Mom's Costco Meat Hack Is Saving Her Hundreds

If you have been grocery shopping lately, you have probably noticed the significant increases in food prices. When your favorite items have nearly doubled in price, it can be hard to justify some things if you have a family to feed. A lot of us have found ourselves cutting corners on food these days, even the basics.

Many families get their essential protein from meat, which is not immune to price hikes. So when your salary isn’t increasing at the same rate as everything else, what the heck are you supposed to do?

There are lots of money-saving tricks and hacks for buying affordable groceries, and some people are making a living on social media teaching others how to save their hard-earned cash and still have a little left over for the things they really want. Some of these shoppers live by warehouse clubs such as Costco, where they can get a lot for a little. You might be shocked at how some of them are doing it and how little they are actually spending.

Some moms swear by buying their meat in bulk to make inexpensive dinners.

Jenna, a mom from Australia, runs the Facebook group Moms on a Budget, sharing money-saving tips for families. The thrifty mom likes to go to Costco for her meat haul and then portion it out at home, the New York Post reported. Using a vacuum sealer and plastic bags, she could take $66 worth of meat and make meals for her family for $3 apiece. That breaks down to $.65 a person. It is positively incredible.

People couldn’t believe the breakdown.

It shocked some in the group that the prices were so low.

“You got all that from Costco? Wow, I’m so getting a Costco membership as I’m battling to afford things with the price of foods at the regular supermarkets,” someone commented, per the Post.

Others agreed that this was the only way to do it and shared their thoughts.

“I also buy bulk chicken thighs at Costco for around $15 and I make approximately 40 chicken schnitzels out of it,” reads another comment. “Then I freeze them individually and take what I need out on the day to defrost. Such a cheap and easy way to do it.”

Talk to moms about mom stuff. And make money doing it.

A mom of five on TikTok claimed her last haul lasted two months.

Mari, who posts as @cocinacallahan, shared her $106 Costco haul that will last her family of five a long time.

While she was at the warehouse club, she purchased a bunch of meat and portioned it for her family. She said the family would have seven servings of ground beef, three servings of pork chops, four servings of pulled pork, two servings of ribs, and two servings of chicken wings. And, no, these aren’t individual servings. That is 18 meals for five people!

Some people loved the idea, but others were skeptical.

“good job mama! 👏” one TikToker wrote. Another person suggested the method to a friend. “you needa do this,” she wrote and tagged another mom.

Some wondered how the TikTok mom could make her portions stretch for five people. “That is not enough hamburger to make anything for a family lol,” one comment reads.

One person had a suggestion, “people — when you use anything like hamburger helper — you use the 1 pound of meat to stretch your protein. Not all your meals need protein.”

“Have you tried the whole pork loin and cutting yourself? It’s about $15,” another person wrote.

It’s not just Costco that has deals.

Another mom, aka @el_money_jackson, is a Sam’s Club shopper who posted her haul. She spent $91.32 pre-tax on meals from a mix of a bottom round roast, ribs, ground beef, and chicken breasts. She made 21 meals. That’s less than $5 per meal for the whole family.

The comments were filled with praise. “Just learned how to do this from tiktok, thanks to parental guidance lol,” one woman wrote.

There were questions about how to do it.

“I’ve seen so many TikTok’s on this and it’s awesome, do you have to order in or can you just go pick it up?” someone asked.

“you did a great haul,” another TikToker applauded.

Ladies, you are pretty darn impressive. We’re mamas with kids to feed, and these are some great tips! For those prices, there’s even enough money left for dessert — that is, if there’s enough room left in the freezer.