How To Eat Steak On A Hamburger Budget

Grocery shopping is one of the large expenses in the American home, and it seems to be getting larger.
There is no way around grocery shopping; it is a household responsibility and necessity. So how can You Save Money While Grocery Shopping?. One area is the meat department.

Merchandising, within the context of a grocery store, is simply the subtle art and science of selling food. Some have even called it manipulation. The basic purpose of merchandising is to sell product and can range from how grocery isles are arranged to even the colors you see on labels.

Merchandising also includes getting the highest price possible. For example, let's say pork chops cost $2.49 per pound. To remain competitive, the store can't sell it for much more, or can it?

Let's use our pork chop example. You go to the grocery store shopping for dinner. You spot stuffed pork chops. Pork chops sell for $2.49 a pound. Stove Top Stuffing costs $1.49. When you buy stuffed pork chops, you are paying $2.49 for the stuffing inside of the pork chops. So instead of getting 2 pounds of pork chops, you actually end up with one and a half pounds of pork and the other half pound of stuffing. That's merchandising but it's also expensive. So here's one example of how you can eat steak on a hamburger budget.

Boneless chuck roast is a very popular cut of meat. The meat department will slice it into steaks and charge an extra ten or twenty cents or more per pound. Another merchandising example. But here's what you can do. Instead of buying the chuck steaks, buy the chuck roast and ask the meat department to cut it into steaks for you. They never charge extra for this service.

Another great idea that will save you a lot of money is to have the meat cutter remove the "chuck eye." The chuck eye is the most tender part of the chuck. Chuck Eye steak is a very popular cut of meat because it is so tender. It's great on the grill and is much cheaper than any other steak. It is also perfect for stew meat or even country fried steak. If you've tried chuck eye then you know what I'm saying is true and if you haven't then you are in for a treat.

Chuck eye steak typically sells at twice the cost of a boneless chuck roast. So instead of buying chuck eye steak and paying $5.99 per pound or more, buy the chuck roast at $3.29 a pound, have them remove the chuck eye and either cut it into steaks yourself or have the meat department do it for you. So what do you do with the rest of the roast? Simply have them cut it into squares and then run it through their cuber to use for country fried steak, or have them grind it into hamburger.

There are a lot of ways to save money in the meat department and from experience all you have to do is ask a meat cutter what he does to save his family money. Most meat cutters will gladly tell you.