The only way I can cope with the rising cost of groceries is to use a few different stores to get the best prices and buy less meat. I have at least two meat-free days a week and try to replace some of the meat I do use in meals with other foods which will bulk it out. Generally, this means chopped veg and pulses.
I completely agree. Is it just me or are meat prices getting high? Hamburg is ridiculous! I was looking at the cube steak the other day because I wanted to make some country fried steak and they wanted 5.49 a pound for it! I used to buy steak tips for that price and now that is what they charge for cube steak! I was shocked. The most economical protein seems to be meat, or chicken still.
If you have a Save-A-Lot grocery store near you, keep an eye on their freezer section. They often put out packs of frozen chicken breasts for only $3 a pack - which is a steal, considering the thawed ones over in their meat section usually run around $6-$8 a pack. The other thing you can do is grab all the meat that's been marked down for a quick sale. If you're going to be eating it soon, might as well save a couple dollars on it. Plus it's good that the meat isn't going to waste. I would definitely ditch the Ramen noodles, those things are awful for you. Just buy regular pasta instead, and keep some chicken bouillon on hand, if you like noodles in broth. Better Than Bouillon brand chicken base is a great bargain - one jar is like $4 and it makes about 36 cups of broth. Also, perhaps consider getting a pressure cooker. If you like beans, you can save a lot buying them dried and cooking them yourself in the pressure cooker vs. buying them in cans. It's also great for cooking cheap cuts of meat and making them super tender in a short amount of time. Not to mention it conserves energy vs. running an oven for hours.
