36 BUTCHER'S SUGGESTIONS FOR CUTTING MEAT BILLS

1.   Buy a good cookbook.  Familiarize yourself with 
     cheaper meat cuts.
2.   Have at least one meatless day each week - serve 
     substitutes.
3.   Trade budget-stretching meat recipes with friends, 
     neighbors, relatives.
4.   Avoid expensive canned and frozen "convenience" 
     meats.
5.   Watch ads & stock up on genuine meat bargains.  Keep 
     your freezer full.
6.   Buy meats in economy "family-packs" when possible.  
     Divide and freeze for specific uses.
7.   Stretch hamburger meat by adding bread crumbs, 
     chopped onion, egg and seasonings.  Shape into patties and 
     grill.
8.   Buy beef by the "half" or "quarter".  Have it   
     professionally cut and store in your freezer.  Sell or 
     trade excess with your neighbors.
9.   To avoid excessive shrinkage and waste, cook 
     long-cooking meat over low or moderate heat or in 325 
     degree oven.
10.  Use a meat thermometer to determine doneness.  This 
     prevents overcooking, shrinkage and drying out of meat.
11.  Well trimmed meat weights less, costs less.  Shop 
     around and find the markets that do the best trimming job.
12.  Extend meat loaf and other ground-beef dishes with 
     mixed vegetables, mashed white or sweet potatoes, rice or 
     pasta.
13.  Reduce amount of meat in such recipes as stews, 
     casseroles, chili and spaghetti sauce.  Increase sauce and 
     vegetable.
14.  For freshest meats, shop early on days when stores 
     are busy - generally mid to end of week.  Avoid mornings 
     after long weekends.
15.  Stir-frying stretches meat and it's fast too.  To cut 
     into thinnest slices, partially freeze the meat.  Use 
     round and flank steaks.
16.  Use "chunky" style soups over potatoes or pasta in 
     place of meat.
17.  Substitute small bone chuck steak for sirloin or top 
     round.  Sprinkle with meat tenderizer before broiling or 
     barbecuing.
18.  Rush purchased meat to refrigerator or freezer to 
     avoid spoilage.
19.  To avoid wasting hamburger, freeze as patties instead 
     of as a chunk.
20.  Save tough rinds from ham, bacon or hocks.  Tuck into 
     potato, rice or noodle casseroles & bake for meaty flavor.  
     Discard before serving.
21.  Unless you want the bone for soup, a boneless ham 
     usually costs less.
22.  Save & freeze all meat bones and trimmings.  Use in 
     soups and stews.
23.  Buy large cuts of meat (chuck & pork roasts; thick 
     steaks & ham), when on sale and cut up for a variety of  
     uses.
24.  Marinate, tenderize or braise less tender cuts of 
     meat before cooking.
25.  Try less expensive "organ" meats: liver, heart, 
     brains, kidney, tripe.
26.  Buy luncheon meats unsliced in a chunk.  Slice them 
     yourself & save.
27.  Buy bacon ends in economy sizes; divide and freeze.  
     Cook, then combine with scrambled eggs - much cheaper than 
     perfectly sliced bacon.
28.  Get acquainted with your market's meat cutter.  He 
     can alert you to unadvertised specials and give you good 
     cooking and saving tips.
29.  Slice roasts and ham thin.  Two thin slices look like 
     more on the place than one thick one.
30.  You require less ground-meat mixture per serving if 
     you use it to stuff tomatoes, green peppers, cabbage 
     leaves and any type of squashes.
31.  To avoid "freezer burn", which dries out and toughens 
     meat, rewrap all market-packaged meats in airtight freezer 
     wrap.
32.  Save cooking liquid from New England boiled dinner, 
     smoked pork shoulder or brisket.  Use for lentil, pea, 
     potato or barley soup.
33.  Save all scraps of meat leftovers.  Then grind or  
     chop them & mix with salad dressing, relish, celery & 
     onion for sandwich spreads and dips.
34.  Make gravy from drippings.  Serve on biscuits, toast, 
     pasta, rice, etc.
35.  Dice cooked meat leftovers, mix with barbecue sauce & 
     serve in buns.
36.  Save on "outdated" meats, but freeze or serve as soon 
     as possible.