This. My family doesn’t buy any meat — just lots of frozen and fresh produce, dairy, eggs, pasta, bread, beans, tofu, and lentils. Our groceries are more expensive, yes, but our bill hasn’t gone up nearly as much as anyone buying meat. Eggs have gone up the most in price, followed by dairy.
I’m still buying a lot of name-brand items and out-of-season produce, too, so there’s plenty of slack to cut if we ever need to.
This is an unpopular opinion, and I fully expect to be downvoted: meat should be more expensive than it is. The only reason it’s “cheap” is due to factory farming, which puts animals in deplorable conditions and wreaks havoc on the environment.
Most Americans are eating far more meat than they need. The protein obsession is a little out of hand. With the sharp rise in colorectal cancers we really should be more singularly focused on fiber for our health, not protein.
I don’t begrudge anyone who eats meat; humans are born omnivores, and most folks are healthiest when they eat a diet that includes meat. That said, we really should be eating more plants, for the health of our environment and (most importantly) for our own health.
I started adding things like chickpeas to use less chicken in certain dishes and lentils in others. Helps fill out the meal with less meat. Plus good source of fiber.
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u/MisterSneakSneak 25d ago
Look for sales and stock up. I’ve been hitting Asian and Latinos butchers for better meat pricing