What's your meat buying philosophy?

[frugalfriend]

I will only buy organic, 100% grass fed beef (a lot of "grass fed" beef has been "grain finished" for up to 3 months).

I buy organic chicken, it's hard to find it pastured unless I buy it local ~ which is sometimes hard to do around here. My local market just had organic, free range pastured chickens on sale BYOGO & they came to $1.25/lb. It was a great price, so we bought six of them. We boned them ourselves and canned most of the meat. We froze some pieces and I made stock out of the bones (and canned that, too).

I'm still looking for a brand of pork that is pastured, that I trust and can easily find. So, until I do we just don't eat much pork.

My meat is expensive, but my husband and I have discussed it and we're willing to sacrifice in other areas to pay more for this type of meat.

After seeing the movie Food, Inc. I'm also re-thinking my meat buying philosophy and sacrificing elsewhere to buy better meat.

[cab54]

My DH must have meat. He is diabetic and does best (wit his blood sugars) eating a low carb diet. Meaning most of his foods are protein and veggies. Even plant-source proteins like peanut butter can send his sugar up if he has too much. So---meat has to be a staple with him for health's sake.

I don't get meat at WM. Even though I like WM a lot, I don't like their meat. And since meat is one of the main things dh can eat, he'd really rather not have grissly, tough, or poor-flavored meat.

So---meat is more of a splurge item on my grocery list. I buy rather good meat, looking for sales. I am more frugal on other things on my list. But since meat and eggs and veggies are the bulk of my spending, it really isn't that much money. I save because I don't buy bread, crackers, boxed and processed stuff, rice, noodles (only fettucine once in awhile and then I get WM's GV), etc. Cheese is one of my most expensive items, and then I buy cheapie brands of that. And sales. And coupons.....

[Neeley]

Another diabetic here who needs meat as a staple to keep my blood sugar levels down. I am on an insulin pump, but my insulin and supplies already cost me roughly $800/month. If I were to cut back on meat, thus eating foods that cause my levels to go up I would then require more insulin. As a result my costs would go up considerably. Even if I did not have health reason, I would still buy meat and incorporate it into all three meals a day.

I don't have a cut off price. I do shop around for the best price and stock up when it's a great price. But, just because it may be priced a little high doesn't mean I'll skip it.

[frugalwarrior2]

$1.99 or less,texas broil steak or roasts 2/1 only. Mostly orange/red tagged. I use coupons w/ the discounted lunchmeat pkgs. I buy in quantity and freeze. 1 year on beef,6 months on pork and chicken. Flexible but won't eat 2year old meat. And don't have to because I rotate stock.

[mndtrp]

Beef is the only thing we break the rule for, but that's because we buy a side beef every fall. We actually split the whole cow with my parents, so it comes out to about $2.40/lb which is so-so for the ground beef and an excellent price for the sirloins and roasts. Well worth it for better tasting beef that is local, grass-fed and not injected full of hormones.

Same here.

Chicken, I get from Sprouts; boneless, skinless thighs and breasts, all-natural, no injections. $1.50 a pound.

[ladytoysdream]

We usually get some venison in the fall.
We did raise some meat chickens this last summer.
Bought 12 and 11 made it into the freezer.

When I buy meat from the store, I try to stick to $ 1.99 a pound and less. Usually that works. Every once in awhile, I need to make a exception. Like if we want a decent steak. Won't go over $ 5 total for the pkg though.

Just a bit ago, we went to a local slaughter house and bought some meat. Got a heck of a deal on liver, beef heart, and some beef suet. We also bought a nice steak. I got the liver and heart to do some canning for the 2 old dogs. The hubby likes the liver pan fried. 50 cents a pound versus $1.59 pound, in the store. Suet was for the wild birds as is, and to make suet cakes with. I got their price sheet so next time, we visit there, maybe we can get a few other things to try.

I keep checking one of the dollar stores we have for bargains. Last summer I bought bacon for $ 1 a pound and got 40 pkgs. I also bought ham slices that were over a pound each, for $ 1.25 a pkg. I spent like $ 40 that day.

Recently I got some chicken breasts on sale, and pressue canned up some pints . Just add some gravy and a quick hot sandwich in minutes. Need to can some more sometime soon.

[shp1055]

I, too, try to do the $1.99 per pound for most meats. Lately, though no roasts have gone on sale for any less that $2.49; Since I found about the Beef Products, Inc. stuff in fast food burgers, some weinners, sausages, frozen hb patties & even some store's ground beef, I won't touch ground beef that's pre-ground. I pick out the roasts I want & have the meat market grind those particular roasts for my ground beef. A few weeks ago our local store had whole eye of round roasts in the bag for $2.49 per lb., so I had 2 ground up. Today the same roasts were $2.99 per lb., so I just had one ground up; but the cheapest fatty ground beef was $2.99 per lb so I got the equivalent of ground sirloin for the same price. I usually get shoulder roast or rump roast on sale for $1.99 and have them ground.

I stock up on boneless/skinless chicken breasts when on sale; the last were $1.49 per lb.

[monkeywrangler71]

$8.80 per kg (calculator says that is $4/lb) is my benchmark price for beef. That is the regular price for whatever cut they are trying to get rid of on any given week and what I'm willing to pay for stew/stirfry/roast. I prefer to go half that high for ground, but that's a rare deal. I will go twice as much for steak, three times on a special occasion.

I will buy bacon if it is under $5 for a package, whole turkey if it is less than 2.49/lb. I only get boneless/skinless chicken breast, but we don't eat much chicken because it's usually twice as much as beef and birds kind of creep me out. I will buy frozen fish if a package goes down to $5 (1lb), otherwise we will pay market price for fresh, but usually just as a treat.

I would only buy lobster direct from the fishermen. I'm actually tempted to make it a regular part of the menu as lately it is about the cheapest thing out there.

[Josephhgoins]

Had you asked me a year ago I would have said something similiar to yours. Mine was try to keep it at about $1 a pound.

about 2 months ago I discovered a local butcher and my SOP has changed greatly. I remember meat tasting this good when I was growing up and just can't remember when it changed.

I buy much less from the butcher than I ever did the grocery store, but spend at least as much as I did before. The difference is I enjoy the meat a great deal more now.

I can buy a 1 lb flat steak and make fajitas for me and my boyfriend with refried beans and rice and have a much better meal than when I used to buy a 2 or 3 lb roast for the same thing.

I guess you could say now I concentrate on quality over quantity. I still stick to the cheaper cuts and stretch them with other proteins. I also don't have meat with every meal.

Breakfast can be oatmeal or cereal, lunch is something quick and easy like a sandwich and dinner is something cooked.

[frugalfranny]

I would only buy lobster direct from the fishermen. I'm actually tempted to make it a regular part of the menu as lately it is about the cheapest thing out there.

Oh.........don't I just wish!! Can't remember the last time I had lobster..........and I could probably eat my weight in it!! (with lemon butter, of course! ) So I settle for crab or 'krab' or
shrimp.........

[CrazyCat]

gosh..me too.~Frugal..

Monkeywrangler...I'd definately put it on the menu if it was cheap. Here is Ohio...it's outrageous~! I certainly can't afford it. (so jealous...cuz I LOVE the stuff)~

We raise our own beef..and usually pork. We also grow corn and hay..and grind our own feed, so we know what is in it.

chicken however...is almost impossible to find without 'added' saline solution. Breasts WITh the solution are on 'sale' for $1.99/lb...sold in 3 lb. bags. If you buy the stuff that hasn't been 'enhanced'..it's easily $4.00/lb. for boneless breasts.
lately I've been buying it with the bones...and it's much cheaper. Just takes longer to cook that way~LOL!

DH was raised butchering chickens, so he will only EAT breasts. If I bake a whole chicken...he eats the breasts. I can understand that. I don't think I could even BUTCHER chickens without ever eating them again~LOL!

[ShadowMom]

$8.80 per kg (calculator says that is $4/lb) is my benchmark price for beef. That is the regular price for whatever cut they are trying to get rid of on any given week and what I'm willing to pay for stew/stirfry/roast. I prefer to go half that high for ground, but that's a rare deal. I will go twice as much for steak, three times on a special occasion.

I will buy bacon if it is under $5 for a package, whole turkey if it is less than 2.49/lb. I only get boneless/skinless chicken breast, but we don't eat much chicken because it's usually twice as much as beef and birds kind of creep me out. I will buy frozen fish if a package goes down to $5 (1lb), otherwise we will pay market price for fresh, but usually just as a treat.

I would only buy lobster direct from the fishermen. I'm actually tempted to make it a regular part of the menu as lately it is about the cheapest thing out there.

quick hijack - Monkey - in August of '09 we took a vacation to Amherst to meet some internet friends in real life. They took us to the dock and bought lobster off the boat for $4 a lobster (canners) I will never forget that meal! 6 people ate 30 lobsters, and there was just enough leftover to make lobster rolls the next day. It was my first time eating lobster rolls, it was also my first time to see the Atlantic ocean. One of our friends father has a weir(?) that they took us out to see at Northport Park I think it was, plus they took us to Tidnish Beach, and Cape d'or. You have a very beautiful province. hijack over.

[low-1]

Hello all, first post here!

My wife and I (and our just-about 6 year old daughter and nearly 8 week old son) live as far North as you can drive in Manitoba, Canada. A small town of about 800 people, Gillam is the last stop on the railroad tracks before the polar bear capital of the world, Churchill. We live at the very end of a 300km (barely) all-weather gravel road from Thompson, the next closest major center is Winnipeg, and that's a 13-14 hour drive. Our local grocery store is correspondingly high-priced.

As much as possible, we don't buy meat at all. My mother-in-law raises a couple of cows every year, so we get a whole beef for around $1.75 - $2 per pound cut and wrapped to fill the freezer. This year she is also going to try chickens. That's about the extent of our "domestic" meat.

We eat predominantly wild game. I try to get a moose and a caribou every year (we're too far north for deer), as well as lots of grouse and ptarmigan. We spend a lot of time fishing as a family as well. My little girl came into fish camp with me last spring for the first time and caught more fish than I did!

I try to include her in everything (as I will my little boy), and so far she has been extremely interested. She helps me fillet fish, she can do a pretty mean moose call, and she helped me make caribou sausages this fall. It's important to me that she knows where food comes from and to be extremely respectful of that fact. When asked, she knows that food doesn't come "from the store". We butcher everything ourselves, even my lovely wife helped me this year. We do all of our own processing, making ground, sausage, lunchmeat, jerky, etc...

My only real weakness is ham, and to a lesser extent bacon, and we try to wait until there's a sale and stock up the freezer. I have heard from a few people that bear meat can be cured and smoked, and makes a pretty decent ham, so I may try that this year as well.

[The Muse]

I don't buy it, ever. It's cheaper and healthier that way. I'm amazed by what I can do with a kilo of chickpeas...lol!

[greekislandgirl]

My philosophy is: the only meat I buy is chicken, which I cut up and freeze in 1 oz portions. Then when I use it, I use one 1 oz portion for the two of us - so, if it's only 1/2 oz per person, it's only going to be part of the meal. Chicken is the cheapest meat I can get on the island and it's about $6/lb and that's if I pull the feathers out myself, so I don't like to do it often.

The only other meat-like things I buy are eggs ($1.50 for 6) which I only use as main-meal entrees or in baked goods, not for breakfast. Or canned sardines which are $1.50 per can, I buy to have for when we don't have electricity. Canned tuna is really expensive here ($2.75 for a regular can) so I don't buy that.

I miss beef and pork a little but it's really expensive and it's not like my health is going to suffer from not eating enough hamburgers and bacon. I tell myself that but I still wish I had it hahaha!