Meat is one of the most expensive items on the grocery bill. One way to cut this expense without cutting it out is to eat reasonable portions of meat. However, the American diet tends to be very heavy on meat, and very low in fruits and vegetables. This is expensive and not very healthy.
One of the biggest issues that comes up is that "my husband is such a meat eater, there is no way he would eat less!". I am certainly not going to tell you that you should insist that your husband eat only 2 ounce portions of meat at any time. I consider myself fortunate in this area, because I have no one to argue with about how we are going to cut the budget. However, there are some techniques that can be used to help feed the desire for meat in the diet and not break the bank.
For this to work, one of the first things people sharing a roof have to agree on is the grocery budget. What I would NOT do is launch into a verbal campaign about the health benefits about less meat in one's diet, or how cutting grocery expenses will make a remarkable difference in the family finances. The first thing I would do is have a casual conversation about your future financial goals and the dreams you share together. For most people, this includes a house, children, a decent retirement...and not eating also so you can pay for your prescriptions at the age of 76. Once you've painted the picture of your dream together, and are going in the same direct THEN you have laid the groundwork to talk about HOW you are going to get there. I am not going to reinvent the wheel, as there is a lot of information out there. But together, decide where the budget (the entire budget, not just the grocery budget) will get cut so that you can achieve your dreams. When most people examine their budgets, they will see that food expenditures are one of the quickest, easiest ways to make a large impact on your finances. When you get to this point, THEN it is time to discuss HOW you will do this, and how far your spouse is willing to go. When they are involved in the decision making, they are going to be more willing to trade in their 16 oz t-bone for a 4 oz ground beef patty. Look for ways to stretch the meat as well... my 8 oz of chuck went further on steak sandwiches because it was generously mixed with onions and mushrooms. Chilis and soups make a little meat go a long way. So can stews if you up the veggies and cut the meat down.
Another thing to try is establishing a "Meatless Monday" in your house. I've tried this, and often use the fall back of egg salad for lunch, and pizza or spaghetti (without meat in the sauce), but there are other things to eat. Perhaps Meatless Monday is something I should pursue in the blog?
I personally like meat, and don't feel satisfied if I don't have a decent portion at a meal. Part of the way I do this is buying marked down meat, yet I have friends who turn their nose up at this in disgust... yet I have been doing it for years, and have yet to contract a food borne illness from it, and I have never consumed rotten meat. But for me, this is the way I can typically eat 6-8 oz of meat a day and still achieve my financial goals.
Come to terms with what you and your spouse are willing to do... and then make it happen. And if your spouse loves steak above all other things, figure out where else you can cut things down so that he/she won't feel deprived and make getting that steak on the table a priority once a week or every other week.
The picture is my skillet full of some stems of rainbow chard, right before cooking it... I always start the stems a few minutes before the leaves. It's beautiful! It's also vitamin packed, delicious... and meat free!
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