Since watching Bobby’s YouTube videos, I have been working to be more intentional with what I put into my body. Before his videos, I didn’t realize that the source of our food could affect its nutritional value. So I started implementing some changes with my money in mind. I started with buying organic when it’s worth it. I buy almond milk that is free of carrageenan and bought whole milk that was organic. When it comes to meat, I look for organic, pasture-raised, and grass-fed when available. So when I came across ButcherBox, I was excited to find a sustainable option that would come right to my door. But I never could bring myself to place an order. Let me tell you why.

What is ButcherBox?

Butcher Box is a high-quality meat delivery service that brings the best proteins to your doorstep once a month (or less often if you’d like). Their proteins are described as 100% grass-fed, organic, heritage-breed, and wild-caught. This means frozen meat packages are delivered to you rather than you having to source and bring it home yourself. Who wouldn’t benefit from a grass-fed meat delivery?

The costs vary from $129-$149 a month. If you go with the $129 boxes, you choose between the all-beef box, the beef and chicken box, the beef and pork box, or the mixed box (beef, chicken, pork). They will choose which cuts you get. If you go with the $149 box, it’s custom made so you get to choose EXACTLY which proteins go into it and how much.

What’s Great about ButcherBox?

Sustainable farming practices are not only good for the ones eating the food but also better for the environment. So ButcherBox’s commitment to only working with farms that treat their product well is a definite plus. Also, you know how you can taste the difference when a meal is made with love? Imagine if that love started with the farmer caring for the animals. Instead of feeding them whatever will make them the fattest fastest, they allow them to eat what they normally would in the wild. Don’t you think you’d taste that difference?

When the animals are cared for, the nutritional profile is different. If you look at the color of an egg yolk from a traditional factory farm versus a pasture-raised egg, the traditional egg is much paler than its counterpart.

This also helps to support real farmers who struggle to compete with factory farmers. As a result, these smaller farms can keep doing what they love for work and can support themselves.

Why I Haven’t Subscribed to ButcherBox

It’s the math, for me. Whenever something is delivered to your door, you have to know that there is a cost for that convenience. I’ve done the math several times because I’m so tempted to buy-in. However, I live within 7 miles of my local Shoprite, Costco, Trader Joe’s, Aldi, AND Whole Foods. I also have a Wal-Mart but I rarely go there for meat (no prejudice there. I just don’t go). All these stores have grass-fed, organic, wild-caught options. Typically, when you go to a store versus the store coming to you, you save money. So I checked the price per pound for the different cuts that ButcherBox made available and added them all up. The majority of the time, the grocery store cost less.

You can’t shop sales

Food prices are readily available to you in your grocer’s app so you can compare prices. Also, you can take advantage of current promotions to save even more money. While ButcherBox has promotions when signing up where they throw in some extra cuts of meat for free, if it’s like most subscription boxes, those promotions only apply to new customers. So all future boxes will likely come without the freebies. When I do the math, the only time ButcherBox costs the same as what I could find at the grocery store is when they throw in freebies.

I spend less at the grocery store

In January, I spent about $91 on meat and seafood purchases, most of which is organic, grass-fed, and/or wild-caught. That’s significantly less than the $129-149 price point for ButcherBox. Now I could just keep the rest frozen and subscribe every other month instead. However, when I purchase my protein, I try to buy just what I need for the week so I don’t have to freeze them at all. There’s nothing wrong with freezing your protein. But that’s just the wave I’m on right now – fresh never frozen. ButcherBox’s meat comes frozen so you’ll have to keep it that way until ready to use. You definitely don’t want to thaw it out and refreeze it when you think it’s been in the fridge too long. SAFETY RISK!

Is the box too small or too big?

Another reason I didn’t ever subscribe is that I was worried the box would be large enough for my husband and me. However, I did the math and we typically eat about 12.5 lbs of protein a month so the curated box for $149 should cover us for the month. However, another concern that gets raised for me is that my freezer is smaller than I’d like and usually chock full of frozen veggies and fruit with little room to also store protein.

Who knows though? Never say never. I might be convinced one day.

Why You Might Subscribe Anyway

While for me, the ButcherBox doesn’t tick off all MY checkboxes, it doesn’t mean it can’t be right for you. I have a lot of grocery store competition by me which drives the prices down of even the good stuff. I can get a pound of organic, grass-fed ground beef for $3.99 most weeks. My Costco has organic chicken and eggs (not pasture-raised yet though) in bulk. I even have a farm close to my job that I can buy my chicken from directly for about $3/lb. However, if you want high-quality meat and don’t have good options near you or it’s too expensive, the ButcherBox may be a great option for you.

Sometimes the convenience of having someone hand-pick the quality of your food is worth paying for. If you don’t want to spend time at the grocery store figuring out if the meat you’re buying was sustainably raised, then the ButcherBox may be right for you. I am into convenience if it will make your life less stressful.

It’s Not the Only Game in Town

Moink is also a subscription-based frozen meat package delivered to your door. They seem to have the same mission as ButcherBox – providing the consumer with high-quality, grass-fed, pasture-raised, and wild-caught meat and seafood while supports sustainable and ethical farming. They also have lamb available which is not available with ButcherBox. While they are not certified organic, you can read more about why that may not matter in my post about organic food.

READ MORE: Organic Food – What You Need to Know to Decide if it’s Worth the Money

When making the decision to sign up for any subscriptions, ask yourself if it’s worth what you’re paying for. Sometimes, this means doing some math. Other times, it means considering the time that could be better used doing something else. Just make sure it’s worth it.

Your turn. What home-delivered meal kits do you subscribe to and why? Have you ever subscribed for frozen meat packages to be delivered to your home? If you’ve ever canceled a subscription, what led you to that decision? Share in the comments below.

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