Saving Money on Beef + Easy Crock Pot Recipes

Ground Beef is a GREAT price this week – as low as $1.99 in the Weekly Price List. I haven’t seen it quite that low for a while… so take advantage of it.

For a good majority of families, meat is the most expensive purchase in a household grocery budget…… I know I have some readers who are Vegetarian – but I would suspect that the majority of you incorporate quite a bit of meat into your weekly grocery purchases.

For most of you, meat is costly – we all have ways that we cut down that cost; for some of us, it means purchasing in bulk, or price matching meat each week.

One of the biggest hang-ups to couponing is that you can’t get coupons for meat or seafood – partly correct, but in some rare cases you can.

Do you have any tips for buying Beef? This week… Ground Beef is a relatively GREAT price at Bashas ($2.99 for Ground Round), Los Altos ($2.29 per lb for 70% Lean), as well as Albertsons ($3.99 per lb for 93% Lean) — depending on how lean you prefer your beef.

Here are some tips to help you save…

Know your Price Point

The biggest tip on saving money on beef is by knowing YOUR price point. What YOU are willing to pay for the Ground Beef you use most often – whether it be 93%, 85% or 73%.

We see 73% lean at $2.00 – $2.50 per pound often at the hispanic markets, but I prefer to lean towards 85 – 93%, simply because I feel like I’m getting a better product. 

Sometimes getting that better price requires you to buy in greater quantities – take home & freeze into 1/2 – 1 lb Bags and you’ll be set for a few weeks.

Stretch your Ground Beef

If your recipe calls for a pound, cut that in half – I have to say we always do this and nobody has ever noticed – not even Dave.  

Now obviously that depends on how many you are feeding, but for us, a half pound stretches without issues.

Buy from Unconventional Places

Avoid the grocery store & visit the Butcher  – the butcher deals with meat all day, is more familiar with where it comes from and can probably give you a better deal. Not to mention… you can ask them all the questions you want about cooking, and eef in general.

Ever heard of Hobe Meats? They are in Phoenix – great place!

You can also try local, smaller ethnic stores, or places like Zaycon (which allow you to buy in bulk and pick up at a designated date & time).

If you are up in Flagstaff, you can check out Proper Meats & Provisions – a Butcher Shop at 110 s. San Francisco – pick up Arizona Legacy Beef FRESH from them from the Butcher Case.

Grind your Own Meat

Many of you, myself included, look for inexpensive prices on London Broil and Roasts – they work well for Ground Hamburger. Safeway & Bashas will grind your meat for free if you ask the Butcher.  AND if you have a Kitchen Aid Mixer Attachment, you can often times use that as well.

Buy Local

Here in Phoenix you can go in with a friend to buy beef in a quantity discount  – which would be considerably more up front, but may be less for you long term.

Arizona Legacy Beef  is just one of many in the Phoenix area that you can check out.. . purchase their beef in packages of 70-80 lbs with a volume discount or by picking out your favorite cuts. 

Their ground beef is 90% lean – and comes in 1.5 lb Packages; their roasts are cut to weight 3-4 lbs on average and they often times have a monthly special. Check out more HERE.

Remember that although the cost is considerably more up front, if you know your price point for Ground Beef, you may vary well end up spending LESS long term.

Photo Credit

Check Store Clearance

If you shop at Target & Safeway, they often times have marked down meat, most frequently in the morning hours. Always take a stroll by to see what you can find – you can always cook up the ground beef & freeze so it’s ready to throw in the next recipe.

Eat LESS Meat

This couldn’t be more true:  More vegetables, less meat, and a fatter pocketbook.  Opt for meatless meals and you will eat just as good if not better, and make more room in your budget.  Visiting the local Ranch Market can be a great place to pick up cheap Produce.

Have you ever tried incorporating more beans in your diet? They can be a great source of protein & fiber too!

Use Ground Turkey

If you are open to using Ground Turkey, swap your Beef out for that in recipes – in most cases, nobody may even notice the difference. Now Ground Turkey is not always as cheap as we’d like, but every so often there are opportunities for us to stock up on it at a price that is slightly less than Ground Beef.

(My husband used to HATE Ground Turkey… but alas, I buy it, discard the package, and put into Ziplocs in the freezer & 2 years later I don’t think he even realizes he’s been eating it!)

I usually try to pay $2.50 at most for 85% Lean – shopping at Costco will help pick up Ground Turkey at a nice price in bulk, sometimes Safeway has great sales too.

We love Ground Beef and we love trying to find ways to save…  but we’re also looking for GREAT ways to stretch that ground beef into some pretty fantastic recipes.

As much as we love to cook here, we might not love the fact that it’s hot here already in Arizona – we rely largely on the Crock Pot to help us put our meals together. Who wants a HOT house with a sky high electric bill?!

To help ourselves (and you in the process) we put together just a few easy recipes for Ground Beef (or, Ground Turkey) that you can rotate into your meal plans this Spring/Summer:

• Crockpot Meatballs ~ Thrifty Jinxy
• Slow Cooker Meatloaf ~ The Kitchen is my Playground
• Slow Cooker Chipotle Beef Chili ~ A Cedar Spoon
• Slow Cooker Meatloaf ~ Cinci Shopper
• Crock Pot Stuffed Peppers ~ Hezzi D’s Books & Cooks
• Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce ~ Cinci Shipper
• Crock Pot Hamburger Soup ~ Simply Sherryl

We previously shared even MORE tips to save on Meat – check out our last post for more or share your tips below!