The Best Tips for Buying Meat in Bulk to Save Money
Tons of tips for buying meat in bulk that work for nearly any budget! Save money on the ever rising cost of groceries.
When you’re trying to save money, the first place in the budget that most people attack is food. That’s because you have more control over that area, and you can see immediate results.
There are so many different ways to save money at the grocery store. But have you ever considered feeding your family without doing traditional grocery shopping?
Let’s talk about some creative ways to save on meat.
Tips for Buying Meat In Bulk At the Grocery Store
Go meatless (or less meat)
One great way to save money is to have meatless meals. No, this idea isn’t going to work for everyone. You might have picky eaters, football players who need to bulk up, or spouses that aren’t interested in the idea.
It took a while to convince my own family to go meatless just once per week. But once they realized that you can have some great tasting meals even without it, they were in.
If you need some ideas to help you get your family on board with the idea of having meatless (or less meat) meals every once in a while, check out this post for tips.
Saving on meat
Stock up on food when it’s at its best price. If your freezer is empty, buy the cheapest cuts of meat for a month and try to round out your meals with beans as much as possible.
Instead of boneless skinless chicken breasts, buy whole chickens. Rather than the best burger, get something with a higher fat content and rinse the fat from it after cooking. (You can return it to the heat after rinsing to keep it tasting great.) Or buy a cheaper cut of beef and grind your own burger at home.
You can make those cheaper cuts of meat more edible by marinating them over night before grilling or cooking them. A crock pot will often make even tougher cuts fall apart.
Then, stock up on better cuts of meat as they hit their best sale prices. I don’t like to pay more than $2 per pound for meat. That’s tough to find, but it’s doable if you shop carefully.
You might find that your best price is double or triple my cost. Once you learn what your best price point will be, you can become a better shopper.
Get ideas for other things you can buy in bulk!
Alternative Ideas for Buying Meat in Bulk
Are you willing to be a little more adventurous? Try thinking outside the box (store) and consider these alternatives
Zaycon Fresh
I’m still sad that Zaycon has gone out of business. I’ll let you know when I find a good alternative!
Meat Packing Plants
If you want the deliciousness of a farm raised animal but don’t want to actually do the raising part, you can try a meat packing plant. Do a search to find one in your area.
You may find that it’s a drive of an hour or more to get to the plant, but the savings on buying your meat in bulk will make the trip worthwhile. And when you purchase in bulk, it’s not a trip you’ll have to make often.
The trouble with buying this way is that there is a large up front cost. If you can find the initial money for half a hog, steer, lamb, goat, or other animal, then you can start saving up the monthly grocery money you would have spent on that meat for the next large purchase.
If you can’t swing the price on your own, ask around to see if a friend or family member is interested in sharing the cost with you to make it more affordable.
Some meat packers sell in smaller portions. It’s worth a call to get information, even if you aren’t ready to order yet.
Farmers
Similar to calling a meat packing plant, you can also call a farmer directly and order meat from them. Not all farmers are online since they are busy in the fields rather than at a desk all day. So be sure to look them up via white or yellow pages if Google doesn’t help.
Do It Yourself Types
Are you the type who doesn’t mind getting your hands dirty? These tips might be for you!
Raise Your Own
If the thought of raising your own meat upsets you, you may want to skip this section.
Many people have enough space to raise their own backyard chickens or rabbits. Both are an excellent source of homegrown meat that can feed your family for an affordable price.
You can call your county extension office for information on how to get started, or look for 4-H kids selling animals. Kids in 4-H are not only a great source for getting animals, but also a wealth of information for beginners. Most 4-H kids have worked very hard with their animals and are proud to tell you all about how to care for them.
Rabbits would be simpler and less noisy than chickens to care for. It’s cliché, but rabbit meat really does taste like white chicken meat. You can get a male and female for a very reasonable price and raise litters a few times per year.
Knowing where your food is coming from gives a great feeling of accomplishment. Plus you’ll have peace of mind when there are so many recalls from the grocery stores these days.
Hunting
Also not for the faint of heart, hunting can be a great source of food. You will want to learn the laws in your state and local area.
Sometimes the tag price for hunting an animal makes it uneconomical. But often you can hunt for deer (for instance) at an affordable price and fill your freezer.
For even more savings, learn how to butcher your own animal.
Choose the method that works best for you, and you’ll find that saving on meat becomes easier the more you do it.
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What’s your favorite way to purchase meat?
I'm Jamie, and I want to help you afford a beautiful life with your family. 
I would love to have enough extra money to buy a half a cow or pig to have in the freezer.
I agree that a side of beef is out of our budget, but I was surprised at how cheaply you can get a side of pork. It might be worth looking into even if only to find out for later. Thanks for the visit!
Meats and fresh fruits and veggies are the hardest to find a discount on. I wish they spent more time focusing on making these things affordable and less on worrying about making candy and snacks more healthy (and less tasty).
Stocking up and using less are real budget savers! I also like to use every part of the meat I buy (meat, bones, drippings). Carefully managed, a whole chicken can be part of ten or more meals for a family of four. Here’s how I do it:
http://trialanderrorhomeec.blogspot.com/2011/08/making-most-of-whole-chicken.html
Good ideas Jaime. I’m always trying to keep my deep freeze stocked up. It’s hard when you’re on a budget, but I think you have the right way of thinking. My husband always tries to get me to try deer meat, maybe I’ll have a go and we can stock our freezer!
Deer meat can be delicious if you process it right and cook it up with some extra fat. When my boys were younger, the only meat they liked was venison!
Meat is the hardest! Why is it so dang expensive. I am in the military, so I can shop at the commissary, but their quality is not great.
I’m fortunate that my dad hunts every year and gives me some of his ground deer meat. That helps us save a ton, but still… it’s outrageous.
Great post!
That’s very generous of your dad! I agree, it can be such a budget killer. Thanks for reading.
One thing we do is to use ground pork instead of beef in things like chili and spaghetti. It’s pretty tasty, has a good texture and is relatively inexpensive. Ground chicken can be cheap too, but needs a lot more seasoning.
We also tend to go for a lot of bone in chicken thighs, which tend to be cheaper than chicken breasts and more convenient (especially for three) than a whole chicken.
I love hunting! I only wish I could do it more. There’s not a whole lot of other ladies out there that like to hunt, or even dudes for that matter.
I went once and saw nothing, so I can’t say I’m too experienced. My brothers go often and have sometimes shared their bounty with us.
My husband did go hunting once (he can do it on our own land!) but didn’t get anything. I confess I was glad cuz I really don’t want to see it until it looks like what I get at the grocery store, lol. But you’ve got a lot of other great ideas, here, too! Thanks for linking up at Frugal Fridays! 🙂
These are all great ideas, though we couldn’t raise much in our tiny backyard (and I’m pretty sure we’d get an HOA notice…LOL)! You did give me some good ideas though! Thanks for linking up with Share The Wealth Sunday this week! xoxo
I too prefer to buy whole chickens. Often, though, ten pound bags of leg quarters are really inexpensive. In my area, they drop below $5 per bag on a regular basis, and I try to stock up when they do. I also try to stock up on turkeys round about New Year’s. I often use cheese and/or eggs as our animal protein, too. And I always use bones for broth and drippings for gravy.
Here’s how I stretch a chicken for my family:
http://trialanderrorhomeec.blogspot.com/2011/08/making-most-of-whole-chicken.html