By Natalie Maynor, via Flickr
Every week we go to the grocery store, I look at the receipt with amazement. We spend so much money on food – a necessary expense, but certainly one that could use some trimming.
I have thought about going the coupon route, but I honestly don’t have the time to cut coupons, nor do I ever find a coupon that is actually useful. Yes, if I buy the thing I don’t want or need I can save $.50, but it’s just that, something I don’t need or want.
One item that seems to always be expensive is meat, and this year it was worse with the drought — a factor that causes the price of beef to rise. Along with the price, there are all the stories you hear about what “they” are doing to the ground beef these days – i.e. the dreaded “red filler” that nobody knows much about. So I began feeling like I was spending an arm and a leg on red-filler-filled-overpriced beef.
So I asked myself: What could I do to get cheaper and healthier meat?
This spurred me to explore something new — the idea of buying a cow myself. This would allow me to replace the overpriced filler-filled beef from my local grocer with healthier beef that included all the cuts I would ever want, for a cheaper price.
Three of us went in on it together. We went to a privately run ranch with ranch raised beef that is finished with no artificial hormones or animal products. One friend bought a half of the cow (“half beef”) and my other friend and I split the other half (“quarter beef”). A quarter beef gets you a wide variety of cuts of meat including T-bone steaks, sirloins, round steaks, minute steaks, many pounds of hamburger, short ribs, rib loin, beef roasts, flank steak, a brisket, and some stew meat.
Everything all in cost me $424.00 and I received approximately 120 lbs. of beef. This means that I received approximately 120 lbs. of beef for $3.53 per pound. What does it cost per pound at the grocery store? Last time I checked, all natural grass-fed ground beef is $6.99 per pound and a round roast (not all natural) is $3.84 per pound.
That is what I call serious savings – something not found by cutting coupons. And, anytime I want a steak, I can go to my freezer and pick the one I want. I know where it came from and know that there is no red filler. In my book I call this a no-brainer.
This process has me thinking: Are there other ways to buy food in bulk and consequently eat healthier and save money?
Another idea I explored was buying fresh produce from a local farmer. In buying produce this way — similar to buying a cow — you are going to at least get a healthier product while helping the local economy by using local farmers.
An interesting way to do this is to become a part of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). This allows consumers to buy local, seasonal food directly from a farmer. Here are the basics: you would usually buy a share or a membership and in return you receive a certain amount of seasonal produce each week throughout the farming season. According to LocalHarvest.org there are several advantages for consumers:
- Access to ultra-fresh food, with all the flavor and vitamin benefits
- Exposure to new vegetables and new ways of cooking
- An opportunity to visit the farm at least once a season
- A new way to get kids interested in healthy foods (many kids tend to favor food from “their” farm)
- A chance to build a relationship with the farmer who grows the food and learn more about how food is grown
But how does a CSA compare with the grocery store? Since I haven’t joined a CSA myself, I turned to a few helpful articles:
“My Story: CSA vs. Grocery Store and Co-Ops”
After comparing her experience with the CSA vs. the grocery story, the author of this article stated that her belief is that the prices are comparable. However, she found other benefits.
“So why get a share? The strength of the CSA is that the locally grown organic products can be as economical as the products in the grocery store…. My family can tell which products are from the CSA or my garden and which are from the store. The difference in flavor is remarkable, especially in the tomatoes and carrots. But the best part is that the food is grown organically with respect for the land and its health. We are what we eat and we are what our food eats. I really believe our CSA share is worth it!”
“CSA Farm Veggies: Deal or No Deal?”
In this article written by Bargain Babe, the conclusion is similar, stating that “A true bargain hunter weighs the total value of a purchase, however, not just the cost.” Here are her seven reasons why she believes the CSA is the right way to go:
1) I have never eaten healthier
2) I am eating organic
3) I am supporting local jobs and the preservation of the farm
4) I am reducing my carbon footprint
5) I am meeting neighbors
6) I don’t have to choose what to buy
7) The food tastes really good
A mixed bag I would say when it comes to the CSA being cheaper than your local grocer. But, as you can tell, the pure comparison of price is not the only factor to consider when deciding whether to become part of a CSA.
What do you do to cut back on food expenses? Share your ideas by leaving a comment.
Other articles you may be interested in:
Simple Tips for Eating Healthy on a Budget
Grocery Store Tips: How to Get More for Less
Fresh eggs are a way to save money and get a more healthful food. A hen costs about three dollars in an auction and produce on average 6 eggs a week. They require little upkeep and pay for themselves with healthy brow eggs in about two weeks.
Chickens are great composters too.
I have my own chickens (about 20+, free range, locked up only at night), and once a year on average I buy a couple of steer or cows, finish them out over 6 months or so, then have them butchered at a local shop. Meat usually runs me about $2 a pound when all is said and done, which includes the cost for feed, the purchase of the animal, and butchering fees. I also usually sell one cow, but it is hard sometimes to find someone to buy the second cow. Complaints all year long about the cost of beef, but people don’t want to buy, or they just want to buy a quarter or something, like I’m a grocery store. Anyway, full freezer for a year. I tried buying pork, but honestly pork has been cheaper on sale at the store than from a farmer or raising your own. This year grain and grass was higher, so the steer I butchered a couple of months ago averaged about $2.75 a pound. I get about 5-20 eggs a day, depending on factors of the chickens that day. Sometimes I will butcher my chickens myself as well, especially if I get too many roosters. My wife incubates her own eggs, so we can turn about 20-30 eggs into chickens every 20 days or so when we need more or younger for laying. Cost of the incubator was less than $100 on ebay. We also run our own garden of fresh vegetables during the warmer months. I am thinking of putting in a greenhouse next year…we’ll see. Cheaper food and great hobby, plus I love the sound of the roosters every morning!
Thank you Ben and Gary for your great comments. Sounds like you are veterans to this process. I am certainly just getting started and learning. To me it is such a no brainer. Healthier and usually cheaper and fewer trips to the grocery store.
I really like buffalo meat and I have been wondering if there really is a market out there for buying a buffalo like we have done with cows. If you have any information I would love it if you would share.
I think your article contains many reasons to buy in quantity though I find a few flaws. I am single and buying 120 pounds of beef is a lot of beef. You also need a decent sized freezer. You also need to find a long-term way to store the beef in the freezer such as a vacuum sealer. Lastly, I disagree with your comments regarding coupons. Even if you don’t have time to cut coupons out of the Sunday paper you can load electronic coupons onto your grocery value card. Then when you go to the supermarket and scan your grocery value card the coupons are automatically applied.
My husband and I buy lamb from a farmer near Sterling. We always buy at least half a lamb and drive out to the meat packers to pick it up. It is well wrapped – we never have storage problems with it. It is delicious, low in fat and very inexpensive – cheaper even than beef from the store. I like that I am supporting a Colorado farmer.
Hi Sarah. Next time you purchase 1/2 a lamb please e-mail me as I would like to buy the other half . Although I live in Canon City I would drive out to pick it up. Thanks. Bob
I joined a CSA with a friend two years ago, and have been buying cuts of meat from local farmers for over a year. This year we are looking at joining a meat CSA and purchasing a freezer for buying at least a quarter at the end of the season. Recently I have been trying other meats than the usual grocery cuts, including goat and lamb and have been pleased with the different flavors. I don’t know that we are saving all that much yet, but we are eating very well and love supporting local farmers and ranchers.
One of the best buy local Colorado beef is South Platte Free Range Beef LLC. Check them out on facebook or at softball@flail.com
Spfrb@gmail.com
You should also check out Seacat Farms in Montrose. They will even sell 1/4 beef if you have someone to split the half with. Check out seacatfarms.com or call 245-4599 and let them know what you want in a beef or goat.
There was a time that a family could buy meat in bulk and store it in a frozen food locker. Certainly there are still lots of familes with a big chest freezer in the basement or the garage, but urban residents rarely have room for such a thing. Does anyone know of frozen food lockers,open to the public, in the Denver area?
Be careful selecting a frozen food locker to store your meat. I have relatives in Nebraska that bought a cow and stored the meat at a local food locker. After a couple of months they noticed the meat tasted freezer burned and were convinced the owner of the locker had switched their meat for some they had been storing for quite a while.
Hey Lynn,
South Platte Free Range Beef, LLC will deliver to the Denver Metro area if you are interested. They are all hormone, antibiotic, grass fed, or grain fed your choice. Delivered right to your door.
spfrb@gmail.com or check them out on facebook.
Regarding Seacat Farms to buy Beef or Goat—please see seacatfarms.com or call 249-7344…(corrected number). We buy every year, either a half or quarter and some of the best beef we have ever had.