Buying in Bulk
It is a good feeling being able to head into winter with a well stocked freezer, a feeling that many of you cited as why you prefer to buy in bulk. To have a variety of meats no further than your basement or your garage is invaluable when it’s -20° and the car won’t start or you’re just not feeling a grocery store run. Perhaps stocking your freezer plump wasn’t in the cards for you this past year, as admittedly it often requires some planning and budgeting ahead of time, but it will save you both time and money in the long run. That being said, now is the time to start planning for this fall, which is why I’ve put together a few helpful tips in regard to buying in bulk.
Freezer - you’re going to need to invest a little money into a chest freezer. Not long ago, you couldn’t give chest freezers away. Now, they’re highly sought after and if you’re buying new, they’re often backordered. While it may require a little searching on your part, there are still some out there! Fall/heading into winter is going to be the most difficult time to locate one, but that doesn’t mean you won’t find a hidden gem. Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist are good sites to browse if you’re looking to buy used.
Budget - it’s an investment to purchase all or nearly all of your meat upfront. What historically was spread out over the entire year now needs to be paid at once. The good news is that buying in bulk is often much, much cheaper. The bad news is that, once again, it needs to be paid all at once. This is no where near impossible, just requires some planning. Let’s suppose you want to purchase 1/2 a pig and 25 chickens for the year. For some rough math, 1/2 a pig will run you about $500, and for chicken, $4.89/lb x 4lbs = $19.56 x 25 = $489, so let’s round up to $500. So you have $1000 you need to save to stock your freezer for the year. That’s less than $20 a week for meat that you know exactly how it was raised, what it was fed, and where it came from.
Reserve Early - last year we (and many other farms) had to turn people away. Placing a deposit on meat early ensures you’ll have meat come harvest time.