How to Make your Meat Budget Stretch While Still Satisfying Everyone

With the price of meat, and everything else constantly rising, it can feel impossible to satisfy the family.

Many have grown up with a meat and 3 veg mentality or meat being the focus of the meal and everything else as sides.

You do not have to switch to tofu or try lentil burgers. No matter how much people claim it, they do not taste like meat.

Making meat stretch is something you can get skilled at.

There are lots of ways to make it seem like you have more meat than you do.

Even meatlovers won’t notice with these tips.

13 tips to reduce the cost of meat. How to Make your Meat Budget Stretch While Still Satisfying Everyone

1. Start Slowly

The key to making meat stretch is knowing what works well, getting meat for cheap, mixing up your meals and ensuring a balanced diet.

If you cut meat right back too fast or have a week of soups, people will feel deprived.

Start with swapping one or two meals or by padding out specific meals with more vegetables and lentils.

Cook slower, let the vegetables absorb the meat flavour and it will be less noticeable.

2. Look for Reduced Meat

At closing time and sometimes right at opening time, meats are reduced. Always scan the meat section to see what you can find.

We’ve found meats for less than $1 including roast chicken, steaks, stir fry and mince.

Another option is to check out a butcher right before it closes for the week.

Many have a day or two where they are closed so plan your shop.

Lastly, check the specials and buy meat when it is discounted where possible.

3. Buy in Bulk

If you have the space, buying meat in bulk can save you a lot. Speak with your local butcher or look online as many companies now offer this.

You can either choose your own meats in a bulk pack with a discount or buy half an animal with the various cuts.

Pair up with your neighbour or friends if you don’t have the space to store that much meat but still want to get a discount.

4. Be Loyal to Your Butcher

A good butcher who has loyal customers will give you great advice and take care of you.

There are some butchers who aren’t great but overall, I have found a good butcher to be wonderful.

Try a few butchers, get to know them and also look for discounted butchers in your area.

Cheap meat is usually fatty, glued together, doesn’t cook as well and is less satisfying.

Make sure you are buying quality meat and you will be able to make it go further and feel more satisfied with it.

5. Hide Cheap Veggies

Mince dishes are easy to hide vegetables in if you do it right. Start by grating or chopping the vegetables small then cook them slowly with the mince so they absorb more flavour and using a good sauce or spices.

Some recipe examples include bolognaise which is used for spaghetti and lasagne; Mexican mince dishes such as tacos, enchiladas, burritos etc.

Also recipes such as cabbage rolls, meatballs, homemade burgers and of course soups such as minestrone.

Start by heating some oil and frying onion and garlic for a few minutes until soft and golden brown.

Add some spices, especially if doing curry based dishes, then add the vegetables to soften them before adding the mince.

Fry it all on a low to medium heat, mixing it so it is cooked through.

Add the sauce then simmer, stirring occasionally so it all absorbs the flavour.

Check out 28 recipes for mince to give you some ideas.

6. Use Lentils and Legumes Wisely

Before you roll your eyes, when used right, lentils can be great.

They will absorb the flavour of whatever they are cooked in but you need to allow them time to do that.

Dried lentils need to be rinsed and soaked before use, whereas canned lentils simply need to be rinsed before being added.

Add lentils fairly early on in the recipe so they have time to absorb more of the flavour.

Lentils work best in curries and mince recipes.

With legumes such as black beans, broad beans, kidney beans etc.

They go well in mince dishes for Mexican meals to make them stretch further as well as Minestrone soup.

If they are refried or pureed, you can hide them in a lot more recipes easier too.

7. Use Smaller Amounts

Most of us are eating bigger portions of everything than is necessary or recommended.

Reduce portion sizes of meat (and meals in general) for a healthier lifestyle.

Bulk it out with vegetables and wait until 20 minutes after a meal before going for more.

Often we think we want more but our body hasn’t started to digest our food yet so we end up overeating.

When reducing meat portions, this is easier in recipes that aren’t a steak and vegetables.

For example, risotto, soups, curries, stews, fried rice, stir-fry etc.

You can reduce the amount of meat used in all those recipes without it affecting the flavour too much.

Chicken schnitzels are a great example of using less meat too.

Cut the meat pieces thinner, tenderise by beating it, coat in four, egg and either breadcrumbs or coconut, then fry. Thinner pieces of meat, but a family favourite.

8. Slow Cooking

Cheap cuts of meat do well in a slow cooker.

Slowcookers need a lot more spices and flavour than other cooking methods but the meat is delicious.

Pulled meats are great for tacos, nachos, enchiladas, burritos, wraps and a variety of meals.

Stews and casseroles made in the slow cooker can turn tough, cheap meat into melt in your mouth meals.

9. Fishing

Fish is great for your health but often not cheap. If anyone in your family loves to fish, it can be a great hobby that also saves you money with meat.

We aim for fish once a week and usually when we go fishing we catch enough for that night and to freeze for later.

Our favourites are salmon and flathead as they are easy to cook and extremely versatile.

10. BBQ

Trying doing a BBQ with kebabs, koftas, homemade burgers or cheap chicken such as chicken wings and cook your veggies on the BBQ too.

There’s something about chargrilled that makes everything taste delicious. Take it a step further and do it over the fire as a fun family activity.

Your kids will love nights they get to cook this way and they can be involved easily.

11. Marinate Your Meat

Plain meat cooked isn’t very exciting. Play around with different marinades using various sauces, spices and recipes you find.

It’s amazing what a different it can make to cheap cuts of meat making something you’ve had often such as chicken become a completely different meal.

12. Try International Cuisines

It’s amazing to see how other countries stretch their meat or bulk out meals with vegetables compared to the typical Western diet.

Asian cuisine is particularly good at this from fried rice through to curries.

Many recipes can be done vegetarian or with a minimal amount of meat.

Look up countries you want to travel to and see what some popular recipes are there.

It’s a great way to experience something new as well as reduce your grocery budget.

Be aware though, some call for a variety of spices so check these are flavours you are likely to use in other recipes too and plan your meals accordingly.

For example, we love pho but the spices needed will set you back a bit at first.

Once divided over the many times we make pho it’s not so bad but the upfront cost of buying it all was a bit of a shock.

13. Try Vegetarian

Opt for a few vegetarian meals a week if you can. We love dhal, vegetable curries, stir-fry, frittata, pancakes, wraps, toasties and other simple meals that are cheap.

Alternatively, look at egg-based meals for protein instead of so much meat.