To all the meat eaters , how do you afford to eat it than a couple of times a week?

[Xithras]

49. Yep, that's what I do too.

We have an old fashioned butcher nearby. We put in our order, and he places it with other waiting orders until he gets enough to butcher all the animals on the list (usually within two or three days of the order). The animals come from a local organic ranch, and are butchered right there in the shop only hours before we get the call to come pick it up. We pay around $3 a pound for a 75-100lb pound box that is mostly beef, but also contains a mix of various pork cuts, chicken, lamb, and some of the best handmade sausage I've ever had. And the bacon...

If you have a freezer to store it, have the cash to buy in bulk, and aren't in a hurry, buying from a local butcher can save a lot of money. Even if we just want some specific cuts (like some tri-tip for a BBQ), my butcher is cheaper than his grocer competition. I do still have to order it a couple of days ahead of time, but it's worth the savings to plan ahead. There's no way we'd eat as much meat as we do if I had to buy it from our local grocery store.

As a bonus, there's nothing like having a personal relationship with your butcher. Once they get to know you and understand what you like, the good ones will bend over backward to cut your meat exactly the way you want. Mine even knows to toss in a few pounds of 50/50 Italian Sausage/Lean Ground Beef mix into each package, because that's the way my wife learned to make lasagna when she was growing up. When he found that out, he started premixing them so she wouldn't have to. You won't get that kind of service at a supermarket.