Buy Now - Inflation is Coming!!

Inflation is coming! (according to my mother) And the price of groceries is going to skyrocket. Are you getting a good deal on your meats? Will you be able to afford to eat the same high-quality food if/when it does hit? Do you shop around? Do you check your weekly ads? I personally answer ‘yes’ to all three of these questions and so can you.

Of course, we all know it is best to purchase free-range meats but this is not always possible for a number of reasons. When I am unable to do so, I shop around and buy what’s on sale. This means that each week, I search the weekly ads of the local stores online to see what’s on sale (i.e. vons.com, Albertsons.com, Ralphs.com, henrysmarkets.com). It is only after doing so that I plan what I will be cooking for the week.

I used to cook for anywhere from twenty to one hundred people per day when I ran M Good Meals. Sometimes I even catered for groups of up to 300 people! Because of this, I learned how to spot a deal and I am about to pass my knowledge along to you.

I recently went to Henrys with a friend and he was amazed that I walked out of there with four bags of groceries and spent less than $30 on them when he had one bag that cost nearly $50. It’s all about the sales and knowing what price is a good price.

Here is a handy reference guide that I have pulled from deep within my noggin for you! Buy these items when they meet these standards. Don’t be afraid to buy extra and freeze in portions you will use. For example, the pork loin roasts listed below are usually on sale at Vons about once a month. They come in eight to ten pound hunks. I buy the whole thing and divide it into three or four roasts. Each roast is about five or six hefty portions that cost under a dollar per serving—holler!

Poultry
Boneless skinless chicken breasts, chicken tenders >$2/lb.
Boneless skinless thighs > $1.79/lb.
Bone-in chicken breasts > $1/lb.
Whole chicken > $.69/lb.
Cornish game hens > $.99/lb.
Ground turkey > $3.50/lb.
Whole turkey > $.99/lb. (unless it is Nov. or Dec. in which case it should be > $.50/lb and is sometimes free with a $25 purchase at Vons or Ralphs)

Pork
Pork loin > $2/lb.
Pork tenderloin > $3.50/lb.
Pork butt, Boston butt, picnic roast > $.99/lb.

Beef
Tri-tip, ribeye steak, strip steak, flank steak > $5/lb.
Ground beef > $1.29/lb.
Pot roasts > $.99/lb.
Prime rib > $4/lb.

Fish & Seafood
Salmon, cod, mahi, scallops > $5/lb.
Tilapia/snapper/calamari steaks, clams > $3/lb.
Halibut > $6/lb.
Shrimp > $4/lb.
Lobster tails > $5 each

Lamb
Rack > $10/lb.
Shank > $3/lb.
Roast > $5/lb