Save On Food Costs By Buying Meat In Bulk

How often do you play the, “What’s for dinner game?” This is where you start opening cupboards and refrigerator doors around 5 o’clock to decide what can be consumed for that night’s repast. Often, you could throw your hands up in surrender and just order take-out. That is can be a very expensive habit. If you’re looking to save on food costs, then the first cuts you have to make is to scale back your take out and dining out. However, that still leaves you with the challenge of what’s for dinner? When beef is on your menu of favorite meals you could plan way ahead and save lots of money this year but buying meat in bulk. How much meat? That depends on the size of your family but investing in a side of beef isn’t that farfetched.

The Benefits Of Buying A Cow

The huge benefit of buying a cow is that you’re going direct to the source and cutting out a lot of middlemen. In many instances, you could be dealing with the farmer that raised the cow from a calf. This will let you know exactly what that cow ate and how they were treated. If grass fed beef is important to you, then that’s who you’ll be buying from. Either way, your beef is going to taste better because it will be dry aged longer. You’ll notice the difference with that first slice of steak.

You also get to pick your cuts of beef. Any farmer who is offering beef in bulk will have plenty of options for you to choose from. You might want to maximize the one-pound packages of ground beef while minimizing the fancy cuts. Or you could take it all and go nuts with the grilling. A quarter side of beef could yield 47 pounds of ground beef, 12 pounds of roasting beef and 18 pounds of steaks.

Of course, the biggest benefit will be with the cost. You’ll find that your average cost of beef is going to be significantly lower than if you went to the grocery store. You’ll have to make an upfront payment but it could be worth it over the long haul.

The Logistics Of Freezing A Cow

If you’re buying beef in bulk, then you can count on that beef having a freezer life of one year. Plenty of time to grill it all out. The general rule of thumb is that you need 1 cubic foot of freezer space for every 40 pounds of meat. An entire side of beef could provide you with 250 pounds of meat. Of course, you don’t have to buy an entire side. You could go for a quarter. Better yet, partner up with a neighbor and share the beef. As for storage, you might opt for a chest freezer you can keep in the garage or basement.

Support Local Farmers

Finally, you’ll also be supporting a local farmer and that’s a very good thing indeed. It won’t be hard to source out the beef. Find a standalone butcher shop to ask for recommendations. You can also go to your nearest farmer’s market and ask one of the meat vendors there. Everyone is happy to share information. Are you ready to buy a cow?

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