Do This When You Buy Meat To Save Money On Groceries

Pretty much everything at the grocery store goes on sale at one point or another. But not all sales are created equal, and paying $0.50 less for a box of cereal probably isn’t going to make much of a difference in the long run!

If you want to rack up significant savings, you need to take advantage of the deepest discounts. And in my experience, these can almost always be found in the meat department!

The Simple Shopping Choice That Will Save You A Fortune

Simply by choosing to only buy meat when it’s on sale, you can easily start saving upwards of $100 per month on groceries! If you’re interested in giving this a try for yourself, here are a few tips that will help!

4 Helpful Tips For Only Buying Meat When It’s On Sale

Tip #1: Know Your Prices

Your grocery store’s weekly sale prices are published in their circular, so it’s not hard to find them. What can be tricky, however, is determining how much of a discount you’re actually getting with those prices.

So it’s a good idea to get a feel for the standard non-sale prices your grocery store charges for whatever meat products you use most often. This can be as simple as going to the store and jotting down those prices in a notebook so you can reference them later.

There are also apps and online services that can help you determine how good of a deal you’re getting, but these often require a membership to use. I’ve used Deals to Meals in the past and would definitely recommend it!

Tip #2: Be Flexible

It’s important to know upfront that this method will require a bit of flexibility when it comes to meal planning. If you only buy meat that’s on sale, you’ll have to spend some time deciding how you’ll use the pork chops you picked up (or whichever meat item happened to be on sale that week.)

It requires a bit of extra time and effort, but the savings will be well worth it! And who knows, you might even find that you enjoy the creative challenge of planning your weekly menu around fluctuating sale prices!

Tip #3: Stock Up

You can stretch your dollar even further when you buy meat by stocking up! If you come across a truly incredible sale on ground beef, why not pick up a few extra pounds of beef to stick in your freezer for later?

By stocking up when prices are low, you can save yourself a lot of money in the long run! You also give yourself more flexibility in your meal planning, because you’ll have a stock of different meats ready to go in your freezer.

Tip #4: Use A Vacuum Sealer

If you’re going to be stocking up on meats, I highly recommend investing in a vacuum sealer! Vacuum sealed meat will stay fresh for months in your freezer, and you won’t have to worry about freezer burn.

When you buy meat and bring it home from the store, just divvy it up into reasonable portions (like 1 pound of ground beef, for instance) and seal it up. Label and date the bag so you don’t forget what’s in there or when you bought it, then stick it in the freezer until you’re ready to use it. Easy!

For much more about how a vacuum sealer can help you save money on food, check out this post!