The Best Ways to Buy Meat in Bulk to Save a Bundle

Buying meat in bulk can save you money – here are the best ways to buy meat in bulk – and the best Zaycon Fresh Alternatives – including The Savory Butcher. 

Buying Meat in Bulk

Meat can be a pricey food item! I know that I’m always on the lookout for the best deals.

In the past, I’ve recommended Zaycon Fresh. I had used them for years, and I was always impressed with the quality of the product.

Unfortunately, a few days ago, Zaycon Fresh suddenly shut their doors, leaving many of their customers – myself included – very confused and frustrated.

Many of us had orders placed for meat over the next half of this year, and unfortunately, we will never see it. I was able to file a dispute with my credit card company (Thank you, Chase!), but I know not everyone was so lucky.

SO, I’m back to finding better ways to save on meat. If you are looking for an alternative to Zaycon Fresh, this post will help you…and if you are just looking for some tips to save and find the best quality meat, this post is for you as well.

Buy Cheap Meat in Bulk

The Savory Butcher

A co-op is basically a group that buys a product (in this case, meat) in bulk. You are able to get the lowest prices available because it is being purchased in such a large quantity. These prices aren’t available to consumers typically because most people aren’t buying hundreds of pounds of meat.

This is what Zaycon Fresh was. And there are different co-ops you can look into across the country. However, the newest one is called The Savory Butcher, and I’m so excited about it. They are just starting out, but all the reports so far are that the meat is super high quality, delicious, and the process is simpler than Zaycon.

The prices are very similar, and they are just rolling out across the country. However, if you are interested, in seeing if they are coming to a location near you (or to request they come to you), just click here to enter your information.

Initially, I thought that you didn’t have to pay until pickup and just pay a deposit. However, they are still working out the details of that. The ordering is opened 1-2 weeks BEFORE the pickup, and the meat has already been ordered at that point – so you WILL get meat.

The thing that was annoying with Zaycon was that you had to wait months to get your meat, and it’s hard to be out that much money. So I really do like that it’s just a couple of weeks instead, and you know the meat will be on its way.

They are coming to my area first, and I am SO excited to try it out. I will definitely be doing a follow-up about it as soon as I get my first order.

Here is a great video:

UPDATE – I haven’t been able to try this yet. They were coming to Denver in December, but then they didn’t, and I haven’t heard anything since. A little disappointing, but I look forward to being able to give a review soon (I hope!). 

Buy Direct

You can buy cows, pigs, and chickens directly from the farms. For cows, you typically have to commit to at least a 1/4 of a cow, and it can be pricey for the upfront cost. However, it ends up being a pretty good deal overall. I know a lot of people will go in on a cow with friends or family. My parents bought a pig and had it butchered when I was a child.

Shop the Sales

Throughout the year you will find good sales on chicken and ground beef if you are good at watching the supermarket sales. I’m not very good at catching these, but if you follow on deal bloggers, they will for sure let you know 🙂

About to Expire 

Most grocery stores will discount meat that is close to the “Best Buy” date. If you are able to get it before that day arrives, you can easily freeze it, and it will be good to use for a while. You can ask your grocery store if there is a specific day where they have discounted meat – when we lived in Utah, there was one grocery store that always had it on Wednesday. Otherwise, you can just hunt through the meat department. At the current store that we go to now, it’s just kind of littered throughout. You can seriously save a ton!

Costco/Sam’s Club

I do think that the best everyday deals can be found in warehouses like Costco and Sam’s Club, especially if you aren’t interested in running around town trying to chase coupons. They may not the be the lowest you can get them, but they are consistently good.

Buying Bulk Meat Online

There are a lot of companies that will deliver meat straight to your door. They typically are more expensive than the grocery store, but the meat is typically really good quality. Here are the ones I’ve found with the best reputations.

Thrive Market:

I recently got a membership to Thrive Market, and in addition to offering good prices on organic and non-GMO products, they also sell meat and seafood!

You can get a free trial of Thrive Market through our referral link, plus 25% off your first order of $49 or more. That will make the meat even less expensive!

Butcher Box:

I have personally tried Butcher Box and can attest to their quality. It is more expensive than grocery store prices, but the meat is GOOD quality. We have tried their chicken breast, ground beef, and steaks (of various cuts), and we loved all of them.

Plus they are always having fun promotions. Their most popular one is when they offer free bacon FOR LIFE – so every time you order an order of meat, you’ll get a free package of bacon. It’s kind of fun!

We have gotten a few different boxes from them, and I am consistently impressed.

I have not tried the following, but I’ve seen good reviews from them.

Greensbury

Chicago Steak Company:

They are almost always offering some kind of promotion – free burgers, free steaks, something like that!

Omaha Steaks:

I am always seeing advertisements for this company – and they are often at Farmer’s Markets. I have yet to try them, but they are usually offering some kind of awesome deal when you order from them.

Schwan’s:

I have fond memories of Schwan’s growing up. I remember my mom ordering fun things from their catalog – like individual ice cream cups or frozen pizzas, and we would all be so excited with the “Schwan’s man” would arrive.

They are still around, and they offer meats of all kinds!

Snake River Farms: 

This is another one that is a bit pricey, but I’ve heard amazing things about the meat! I’m looking forward to trying it soon.