For the longest time I was shopping for two (me and my husband) and had no need, nor space, for shopping wholesale.
Now that we’re feeding a family of 4 and still using diapers for 2 I’m finding there’s a handful of things from wholesale stores that I’ve discovered to be of major savings.
One of the biggest ones being buying frozen meats in bulk.
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The Savings
At first I thought, “I don’t want to buy a giant pack of meat, that’s too much for one meal for our family.”
But I realized I don’t have to keep it in the same packaging and save a ton of money, and now I have space in a secondary fridge/freezer to store it.
At my local supermarket I can buy chicken thighs (skinless & boneless) for $5.99/lb, whereas I can purchase wholesale for $1.99/lb. That’s a huge savings just per pound!
At my supermarket a pack would usually weigh over a pound and cost me about $8, whereas I can purchase wholesale almost 8lbs for about $16, that’s over 6 times more chicken for only twice the cost.
And that’s just with chicken thighs. I also buy tenderloins, ground beef, and sometimes some steak.
Freezing
Uncooked meats can be frozen long-term: ground beef for 3-4 months, poultry for 9 months, and steaks for 4-12 months.
Since these meats and poultry are kept in refrigerators instead of freezers the best time to repackage is the day you buy because it is unsafe to refreeze them once they’ve defrosted.
I did this the other day with chicken thighs and chicken tenderloins, I did have to thaw them out a bit to be able to separate because I didn’t have a chance right after purchasing and it was a little more difficult than usual.
Repackage Them For Easier Defrosting
I like to repackage them into various small freezer ziplock bags, but plastic wrap or parchment paper or even freezable are decent options.
You could even use reusable silicone bags which can be machine washed and defrost more quickly.
I separate a bunch of bags to make the process quicker and label them with what kind of meat or poultry is going inside and when it was purchased to consider freezer life.
I usually use my bare hands to redistribute the meat or poultry into each bag but you can wear gloves or simply flip the bag inside out with your hand, grab the meats or poultry, and flip it back to close.
Once you’re done you have a bunch of meats and poultry ready to defrost and cook at the right portion for your meals. It even makes the defrosting process easier and quicker!
Readers:
What kinds of saving tricks do you love?
My name is Paula and I’m a mom of two scrumptious cuties. Thanks Mommy Blog became a project for me to help guide other new moms and current moms through any of my own personal experiences and struggles. My hobbies include singing, doing jigsaw puzzles, baking, designing and trying to stay creative.
