burning fences to grocery defences - save money on your weekly grocery bill
It wasn’t like I had a deep emotional bond with the fence. We were living in low-income housing during the first year of our marriage – I was 18, broke, and just proud my 6-month-old daughter hadn’t gone full feral from hunger yet.
But on one fiery July Saturday, that fence lit up like I accidentally summoned the spirit of Guy Fieri in a blaze of pork fat and poor judgment.
The real villain? Store-bought sausage. Not just any sausage, the super greasy kind that comes 5 to a pack, wrapped tighter than a dutchman’s wallet. I tossed them on the 50-year-old BBQ, a relic left behind by the lucky bastard who somehow graduated from the projects and left me with his death trap. I never checked the drip tray, didn’t know it had one or the left behind food stamp burger grease clinging to the grates.
Within minutes, grease started pouring out the back side just waiting for disaster to strike. The grill flared up like a popsicle stick house, then, poof, the fence caught. Flames, panic, one frisbee fan, and my now-ex wife shouting things I’m still emotionally unpacking. We ended up saving the fence, ruined dinner, and dodged another emergency vehicle in the neighborhood.
I learned 3 lessons that day: 1. Always clean your BBQ - 2. Greasy sausages are not your friends - 3. If you want delicious sausage without backyard arson, stuff you own.
I’ve come a long way since that scorching day in the projects. I’m remarried now, and proud to say my grown kids are doing a hell of a lot better than where I started. Back then, having limited funds taught me real-world lessons on how to stretch a dollar.
The meat career I started at 15 gave me access to bulk meat, taught me to cut my own, and showed me how to spend money where it actually counts. From cleaning floors in the meat department to becoming a meat cutter, then a manager, and eventually stepping into executive roles with some of Canada’s top retail, wholesale, and marketing firms; I've lived every rung of the ladder.
Now, I want to pass those lessons along to you or anyone looking to buy big, save smart, and take control of their food budget the way I did. Let’s face it—protein isn’t getting any cheaper. In fact, retail prices are projected to rise by 12% over the next three years. At the same time, the labour force—especially skilled butchers and meat cutters is shrinking.
That’s why retailers are shifting toward easier, more cost-effective ways to sell meat and protect their margins.
More and more, you’ll see bulk cuts like whole boneless pork loins, beef eye of round, and other large subprimals showing up in the meat case on sale. It’s a response to rising costs, limited labour, and the need for flexibility.
Most of these cuts are surprisingly easy to learn, with just a bit of knife skill and know-how, you can learn to create innovative cuts that would surprise you.
And unlike the fiery sausage fiasco I mentioned earlier, sausage making is something you can actually master over a weekend. You get full control; what goes in, how much fat, which spices and the pride of saying, "I made this myself."
That’s where the Rogue Butcher Sausage Kit comes in.
I built it with beginners and meat nerds alike in mind, packing it with a 55-recipe ebook and an online sausage-making course designed to take anyone, whether you’re brand new or a seasoned cook, to the next level.
So here’s the deal—learning to stuff your own sausage doesn’t just taste better, it saves you real money. Store-bought sausage can run $8–$12 a pound, while making your own at home can cost half that, or less. Over time, that adds up fast. And with the Rogue Butcher Sausage Kit, you’re not just saving dollars, you’re gaining skills, confidence, and full bragging rights at your next BBQ. Better yet, you’ll earn the kind of grill master status that makes neighbors peek over the fence (hopefully before it catches fire).
Because hey, if I can go from torching fences to teaching sausage making… you’re already ahead of the game.
- The Rogue Butcher
