Finding the Best Deals on Ground Beef This Week

Ground beef is a versatile and budget-friendly staple that most families buy on a regular basis. However, with rising food costs, everyone wants to get the best deal on ground beef. So who has the best sales on ground beef this week? I did some research to find out where you can score deals on ground beef right now.

Weekly Ads Show Who Has Ground Beef Sales

The first place I always check for grocery deals are the weekly ads from major supermarket chains. These ads preview all the sales and specials that will be offered over the next 7 days. Flipping through the latest weekly ads I found several major retailers promoting sales on ground beef this week.

The stores with the best ground beef deals in their current weekly ads are:

• Aldi
• Safeway
• ShopRite
• Albertsons
• Kroger

Of these, Aldi clearly has the most impressive price at just $2.69 per pound on their 73/27 ground beef rollout Most other stores have 80% lean ground beef on sale for around $299 to $3.99 per pound.

Albertsons, Kroger and Safeway all have ground beef value packs on sale, which can be a good way to stock up and save if you have a large family or want to prepare freezer meals. The Albertsons ad specifically advertised their ground beef twin pack bricks for $3.97 per pound.

Check Multiple Ads for Overlapping Sales

An important tip when looking through weekly ads is to check multiple store ads for overlapping sales. This week there are a few stores running the same ground beef promotions from 5/21 through 5/27. Comparing ads shows:

• Albertsons, Safeway, and Kroger all have 80% lean ground beef on sale for $3.99/lb

• Albertsons and Safeway both have the Signature Farms ground beef value packs for $2.99 to $3.97/lb

Where Safeway and Albertsons run the same promotions, you can price match between stores. Also, some store brands are identical when carried at different chains. So buying Signature Farms at Safeway should be the same as buying it at Albertsons.

Use Online Ad Databases to Find More Deals

While weekly flyers cover most regular grocery stores, you can find additional ground beef sales by searching online ad databases. These aggregate all the latest grocery ads in one place, making it easier to compare sale prices between retailers.

Searching the ads on WeeklyAds.us and MyGroceryDeals.com shows ground beef is on sale this week at even more stores, including:

• Food Lion
• Giant Eagle
• Hy-Vee
• Meijer
• ShopRite
• Stop & Shop

Again, Aldi clearly has the lowest advertised price at just $2.69/lb. Expanding the search reveals more variety in the types of ground beef on sale too. For example, Food Lion’s ad shows they have 90% lean ground beef rolls for $4.99/lb – a good price for very lean beef.

Check Meat Departments for Unadvertised Specials

While the ads give you a good idea of weekly ground beef sales, you can sometimes find even better deals right in the meat department. Stores will often discount ground beef nearing its sell-by date or overstocked products. Look for the red reduced price stickers showing a marked down price.

I also recommend asking the meat department staff when they put out discounted items. Many stores discount meat first thing in the morning or late in the evening. Knowing the schedule can help you snag meat on markdown.

Buying reduced price meat allows you to save even more, but you have to cook or freeze it soon since it’s close to expiring. If you can use a large volume, it’s worth stalking the meat counter to find these hidden deals.

Buy Large Quantities for Freezer Meals

Since ground beef is so versatile, you can save money by buying larger marked down quantities to freeze. Separate bulk packages into one pound portions for the freezer.

Having a stockpile of ground beef ready makes it easy to throw together weeknight meals like spaghetti Bolognese, tacos, chili, and so many other hearty dishes. You can cook directly from frozen so there’s no thawing required.

Buying 10+ pounds will give you enough for at least 10 meals. That puts the cost per meal around $1 to $3 depending on sale prices and package size. Hard to beat!

Use Coupons for Added Savings

Some stores offer additional savings by accepting coupons on meat purchases. For ground beef, common coupons include:

• $1 or $2 off fresh ground beef
• $1/lb off ground beef packs
• % off ground beef rolls or chubs
• Buy one, get one free ground beef

Finding coupons can double the savings during a sale. Check the store websites, apps and Sunday paper inserts for available meat coupons.

Buy Store Brands for the Biggest Bargains

Opting for the store brand is nearly always cheaper than name brands when it comes to ground beef. Private label store brands like Kroger’s ground beef can be up to $2/lb less than branded beef at some stores.

As long as you’re sticking to 80% or higher lean ground beef, the nutrition and quality are comparable between brands. Store brands often come from the same major beef suppliers anyway.

Of course, always give any new store brand a taste test before stocking up. But in most cases generic labels are an easy way to save on ground beef.

Check Multiple Stores for Best Prices

To get the very best deal on ground beef this week, you may need to shop around at a couple different stores. While one store may have the best ad price, another could have unadvertised markdowns.

Hit up both Aldi and your regular supermarket this week. Look high and low in the meat department for specials. And don’t forget to check any available meat coupons you have too.

With multiple stops, you can buy enough discounted ground beef to stock the freezer for at least a month or two. Just think of the money you’ll save on meals!

Freeze for Later to Get More Mileage from Sales

The last tip for maximizing savings on ground beef deals is to portion out and freeze anything you don’t plan to use right away.

Ground beef stays fresh 3-4 days in the fridge but can be frozen for 3-4 months if properly stored. Buy your sale priced beef, separate into recipe sized portions, label and freeze.

Pulling pre-portioned ground beef from the freezer makes throwing together dinners on busy nights so much easier. You save time and money with no waste from spoiled meat.