Every few weeks the different grocery markets have London broil and top round roasts on sale for $1.79-$1.99 per pound. What I do is go to the butcher at the market and tell him/her that I want 10 or 15 or 20 pounds of the roasts made into ground meat. I do this all of the time. Sometimes you will see in the AD that the roast will be sold as roast only. Then you can't do it. However, if that isn't mentioned go ahead and have them grind to your heart's content. You will save a lot of money.
By Anita from Schenectady, NY
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A lot of recipes call for 1 pound of beef. Hamburger helpers, tacos, etc. To get an extra meal I use 3/4 of a pound of meat. I get the same flavor but more bang for my buck. So that way a 3 pound pack of beef will be good for 4 meals.
I have been shocked at how expensive ground beef has been lately. But I found a way around the higher prices! At my supermarket, ground beef is $2.69 per pound. So a 4 pound pack is $10.76. BUT, When I go to the freezer section, a 4 pound box of frozen hamburger patties is only $6.99 for the box.
Tips for saving money on ground beef. Buy hamburger in bulk packages, divide into desired amount then put in freezer bags and mash flat. This is great for saving room in your freezer.
Depending on the size of your family, thaw and brown a number of pounds of ground meat on a set day every week. It will stay good in your refrigerator and will make easy meals whenever you use it.
For ground beef, substitute 3/4 lb for any recipe calling for 1 lb. It adds up to savings over time and no one will miss it.
When I buy ground round, I buy ten pounds at a time and make twenty 1/4 pound burgers, freeze them with Press and Seal; the rest I freeze in one pound bundles with the Press and Seal and then a Ziploc bag.
To save money on ground hamburger, turkey, etc. I buy it in bulk right before the 'best sold by date'. This way I get $2 to $3 off and often get hamburger for $1/lb!
When my grocery store puts ground beef on sale, I buy the larger size package and separate it at home. Using my kitchen scale, I weigh out about 3/4 pound chunks. I put each chunk into a plastic bag to refrigerate until it is time for that chunk to be browned.
I wait till the grocery stores have whole sirloin tips on sale. They are usually less than $2.50/lb.
Being a busy mom I find myself trying to save time and money at the grocery store. Here is how I have saved money and time with ground beef or chuck:
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Sometimes, you can find a great deal at the grocery store on ground beef. Then comes the problem of how to use it up before it goes bad.
Vacuum pack the ground beef in 1 pound bags. It will stay usable for about 6 months, maybe a little more. If you don't have vacuum sealer, wrap the beef in freezer paper, then in a zip lock freezer bag.
I have been cooking my beef in water for several years. I have a number of recipes that use beef broth and that is what I use the broth for. I also put a straw in the freezer baggie and suck all the air out before I seal it. This is almost as good as vacuum sealing. I have bell peppers in the freezer that have been there for over a year with no freezer burn that I did this way.
I am a big fan of using the freezer to store my bulk meat. I divide it out as soon as I get home. I usually do about 1 1/2 pounds in zip top freezer bags. Sometimes, I will make burger patties and freeze those with parchment paper or plastic wrap between. I have also cooked the ground beef with onions and garlic before freezing. That makes for a quick weeknight meal as it defrosts pretty quickly even if frozen. Just drain off the grease before packaging.
I will often plan out one ground beef dinner per week. My family has enjoyed tacos, chili, spaghetti, stroganoff and meatloaf, to name a few uses. You can also combine the beef with ground turkey if you want to lighten it up. Sometimes, I will make a big batch and then freeze the excess for individual lunches or another dinner.
This is a page about freezing ground beef. When ground beef goes on sale it is a great time to buy extra and freeze some for later use.
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When buying ground beef, I usually buy a 10 lb. roll and bring it home and divide it up into my own freezer bags in whatever size package I want.
