Is your local Butcher cheaper than buying meat from the Supermarket?

[MaybeTomorrow]

Hi all,

I was looking for some advice really.

There are 2 adults and 1 toddler in our household and I'm trying to find ways to cut our food budget. It could be that there aren't any as I try to be careful, but I know that I've seen a number of excellent suggestions on other MN threads for saving some pennies.

I am very lucky that one of our benefits through our company benefit scheme is Retail Vouchers. So basically we can order vouchers through our company and they cost slightly less than they're worth. Not much, but over a year I would save around £100 - every little helps (to quote Tesco...). So I buy £200 of ASDA vouchers every month.

Currently I get the '3 for £10' deals on meat that all the Supermarkets seem to be offering currently, but my big question and the real reason for starting this thread is whether it's cheaper to get meat from your local butcher than it is to buy it from the supermarket?

I already buy my fruit and veg loose to save money and I've definitely saved a bit of money and also reduced wastage doing it that way. But any other hints and tips would be gratefully received...

[bobblehat]

It probably depends on your local butcher. Mine can be, but it depends on what you buy.

You will save because you only have to buy what you want eg my family don't eat a full 1lb of sausages in one go, therefore I can ask the butcher for the number I need.

Also it tends to be better quality so therefore on the odd occasion I buy bacon I don't need as much because they don't pump it full of water.

We don't have a lot of meat (I'm veggie so we maybe have meat 3-4 times a week) but if i get a chicken from the butchers it costs more, but is bigger and I can get at least 3 meals out of it (roast, cold with veggies, curry then maybe soup). Also if you're not squemish about what you eat ours sells rabbits for £2, pheasent is also very cheap. They also sell squirrel!

Like I said at the start, it does depend on your butcher and ours is fab.

[missmartha]

At the supermarket most meat comes prepacked so you buy what you're given. This may sometimes mean more than you actually need.

My butcher will allow me choose exactly how much I need. I could even buy two sausages and a slice of bacon if I wanted.

Going to the butcher and just pointing out what you want, no more and no less is very handy and can be cheaper.

[BaroqueAroundTheClock]

One local butchers is - but it's all cheap (and imported!) meat - nothing more than a glorified meat supermarker really (and I think it's closing soon as I saw the building up for sale recently.......)

The other one is much more expensive, even getting just what I need it's out of my price braccket,

[storminabuttercup]

Mine is hit and miss. Have you tried the butchers counters in the supermarket? Tesco often have some good deals on in that bit and it seems better quality.

[nagynolonger]

I would say it costs more from a local butcher. But mine does do good freezer pack at a reasonable price. Also you can buy exactly what you want as others have said. Things like sausage and bacon are much better than supermarket ones.

[Chil1234]

Whether you can buy meat more cheaply is going to depend on the supermarket/butcher price offer and how bothered you are about quality. What's definitely true is that you can save money by eating less meat in total.

Vegetarian dishes built around beans and other pulses are incredibly cheap. A simple 'Chilli Non Carne' with kidney beans, veggies and tomatoes served with rice is a fraction of the cost of its meat-based equivalent - good on nutrition as well. Lentils make a good base for a shepherds-style pie. Eggs are another economical source of protein. There's a group that started a 'meatless Monday' idea and it's a good way to try new things, get more variety into your diet & bring down the cost of eating.

[straightbat]

My local butcher is expensive and shite. He has a big red face and a lovely stripey apron which seems to con people into thinking that the overpriced sawdust filled sausages are "Sooo much better than the supermarket, dahling!!!".

[caffeinated]

I go to local farm shop and prices are similar to supermarket. But the quality is way better. Chicken breasts are plumper and tastier and they do bulk packs for cheaper. Like 5 pounds of braising steak for 12 pounds which does us 5 or 6 meals. 2 adults and 3 under 5's.

[MaybeTomorrow]

Hi all,

Thanks so much for your responses, I think maybe I'll need to do some research and take a look at our local butcher. There is a lovely one linked to our local garden centre but that is REALLY expensive, so I will try the one at our local indoor market hall. Strangely our ASDA doesn't have a butcher section, weird because it's a massive store!

Chil1234, I like the idea of that group, is it on MN?

Thank you all again.

[Chil1234]

You can google 'Meatless Monday' and it'll point you to some ideas for meatless meals. Paul McCartney is one of the supporters. I like the idea... anything that says 'you don't have to eat meat at every meal' is a good thing. More variety, better health.

[DuplicitousBitch]

ours is more expensive but about a million times nicer. we eat meat maybe twice a week. i bought some eggs in there on tuesday and nearly fainted at the price

[ShatnersBassoon]

Our butcher is more expensive than the supermarket, and the quality is no better than Morrisons where there's a butcher's counter allowing you to buy just as much as you need.

[lexxity]

We find our farmers market is cheaper or more or less the same price as the supermarket and you know where your meat has come from, what sort of life it's had and is of a far better quality than the supermarket.

The butchers is ridiculously expensive, 3 black puddings and a 1lb of frying steak cost me nearly £8 on monday! would have cost half that at the farmers market.