Ask the Expert: Stretching your grocery dollar

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Is their any other meats that can be a versitile as hamburger meat to make cheap meals? I get tired of making various things with hamburger meat but it is the cheapest.

Quoting ohmommamia:

Is their any other meats that can be a versitile as hamburger meat to make cheap meals? I get tired of making various things with hamburger meat but it is the cheapest.

Try Ground Turkey! This is one of my favorite ground turkey recipes:

Meaty Spanish Rice

2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/2 pound ground turkey
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
2 cups water
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1 cup uncooked long grain rice
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
Black pepper to taste

In a skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add the ground turkey, onion and green pepper; cook until meat is brown and vegetables are tender. Add all of the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until rice is tender, about 30 minutes.

How do you vary a weekly menu if the only types of meat that you can use are beef, chicken and pork, without doing the same old thing every week?

Quoting mamacalifornia:

How do you vary a weekly menu if the only types of meat that you can use are beef, chicken and pork, without doing the same old thing every week?

Do you still purchase name brand items and save big?  Or do you suggest lesser known brands to get the best savings overall?

Do you do price booking?  Or do you buy what you want and just try to watch for sales?  I tend to stock up on things, but I wonder if this is really the best way to save.

Hi!

Chicken and beef don't have to be boring, especiall if you kick up the excitement with seasonings and tweaks from different cultures.  (Examples from FAMILY FEASTS include Thai Beef Wraps, West African Peanut Chicken, Korean BBQ'd Beef)

Other meats that I've found to be affordable include bacon, canned salmon, imitation crab, frozen catfish, and certain brands of link sausage. The quantity of meat that you use hugely affects your budget. Remember, a meal can be wonderfully satisfying even without a big slab of meat on every plate. I like to mix up the amount and types of meat that I use in a meal.  

For example, Sunday dinner may be a pot roast and potatoes, with those nice big slabs of meat that guys tend to love. 

But Monday dinner might be nearly vegetarian:  cheesy potato chowder with a bit of of bacon crumbled over the top of each serving, and homemade biscuits and jam on the side.   (Nobody even misses the meat.)

Tuesday dinner is chicken enchiladas with salsa and sour cream-- very satisfying even though a 9x12 casserole only contains half a dozen chicken thighs.

As the weather gets colder, also remember soups. Soups and stews are frugal champions, and coupled with hot biscuits or muffins, the satisfaction factor is huge!

In many cases, generics are made in the very same factories as name brands.  The only difference literally is the packaging.  So you can bet I cash in on the savings of generics as much as possible.  

However I am willing to pay more for a few things.   For example, the only kind of hot dogs I can stand is Falls Brand beef.   But I buy them infrequently and on sale. 

The important thing is to simply be willing to TRY generics.  Like me, you may discover you prefer some name brands.   But for every 'gotta-have-it' name brand, chances are you'll find 3 or 4 items that don't taste a bit diffferent as a generic. 

Something I've also discovered?  Homemade is often better than any processed brand.  I like my pancake and granola recipes better than anything I find in stores.  Being creative and flexible is the best way to save money yet!

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