Totally agree! I'm going to rant a bit but well, it's just the whole mindset of the OP that got us here and now it's the doubling down in the comments of getting the cheapest meat possible and saying it's somehow good as restaurant-quality meat, which requires quite a lot of mental gymnastics.
I mean, the majority of 'fresh' supermarket meat is trash, I do not understand why you bother eating meat regularly if it's not from a butcher you trust and have a good relationship with. Some really, really good bacon costs about £2 more than supermarket stuff but oh my god is it the best bacon sarnie you will ever have.
If you can't afford it, then do like I do and eat it less and have preserved meat like polish sausages, chorizo etc. Frozen fish is still fine for the most part as long as you're having it in soups. I usually do the same with salmon fillets, and I'll buy a whole half salmon + head for about £24 and that works out usually at about £2-3 a fillet and is generally better quality than most of the quick supermarket meal options you get off the shelves.
Eating fresh mackerel from a fishmonger (some ones do about 5 for £4 and you can get them cleaned and even filleted) vs getting less for more money comes down to two things and that is convenience and time, which is where supermarkets benefit and straight out of the pandemic, they've really reinforced that behaviour.
Looking further afield takes time and effort but the food is more personal and you know where it's coming from rather than questioning a sticky color printed logo that says 'Organic' and because you're so tired and stressed you'll take it's word for it, despite it being a very good chance that it's put there for marketing purposes and the supermarket has also employed a very fancy magic circle law firm to really push the boundaries of the word 'Organic, free-range, happy, smiley animal'.
So I get my veg and other regular items from Lidl, we get local farm producers to send us food, and when I want something fancier, I'll budget for it.
What really gets to me is how people justify having skinless chicken breasts, but the first thing they do is opt for the meat with no skin, despite that skin being better than the processed vegetable or 'blend of pressed and unfiltered and filtered' olive oils.
Just get the whole bird, cut it up yourself, and use it in different meals. Economy, leads to efficiency! Not the other way round...though the supermarkets have made an excellent sales pitch thus far.