Buying in bulk is the way to go if you meet certain criteria in lifestyle. I buy a half of steer every 18 months or so but I'm lucky enough to only pay for wrapping and cutting because I get it from my Dad's ranch. . I have a freezer in the garage and I do get paranoid about power failures, etc., though a deep freeze is much more stable for longer than a refrigerator. I recommend an old-fashioned NOT frost-free freezer, because frost-frees blow hot air to prevent ice buildup and shorten the life of your frozen food, very substantially, acting as a dehydrator of sorts. I have become really outspoken on this point, because frost-free freezers just ruin food pretty quickly.
My freezer is not even full size, it's about five feet tall. A half of steer fills it almost up.
You do end up with a lot of burger. Ask to have some or half of all ground meat, to be ground for chili, that way you get a different texture to work with.
I have been lucky enough to buy from my own family ranch, getting hi-quality grass-fed beef but apparently a lot of local markets are starting to offer this option and we do live close to cattle country. I would call a country butcher, like Bud's in Petaluma (if he is still in business, he was getting up there) to find a source for grass-fed. I would recommend trying a grass-fed steer first (a half) rather than buffalo, because I would imagine you'll pay more for the latter and you will have a larger quantity of meat to deal with (in case you decide that bulk buying isn't for you). And buffalo apparently is equivalent to grass-fed, on the tougher side of things...
I would only do it if you LIKE to cook a lot, rather than go out because you really will have a LOT of meat. I truly enjoy knowing I always have food on hand. With all the burger, your baseline simplest meal can always be grilled homemade burgers (assuming you have outdoor barbecue, etc.). Second up is taco meat, which really is flexible, because you can put it in tostadas, tacos, scrambled eggs or even over salads. You are going to end up with a lot of chuck roasts, chuck steaks, London broil and short ribs (I assume they use the same terms with buffalo). It's really good to own a crock pot for these cuts or be into Dutch ovens and such. You go through the premium cuts, steaks and filet mignon really fast. And I would recommend getting rib steaks rather than prime rib because once you eat the prime rib, that's it. Rib steaks are the prime rib, but packaged into quantities that you can enjoy over multiple meals.
Also, the butcher will ask you how you want it packaged and that's important, based on the number of people in your house. Because my boys are in college, I would ask for steaks to be packaged in twos, for example.
If you want soup bones, oxtail, tongue or organ meats, ASK for 'em, because often the butcher assumes you don't want all that quantity. If you have a dog, they love soup bones to chew on but they take up a lot of space. They are great in soup obviously. The oxtail is a great delicacy really, makes the best soup of all. I draw the line on liver and brains and say no thanks...
This is just stuff to think about and my two cents. Because I don't buy on the open market, I don't really know the going rate, but I would ask around.
Adding in: If you have family, it's a very nice feeling to give them gifts of meat, too, especially if they are having hard times financially. Might sound dumb, but my sister is single and a great cook and just loves that I share the bounty with her.
It was cool having a bunch of steaks and beef to eat, but it took a day to thaw out a single steak. A deep freeze will freeze meat into a solid brick. It takes a long time to thaw a T-Bone.