One of the questions I hear often is how do you save money on meat and produce. Here are a few ways to save with and without coupons.
Saving on Meat:
One of the easiest ways to save on your meat purchases is buy purchasing in bulk and freezing when you can. For instance when you buy at Sam’s Club traditionally you are saving up to 35% more then in traditional grocery stores. But you can also make bigger purchases through farms at websites such as EatWild.com. Another popular site to purchase meat is Omaha Steaks which you can often find discounted up to 50% on sites like Groupon, Living Social and Eversave.
If you don’t have a deep freeze or a foodsaver here are a few other ways to save.
Get to know your Butcher:
Your local grocery store butcher knows the in’s and out’s of your favorite store and can tell you what time and day they discount the meats or put out what we know as Managers Specials. Knowing the best time to find discounts can help you save big.
Look for Loss Leaders and Stock Up:
Loss Leaders are the meats on the front of your stores advertisement with ridiculous prices per pound, typically 50% or more off. There is typically a loss leader in the chicken, pork and beef department weekly so it’s important to stock up when they are on sale – not when we need them. Even though you are purchasing a packaged item doesn’t mean that you can’t use your butcher. Simply ask them to make a few different cuts of the meat on sale then you can easily freeze what you’re not using now and save the rest for later.
Look for meat coupons and rebates on non-meat items:
Keep an eye out for coupons and rebates near items that are likely to pair up with meat for example beer, seasonings and wine.
Saving on Fruits & Vegetables:
Check out your local community coop:
In the St. Louis area one of the most well known coop’s is the Community Helpings Produce Coop. For $21.50 you receive enough produce to feed a family of four for around 2 weeks.
Weigh bagged produce:
One of the biggest misconceptions when shopping for anything is that the larger size means the best value. Be sure to weigh your produce and check your tags to find out weight per measure. Often you will find that buying produce by the bag costs you more then buying the items separately.
Know the seasons:
Each month there is a new set of fruits and vegetables in season which always means lower prices. For instance in August these are a few of the items in season: apples, apricots, blueberries, butternut squash, cantaloupe, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, figs, green beans, lettuce, mangoes, okra, peaches, peppers plums, raspberries, strawberries, summer squash, swiss chard, tomatoes, watermelon, winter squash, and zucchini.
Look for coupons:
You can actually find coupons on produce. Often on Coupons.com there are coupons for Libby’s vegetables and fruits. Coupon Network and our coupon inserts often have coupons on Dole fruits. You will also want to register on your favorite produce distributors websites. For instance, Libby’s, Klondike and Driscoll are just a few that provide coupons to their members.
How do you save on Meat and Produce?
Photo Credit: Community Helpings Coop
