Grocery costs on a bulk are getting brutal this year

[Beantown Rick]

Anyone else feel like bulking has gotten way more expensive? I am hitting 4500 cal a day and the grocery bill is out of control. Ground beef is up, eggs are up, even rice costs more. Eating pretty clean too. Calculating it out I am spending close to $300 a month just on food for myself. What are guys doing to keep costs down without dropping protein too much?

[FLbodybuilder]

Feeling this hard. Switched to buying whole chickens and breaking them down myself, way cheaper per lb than breasts. Also found a local butcher who does bulk ground beef deals. Eggs are the big one - used to spend $3 a dozen now paying $6+. Diet has not changed but the bill has gone up maybe 25 percent over the past year.

[Davo]

Eggs and mince are still the most efficient budget protein here in the UK. I buy whole chickens when on sale and break them down. Cheaper per kilo than buying breasts. Whey protein is actually cost effective now compared to real food prices. Strange world. Meal prep Sunday saves a lot of waste too.

[Marc NL]

UK is the same, everything has gone up. Started batch cooking on Sundays which at least saves time even if it does not save much money. Oats, eggs, mince, and rice are still the cheapest macros per gram of protein. Dairy is getting pricey though. Cottage cheese used to be a cheap protein source, not so much anymore.

[Jock]

Scotland is the same. I started buying from a local butcher in bulk - half a lamb, split with a mate. Works out way cheaper per kg than supermarket. Freezer is your best friend on a bulk. Got a chest freezer for the garage specifically for bulk meat purchases. Saves about 30 percent on protein costs.

[BERLINER]

In Germany also expensive now. I buy frozen fish in bulk from wholesale store, is good protein and cheaper than fresh. Also I make my own protein bars with oats and peanut butter. Save maybe 40 euros per month compared to buying protein bars. Every little bit helps when you eat so much.

[NYCgains]

I track food spending and it has gone up about 20 percent over two years without eating more. Costco membership paid for itself in the first month when bulking. Buying chicken, eggs, and greek yoghurt in bulk there makes a real dent. Whey protein per gram of protein is now cheaper than most whole foods which says a lot about where food prices are.

[Dutchman]

The Netherlands has seen consistent food inflation too. I switched to buying protein in larger quantities when on sale and freezing it. Pork loin is often overlooked but has a similar protein-to-cost ratio as chicken breast here. Lentils and legumes are underrated for supplementing protein intake on a budget, though obviously not the complete amino profile of meat.

[Mick AU]

Farmers markets here in AU for bulk veg and eggs. Cheaper than supermarkets and fresher. For meat I found a butcher who does end of week deals on bulk mince. Freezer is stocked. The real cost killer on a bulk is eating out even occasionally - one restaurant meal can be the equivalent of two days of home food spending.

[MunichMarc]

In Munich eating on a bulk is also expensive now. I eat a lot of quark which is very cheap here and high protein. Also Turkish supermarkets have much cheaper prices than regular supermarkets for most things. I spend about 200 euros per month on food for bulking. Not sure if that is high or low compared to others.