I consistently make my own sandwiches at work using lunch meat. But, is it cheaper to buy it freshly cut at the service deli (within the grocery store) or to buy it pre-packaged in the meat and cheese refrigerated section? The answer is... it depends.
My grocery store has terrific prices on lunch meat at the service deli. I shop at Super Target. I can buy Market Pantry (Target brand) lunch meat for about $5.99 per pound (not on sale). Buying lunch meat not on sale is something that I rarely do. Most times, I can find turkey breast on sale for about $3.99 per pound. Target had ham on sale yesterday for $1.50 per pound. These are super cheap prices. Even if I opted for the turkey breast, I can spend less than $2.00 for a half of a pound of lunch meat. You cannot get that in the pre-packaged section.
Some more expensive grocery stores (like Publix) sell their Publix brand lunch meat for about $7.99-9.99 per pound. Buying the pre-packaged variety may save you a little money if you shop at these places.
Most pre-packaged lunch meat containers start at about $3.99, and it's only about 9 ounces of meat.
Before you rush out to your grocery store's service deli, remember this: freshly cut lunch meat really only lasts about 4-5 days. So, don't buy more than you and your family can eat within 4-5 days.
