With a few simple tips, you will be able to save a lot of money on meat each week. Very seldom do I spend full price when buying meat for my family. Once you know the tricks, you’ll be able to do the same!
If you’re not a couponer, you may feel as if you have no choice but to pay full retail price on meat because it’s a necessity for most families.
While there are certainly several money-saving alternatives to purchasing meat at the grocery store or purchasing straight from a farmer, sometimes it isn’t a practical option for one reason or another.
So I give you this tip that’ll help you save every day without taking extreme measures.
🥩 Savings Tips
Shop at night – Yup, it’s as simple as that. Many grocery stores discount their meat in the later hours of the evening to get their items out the door. Depending on your area and the store in which you shop, your deals on meat may range from so-so to buy-everything-you-can-carry.
Talk to the butcher – I ask my butcher if he has any deals or is getting ready to mark down any meat. It’s amazing how much this will help. My butcher always points me to the best deals. He even walked into the back to give me some strip steaks that he was going to mark down later in the day, but went ahead and marked down for me.
Don’t be picky – Looking for deals is one of those times when it doesn’t pay to be picky. I am driven more by the cost savings than I am for the cut of meat. For some reason, my local grocery store over-buys chicken quarters all the time, and then they mark them down. I usually steer towards the thighs or breasts, but when the quarters go on sale, I jump on it!
Ask – My husband looks at the “sell by” dates on the packages. If it is close, he will ask the butcher if they will mark it down. Nine times out of ten, they will gladly mark it down so they don’t have to worry about it later.
💰 How Much Can I Save?
My “buy price” for discounted meat is typically $1 off per pound.
Yours will be different depending on the cost of living in your area and whether your store marks down on a per lb, percentage, BOGO or straight dollar-off basis.
I’ve also been able to save handsomely on typically expensive seafood like salmon.
You’ll also likely find awesome deals on prepared meat like rotisserie chicken and fried chicken.
A friend has told me that the Kroger in her area marks down fried chicken to $1 to $2 for ten pieces. She can also purchase rotisserie chickens for $1.99 to $2.99! I so wish I had those stores in my area.
I checked Walmart because I know a lot of you guys shop there and found their rotisserie chickens marked down to $5.99 from $7.99. So it does depend on your store and location.
I’ve found the best deals after 8:00pm. This is especially true if you’re shopping at a store with a closing time rather than one that’s open 24/7.
🔍 Other Tips and Tricks
So, how do you save money on meat? Please share your tips in the comments below so we can all help each other!
That’s a great idea! I like shopping at night anyway, there’s less people to deal with! Thanks for sharing, I’m pinning!
I prefer shopping at night too. I live in a tourist area so it’s just calmer for us to shop in the later hours.
Be aware that there are walmarts who mark their meat sections down in the a.m. when the first person gets in… that has been true in both of the stores I’ve worked in – don’t be afraid to ask when they do mark downs ! FYI – the same applies at walmart bakeries
Thanks for the great tip! Some shoppers that may not be able to shop at night will definitely appreciate this.
Their marked down bakery items, especically bread is great.
That is such a good point. I end up shopping in the evening by default due to my husband and my work schedule, but I never thought about them discounting things later in the day–which makes complete sense. Thank you so much for sharing this tip with the Daily Blog Boost group! 🙂
Initially, my hubby’s work schedule is what pushed us to shop at night too. Definitely a happy accident in coming across all the mark downs. 🙂
Great tip, I would have never thought about prices being lowered at night, but it makes since. I’ll need to remember this for future reference. Thanks for sharing, vising from D.B.B.
Thanks for stopping by, Victoria!
I’ve never heard this tip before. I typically shop during the day but may have to try it at night just to see if our stores discount their meat late. Thanks!
Britni @ Play. Party. Pin.
Thanks for stopping by, Britni!
We do this quite often. A couple weeks ago we got whole chickens for something like $.69 a pound and 10lb bags of chicken hind quarters for $.49 a pound. I purchased all they had. My dad just retired from the Walmart meat department, and he’s said that the markdowns depend on the store and the manager.
Those sound like some great deals!
Love this! I am going to share this on FB!
Thanks, Linda!
My hubby is the King of finding good deals like that! One thing he does is look at the sell-by date on the meat. If it’s close to the sell-by date he’ll ask the person working in the meat dept if they can go ahead and mark it down for him, since they will be soon anyway. It actually works a lot of the time!
Jillian, that is SUCH a good idea! Thanks so much for sharing!
Most of the stores in my area only mark meat down 1-2 times a year. So when those sales come around, I stock up our spare freezer like it’s going out of style. In the near future though, we’re looking to purchase straight from the farmer (since they’re everywhere around here).
1 to 2 times per year? OUCH! Purchasing straight from the farmer definitely sounds like a much better alternative in your area.
Interesting! I would def check dates and ask if the meat can be marked down. BUT am I the only one who HATES to go out at night and shop? It’s difficult with the kids… I might have to give it a shot and check out our local stores. Or maybe I’ll just have to send the hubs!
I would imagine it’s definitely more difficult to be so flexible with shopping times when you have kids! A reader did point out in the comments above that sometimes Walmart marks down meat in the very early morning. So maybe that could be an alternative for you.
Julia- I am the same way…HATE to go out at night! But I have found that if I go first thing in the morning, there is still a good selection of marked down meat…especially at Sam’s Club! Often times I get chicken breast for $1.39/lb!
I am in the same boat… the stores in my area NEVER have marked down items. The very few times I have found marked down meat, it has honest-to-goodness been green. Awful! I envy the ones that are able to find marked down meat, as I am always cooking for a crowd… those savings would be a God-send.
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Makes perfect sense. My tip is don’t just assume that the “family size” is less/#, especially if the markdown is a set amount. Our store generally does $2 off per pack of chicken. Sooo the 1lb chicken breast pack priced at $3.50/# ($3.50-$2 off is $1.50 or $1.50/#). But the 5# family pack that is $2.49/# ($12.45/pack-$2 off is 10.45 or $2.09/#). So I stock up on lots of small packs that also happen to be pre-measured for meals.
Another way I save on chicken breast is by shredding it.
I really enjoyed your post. I just found you over at The Homestead Barn Hop and would love for you to come share at my Saturday Spotlight Blog Hop!
April
Angels Homestead
I’ve noticed meats being marked down Tuesday-Thursday rather than other days in the week I dk if this is related to Monday and Friday shipments but my local grocery has the best deals then.
When I bring chicken breast home I slice them…people don’t realize they are eating thinner pieces of chicken, I put 4 slices in a zip lock bag and freeze them.
Always talk to the butcher. I am not a fan of pork roast but I do like pork steak. The butcher told me the steaks are cut from the roast and cut the entire roast into teaks for me at 99 cents lb. instead of the #2.49 for already cut bone in steaks.
I shop at the Safeway on my way home in a smaller, high-end neighborhood. It’s not very busy so they constantly have meat, dairy, and other items on sale. I once scored whole frozen turkey breasts for $.19/lb!! I regularly get steak and chicken for 50% off.
Which Chains have the best deals? I have a Publix, Winn-Dixie, Walmart, Target and Sav-A-Lot in my area?
Thanks
If you have a Safeway-owned store in your town, they will usually have a meat markdowns section in the end of a case. Look for a sign that says “manager’s specials.”
When roast are on sale I buy alot and have the butcher ground it for me. He used to wrap them in 1 lbs but now I have to do it at home. Which is fine with me. Ground meat can be expensive and a lot % of fat when prepackaged.
The store we use marks down there meats by half, you have to get there when they open because they sell out fast and they usually put it in an area other than the meat section, one day I found the marked down meat in the frozen burrito/pizza section! and another time –same store I found them in a very small open freezer setting next to the pop! I wonder why they do that? We always find some good deals on T-bone steaks and ground beef and livers and gizzards. I usually buy all I can when I have the extra money.
I work at a grocery store, and have gotten meat up to 95% off. The trick at my location (Toronto) is to go early; sometimes I’ll grab some of the best deals before customers are even allowed into the store. We want it gone by the time people shopping for their dinner come in. I made an 800g beef tenderloin roast the other night that I’d paid just $3.66 for, and have paid less than $1 for corn-fed AAA strip steaks as well 😀
Those are some GREAT deals you got!
I always shop for meat on Tuesday mornings after I drop the kids off at school. That’s when I’ve been able to find the best deals at my local Walmart. It is like a treasure hunt shopping for all the yellow stickers. Today I saved 30% off my total meat purchase. The best part about shopping for yellow stickers is that it forces me to expand my horizons and figure out how to cook new meats and design different meals to go along with them.
The thrill of the hunt can be so exciting! And it definitely helps keep things interesting in the kitchen!
Just something to help. My husband worked in the meat dept. at Walmart. They always mark meat down in the morning, so the best time to shop for their deals is actually right around 11-12. If they don’t have it marked down by the end of their opening shift they can get into trouble. I always found the best deals right around 11am on weekdays when most people don’t shop. I’ve gotten whole chickens for 1-2$ and steaks for 3-5$!
Talk to the meat department, ask when they mark down meat, I have found usually after a sale, it can be marked down to move it out the door. Check the dates, Mark downs are usually on the day of or before sale by date. These mark downs are usually the ones you buy all you can, take home and freeze. As a general rule, I don’t keep meat frozen over a month. I have never found a mark down in a 24/7 store in my area. I have found the name brand Turkey in the first few months on the year, below a $1 a lb. and there are a few coupons that will give you anywhere from $3-$5 the purchase of the turkey for this time frame. If you like a full rack of ribs, start checking in May to about November at the 24/7 superstore, they will have 2 full racks, name brand ribs for $1 ish a lb. in my area, look in the flat floor frozen section, if you look in the wall section of pork 1 rack of ribs will be almost double in price. Hams and birds are usually in the case from November to April. Learn when your favorite store rotates your favorite meat on sale. Also, check stores just outside of your normal shopping area, the next town over, sometimes its worth the trip to take a friend and a cooler to stock up for a month, (car pool – take turns). Know your prices (price per lb.) for what you want. Usually the bigger the packaging the cheaper per lb. or uncut meat is cheaper per lb. the meat department will cut for free. If an item is out of stock ALWAYS get as many rain checks as you can, keep checking during the sale period and make your purchase and keep the rain checks for a rainy day when money is tight.
I buy a larger cut…like a pork loin that I make into two roasts and ten boneless chops.