Whether it’s inflation or a job loss, learning practical ways to save money will always benefit you! Here are a few ways I save money and stretch meat in my meals.
Being a one-income family means we make sacrifices when it comes to our budget. We may not go on fancy vacations. I may not get my nails done every month.
But one place I don’t skimp on is the food we eat. I love cooking wholesome, high-quality food for my family.
However, I’m still on a budget! And protein takes a huge chunk of our budget.
On the months when the budget is a bit tighter, here are some of the things I live by to make some of my meals stretch.
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8 Ways to Save Money and Stretch Meat in Meals
1. Invest in Quality Cookware
A from-scratch kitchen is going to require good, quality gadgets. If you can afford it, don’t skimp on kitchen equipment!
In our kitchen, I have a food processor, a blender, a stock pot, a Dutch oven, a few glass casserole dishes, and quality storage containers.
Investing in kitchen equipment is an easy way to get started on making your meals stretch. How? Because you know your food will be properly prepared and stored. Which means you will get the most out of your food!
I also have specialty kitchen gadgets that help me have fun in the kitchen.
This butter mold is a favorite gadget of mine. I make my butter and often save the fat rendered from unseasoned ground beef. This butter mold helps me shape the fat, measure it, and freeze it!
Other great ideas include an instant pot, quality knives, and good cutting boards.
2. Work with Different Cuts of Meat
If you can’t financially afford to eat protein outside of your budget, you should learn to cook meals that use cheaper cuts of meat.
We hear all the time about the feud between dark meat and light meat in chicken. Or how much fat percentage a pound of ground beef has. But to be frank – if you can’t afford that particular cut of meat, you shouldn’t be eating it!
Let’s take a common example. Chicken breasts from the grocery store are more expensive per pound than a whole chicken.
But chicken breasts are a more commonly used cut of meat. Light meat is popular and works great in a wide variety of meals.
However, it’s double the cost of a whole chicken and you’re only getting one product!
Don’t believe me? Let’s run the numbers.
In 2024, a family-size package of chicken breasts from my local grocery store is $2.67 per pound. A 5-pound package is about $13. A whole chicken from the same store is $1.46 per pound. A whole chicken is anywhere from 5 to 6.5 pounds and costs, on average, $7.68.
Not only do you get light and dark meat, but you also have bones you can make chicken stock from.
If you were to buy store-brand chicken stock from the same store, you’re paying $1.37 for a 32-ounce carton.
You can spend $14.37 for 5 pounds of meat and 32 ounces of stock. Or you can spend $8, including tax, for about 5 pounds of meat and homemade stock.
The decision is yours.
3. Don’t Pass on Cheap Protein
Don’t think we’re walking away from those whole chickens just yet!
Bone-in chicken is cheaper than other cuts of meat. Why? The work is on you to prepare the meat!
At that same grocery store, a family pack of bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs is $1.77 per pound. A family pack of boneless, skinless chicken thighs is $3.48 per pound.
You can save yourself almost double when you purchase bone-in, skin-on meat!
Let’s go back to the whole chicken. Even though you’re purchasing two wings, two thighs, two legs, and two breasts, you’re paying yourself to break down, debone, and skin that meat.
So when we’re thinking of pinching pennies but adding mere minutes to our meal preparation, I hope you don’t have to give it too much thought!
And when you see that meat on sale, stock up! Buy as much as you originally budget for. We talk more about that in my next point – buy in bulk.
If you don’t know how to break down a whole chicken, check out this blog post!
Do you have a plan for your pantry?
Comparing prices on grocery store meat is easy. But when is the best time to buy meat?
Does meat go on sale? What about condiments, canned goods, and baking goods?
My ebook “How to Stock a Pantry on a Budget – Plan, Compare, Prepare” is the tool you need to radically rethink building your pantry!
I will help you set goals for food storage, track your seasonal sales, and get a weekly meal plan together so nothing goes to waste.
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Not convinced this works? Scroll to get my FREE GUIDE “How to Stock A Pantry on a Budget!”
4. Buy in Bulk
“Sierra, you’re telling me to spend more money so I can save money?”
Yes. Yes, I am!
Remember that grocery store we talked about earlier when we were comparing chicken prices? A one-pound chub of 70 percent lean ground beef is $4.47. That’s $4.47 per pound ground beef!
A 3-pound chub of the same lean/fat percent ground beef is $4.31 per pound! While you’re spending about $12 for all 3 pounds, you’re saving money!
If you have the freezer-save, and plastic storage bags already at home, you can preserve that meat and use it for future meals. That will save you even more money the next time you go to the grocery store – you won’t have to buy meat!
If you don’t want to preserve raw meat, you can cook it up and use it for future meals. Which brings me to my next point.
5. Learn to Cook Recipes with Leftover Meat
Instead of throwing out used taco meat, throw it into a chili with a can of kidney beans.
Are you in the middle of summer? Throw that same leftover taco meat into some Sloppy Joes!
When you are cooking at home, you can tweak your favorite recipes in whatever way you want to. And when you know how to cook, you know what flavor profiles mesh!
That’s why I know the paprika, cumin, salt, and onion powder from your taco meat will work perfectly in a sloppy joe recipe. Sloppy Joes are seasoned the same way!
Say that you don’t like to work with leftovers. How can you make tacos and Sloppy Joes without sacrificing your budget?
6. Learn to Cook with Filler Ingredients
Filler ingredients aren’t going to be the best, most healthy ingredient you’ve ever cooked with. They’re usually things like rice and oats.
However, there are a few other ingredients we can use to bulk up our meals without sacrificing too much of our health.
Both tacos and Sloppy Joes can be made with a mixture of beef and filler ingredients. Think of things like beans, lentils, and bell peppers.
While these aren’t a meat substitute, they can give you the additional bulk you need without breaking the bank.
So if you can’t buy a 3-pound chub of ground beef and save the other pounds for later meals, you may be able to grab a pound of ground beef and a can of beans and still have a filling main dish.
Let’s not forget – the main dish doesn’t have to be the star of the show!
Side dishes are another way you can stretch meat in your meals.
7. Focus on Side Dishes
The name implies it all – protein is the star of the show! “Side dish” is something you can easily forget about, or neglect to prepare together.
If you’re looking for ways to make your protein last, you need to make it the side dish and side dishes the star of your show.
Here are a few simple ways you can do that.
Focus on extra vegetables. Get creative! You can make a seasonal carrot salad or roast carrots with butter and brown sugar. If you don’t like seasoned carrots, simply roast them with some salt!
Remember those fillers we talked about? Prepare a side dish of seasoned rice, pasta, or some sort of bread.
Finally, don’t make just one side dish! Think of eating your vegetables as winning points. How many points per meal can you make? Make multiple side dishes with a variety of fruits and vegetables!
Making multiple side dishes is also a great way to eat seasonally and introduce your family to new ingredients.
8 When You Find a Great Recipe, Double It and Freeze the Second Portion!
If you are already buying meat in bulk and using filler ingredients, this is going to be a breeze.
Say you’re making those tacos we have talked about before. If you bought the 3-pound chub of meat, cook two pounds and season them with your spices of choice.
Serve one pound to your family for dinner and freeze the other cooked, seasoned pound until you need it.
Freeze the final pound of uncooked, unseasoned beef.
Doubling a recipe when you’re cooking also cuts down on the dishes you have to do later. And future you will be thankful for your forethought. When a busy night comes around and you don’t feel like cooking, you will already have food in your freezer!
This method works for anything that freezes well. Enchiladas, lasagna, soups, stews, and more!
Need More Ways to Stretch Your Grocery Budget?
I have all kinds of resources for you!
If you already have my free ebook, don’t miss out on my $5 ebook “How to Stock a Pantry on a Budget – Plan, Compare, Prepare.” I have inventory sheets, a weekly meal plan printable, and price comparison sheets you can fill out to get a bang for your buck!
I have plenty of free resources already on the blog, too.
For more pantry stock-up inspiration, check out Easy (and Cheap) Ways to Stock a Pantry on a Budget. I take a deeper dive into the numbers of stocking a pantry and share even more creative ways to slash your grocery budget.
Do you need more frugal living inspiration? I wrote Tips for Living Off of One Income (Without Credit Cards) for you!
We are a debt-free family and I will scream it from the rooftops – this is a better way to live! In this blog post, I share a few tips on how you can make that happen, too.
Of course, I always have recipes that include meat-centric meals and meatless meals on my Recipes Tab. If you want inspiration on ways to use something like leftover chicken or green peppers, go see what is live in my Recipes!
For more frugal homemaking inspiration, follow me on Pinterest!
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