Posted on 08/19/2012 10:55:34 AM PDT by blam
How To Save Money On Meat As Corn Prices Soar
Andrea Woroch, AndreaWoroch.com
Aug. 19, 2012, 12:14 PM
A few weeks ago, the USDA warned about the impending increase in food prices as drought continues to diminish corn and soybean crops. More recently, however, the USDA advised corn crop yields are even less than previously estimated, making the future of grocery bills even more bleak.
Since 40 percent of US-grown corn is used for animal feed, beef, pork and poultry will see the most significant price increases. If you and your family depend on meat as a primary source of protein, consider the following eight strategies for reducing your grocery bill without sacrificing your taste buds.
1. Buy Lean
You may be tempted by the pricetag of 70 or 80-percent lean meats, but all of your savings will end up at the bottom of the grill. The fat comprising the remaining 20 to 30 percent of that package will render during cooking, making the lean-meat purchase a better deal in the long run. Plus, lean meat is the healthier choice -- bonus!
2. Avoid Pre-cut
Cubed meats and pre-made patties are convenient, but ultimately a waste of money. If you're guilty of purchasing these pre-made provisions, cease and desist to realize immediate savings. Additionally, grind your chuck at home or ask the butcher to do it for you. You'll get the same ground meat for much less, plus it seems fresher!
3. Buy in Bulk
If you consume a lot of meat, buying in bulk is a no-brainer way to keep costs down. Consider going in on a side of beef with a few other families to score healthier, high-quality meat for less. You'll need storage space, but you'll pay
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(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
A couple of weeks back I was watering flowers on my deck and I had to let the water run a bit to get the hot water out of the hose. In an instant a hummingbird was two feet from my face taking a bath in my spray. It landed near by did some cleaning and repeated this bath two more times. The deer have lost their shyness, and I saw a fox yesterday eating wild plumbs.
Have you ever heard about a guy near Detroit who harvests raccoons all week, butchers and marinades them, and takes them all someplace on Saturday morning where a bunch of people are waiting to buy them?
Buy Lean - not necessarily, always calculate the percent of fat into the unit price
Avoid Pre-cut - agreed, how hard is it to form a patty
Buy In Bulk - not necessarily, compare the price of a side of beef with what you can get on sale at the store. I don’t pay over $3 lb. at the store.
Look for Markdowns - many stores aren’t doing markdowns anymore. My store is ordering less so when they run out, they’re out.
Try “Meatless Monday” - hmmm, guess it would be too Christian to stick with the old standby of fish on Friday
pre-cooked rotisserie chicken from Costco - Costco isn’t everywhere so I’ve never been to one. The only time I’ve ever bought a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken was many years ago when the store had a promotion that was cheaper than a whole uncooked chicken. Bought several and put them in the freezer.
Add Healthy Fillers - who wants to bet all other grain-stuffs will rise in price, not just corn. Maybe adding grains is a regional thing. We only add crackers to meatloaf and not as a filler but a grease soaker upper.
Grass fed?!? Barf, spit, gag!!!!
Consider a career in rustling.
Crock pot is your friend. We raise beef but buy or trade for pork from a neighbor.
I put all the odd bits of pork (shoulders, ribs, etc.) in the crock pot and make pulled pork out of that.
No waste that way.
That's what we do. Great beef/no corn. It is pretty lean, but the flavor is great. I'm in Ignacio CO....very close the NM border.
FMCDH(BITS)
Last summer during the Texas drought (still in a drought), the deer camped out in and birthed their babies at people’s front doors as that was the only green around.
I saw an article that said the water level of the Mississippi was down 20 feet and beginning to affect shipping. It said if the water level decreases any more that shipping would have to stop and that the dollar affect would be $500 million a day in losses.
They are expecting the water level to decrease more. So....looks like prices are headed up for a number of reasons.
Railway a truck shipping should boom.
My friend has a truck brokerage company and they're already having a record year in the amount of business they've done.
What is your problem with it? I'd really like to know.
FMCDH(BITS)
Here, our local beef prices have risen dramatically. They now sell bone-in beef short ribs at “sale price”....which used to be the normal price.
Me and another gal at work were laughing about it. We both agreed “thank goodness we have had our fair share of short ribs already”.
” But our local beef prices have not dropped a penny. If anything they are still going up. “
Not only have the meat prices at my local WalMart (so shoot me..) gone up, but for the past month, the meat department has been pathetic - last time I shopped (on a Saturday!!) the Beef section had a whole 6 packages.. (Not counting ground beef, but they were out of a number of the ‘grinds’ there, too...)
Pork and chicken weren’t much better - and there wasn’t a “Yellow Tag” markdown in sight....
Something bad is going on, here....
I do not remember where, but I too saw a report on the constant need to dredge a 'path' in the Mississippi... I am not surprised at all to read it is down 20 feet.
One of the things that has struck me is the difference in comprehension from 'reading' about the drought, and to literally going through it. While the temperatures have cooled, I have had no measurable rain since June. I mean by measurable rain is anything more than an inch accumulation during any rain shower.
Last I read/heard a few weeks ago Missouri is 25.+ inches behind in an average year. That is a lot of water to make up by December.
Grease-soaked cracker crumbs? Try lining your baking pan with foil, place a cake rack on it and then place your meat loaf on it and bake. You can use a layer pan for a small meatloaf. The fat will drip thru to the bottom of the pan. The fat will harden as it cools. Wrap the foil up and throw it in the trash. I keep it in the freezer until trash day.
THAT dog will hunt! Good dog!
Come to Texas and kill a feral hog or three for yourself.
End ethanol, nuff said...Those votes cost 75Cents a gallon....
It tastes like a bunch of weeds but to each his own.
Our supermarkets here in Arlington VA have plenty of all cuts of meat. No shortages.
It's been that way here for a couple years. They'll put out a couple of packages of whatever cut and that's it. It's like doing a drug deal to get more. You have to find "the guy" and he'll hemhaw around and finally go to the back only to bring out one little package and tell you that's all he has. The usual story is the truck didn't have whatever it is you want. I haven't seen a markdown on fresh produce in a year either. Who knows what they're doing with it all.
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