In the past, I’ve outlined how I’m attacking the monthly recurring bills that I have across my life – from Cable TV to Mobile Phone and Home Phone service. I’ve managed to save a few thousand dollars along the way with these strategies. However, I’m nowhere near done hacking these seemingly unavoidable bills and attacking the pervasive default mindset that so many of us have when it comes to our spending on the modern day staples.
Many times, these staples are not truly the milk, bread, and sugar of the a generation or three gone past. They are conveniences that we have become accustomed to enjoying as our various classes here in the US continue to up level the quality of life when it comes to conveniences.
Monthly food bills. Groceries. I spend a shitload on food. I have a family that needs to be fed. I am eating more than ever before. Tons of meat and protein dominate the diet at the moment, and this is typically not cheap. Many times it is of questionable quality, and if you know anything about the food industry (I’ve worked in a food processing plant or two in the early part of my career) it isn’t always what you think it is in terms of consistent care and quality of the food we consume.
So how do you ensure you get high quality produce?
How do you ensure the chicken and beef you eat are not genetically infused with weirdness and being fed ground up remains of the carcasses of the unhealthy ‘product’ that gets slaughtered due to disease?
Fish is safe right? That tuna that is so damn good seared on your plate is at the top of the food chain swimming in an ocean that is increasingly riddled with plastics, fertilizer run off, and who knows what else happens in the hull of the ships as the meat is packed in ice…
Here’s the point – unless you have direct hands on the meat you are eating from the time it is raised and killed – you are going to have to purchase it from somewhere. Produce is similar, many of us do not have the time and space to farm the produce that we place into our most precious bodies and into our family’s mouths to fuel them. So I’m making the assumption here that you are a consumer like me when it comes to the food you eat, and not a producer. I wish I was to be honest. Most food today in supermarkets is manufactured, and business is good.
‘The way we eat has changed more in the past fifty years than it had in the previous ten thousand. There are around forty thousand products for sale in a supermarket. Most are manufactured by one of the ten or so multination that control our country’s trillion-dollar industrial food system. Most people define ‘food’ as any substance we eat that provides proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. … But most of what we buy in the supermarket are food-like products or compounds marketed and sold to us as ‘food.’ They’re not food. They’re refinements or inventions that someone made up.”
- Tom Brady, The TB12 Method
So what the hell are we supposed to do? And how can we expect to save money? Organic is super expensive and prone to spoilage faster than the non organic stuff, at least in my experience.
Well, I’ve landed on one company that I’m currently experimenting with – Zaycon Fresh.
I found these guys as a wholesale direct to consumer play, and I investigated them initially as a financial hack on my grocery bill. Well, they are more than that.
Zaycon Foods is a meat distributor with locations around the US. The work with local farms directly to bring it to you the consumer on a wholesale level. Suffice it to say – you had better have a freezer to play in this game. You will not be required to buy an entire animal, which is another option if you have a slaughterhouse or butcher that can hook you up. I’ve not investigated these options, although they are on the list to check out. I’m blessed to live in Texas, and one of the best parts of the state is the quality of the food here – particularly the meat I can purchase. When I lived in the northeast – really good steaks were tough to come buy in the supermarket, and they were always very expensive. Here in TX, even a midrange steak on average blows away the meat quality of the northeast – because it is local, and fresh.
This is what Zaycon Fresh Foods is about – fresh, local, and direct to the consumer. They have chicken, turkey, beef (steaks, chops, ground, dogs, hell even prime rib), all manner of pork including bacon, and seafood. They have a really unique system where you pre-buy a few months in advance in bulk, and at price points that are typically 2/3 to 1/2 on average what you will get at the local supermarket. Their stuff is not certified organic, however their production standards are higher and more transparent than anything you’ll be getting at a local supermarket in terms of transparency. Going for fully certified organic is a costly bit of overhead based on my reading, and they’ve decided to forego the paperwork – letting the quality of the product speak for itself.
The Way It Works
It is unconventional. It is not the default of pushing a cart around Costco or your local supermarket.
You get on their website – Zaycon.
Punch in your zip code and search for local sales events that are coming up.
Find a date and time range (30 minutes and they are out, so be on time) that works for your product, and order the stuff.
Buy the stuff, set yourself an appointment in the calendar.
Show up in the parking lot where the truck is in a few months and throw the case of goodness at half the price into the back and get it into the freezer.
A couple of pointers in terms of the way this works
Definitely pay attention to the date and time for your orders, you do not want to miss the window. They have an air conditioned truck idling for pickup with cones setup in the parking lot of a local church or shopping plaza. They will validate your identity and order before handing over your orders.
Ensure you have space in your freezer, this is going to be a lot of food. This is a bigger amount than what you will typically pick up even at places like Costco.
Get on their mailing list – they have some incredible spot sales to move product that may be languishing or is in surplus in your area. I’ve made two purchases so far, and I’ve got another two on the way.
To close this out – the food quality that I’ve personally experienced is very high quality, and I still cannot believe I got it for the price I did. I’m eating way more protein now, and it is for less money than what I spending previously. I’ve got my eyes set on some steak and chicken as the summer months come through. It is possible to sidestep the manufactured food aisles, and to help the local producers in your community with this innovative model.
I’ll post a follow up on the actual pickup and ‘to plate experience.’ My pickup was a bit of chaos as I thought my primary freezer had enough room, and it did not. Piss poor planning on my part. Once I had the freezer situation sorted – the food has been quite good and easy to prepare even in the bulk packing scenario. Very pleased with the savings and with the quality.
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