Good morning. It’s 60 degrees — finally not cold — and today we’re continuing a thought from yesterday’s episode.

Group buys.

This is something I’ve played with personally. I’ve organized a few. I’ve saved money doing them. But the more I think about it, the more I realize it could be bigger than how I’ve been using it. 

If you’re serious about reducing costs, building community, and increasing resilience — this is a weapon.

Let’s break it down.

It’s exactly what it sounds like.

Buying things as a group.

There’s a host. That person organizes the buy. They:

Source the product

Communicate price

Collect money

Place the order

Split and distribute

Sometimes there’s profit built in. Sometimes the host just wants the item cheaper and splits shipping.

The magic is in shared shipping and bulk pricing.

If shipping costs $90 and you split it between five people? Suddenly it’s cheap.

If the supplier offers discounts above a certain dollar amount? Now the unit price drops even further.

Group buys don’t just split cost. They unlock tiers of pricing you can’t access alone.

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Let’s talk steaks.

Inflation has wrecked steak prices. Chuck eyes used to be cheap. Not anymore.

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But buying a whole chuck roll or ribeye primal? The price per pound drops dramatically.

The problem?

It’s $100+ up front

You need freezer space

You need to cut it

That’s where a group buy shines.

Two to four people split a primal, cut it up, divide it evenly. Now you’re paying near-wholesale pricing without storing 50 pounds of beef alone.

Take it further.

Quarter cow.
Half cow.
Whole cow.

Yes, it’s a big upfront cost — $1,000+ depending on current pricing.

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But split between 8–10 people?

Now it’s manageable.
Now the price per pound gets very attractive.
Now you’re buying local, possibly higher quality meat.

This is real-world food security.

It’s not just meat.

There are bulk suppliers that deliver pallets or semi loads to parking lots — rice, coconut oil, grains, staples.

If you’ve ever priced:

50 lb bags of rice

Bulk coconut oil

Large quantities of flour

You know the price difference is massive compared to grocery shelf packaging.

The only barrier is volume and storage.

Group buys remove both barriers.

Split the pallet.
Split the bucket.
Split the shipping.

Everyone wins.

This might be the most important part.

Group buys force you to:

Build trust

Coordinate logistics

Meet people locally

Exchange value

You’re not just saving money.

You’re building your survival network.

If you’re willing to be the organizer — the person who starts the ball rolling — people will join.

Most people don’t want to lead. They just want to participate.

That’s opportunity.

Here’s the practical advice:

Run your math.

Factor:

Product cost

Shipping

Packaging supplies

Redistribution shipping

Payment transfer fees

First time I did it, I did rough math and it wasn’t perfect.

Now? I feed the numbers into ChatGPT and let it calculate clean pricing tiers.

No guessing.
No accidentally eating the cost.

This is business thinking applied to prepping.

Group buys aren’t new.

But they’re massively underused.

Meat.
Bulk staples.
Specialty gear.
Hard-to-source items.

If you can buy cheaper in volume and split it intelligently, you lower costs and strengthen community.

That’s not just frugal.

That’s strategic.

This is James from SurvivalPunk.com.
DIY to survive.

Meat Slicer, 200W Electric Food Slicer with 2 Removable 7.5″ Stainless Steel Blades and Stainless Steel Tray, Child Lock Protection, Adjustable Thickness, Food Slicer Machine for Meat Cheese Bread

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