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Friday, June 1, 2012

21lbs of Ground Beef

So, yea, I'm talking about 21 lbs of ground beef today.  21 lbs of ground beef, purchased at a mere 83 cents a pound!!   I am so excited about how the Lord has blessed us!


Rita and I were walking through our most favorite local grocery store, looking for the pork loins on sale, when I suddenly saw a confusing sign that said "CLEARANCE: $2.50 FOR 48OZ ANGUS GROUND BEEF - YOU SAVE $7.74!"  I just really didn't comprehend what I read.  How did that even make sense?  


Cartoon Cow Clip Art
http://www.clker.com/clipart-cartoon-cow.html
As I turned to walk away a woman quickly pulled her buggy up beside me and said, "I just can't imagine why more people aren't getting this deal!"  And she was right - everyone was strolling past, grabbing their one lb packs of ground beef at $3+, and paying no mind to the bright yellow sign that had me a bit confused.


I'm not sure why people in the grocery market seem so oblivious to sales, but I was glad that the woman next to me had shown-up!  I might have been just another shopper, thinking that this "too good to be true" deal must mean something is wrong.  The only "wrong" thing was that the beef had to be frozen by the end of the day.  No problemo!


Needless to say, I grabbed 15 lbs (five packs) of ground beef, continued my shopping, and serisouly discerned whether I should call Tyler and ask for approval to purchase more.  After we had gathered everything but carrots, I gave Tyler a ring and much to my money saving delight he said, "Buy as much as you can!  We can definitely change our menu plan to accommodate this!"  Sigh...a man who even mentions menu plans in conversation - he's such a dream!  I'm so blessed to be his wife!  Ok, anyway, I ended-up determining that 21 lbs would be a nice stock-up amount and that it would leave us with enough "food" money for needed groceries that will come from a different store.


As I learned in the book that I've been reading (and re-reading and studying), I planned on coming home from the grocery and "dealing with" my bulk meat immediately.  I put six lbs to cook in the crock pot, put one-and-a-half lbs to cook for our homemade lasagna, and froze the rest in 3/4 lb portions.  It was A LOT of work, but now I'm done!  I have six pounds seasoned (in a generic way - onions, bell peppers, garlic, salt and pepper), cooked and frozen and another 13 1/2 lbs portioned out and frozen.  


This was such an amazing opportunity to practice frugality and simplify my life.  Simplify, because for the next two months (rough estimate) I don't need to buy beef at $2.75 - $3.50 per lb.  


Know the coolest part?  When I checked the bottom of my receipt, I saw this:








$59.66 SAVED!!!!
Glory to God!


I'm really looking forward to life with a beef stocked freezer (ideally it would be local, grass-fed beef, but for budget purposes we are focusing on keeping our fats, dairy, and chicken organic...God-willing beef will be next!).  


Now, we pray to find us a chicken deal...




Have you ever seriously stocked-up on meat?  We've thought of buying 1/2 or 1/4 of a cow, which would be a most serious stock-up.  Have you done this?  Let me know!  

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8 comments:

  1. Wow, that's awesome! Gotta love how God provides :)

    Logan and I always HATE dividing up meat to freeze/cook, but I have to say, it is well worth it in the end. You save time and money!

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    1. He sure does! Yes, I didn't hate the process, but with a toddler at my knees it was hard work :)

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  2. What a deal!!! It's so much fun saving money on the things you need and use!

    We split 1/2 a cow with my hubby's parents at the beginning of this year. It's been nice having a freezer full of beef!!

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    1. It is fun to save "on the things you need and use" - never thought of it that specifically!

      I bet it's fun having all sorts of cuts of beef - a definite plus to getting a cow rather than a sale. :)

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  3. The most I've ever saved at the store was $53, you've creamed my record by $6! :) Congrats, m'dear. I'll try to send over a recipe with ground beef.

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    1. Loving the cookbook so far! Thanks for the borrow.
      Hoping I can beat my own record again soon :)

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  4. Well done! What r you going to make? I'm thinking meatloaf, meatballs, meat sauce for pasta, spadinies, hamburgers, tacos, wow it goes on and on!

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  5. Hi Nic! Glad to have you in the comments :)
    I've made lasagna...mmmm it was so so good! Meatballs are a GREAT idea - my husband will go crazy for that. Def meat sauce for pastas and some hamburgers (freezing for baby's arrival). We had hard tacos two nights ago. Hmm let's see, meatloaf? spadinies? Never tried! Guess this is a good time though.

    Hope to hear from you more often!

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So glad to hear from you! All conversation is welcomed, within good reason and kind intentions.