Butcher Trip

I recently posted a picture similiar to this on Instagram and it sparked quite a lot of discussion!

This is our haul from a recent butcher trip and this is pretty typical for us.  It’s actually missing a 40lb box of chicken backs on top of all of that only because I already had some in my freezer.

Whenever I shop, I stock up.  I buy BIG.  It doesn’t matter if it’s the grocery store or if I’m buying wine.

I prefer to buy in bulk so I  buy a lot at one time.

The reason for this is simple, I do not like having to shop weekly.

In fact I hate it.  Going to the grocery store once a week for supplies would make my head explode.

1. I have no desire to do that on a weekly basis.

2. I don’t have time to do that on a weekly basis.

So I plan my time accordingly and make a big shopping day.  I know that I’m going to spend at least 2 hours (if I’m lucky) out and probably 30 minutes back home getting organized.

I’m okay with this because I won’t have to go to the grocery store again for three weeks.

Score!

Our butcher is located downtown at North Market.  This isn’t a place that we frequent often nor is it a place that is close enough for a quick trip.  There’s no running out just to get some bacon or chicken.

So when I have to resupply our freezer, I’m buying a lot at one time.

This should last about three months.

A few hours spent downtown and I won’t have to go back again for months?

YES!

Yes this means that I’m dropping some serious cash when I shop but for us and our budget it all works out at the end.  Naturally if I’m not shopping on a weekly basis, the bill will seem high at the end.  But that’s covering us for weeks or months if we’re talking about  a trip to the butcher.  It works for us and I’m happy with the results.

What’s your shopping schedule like? Do you buy in bulk as well or do you like to shop on a weekly basis?

 

8 thoughts on “Butcher Trip

  1. Nicole says:

    I wish I could just shop once every so often. Things usually get forgotten in the freezer…even if I try to plan meals, sometimes J comes home with fast food or doesn’t want what I planned to cook. He IS getting better, though. :) I’m ashamed to say that we have wasted quite a bit over the years.

    On the other hand, I LOVE grocery shopping (and shopping in general). I like going to different places (most of the time). We’re both picky about some of the things we like, and there isn’t one place that carries everything…hence so many different places I can potentially go each week. I do try to stretch out trips to TJ’s, WF, or Meijer, but I’m at Kroger every week. Sometimes more than once…

    • Nicole, I got to multiple stores as well. I can only get Snowville 1/2 and 1/2 at Whole Foods (and they have it for the cheapest if you can believe that) and they have the best greens. Meijer has better produce, and Kroger has a better health food/organic section. I love grocery shopping as well but not enough to do it all the time! :)

  2. With adding a teen ager to the family I do have to go to the store more often. I do weekly meal planning trips and a big once a month trip. I don’t go to the store during the week because those trips will nickel and dime you to death. Put it on the list and I will get it this weekend. You won’t die without it. If you do – geez I am sorry.

  3. Unfortunately, our small kitchen and small freezer makes it hard to buy a ton of meat in bulk. However, we did buy like 24 New York strip steaks from Carfagna’s and we’ve been slowly making our way through those (from about six months ago!). They’re still good, and we managed to pack them in well. Mostly we pick up meat at Giant Eagle Market District or Carfagna’s, depending on price and our moods.

    • Jess, we do have a standup freezer to store our stuff. Though we did use to just use a little fridge freezer before that! Scott’s really great at packing stuff up. Ha!

  4. I get most of my meat from North Market – I also get bison from a farm market. It is a little more expensive, but it’s worth the money in the long run. My sausage doesn’t have nitrates, and the meat is better quality.

Leave a Reply to Nicole Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.