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Simple tricks to stretch every pricey pound

November 25, 2025

• 
  Ground beef has more than doubled in price (about $3 vs. $6+ per pound), turning a classic budget protein into a serious strain on family grocery bills
  
• 
  You can soften the hit by buying in bulk on real sales, freezing portions, stretching beef with beans/lentils/mushrooms, and choosing cheaper store-brand or higher-fat options you can drain
  
• 
  Plan flexible protein meals and watch restaurant prices too, so you swap in whatever meat (or beans) is on sale instead of forcing ground beef into every dinner
  

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As of late 2025, figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show Americans are now paying around $6.30 per pound on average for ground beef. Even after accounting for inflation, that means the price of ground beef has more than doubled since 2000.

For a lot of families, ground beef isnt a nice-to-have or splurge ingredient. Its the backbone of budget meals like burgers, casseroles, sloppy joes, and big batches of pasta sauce.

So, what turned this budget protein into such an expensive line item? A lot of factors actually. These include smaller herds, higher feed costs, trade policy, and persistently high demand. Add these all together and its not surprising that ground beef has shot up in price, even after you adjust for inflation.

Practical tipsto save money on groundbeef

The bottom line for shoppers is stark:

• Early 2000s (inflation-adjusted): roughly $3 per pound
• Today: roughly $6+ per pound

Thats a serious hit if youre trying to feed a family on a tight budget. But fortunately, with a few subtle moves, you can soften the blow on your grocery budget. Here are a few of my favorite tips:

Buy in bulk when the price dips and use your freezer. When you see a real sale, buy family packs, portion into meal-sized amounts, flatten in freezer bags, and freeze. Just make sure youre comparing unit prices so you know its actually cheaper than recent weeks.

Stretch beef with cheaper proteins. An overlooked tip is to use half ground beef and half beans, lentils, or finely chopped mushrooms. Mix them together and it really stretches the amount of ground beef youll use. Then when you use the mixture for chili, tacos, or even pasta sauce youll have a hard time noticing the difference. Ive found that youll easily keep the flavor while cutting the cost per serving.

Lean toward store-brand, but read the fine print Store-brand ground beef is typically processed at the same facility as the more expense name-brand. But its usually 10-20% cheaper per pound. Check the label for the USDA inspection mark, fat ratio, and sell-by-date. If everything matches, go store-brand every time and save.

Be flexible about fat content. The next time youre at the grocery store, check the price on 80% and 85% ground beef. Youll often find it to be significantly cheaper than higher-lean ground beef. You can then drain the fat and save some money in the process.

Check local butcher shops too.Many shoppers automatically assume a local butcher is going to be more expensive thana grocery store. This is not always the case. For example, a local butcher in my town sells a 5 pound "family size" package of ground beef for just $4.99/pound. Ironically, they are located right next to a Safeway which sells the same beef for $7.99/pound.

Plan flexible protein meals. Perhaps the best tip is to build your weekly menu around recipes that can use whatever protein is on sale that week. Shop that sales and create your meals on where you can find the savings. Whether its ground beef, turkey, chicken, or beans. So youre essentially chasing the best price instead of forcing beef into every meal.