GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Another day, another price hike at the grocery store — this time, beef prices are hitting consumers’ wallets. The American Farm Bureau says several years of a shrinking cattle herd, rising feed costs, import restrictions, and strong demand have caused beef prices to climb more than 14% in the last year. Some cuts have even doubled in price.
So the question on many shoppers’ minds heading into the holiday season: How can we stretch our beef and save some money? FOX 17 went to Kingma’s Market in the Grand Rapids neighborhood to find out.
Kingma’s meat manager, Chris Johnson, let us behind the counter to show how to get the “meat sweats” on a budget — starting by buying in bulk.
“It’s a little bit cheaper than getting your individual steaks,” Johnson said. “You can get it a lot cheaper if you get the whole thing of beef.”Next, Johnson says there are cheaper cuts of beef that can still impress your guests, like a chuck petite steak.
“It’s comparable to beef tenderloin, but it’s almost half the price,” Johnson said. “It’s got a lot of marbling in it. It’s a shorter cut, so it’s a small muscle, but it’s really tender.”What about cutting your own steaks? It may sound intimidating, but Johnson says it shouldn’t be — and it can save you money by avoiding the need to buy individual cuts at your local meat market. Johnson demonstrated outside the meat locker for us.
“We turn this bottom piece into a sizzler, or you can make it into a whole roast,” he said. “You can also get a little bit of stew meat out of it, too, so you can get about four or five different cuts out of it.”And Johnson says not to forget to use all parts of the meat.
“You can break it down and get some added value out of it,” he said. Finally, while beef prices may be on the rise, there are cheaper options to impress your guests that don’t involve red meat.
“Whether you’re looking for a burger, taco meat or meatballs, you can buy ground chicken, which is a little healthier and less expensive than beef,” Kingma’s Market owner Alan Hartline said . Other tips for saving money, according to butchers, include buying frozen meat and choosing cuts with more fat, since both options typically cost less.
Lastly, buying marked-down meat and freezing it until you’re ready to cook can also save you money down the road.
