How to Save Money on Organic, Grass-Fed Meat

One of the BIGGEST questions people have is how to eat healthy without spending a fortune.  One of the MOST expensive item on a grocery list is meat, organic, grass fed meat can be almost DOUBLE (in some cases even more!) the price of regular meat.

We all know that you can score some GREAT deals on regular Non-Organic Meat from Albertsons, Zaycon, and sometimes even Fry’s or Los Altos Ranch Market. But when you are committed to buying healthy grass fed {organic} meat, it can be a HUGE challenge.

It is a BIG challenge for us, as a family of 6, so we thought we’d share our tips to help you save money. 

Not everyone makes the conscious effort to purchase grass fed meat – not everyone wants to – and the decision to do so is a personal choice, of course.   

If you can’t make the commitment to purchase Organic, pick those areas that help your family the most … it CAN be done, and if you read our last post you’ll score MORE ideas for incorporating MORE organic items on a budget.   For real, Organic, Pastured Ground Beef, you will pay upwards of $6.99 a pound – they may finish them off on feed, but the case with GOOD beef it’s Non-GMO feed.

Eat LESS Meat

This is so obvious and probably the easiest way to save. Meat IS expensive, 100% Grass Fed {Organic} Meat is even MORE expensive than the traditional meat in other stores. 

Eating less can save you quite a bit each week on your grocery budget.  To do that, you can take many routes:

• Make your meat a side dish, not a main – make your starches OR vegetables a main dish instead
• Add Organic Potatoes to your meat to make it stretch – we always try to buy Organic Potatoes, and Fry’s carries a 3 lb Bag for $1.99.
• Have a large salad with a SMALL piece of meat – The average serving size of meat is the palm of your hand, which is actually 3-4 ounces
• Add beans to your meat to make it stretch

You can STILL eat meat, but by making the focus of your meals vegetables, or by eating meals that can be done without meat at all, you will save SO much. One of our favorite meals is Stuffed Bell Peppers, and it uses absolutely NO meat – and it’s one of the weekly rotation meals here in our house.

Buy Whole or Half of an Animal & Share

If you eat beef often, it’s a great opportunity to save – get friends of family together and share the cost of a whole or half animal when you buy direct from the farmer. For a farmer near you head to Eat Wild- Arizona has quite a few Farmers who feed exclusively 100% grass fed, those who finish or supplement on corn use Non-GMO feed. 

Many of them require you to contact them by phone or email, although some do have a Facebook page. You can often times find some of them at local farmers markets in your area too. I would suggest ensuring you have freezer room if you plan on this route.

Head to a Farmers Market

MANY of the local farmers attend and visit Farmers Markets regularly  – you can speak with the farmer directly at that time. Find Farmers Markets near you HERE.

Shop at Sam’s or Costco

Sometimes big box wholesale clubs will carry organic meat – we don’t eat too much beef, but when we do, we always pick up our Organic Ground Beef at Costco – it runs about $20 for 3 pounds and lasts us for quite a while.   We haven’t seen Organic chicken at Costco so we stick with Sprouts – it runs $6.99 per lb regular price.

Since we are particular on portion size and do well stretching our meat, 3 pounds of beef will usually last us for several weeks. 

Visit your Local Butcher

Your local Butcher Shop — the butcher may have some tips that will help you find places to find pastured beef (or, poultry) and they may even have a sale that they can recommend to you, too!

Closeout Beef or Poultry at the Grocery Store

Sometimes (not that often but sometimes you will get lucky!) and find a closeout on Organic Meat, especially if they get a NEW shipment in. LOOK for those opportunities!  Don’t limit yourself to the desired cuts, keep your eyes open for non-traditional (less desired cuts) as well. 

Those less desired cuts are sometimes even better in crock pot recipes that take longer to cook.

How do you save money on grass-fed {organic} meat? What works best for you?