I am single and have not worked since March of 2025, had good unemployment for six months and then it ran out and I'm living on a shoestring budget and some savings. Ugh. I have not eaten red meat for about 30 years, and am now thinking of giving up poultry as well in order to save money. Has anyone else given up meat to save on groceries? I don't even enjoy poultry that much, so I think it will be OK?
Giving up meat completely to save on groceries?
byu/Far_Pollution_5120 inFrugal
Posted by Far_Pollution_5120
13 Comments
i didn’t buy meat for years, mostly focused on beans and eggs.
i now only buy it when there’s a good sale, especially bulk packs that freeze well.
I’m sorry it’s been so rough. I’ve given up almost all meat and moved to lentils, beans, chickpeas, textured vegetable proteins, tofu. Almost any recipe that involves meat can hold up to a meat alternative, and lots of what I just mentioned isn’t expensive (compared to meat anyway).
Was a bit of the opposite for me, not having to worry about meat costs is a nice side effect of simply not eating meat
Here’s a fun hack;
I haven’t paid for food in years. I’ve made checking the supermarket dumpster part of my daily routine. Its insane what they throw away. Our freezer is absolutely packed with meat rn.
I buy very little meat, not for frugal reasons primarily but just because that’s how my nutrition plan has evolved. The cash savings are a definite plus too, though.
Been vegetarian for 30+ years. I could afford it back then. And now. But after this long I can’t imagine going back.
I have recently reduced my meat intake for ethical and environment reasons. I can say, it has been cheaper to substitute chicken, which was the protein in practically all of my meals, to mycoprotein or a soya alternative, like tofu. I don’t know if you’ll run into this problem too, but I enjoy eating chicken. I’m happy to cut down, and I feel as though I’m still making a difference financially and ethically. But I don’t know if it’s worth entirely cutting it out. Maybe try to reduce your consumption of poultry to figure out whether you want to fully commit to meat free.
I only buy reduced meat to keep costs down
I did for health reasons almost six years ago and an unanticipated bonus was incredibly low grocery costs.
Dry beans and rice, along with potatoes, carrots, cabbage, etc., are the cheapest foods on the planet.
I’m single and live alone, so I never spend over $25/week and that includes household items too.
chicken and tuna are extremely cheap and will keep you full longer than carbs ever will
going vegetarian will just make you hungry and cause you to buy more food while also making you malnourished leading to other health problems
I have dairy and egg allergies, and I don’t like meat very much. I eat mostly beans, nuts, and seeds for protein. Nuts and seeds sound expensive until you realize that nobody eats a pound of nuts at a sitting. Not on a regular basis, anyhow.
Have you also tried going to a local food bank? They can help
Switch the pork. It’s cheaper than chicken and beef.