Frugal Fridays: Save Money on Meat

It's Frugal Friday! Here's my tip:

As I've mentioned before, my husband is a meat guy. Not your typical meat and potatoes guy, just meat. And so, around here, a meatless meal is not appreciated much. But those of you who make it your aim to be frugal with the money the Lord has given you (a Biblical concept, stewardship, 1 Corinithians 4:2) know that meat is the most expensive part of your meals. It eats up a lot of our grocery budget, actually. So how can you please the meat-loving hubby and still retain some resemblance of a budget? Here's some tips for fellow meat-lovers:

Buy whole chickens and boil/crockpot them until done, de-bone the meat, and freeze in meal-sized portions in freezer bags. Shredded chicken is great for Mexican dishes, BBQ chicken sandwiches, casseroles, soups, chicken salad, and lots more. And it's very economical, at usually $.63 - $.79 a pound!

Buy in bulk when there is a good sale going on. For instance, Price Chopper is having a 4 day sale (ending Sunday) with boneless skinless chicken breasts and tenders at $1.33 a pound! This is an amazing price! If you have the freezer space, stock up. Potentially you could get enough to last you until the next sale, and then you won't have to spend the upwards of $2-$4/lb that you normally would.

Shop for manager's specials on meat that needs to be eaten soon or frozen. Two stores that mark down meat frequently are Dillons and Sam's Club. Dillons places orange stickers on the packages, and frequently the prices are 50% reduced or more! I have most often found these when I've shopped early in the morning (before 9 am) or after 9 pm. Sam's Club also uses orange stickers that read, "Reduced for Quick Sale." I have a business membership, so I typically shop at 9:30 am (regular hours start at 10 am). They always have lots of marked down meat when I'm there, so I'm sure there would still be some if you got there right when they open.

Process your meat when you get home from the grocery store. This tip has helped me a ton! Since I buy in bulk, my freezer is frequently so full I can barely shut it! :) When I get home from buying a lot of ground hamburger, whole chickens, etc...I usually put it all in crockpots (say, 5-6 lbs of hamburger/pot) and let it process on low all day. After you wash and drain it, divide into meal-sized portions. These usually take up less space in the freezer and are easier to stack. Plus, it gives me a head start on making dinner! I usually put a little less than a lb of hamburger in a freezer bag for our family of 4. This stretches the meat a little further, and we never notice the difference.

So these are my tips. What are yours?

CVS explained...hopefully!

I have recently talked to several of you about my two new favorite places to shop, Walgreens and CVS. Some of you read Shawna's post here and here about the deals she was able to get at Walgreens last week. Both Walgreens and CVS run some awesome promotions each week, but most of the public is too busy to take advantage of the savings. And it can be confusing too, so don't be discouraged if you don't understand everything at first. We learned all this from another friend, and both Shawna and I are willing to answer any questions you might have... or even go shopping with you to get you started!

One of the most important things I can stress is find a way to get the Sunday paper coupon inserts each week. I subscribe to the Sunday paper only which is only a little over a dollar a week, delivered to my door, and I have saved so much in the process! But most of you probably know someone through work or church who gets the paper but doesn't have time to clip and use coupons. So ask them to save them for you! Or, better yet, get your own paper and get their coupons too! The more you have of each coupon, the better. But you can honestly do all these deals with just getting your own paper each week. So there - that's my first recommendation!

Secondly, when you start doing these rebate programs, be prepared to spend a little money up front. Talk with your spouse about how much you are both willing to spend in the beginning and stick with that amount. The deals will always be there, so you can go at your own pace. But you do have to spend a little bit at each store before you start accumulating store credit. It is so worth it though! Now I can go shopping for household items and only spend a dollar or 2 out of pocket, sometimes nothing at all!

CVS
To get started at CVS, go to the store and sign up for a free ExtraCare card (basically like a Dillons card). I recommend signing up at the store because you'll get your card much quicker than if you sign up online and they have to send it to you. You will hand your card to the cashier each time you make a purchase, and it will apply all of your purchases to your account for credit. Each weekly ad will advertise the current promotions the store is offering (yes, they do advertise these now! Check your ad!), so when you look through the ad, look for maroon circles next the products, advertising how many Extra bucks you will receive when you buy that product. Your Extra bucks (ECBs or Extra Care Bucks) will print at the register 2 days after you purchase the item. They will print after your receipt. You can also print your coupons online at www.cvs.com

For example, this week on page 17 of the weekly ad, it says:
$5 Extra Bucks when you buy 2 Extra Strength Tylenol GoTabs chewable 6 ct.
You pay 2/$4.98
Extra Bucks Reward $5.00
After Your Extra Bucks Reward = FREE with card

Now if you collect coupons, you will probably have 1 or 2 coupons for $1.00 off Tylenol GoTabs, so you can use those when you buy them, spend $2.98, and get back $5.00!!!

This offer says limit 1, so you can do it once this week...but sometimes there are deals that are unlimited, and that's where you can earn a bunch of store credit. Remember, you accumulate the Extra Care Bucks if you buy the product, regardless of how much you paid after coupons.

Sometimes the offers for ECBs will be "Spend $___ on these products, Get back $___.

For example, this week on page 14 of the ad, it says:
$5 Extra Bucks when you spend $15 on these Crest and Oral-B items.
If you have coupons for these items and can spend less or close to $5 out of pocket after coupons, this would be a good deal! Sometimes they will even advertise "Spend $10, Get $10 back" and then when you combine coupons it is a Moneymaker! Remember, you accumulate the Extra Care Bucks if the regular price of what you are buying meets the amount specified, BEFORE coupons.

Another bonus to the Extra Care Card is that they track your spending a give you quarterly 2% cash back bonuses in the form of ECB's. They also award $1 for every two prescriptions you have filled in their pharmacies.

So how do you use these ECBs? Well, in 2 days from your original purchase, they show up on your account. You can check them on the CVS website, www.cvs.com, on the left side of the screen. Look for the Check Coupons and Balances link, and follow the directions. The ECBs can be used to buy anything in the store except for alcohol, cigarettes, gift cards, pharmaceuticals, etc. But anything else is okay. Which means that you can now use your new ECB to buy another item which will net you some more ECBs. And it just keeps going and going!

When your ECBs print after your receipt, often a CVS coupon or 2 will print as well, which may be for a specific kind of item, such as "Save $3 when you buy Dove hand lotion," or for a certain amount off of your total, such as "Save $5 on a $20 purchase." You can combine these with your manufacturer (from the paper) coupons and with your ECBs too, allowing you to tuck in those extra needs your family might have that week. And I often have 2 or 3 to use, so I can get $5-$15 worth of extra stuff, using coupons of course!

Another new thing in the CVS world is that you can now combine multiple ECBs, so you can potentially be handing the cashier quite a load of paper! They don't call me the coupon lady for nothing! But then again, I usually only pay a dollar or 2 max for a whole load of items, so I don't mind the nickname! :)

Okay, so as I read back through this, I can see how it might sound a little intimidating, but I can assure you, the people I know who have given it a try have figured it out within a few weeks. If you're interested, take a shot at it, ask a lot of questions, and see if it is something that will help your family budget out.

Addendum (added 4/7/07): So many of you have commented here or emailed me asking to be included on my email list. I really enjoyed being able to share the deals I was finding on a weekly basis, but recently I've been trying to simplify my shopping process and save time where I can. If you've started clipping coupons yet, you know it can take a little time each week, as can going to more than one store. So right now I'm trying to streamline the process and make it a little more effortless. :) That said, the emails aren't happening anymore. So sorry! But I will share my favorite site for CVS info on a weekly basis. It's http://deals.families.com/cvs,f533, a forum where people share the deals they are finding. You can even find info on upcoming weeks, for those of you who like to plan ahead! Check it out! I've found it to be very helpful!