We don’t eat rib eyes every night. Partially because our blood pressure would go through the roof, but mostly because we can’t afford it. The most tender, well-marbled cuts of steak are expensive, but there are plenty of delicious cuts of steak out there that won't break the bank. (Read: more steak, more often.)

The best cheap cuts of steak are always changing. Like the cut of your pants, steaks go through trends. We used to love hanger or skirt steak as a cheap cut, but since they’ve gained popularity and risen in price, we’ve started looking elsewhere. These are four of our most trusty budget steaks, which you can totally find at any Whole Foods or old-school butcher, for weeknight indulgence, Rent Week dinner parties, or just about anything else.

Seared boneless short ribs, FTW Alex Lau

Boneless Short Rib

We love a boneless short rib around here—it's the fattiest, most flavorful cheap cut around. Just because these are called ribs, doesn’t mean they are; they get that name because butchers cut them into strips that look like ribs. You've probably had braised, fall-apart-tender short ribs before, but most people don't know that you can totally season them and cook them in a cast iron to a juicy medium-rare like any other steak. No bones, no problem.

Top Round

This isn’t a tender cut. We’ll say that straight-up. Top rounds are lean and a little bit tough, but if you’re searching for beefy flavor, you’ll find a whole lot of it here. And if you want to give it a little help in the flavor or texture department, you can give a top round a little tenderizing massage (i.e. pound it a bit with a meat mallet) or let it hang in some marinade. Or don’t. Your call.