To all the meat eaters , how do you afford to eat it than a couple of times a week?

[MissB]

129. We have steak about 6 times a year.

I usually get a package of steaks from Costco - tenderloins. Package of 4 for our 4 person family runs about $35. Rare treat. If there is any leftover (2 teenagr boys- ha!) then I will make beef stroganoff the next day.

Other than that, I will make a salt-crusted prime rib roast for Christmas or new years eve.

I buy chicken thighs and drums when they go on sale for .59/lb and use my food saver to package them into dinner portions. We have mostly chicken in some form (boneless or bone in) several nights a week. I rarely cook meat such that a slab of it is the main course. It becomes part of a meal, as in chicken tikka, where a little goes a long way.

We've shifted to using lentils for taco "meat". My kids prefer it to meat (we used ground turkey before) and love taking leftover soft tacos to school the next day. We usually have two bean or lentil based meals a week.

Our combined income allows us to eat really well. I prefer to not spend all of my 'spending' money on groceries. As long as the food tastes good, the family does not complain. I shop in bulk, cook and bake from scratch, plan a month's worth of meals at a time and shop sales at a couple of stores.

I recently had a coworker comment on the tea that I was drinking. She wanted to know where I bought it and I told her the name of the store- WinCo for those that live in the northwest. She doesn't set foot in there - maybe too lowbrow? I dunno. It's cheap. I don't just shop there but I do go there for certain items.