Saving Money without Coupons

I think that the idea of clipping coupons, keeping track of prices, and searching for deals can seem over bearing to many. But there are ways to cut down your grocery bill without coupons. In an earlier post I listed some store brand items from Wegmans that could be purchased at a resonable price without a coupon clipped. Today I want to share another way you can save money.

I know that there are quite a few brilliant bloggers out there, that I love, but happen to almost never buy meat!!! There is no way my family could live like that. We are meat eaters. And nights when I have tried to get away with no meat, we have found ourselves hungry again at 9pm. Now, I have nothing against those of you that choose to not eat meat. I just choose to eat meat.

I have a feeling that many of the bloggers I read don't buy meat because of the price. And I'll be honest, meat takes up a huge portion of my grocery budget. So here's the deal: While shopping keep an eye on the use or freeze by dates. Get to know when your store usually puts out fresh product and more importantly, when your store marks down the meat that hasn't sold yet. This morning I found a bulk sized amount of ground beef with a price reduction because the use or freeze by dates was tomorrow. When I looked at all the other meats, they were dated for one day later. I am not encouraging you to eat bad meat or buy anything that looks or smells questionable. But, I am asking you to take the time to look around and see what deals you can find in hidden places. The meat I bought ended up saving me 22% off the original price.

Now, if you do buy price reduced meats, you have to be sure to use them or freeze them quickly. My plan for all that ground beef????? Well, I made a batch of meatballs, goulash, and shepherd's pie. All of these can be frozen and/or eaten this week. (It is going to be chilly here for a few days... Can you tell by what I'm cooking?)





Have any of you scored a great deal without using a coupon? Have any tricks for saving money on meat? Please share your ideas in the comments.