken or turkey, whole – 1 year
Chicken or turkey, pieces – 9 months
Bacon & Sausage
Bacon – 1 month
Sausage, raw — from chicken, turkey, pork, beef – 1 to 2 months
To know more about buying in bulk, check out the next item."
Buy in Bulk
This applies to meat, as well as your other groceries. When you buy meat in bulk, you have to pay more initially, but when you calculate how much it costs per pound, it’s actually cheaper than if you had bought that meat piecemeal.
Since meat is technically a perishable product, you’ll have to make sure you store it properly. And that’s why I recommended investing in a larger freezer. I was initially skeptical about buying a larger freezer (I really don’t like spending more than I have to), but I only regret not having bought one sooner. A larger freezer has enabled me to buy meat in bulk. Now I’m always on the lookout for the cheapest place to buy meat in bulk. It goes without saying that my savings have been totally awesome!
Do Extreme Couponing
Everyone should be familiar with coupons – those awesome pieces of paper you cut from magazines and newspapers, and give you awesome savings at the grocery check-out. While you should keep a lookout for great coupons in print publications, you can also look online. Sites like Hip2Save and Krazy Coupon Lady are great sources for online “digital” coupons. Using these types of coupons is called “extreme couponing” since they boost your savings to a whole new level.
Unlike print publications, coupon websites get updated quickly. Meaning you’ll always know about all the cool discounts that you can use to buy meat in your local grocery. In addition to discounts for meat, these websites also have coupons for groceries, household items, and other stuff you might need to get for your family.
Augment Your Grocery Budget by Using Rewards Sites
This item isn’t really a savings method. But I using money and gift cards from rewards sites would be a great way to offset the cost of buying meat and other groceries. Most of us already have a lot on our plates, and might not have time for another side job. Don’t worry, the tasks you do on a rewards site are really easy to do. Take ZoomBucks, for example. On ZoomBucks, you earn points by answering surveys, watching videos, or completing offers. These are really simple tasks, and I have no trouble doing them while waiting in line at the dentist's, or waiting for my kids after school.
The money you make here won’t be enough to supplement your grocery budget. And that’s more than enough for most of us! Another advantage of ZoomBucks is its super fast processing times. When you’ve earned a minimum of 3,000 points (worth $3), you can request a payout. And it only takes 48 hours to get your rewards! That means if you need your earnings in time for grocery day, you can request a payout two days prior, and relax knowing you’ll get your money in time for grocery day.
Compare Prices
This isn’t the most exciting tip I can give you, but it’s still one of the most useful. Sometimes, people get caught up in trying to find new and novel ways to save money, that they forget the more traditional ways of finding bargains. Going to different groceries and looking for the one with the cheapest meats is still one of the most fool-proof ways to save money. The best place to buy meat will differ depending on your location, so look around and check what’s available (and at what prices). Once you find a place with good prices, there is usually no need to look for other options. Once I’ve found the cheapest place to buy meat, I usually stick to that place. This saves me time and gas money.
Use a Cashback App
A cashback app is the closest thing you can get to getting paid to shop. When you use a cashback app – I recommend Ibotta – you’ll get notifications of offers. Whenever you make a purchase in their partner stores, you get a percentage of your money back! This is a great way to save and make some free money in the process.
Get a Larger Freezer
I know this piece of advice may seem counterintuitive. After all, the point of this post is supposed to be how you can save money, right? But hear me out. When you buy a freezer with a bigger capacity, you might have to pay a big amount at the beginning. But a larger freezer will let you store more food, and that could amount to greater savings.
A freezer with a larger capacity will enable you to buy in bulk, and store all that meat without worrying about it going bad. As long as your freezer is in tip-top shape, your meat should stay good for a very long time. If you have any doubts, just check out this article on the government’s food safety website. Make sure you read the entire guide, but here are a few excerpts that you might find interesting (note that these are for freezer times – the article also has refrigeration times):
"Fresh Beef, Veal, Lamb & Pork
Steaks – 6 to 12 months
Chops – 4 to 6 months
Roasts – 4 to 12 months
Hamburger & Other Ground Meats
Hamburger, ground beef, turkey, veal, pork, lamb, & mixtures of them – 3 to 4 months
Fresh Poultry
Chicken or turkey, whole – 1 year
Chicken or turkey, pieces – 9 months
Bacon & Sausage
Bacon – 1 month
Sausage, raw — from chicken, turkey, pork, beef – 1 to 2 months
To know more about buying in bulk, check out the next item."
Buy in Bulk
This applies to meat, as well as your other groceries. When you buy meat in bulk, you have to pay more initially, but when you calculate how much it costs per pound, it’s actually cheaper than if you had bought that meat piecemeal.
Since meat is technically a perishable product, you’ll have to make sure you store it properly. And that’s why I recommended investing in a larger freezer. I was initially skeptical about buying a larger freezer (I really don’t like spending more than I have to), but I only regret not having bought one sooner. A larger freezer has enabled me to buy meat in bulk. Now I’m always on the lookout for the cheapest place to buy meat in bulk. It goes without saying that my savings have been totally awesome!
Do Extreme Couponing
Everyone should be familiar with coupons – those awesome pieces of paper you cut from magazines and newspapers, and give you awesome savings at the grocery check-out. While you should keep a lookout for great coupons in print publications, you can also look online. Sites like Hip2Save and Krazy Coupon Lady are great sources for online “digital” coupons. Using these types of coupons is called “extreme couponing” since they boost your savings to a whole new level.
Unlike print publications, coupon websites get updated quickly. Meaning you’ll always know about all the cool discounts that you can use to buy meat in your local grocery. In addition to discounts for meat, these websites also have coupons for groceries, household items, and other stuff you might need to get for your family.
Augment Your Grocery Budget by Using Rewards Sites
This item isn’t really a savings method. But I using money and gift cards from rewards sites would be a great way to offset the cost of buying meat and other groceries. Most of us already have a lot on our plates, and might not have time for another side job. Don’t worry, the tasks you do on a rewards site are really easy to do. Take ZoomBucks, for example. On ZoomBucks, you earn points by answering surveys, watching videos, or completing offers. These are really simple tasks, and I have no trouble doing them while waiting in line at the dentist's, or waiting for my kids after school.
The money you make here won’t be enough to supplement your grocery budget. And that’s more than enough for most of us! Another advantage of ZoomBucks is its super fast processing times. When you’ve earned a minimum of 3,000 points (worth $3), you can request a payout. And it only takes 48 hours to get your rewards! That means if you need your earnings in time for grocery day, you can request a payout two days prior, and relax knowing you’ll get your money in time for grocery day.
Compare Prices
This isn’t the most exciting tip I can give you, but it’s still one of the most useful. Sometimes, people get caught up in trying to find new and novel ways to save money, that they forget the more traditional ways of finding bargains. Going to different groceries and looking for the one with the cheapest meats is still one of the most fool-proof ways to save money. The best place to buy meat will differ depending on your location, so look around and check what’s available (and at what prices). Once you find a place with good prices, there is usually no need to look for other options. Once I’ve found the cheapest place to buy meat, I usually stick to that place. This saves me time and gas money.
Use a Cashback App
A cashback app is the closest thing you can get to getting paid to shop. When you use a cashback app – I recommend Ibotta – you’ll get notifications of offers. Whenever you make a purchase in their partner stores, you get a percentage of your money back! This is a great way to save and make some free money in the process.
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