my stockpile is shrinking!

**Contrary Housewife** · 09-17-2009, 12:33 PM

I can see the back of my freezer!

Typically I take advantage of meat department deals to keep it stocked but it seems the last month or two there have not been so many good deals to be had and we're going through it faster than I'm adding to it.

Anyone else seeing this? I hope it turns around soon.

**wunsagin** · 09-17-2009, 01:11 PM

I have the opposite problem, I need to quit buying, I'm running out of room. The past 2 wks there have been good prices on ground beef and steak. On top of what was already in there and it's stuffed.

**Grainlady** · 09-17-2009, 01:23 PM

I generally use approx. $10 of my $50/week budget for meat/fish, and the only thing I've purchased in 3-weeks was a bag of leg/thigh pieces at Aldi so I could make some soup stock; so I have a pretty good size void in my refrigerator-freezer these days as well. I guess I'm going to have to start getting to the grocery store a little earlier than I have been because the bargains aren't lasting long.

I hit the jackpot in August when the store had kielbasa drastically discounted (it was nearing the sell-by date). I bought 5 packages of it, cut it in serving sizes and vacuum-sealed it in FoodSaver bags, and still stayed under my $10 meat limit.

I've been making gluten and grinding it for "fake ground meat". I mix it with ground beef or ground sausage as a meat extender that is still high in protein, but from a less-expensive grain source. It works fine in casseroles or in sloppy joes, a topping on pizza, in spaghetti meat sauce, etc.

It's not for everyone, but hey, whatever saves a buck these days!!! And nobody complains about the adulterated "meat"

.

**jlaporte** · 09-17-2009, 01:24 PM

i do. some prices r going up faster then i can adjust the budget too. but when i feel something is good i try to buy a bunch. but really its just hard. and the sizes keep shrinking.but for me i have been using alot of ground trukey n such. i have found we really like it. i did buy some roast type meats cheep and have em in the freezer,like u i wish i had more in there

**frugalfranny** · 09-17-2009, 03:07 PM

Originally Posted by wunsagin

I have the opposite problem, I need to quit buying, I'm running out of room.

I have the same problem. Not that I am buying but my garden gave me a bounty this year and I kept it. I usually give lots of it away....in fact, MOST of it. But not this year. Gave some of it away but made good use of freezer and dehydrator.

**WV_mom_of2** · 09-17-2009, 03:51 PM

My freezer is almost totally empty! I cleaned it out really good about a month ago and got rid of some stuff that was pushed to the back and not any good any more. Money has been tight for us for about a year now and we've used up my stockpile! Dh was shocked this morning when I told him to look in the freezer. I have a bucket of ice cream, a venison roast and some fish in there and that is all!

I've been trying to get my stockpile built back up for winter. I am on weekends only at work now and at the end of Oct. will be laid off until April. I found good deals on canned veggies this week and bought some and today I found a pack of ground chuck for 1.59 a pound that is almost two pounds. I will make a meatloaf out of that for a couple of meals. I also found chicken thighs for .59 a pound and bought a big pack. It has 12 in it so I divided that into two meals worth and put in the freezer. Once hunting season gets here we will hopefully fill the freezer with venison too. It's hard to stockpile with little money but I feel an almost panic coming over me lately. I keep hearing it's going to be a hard winter in my area and that food prices are going up so I'm doing what I can now!

**piney** · 09-17-2009, 04:51 PM

I am like wunsagin i have my freezer packed have keep reminding my self when i am grocery shopping not get anything go in freezer.

**spyzvixxen** · 09-20-2009, 11:05 PM

I've also been stocking up on other things with my meat portion of the budget. Freezer is getting empty meat-wise. Not good since fiancee is carniverous.

**calimomx2** · 09-21-2009, 12:28 AM

My freezer is almost empty as well and I'm really hoping to see some good sales on meat happening soon!!!

**Cricketlegs** · 09-23-2009, 01:33 PM

I tend to fill up the freezer then just eat it bare or else food goes bad on me.

It is a constant

with food!

**auntie2many** · 09-23-2009, 06:44 PM

I do not have a stand up freezer just the fridge freezer, but fortunately we have more than one fridge. A couple of weeks back our kitchen fridge broke on the weekend, so some of the frozen food thawed. We tried to eat that up quickly and now I am starting from scratch again and it is hard. I try to buy mark-down meat, but that is getting harder to find as others who were previously not frugal are now as a result of the economy.

**Thevail** · 09-23-2009, 08:25 PM

Better meat bargains will usually happen in November when the big companies butcher livestock so that they don't have to feed so much over the winter.

**Contrary Housewife** · 09-23-2009, 08:39 PM

I've been buying a lot of steak this summer, up until about the end of July I kept getting it on really great sales. Steaks are great, but you get tired of it after a while.

Last week I got 9 lbs of pork shoulder for bbq and 8 lbs of pork loin cut into pieces for roasts. It was incredibly cheap (1.88 and 1.77 per lb) and people were just walking right past it in the store! So that helped fill up some space.

This week I don't know. Cube steaks are 10 for $10 so I might get some of those. I don't know what they weigh so it is hard to compare against the regular per pound price. Chuck roast will be 2.37/lb. Kielbasa is 2/$5. I normally stock up when it gets to 2/$4 but I have not seen it on sale for a long long time and don't know if it will ever be that price again. On the other hand I still have several packs in the freezer so I can wait....

**itlw8** · 09-24-2009, 10:13 AM

It is just the natural cycle to allow for rotation of product and organization

I have been doing some cleaning and organizing... moved all the cryovac meat down to the chest freezer as it lasts a long time.

plenty of pork steaks, whole turkeys and corn beef

guess I had used the chicken I could not find any in there but now I have room. Thawed one of those turkeys and made some freezer meals we are eating the leg quarters tonight. YUM

While it is fairly empty I need to defrost the upright this weekend

a full freezer does no good if you buy fresh meat and eat it each week at the store and let the frozen meat sit and get old in the freezer.

That said I am ready for some good sales and on a week I have extra money.