Budget Meat: An Oxymoron?

There are a number of compelling reasons to eliminate meat from your diet, but the fact is that Americans currently eat more than a half a pound of meat per day. I talked last week about how to save money on organic meat by purchasing in bulk from a local farm. But what if you want to save money on meat at the grocery store?

Use coupons, of course! They are rare, but I have seen several coupons in the past couple of months for fresh or frozen meat.  Many are for conventional products, but there are coupons available for organic or all-natural meat products, too.  Here are some that are available now:

• Sara Lee Fresh Deli Product, $1/1 from 10/2 RP
• Margherita Pepperoni, $1/1 from 9/11 SS
• $1 off EarthFare Organic Fresh Chicken
• $.75 off EarthFare All-Natural Chicken
• $.75 off Plainville Farms All-Natural Turkey Steaks
• $1/2 Applegate Organic Deli Meats
• $.75/1 Applegate Organic Deli Meat
• Hatfield Pork – $1/1 from 10/16 RP
• $1/1 Butterball Fresh or Frozen Turkey
• Johnsonville Chicken Sausage – $1/1 from 9/11 RP
• $.55/1 Johnsonville Chicken Sausage
• $.55/1 Johnsonville Italian Sausage
• $1/1 Hatfield Ham Steak
• $1/1 Hormel Always Tender Marinated Pork Loin (use zip 90210)
• $1/1 Lloyd’s Snack Rack Ribs (use zip 90210)

I have one other tip for finding meal deals at the grocery store. Ask someone who works in the meat section of your store when they get a new shipment in. At my store, it is Wednesday morning. So if I’m looking for a deal, I’ll shop on Tuesday night, when they are trying to get rid of extra inventory. In the past I have found pork ribs (which I don’t eat but my family LOVES) on a Tuesday night for over 50% off!  In my case, I bought the pork ribs for only $1.99/lb, which is a really low price in my area. If you can’t use it immediately, just throw it in the freezer and plan a meal or meals around your find later!

I’d love to hear suggestions from you about how you save money on all kinds of meat. Leave a comment with your ideas and tips!

Make sure to subscribe to Mindfully Frugal Mom (for FREE!) to get updates via email of all the newest coupons and deals on meat.