There is no end in sight with the rising cost of groceries, and TikTokers are getting creative with ways to save on at-home dinners. One busy mom grabbed a $7 pork butt when it was on sale and stretched it into four dinners for her family of four. Here’s how she did it.
How She Preps the Meat
What makes this TikToker’s hack so incredible is that she cooks the pork butt all at once and reuses it in different ways throughout the week. There’s no portioning out raw meat or preparing it differently each night — just breathing new life into it with different supporting ingredients. To cook the meat, she puts the entire pork butt in the slow cooker with two packets of taco seasoning and some beef broth and cooks it low and slow before shredding it.
What Meals She Creates
With the shredded pulled pork, the possibilities really are endless. But in this video, the TikToker made four different pork meals:
- Pork tostadas: shredded pork, refried beans, guacamole, tostada shells, cilantro, red onion, queso fresco, and hot sauce
- Barbecue pulled pork sandwiches: shredded pork, macaroni and cheese, barbecue sauce, buns, pickles
- Enchilada bake: shredded pork, enchilada sauce, tortillas, shredded cheese, sour cream, leftover tostadas toppings
- Barbecue pork pizza: shredded pork, pizza crust (she makes her own with Greek yogurt), barbecue sauce, shredded cheese, cilantro, red onion
Not only do her recipes use the same hunk of meat, but they are also easy to make and quick to cook. Many of them use the same supporting ingredients too, stretching the budget further.
How This Is Cost-Effective
Keep in mind, you can’t go to the grocery store on any given day and find a pork butt for 99 cents a pound like this TikToker did, but this cut of meat does go on sale frequently. Keep an eye on the prices and bonus up when it’s on sale. In fact, you should apply this to all your proteins if you’re someone who doesn’t grow tired of the same meat at every dinner. Purchase what’s on sale and build your menu around it. Your grocery budget will thank you.
More budget grocery tips:
- The 10 Pantry Essentials That Help This Mom Slash Her Grocery Trips (and Save Money) — Feeding a family of four on just $300 a month might sound impossible — but one mom on TikTok has it down to a science.
- New AI Grocery Chatbot Trades Your Privacy for a ‘Smarter’ Shopping Experience — Kroger and Sprouts Farmers Market are among the first to test Instacart’s new Cart Assistant.
- 35 Tricks That’ll Save You Serious Cash at the Grocery Store — Now more than ever, we’re leaning on all the tips and tricks to save money at the grocery store.
