I am a big fan of “buying smart”, which takes a bunch of things into account.
1) What is your total buying budget? If you are under budget for one buying period, can you afford to be somewhat over budget for the next one? That is, what is your budget +/- margin?
2) You can save a ton o’ money if you comparison shop at more than one store. Doing this just once should give you a blanket idea of what to buy where.
3) Store brands are often identical to name brands, and it is often worth it to change your tastes if they aren’t. Things like brand name boxed dry cereal and soda are a ripoff, so shop for sales on top of lower store prices or generic knockoff brands.
4) Get a vacuum storage device and learn how to Sous Vide cook meat. Advantages: lower price cuts taste better than expensive restaurant cuts; you can buy in bulk, cook and freeze; the meat is cooked perfectly every time, so is neither raw and spoiled or burned shoe leather. If you don’t want to buy a Sous Vide cooker, use a candy thermometer and check the temperature every five minutes for two or three hours. Here is a good primer:
http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/03/how-to-sous-vide-steak.html
5) Screen your coupons. Even with coupons, brand names are often still more expensive than house brands. Some stores double or triple coupons up to a dollar sometimes. Sales can be seasonal, by the store manager, remaindered items, loss leaders, or ordered by the parent corporation, which can result in ridiculously low prices.
Yes, buying a gallon of mustard when you only want about a pint seems ridiculous, unless the gallon costs less than the pint.
Hey thanks for this post! Never heard of this Sous Vide process. Definitely worth some further research.
So do you package, cook THEN freeze the meat?