I paid $170 for the last 9 cf chest freezer I bought at Lowe's. They work MUCH better than a standing freezer. I haven't bought meat at the grocery store in 6 years, for the reasons you cite. It just requires a little organization and planning.
Member
An inexpensive way to gain weight
Dear Rip,
Outside of your knowledge on weightlifting you are world renown for three things. One, your colorful witticisms, two your Texas drawl and three your extreme frugality. I think I once heard someone remark that you would recycle the toilet paper at the gym if you could figure out how to do it. So, I thought you might appreciate this.
In any event, I occasionally hear someone talk about how expensive it is to eat correctly, how they can’t afford it (never mind the XBOX at home hooked up to the $600 LCD flat screen), etc.
Today I purchased a “quarter hind” at my local butcher.
In the past I had avoided this as I did not have storage space for a side of beef or a place to put an additional freezer (more on this later).
I paid $331, including tax, for 96.5 pounds of meat. This worked out to $3.43 per pound. About 1/3 of this is hamburger, 1/3 roasts of various kinds, and 1/3 cuts (sirloin, top round, t-bones, and porterhouse).
For fun I went to the grocery store afterwards. The least expensive hamburger was $4.19 lb, roasts were $5.60 to a little under $7 a pound and it went up from there.
So for 18% less than the cheapest hamburger at a conventional grocery store, I got everything except tenderloin. And if you pay tax on meat, as some folks do, it is even less. Especially once you count the savings from going to the grocery store less often.
Now all of this glorious beef, that is much higher quality than what you find in a conventional chain, fills about 2/3 of a standing refrigerator sized freeze. Not everyone has one. Well, Best Buy has a standing freezer for about $259.99.
So, the first order of beef will just about pay for the freezer via the savings on the roasts and cuts. The butcher took about 2 weeks to fill the order and he asked that I bring boxes in the future as sometimes they run out. Everything was prepackaged in vacuum wrapped plastic and labeled.
Since, your average lifter looking to gain weight needs in the neighborhood of 200 grams of animal protein a day and a pound of meat has about 100 grams of protein. A quarter hind will last a good 45 days or so. So, gaining weight will cost about $7 a day for your theoretical 200 pound athlete. And you don't have to down a protein shake to do it.
By skipping the McDonalds you know they are eating just once a day, virtually anyone can eat correctly. Even if you can’t handle milk.
My advice is find a local butcher and have at it. If you happen to be in the Frederick, MD area, I highly recommend Hemp’s Meats. Their chorizo is excellent.
Cheers,
Tom
TMPHBITEU
I paid $170 for the last 9 cf chest freezer I bought at Lowe's. They work MUCH better than a standing freezer. I haven't bought meat at the grocery store in 6 years, for the reasons you cite. It just requires a little organization and planning.
Member
Rip, being the beef connoisseur that you are, do you get grass fed beef? I'm thinking of going the quarter or half route and was wondering what your opinion on it is vs. grain-fed and whether it's worth the extra cost.
TMPHBITEU
I don't eat grass fed beef, because it tastes like venison. If I want venison, I'll just eat venison.
Member
I'm in Houston and would like to try this. Can anyone recommend a place to buy from? I've called different places and it seems the butchers in the city don't sell sides or quarters of beef.
Member
Practically all the beef is grass fed from my work. I've thought the same thing about tenderloin and to a lesser extent rib eye. Not so much for a strip loin / the cheaper cuts.
Member
If you want to gain weight, try the Tiramisu Costco carries. It's delicious and the marscapone gives it plenty of fat calories.
Member
Thanks for the tip on the chest freezer. Makes sense since all the cold air doesn't fall out and hit the floor every time I open the door.
Also, folks can check out their local CSAs for fresh produce. I have been doing this for about two years now when in the States. It costs a little less than going to the grocery store and helps out the local farmers as well.
Member
When temps get cold up here, and dogs start having a hard time keeping weight on, it's not unheard of to supplement their kibble with spoonfuls of lard. Way cheaper than tiramisu, and it lubricates the bowels. So there's that.Originally Posted by dpinsen
Member
Google Georgia's Grassfed Beef in Waller. I have never bought from them, but have heard they were pretty good. Also, you can look up Bellville Meat Market. A short drive from Houston, but they have good meat and damn good sausage of many different varieties. I'm fairly certain you can still buy a half or whole cow there.
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