Buying in bulk is an easy way to save money, but also an easy way to blow money. Some items, when bought in bulk, can save you hundreds per year. Other items can be no better than buying smaller sizes. Pork, along with other meats, falls under the former.
Before we get into the savings, a little background is in order.
What is ‘Buying in Bulk’?
Buying in bulk simply means buying more of something. Typically there is an association with savings attached to buying in bulk, but there is also a burden that comes along with having so much “stuff” (groceries, toiletries, etc) at once.
‘Bulk’ is typically left to the consumer to determine. If you are by yourself, buying a 3-pack of deodorant can be considered ‘bulk’ since it will probably take you over 3 months to use.
Where Can I Buy in Bulk?
Typically, buying in bulk occurs at wholesale clubs such as Costco, BJ’s, and Sam’s Club. Each of these offer the “larger-than-life” groceries and toiletries, and there are definitely bargains to be found in each of the stores.
The Pork Breakdown
While both pork and beef offer great savings when buying in bulk, pork is one of my go-to meats when I’m looking for chicken alternatives. If you know how to shop, it can definitely be a great mix-up in the kitchen.
My Way: Buying in Bulk
Pork has a variety of cuts available at wholesale clubs, but my favorite is the pork loin. The pork loin cut contains pork chops, roast cuts, and other creative cuts (or meal ideas) if you can think outside the box. It’s great for its versatility and its price. The pork loin I show above is one I bought from my local BJ’s for only $22.93.
Now it may be hard to tell from the picture, but that’s a 10 lb piece of meat right there. I ended up paying $2.19 per pound, which was a great deal for my area. To keep it simple and maximize meals, I decided to cut my entire loin into thin cut chops. I find it easier to freeze the extra meat this way as well.
Now all of the pork chops you see above are from the same pork loin. I ended up getting 36 pork chops out of the loin. That means I spent about $0.64 per chop.
As you can see, I split up the meat into freezer bags so I can take out about one bag per week and not get sick of eating the same thing.
The Alternative
Now if you just buy regular pork chops from the grocery store, you’ll probably buy something like the picture above. You get six pork chops, but you pay $7.61, and you’re only getting a little over 1 lb of meat.
The cut is in fact the same: thin cut pork chops. The difference is how much you buy, how much you have to do yourself, and where you buy from.
The Savings
If you were to buy the same amount of pork from the grocery store as you can get from a wholesale club, you would need to buy 6 of those packages. At $7.61 each, you would be spending $45.66 instead of $22.93. You would spend double for the same amount of pork chops! Not to mention that if you compare side by side, you only get about 7 lbs of meat with the grocery store option, while you get over 10 lbs with the wholesale club option.
Now looking dollar for dollar, lets assume you buy this quantity about every six weeks, you would save about $197 for the year! That’s crazy considering you get the same meat!
Why is it Cheaper?
Buying pork in bulk is cheaper because of three main factors: the amount of meat you buy, the amount of labor you need to put in after purchase, and the place you buy.
Buying pork in bulk is cheaper than buying smaller amounts because there is less packaging cost. Packaging facilities pass some of their savings on to you.
Also, when more labor is required, the price goes up. So buying pork in bulk means that some of the work is passed on to you in terms of meal prepping. If you have no problem with this, you can really save. There are bone-in and boneless varieties of some cuts, and the bone-in cuts are almost always cheaper.
Finally, the place you buy your pork partially determines the price. Different companies have deals with different suppliers. Typically, the wholesale clubs have good relations with the suppliers and are able to get better deals for their customers. Also, wholesale clubs make less profit off their goods, so you get to save even more.
Final Thoughts
Okay, so you know where I lean with this one. I showed pictures of what I do, but let’s recap.
Buying meat in bulk is an easy way to save money. As long as you have a freezer, I say go for it. I personally buy pork in bulk from BJ’s and save $200 per year compared to buying pre-cut pork chops.
Now while I save money, I do have to cut up the pork loin into the pork chops. For me, I have a pretty good system of prepping the bags beforehand, and then laying out the pork loin and cutting and bagging. The whole thing takes me about 15 minutes and I have pork for over a month. I personally prefer prepping most of my meals myself to save money.
The decision is up to you whether you decide to spend more money on the same food or not. I personally try to save wherever I can with food, as long as I am not compromising my health, and buying meat in bulk is a great way to do that.
If you are ready to start saving more money and aren’t sure where to start, I recommend starting your financial journey here.
Happy Spending!
-The Spendgineer
That is such a great idea! I usually buy in bulk. But, I will have to start doing this instead of buying individually cut porkchops! Thanks for sharing.
I used to buy meat in bulk a few years ago. I moved so I don’t have the freezer space anymore, but it was an excellent way of saving money! Thanks for sharing 🙂
I’m in the UK and grocery shopping is a different game over here, but I’m a fan of bulk buying. The less go shopping, the better so stocking up is a win for me. I don’t think we in the UK are experiencing food price rises as drastic as in the rest of the world though. Hopefully things will level out soon!