> There are things like the difference in the cost of a single, reasonable, serving of chicken. Buying a chicken breast is more expensive in price per pound than the family pack of chicken breasts or an entire chicken.
This is something a freezer handles very well. Chicken that's been frozen before cooking isn't quite as good, but it's very nearly, and for many dishes you can't tell.
My freezer is fairly well stocked with frozen meat (a good but not overly large chest freezer).
A whole chicken doesn't freeze as well as chicken parts. And chicken parts, if not vacuum sealed don't have quite the freezer stability as those that are vacuum sealed (and we're back to the individual portion problem).
When I do get raw (not frozen) meat, I've got to have a corresponding meal plan to use it all within a reasonable amount of time.
Realizing the "I am again paying a little bit of a premium here" I've ordered from an online meat company that does have individually packaged units of meat that are delivered frozen and then went right into my freezer and have been thawed as needed.
The main issue is that when buying in a grocery store, purchasing in units that a single person can reasonably cook without waste is higher price per unit than if one was purchasing in family sized units. Purchasing in the larger sizes requires an additional amount of effort and planning for meal planning, saving of ingredients so they don't spoil, and an increased tolerance for half serving leftovers.
This is something a freezer handles very well. Chicken that's been frozen before cooking isn't quite as good, but it's very nearly, and for many dishes you can't tell.