Low-cost, healthy meat--maybe a dream, these days...

Once again, I find myself in the position of having paid the bills, and looking at a very small amount of money left for groceries and general living. I headed out this afternoon, with high hopes, to our local Cub Foods grocery store, and found absolutely no meat on sale for anything like a reasonable price.
With six people to feed, four of them adults, a pound of anything doesn't go very far, let alone a pound of the various pathetic, fatty looking cuts of beef and pork I saw today for nearly $4 per pound. There was no chicken on sale at all--I can't imagine paying $12 for a package of chicken wings--the dregs of edible flesh society. They should be giving those away, really, for the amount of actual meat involved.
I am a big fan of the boneless/skinless chicken breasts for many recipes, but I was fully prepared to buy whole chickens to save money today, but no dice.
So, I actually came back home with no meat at all. My mom and I will sit down and do some planning, and we'll divide up some of the cost and share some cooking, and that will help. But I am really bummed out by my experience. I'm all for meatless-meals, but I do not want to be a vegetarian.
I did, however, thaw my last bag of chicken leg quarters today, and I made a massive stock-pot full of soup, with all of the fading carrots, pale celery, random potatoes, and bits of veg from the freezer. It is delicious, absolutely the ticket on a cold night, and everyone loves it. Plus, there's enough for at least 2 more meals left after dinner tonight, and I also have a couple of cups of chicken leftover (it was a 10lb bag) for a casserole. I served it with a loaf of homemade bread, and everyone is fat-tummied and happy and warm now.