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The #1 Way I Save Money on Meat

This post may contain affiliate links. That means if you sign-up for services or make a purchase after clicking on a link below, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Also, I am not a financial advisor. I'm a blogger who LOVES to share how I manage the finances for my household.

April 2, By Kristia 14 Comments

Meat tends to be one of the priciest items on my grocery list and I’ve found a way to control the costs:

I buy marked down meat.

The #1 Way I Save Money on Meat

Yep, I’ve been buying it for well over 10 years and I’ve never had a problem. I discovered this money-saving tip years ago when I stumbled onto a case full of Perdue whole roasting chickens marked down to $2  in the meat dept. I bet there were over 100 chickens in that case. I scooped up 6 and called my mother to alert her of the deal. (Unfortunately, I have yet to find such a deal since.)

But I have been finding meat marked down 40% – 50% off.

Many stores mark down their meat up to 50% off about 1 day before the use or freeze by date. According to the USDA, “a “Use-By” date is the last date recommended for the use of the product while at peak quality. The date has been determined by the manufacturer of the product.”

This date doesn’t mean that the meat turns bad on that date.

I do the majority of my food shopping at Giant of PA and even if meat is not on my grocery list, I always walk through the meat department and look for markdowned bargains. Giant uses yellow stickers for their markdowns which makes them easy to spot in a distance. Weis Markets has large white % off or $ off stickers on their marked down meats.

If I don’t use the meat immediately, I store in my freezer and when I’m ready to use, I thaw it in my refrigerator.

I’ve found all types of meat marked down, such as organic chicken, ground meat, and sausage. To be honest, most of the meat I’ve been buying lately has been marked down.

Of course, you must use your judgement. If the marked down meat doesn’t look fresh, then pass it by and you might even want to alert the store. But typically the marked down meat I find looks just like the package next to it that has a use by date that is further out.

I have never experienced a problem with marked down meat, but I have been saving 40%-50% off most of the meat that I buy!

What about you? Do you buy marked down meat? Let us know in the comments.

 

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Comments

  1. Rabia @TheLiebers says

    April 3, at 10:34 am

    Honestly, unless I have a specific craving for a certain dinner; this is how we buy almost all of our meat. I’ve even gotten to the point where I go shopping to see what’s marked down, and THEN make a menu for the week. I think it’s a great way to save money and we’ve never had any issues with the quality of the product.
    Rabia @TheLiebers recently posted…The Liebster Award!My Profile

    Reply
    • Kristia says

      April 3, at 12:59 pm

      I’ve never had any issues either, Rabia. And you’re right, it’s a great way to save $$! Thanks for stopping by and commenting.

      Reply
  2. Micha @ Cookin' Mimi says

    April 4, at 11:42 am

    I do this too especially for pricier meat like steaks or roasts.
    Micha @ Cookin’ Mimi recently posted…Share Your Stuff Tuesdays #40My Profile

    Reply
  3. Katy @ Purposely Frugal says

    April 5, at 4:26 pm

    I love those yellow stickers! 🙂

    Reply
  4. Sarah says

    April 6, at 2:39 pm

    I have the unbelievable good fortune to have a spare fridge. One freezer serves as vegetable storage and the other is for meat storage. The only stores that markdown in my area are Walmart and Sams Club. Who knows what happens to the approaching sell-by date meat at the other stores, but they don’t put it out. The best deals to be found are with steaks and organic chicken.

    Reply
    • Kristia says

      April 7, at 7:24 am

      I don’t shop too much at Walmart because it is on the other side of town and there are stores closer to me, but maybe it’s worth a trip to see what I can find. 😉

      Thanks for stopping by and commenting, Sarah!

      Reply
      • Sarah says

        April 7, at 7:47 pm

        You actually may be getting better deals sticking to your local stores. Because the big chain in town doesn’t mark down, you have to get to Walmart (or Sams Club) early before the meat is all gone. It takes me 25 minutes to get to SAMs Club but they have the best price on humanely raised chicken; when it’s marked down of course. 😉 I call them when I’m running low to find out when the next markdown day will be and drive there right after school drop off. One time a super nice butcher held the chicken in the back until I could get there and I was able to buy all of it. I felt like I had won the chicken lottery!

        Reply
        • Kristia says

          April 8, at 12:39 pm

          Chicken lottery! That’s hilarious.

          Reply
          • Sarah says

            April 10, at 2:51 pm

            Had to post this since it was just this morning. While doing my bimonthly swing through Target ( small, regular store, not a superstore) , I decided to check out their minuscule meat department. There may have been 30 packages of meat-seriously. 2 of them were choice stew meat marked down from $3.50 to $1.50/pound. Unheard of in these parts. They came home with me. Target seems to have a system that starts 3 days before the sell-by date. 3 days $.50 off, 2 days $1.00, day before $2.00 off. In general their prices on meat are higher , but I’ll have to keep pop in once in a while and see if there is a deal.

          • Kristia says

            April 10, at 6:15 pm

            Great find and thanks for the tip! I’ll definitely browse through the meat dept. the next time I’m at Target.

  5. Nancy says

    January 9, at 11:24 am

    I’ve been buying marked down meat from Walmart for a couple of years now. I have never had a problem. I usually cook or freeze the same day. I actually make special trips in the morning to see of I can snag any deals for the day.

    Reply
    • Kristia says

      January 10, at 7:05 am

      Early bird gets the worm 😉
      Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment, Nancy.

      Reply
  6. Stephanie says

    May 17, at 7:12 pm

    I love shopping at Target for marked down meats! I’ve never been disappointed and 2 of the Targets are within 10 minutes of my house either west or east. Since most people don’t know that they carry meat or are afraid to buy it there (they even have ORGANIC!!!), I snatch them up when I can!

    Reply
    • Kristia says

      May 18, at 11:03 am

      I need to check out Target’s grocery section more often. I don’t buy too much food there, but will remember your tip next time I’m there. Thanks for commenting, Stephanie!

      Reply

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