At the Lampsen house, we ring an old-school dinner triangle every night. I pull out a CD with the theme song from The Magnificent Seven and play it in the background as I extoll the virtues of beef in my best Sam Elliott voice. Then, we gather ’round the table and take a little trip to a carnivore’s paradise.

With all due apologies to our vegan and vegetarian friends, we eat meat. And we like it.

Unfortunately, that predilection for fleshy goodness results in grocery bills that are fattier than a bad chuck roast. Meat is expensive. Even the cheap end 75/25 hamburger that no one with any respect or love for the human heart could possibly buy without first scheduling a confession witha priest is turning into a major investment.

And while meat packs the cash drawers at the grocery store, most of us aren’t experiencing tremendous personal wage growth these days. Thus, it seems like a good time to cover a few ways to save money on meat.

If you ask some people, they’ll just tell you to buy lower grade cuts, to eat less meat, and to do other things that are virtually unthinkable for those of us who never really need to ask, “Where’s the beef?” at supper time. Consider this a guide to how to save money on meat–from a serious meat-eater.

MEAT FIRST! Here’s a handy trick I use regularly. When I get to the grocery store, I head straight for the meat and I look for sales. You’d be surprised how often you can find a 2 for 1 deal on pork chops, pot roasts or skinless boneless chicken breasts. If you look for the meat bargains right off the bat an build your meals around the sales you can save a fair chunk of change. It requires some on-the-spot planning and prevents you from walking in with a completely formed grocery list, but it can work really well.

BUY BIG! Those “family packs” often feature per pound prices that are considerably lower than the smaller packages. If you have the money to buy extra this week, you’ll be set for next week, too. Just don’t overdo it. You’re not saving anything if the stuff ends up freezer burned and thrown away.

SHARPEN YOUR KNIVES! Those chunks of round steak that have been cut for you in order to make stir-fry easy might seem like a nice idea. Check out how much they’re charging you for the knifework, though. Buy it whole and cut it up yourself. Buy a mallet and tenderize it yourself, for that matter. There are things for which we need butchers and there are things we can do ourselves, right?

BUY AFTER THE HOLIDAYS! Have you ever noticed how cheap turkey gets on the Friday after Thanksgiving? Have you seen the way they almost give away hams after Easter? I don’t know if you find brisket specials the day after Saint Paddy’s, but you get the idea. Take advantage of those post-holiday bargain meat dumps.

If you need a few additional ideas, you can check out this list. Some of them are sacrilege to those of us who worship at the altar of giant medium-rare porterhouses (eat more beans and less meat?), but there are some nifty ideas in there, too.

Beef (or pork or chicken or turkey) can still be what’s for dinner, even if you are trying to trim grocery costs. With a little thinking and effort you can learn how to save money on meat.