FOOD How expensive is ground beef in your area?

babysteps

babysteps

Veteran Member
I thought I was going to cry last night at the grocery store.

Hubs and I went shopping at WinCo (regional chain, usually has the best prices in the area aside from Costco) last night. Dear sweet fluffy heavens, when did ground beef hit FIVE BUCKS A POUND?!?!?!?! And that wasn't even the really high quality stuff!

We haven't bought grocery store beef in a few years, I generally buy half a beef from a neighbor each year. We unexpectedly ran out of hamburger though and I figured I'd pick some up at the store and :shkr:

Okay, yes, I live under a rock, but even though I KNEW how awful everything else had gotten, I guess I just didn't expect it to have gone up THAT MUCH. Is it that bad everywhere??
 
rafter

rafter

Since 1999
Sam's club...$3.19 for either 80/20 or 90/10. You have to buy 5 pounds, but who cares? And it isn't in that tube thing, its the fresh ground stuff. Flagstaff, Az
 
W

WalknTrot

Veteran Member
My local butcher shop will have their good 93% lean burger (fresh ground, never frozen) on sale next week for $3.69/lb. in ten pound bags.

That's up from $2.99 that I paid a few weeks ago...but I knew because they warned us it would be the last of the low prices, so I bought up a good supply back then.
 
R

rockcreek

Veteran Member
Ours comes from a Meat Center. ( butcher shop) $5.00 a lb. here also. But it tastes good so worth it. I cannot eat grocery store meat anymore.
 
subnet

subnet

Boot
babysteps said:
No Sam's Club here. WinCo usually has *really* good prices, that's why I was so shocked.
Click to expand...

Gotta watch out at WinCo....check expiration dates and such things. We try to buy meat packs at the local butcher normally, but ended up buying at costco two weeks ago at 3.25 a lb for 5 lbs
 
A

Amazed

Does too have a life!
It's over $4/lb here now. Funny thing is I can get organic grass fed hamburger for just a few more cents.
 
K

kittyknits

Veteran Member
Last Friday at a local supermarket:

80% was on sale for $3.69/lb.

85% was $4.89/lb.

93% was $5.99/lb.

96% was $6.99/lb.

We bought 6 pounds of 88% at Costco for $3.19/lb. Hubby said it tasted really good.

This is in the upper midwest.
 
M

Midnight Blue

Contributing Member
babysteps said:
I thought I was going to cry last night at the grocery store.

Hubs and I went shopping at WinCo (regional chain, usually has the best prices in the area aside from Costco) last night. Dear sweet fluffy heavens, when did ground beef hit FIVE BUCKS A POUND?!?!?!?! And that wasn't even the really high quality stuff!

We haven't bought grocery store beef in a few years, I generally buy half a beef from a neighbor each year. We unexpectedly ran out of hamburger though and I figured I'd pick some up at the store and :shkr:

Okay, yes, I live under a rock, but even though I KNEW how awful everything else had gotten, I guess I just didn't expect it to have gone up THAT MUCH. Is it that bad everywhere??
Click to expand...

I will try to remember to make a note of the price next store trip and post the price here.
 
MtnGal

MtnGal

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Picked some up last week on sale for $2.49 lb. It's been around $4.99 lb for about a month.
 
Flippper

Flippper

Time Traveler
Costco Spokane it went up from $2.99 lb a few months ago to $3.30 lb. last time I picked some up about 3 weeks ago. Pork went up. Their bacon went back up to $17 for the Kirkland 4 pack.
 
S

SAPPHIRE

Veteran Member
NW OF DENVER: Sprouts grnd beef is $4.99 a lb..........organic grass fed is about $7.99 a lb...............

King Sooper's brand Simple Truth org. ranges from $6.99 on up a pound..........

I don't buy Safeway meats any more.................and I don't shop at big box stores........and NO WALMART MEAT........
 
NoName

NoName

Veteran Member
Last batch we bought was 85/15 custom ground grass fed, we bought 1/4 calf at $5.00 a pound.
 
RCSAR

RCSAR

Veteran Member
I have no problem buying top quality grass fed beef with just the min of meds to keep them healthy.

With that said there is no contact I have made here east of Dallas that has a quarter or half a steer available. All are booked up and even calves not born yet are spoken for!

No I'm not loaded with cash but I do use beef as a great flavoring much as the asians do. Not to mention there are rare times I would fight the whirlwind for a good steak medium rare.

I need a steer thats grass fed and fattened up on non GMO feed. The market is a killer on availability of a quality product. I really get tired of fowl as a protien source that fits on my grill.

Please for gawds sake avoid walmart meat!

I do have a deer processor in town that sells great deer sausage with pork added that is killer good! Kinda strange as we are on the very edge of deer country here. I mean 1 deer has been reported in the past 12 years in my AO.

BTW what is a great deer to pork fat ratio when it comes to taste?

I may have to drive south and expand my range on meat gathering for beef. I find it really strange being from Texas and having to say that.

EDIT: To make things worse we have a drought level warning level severe. My water is kinda cheap until I hit a magic gallon count. Then the price per gallon triples. So no garden for me this year and I'm trying to connect with an organic co-op somewhere close. Many are paranoid (FDA or something) so I have to make underground contacts to get what I want. There are some real pissed off farmers in my area.
 
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vessie

vessie

Has No Life - Lives on TB
If any of you members/lurkers live in the Fife or Lynwood, Wa. area and are Costco members, I Highly recommend you going over to their Costco Business warehouse because they cater to not only businesses but restaurants too and you will find the meat not only cheaper than at the regular Costco's but also better cuts. They have to keep the quality up for their restaurant members.

You don't have to have the Executive card, you can use any Costco card to buy there.

If you love parmesan, they have Bel Gioso parm for around $4.62 ish a lbs. This is like a quarter cut off a loaf. And it's the best stuff around.

The tenderloin wetpacks are about $4 bucks cheaper a lbs. than at the regular Costco and I could go on and on. They even have the industrial type vacuums really cheap too!

They have huge milk carton type containers that contain ice cream mix in it, so if you have an ice cream maker, give this a try.

The bakery items are different and come in 6 packs. V
 
Kaydee

Kaydee

Veteran Member
Last week here in NE KS the 73/27 was $2.99 a pound on sale, in a 3# tube. $3.99 for the fresh ground. 80/20 was $3.99 and $4.59, the 85/15 fresh ground was 4.99 and $5.49. I laughed at the 93/7 for $7.99.

BUT-- the 1# tubes of 85/15 were on a manager's special for 2/$4 (sell by date was 5 days away) and I grabbed a bunch. Went back the next day for more and found the 1# tubes of 90/10 instead-- 2/$5. Grabbed a dozen more.

From the quantities they had I'd say it had been a slow seller.
 
I

IBelieve

Contributing Member
Here it is running around $4 something a lb for the 80/20 and $6.99 for 93/7. I only buy it on sale anymore or when I can get the family packs which usually run about .30 cents cheaper a pound.

I really dread going to the grocery store anymore. I've almost left it tears a few times. I hear of other people's food budget (like half of our budget for the same amount of people) and don't know how they do it. We eat well (no boxed items) and it is so expensive.
 
S

smokin

Veteran Member
$ 4.89 a lb for 90%. NY I was getting low on venison burger and wanted a beef burger the other night. Wow ! The price scared me. Can't wait to see the prices around the holidays.
 
The Gamer

The Gamer

Contributing Member
Cub Foods here in MN had ground beef 1.99/lb on sale for the 85% in the tube which was 3lbs last week. Max 2 per person.
 
S

summerthyme

Administrator
_______________
Smokin... we have a Dexter cow going for hamburger in a week or so. We're aiming for about 87% lean (JUST enough so you don't have to add olive oil to the pan to fry it). If you're interested (they'll be hanging it for 2-3 weeks- makes a huge difference on flavor), PM me. We'll be getting $4 a pound (actual weight, not "hanging weight")

Summerthyme
 
Zahra

Zahra

Veteran Member
Went to Walmart in New Braunfels Texas yesterday and checked all meat, chicken, pork & turkey prices as well as vegetable prices (and was horrified). Ground beef (lowest quality) was $3.49 a pound and nothing was cheap - except chicken legs at $1.39 a pound (which I can get cheaper elsewhere). Potatoes were $1 a pound!!! Bought ground beef at the commissary last week and paid $2.65 a pound - will be going again next week and won't be surprised if it's higher there too by then. Looks like we're all going to be eating a lot more chicken (till that gets too expensive too).
 
KKC

KKC

Veteran Member
kittyknits said:
Last Friday at a local supermarket:

80% was on sale for $3.69/lb.

85% was $4.89/lb.

93% was $5.99/lb.

96% was $6.99/lb.

This is in the upper midwest.
Click to expand...

Those were very close to the numbers we saw at Target on Sunday. I just about fell over. So I asked the meat guy that was stocking shelves why the price on meat is getting so high. He said ya got me. Shrugged his shoulders and went back to stocking shelves.

I'm looking into buying a 1/4 of a cow. I have no idea what I'm doing but I can't imagine I could do it worse than the local supermarkets.
 
Millwright

Millwright

Knuckle Dragger
_______________
summerthyme said:
Smokin... we have a Dexter cow going for hamburger in a week or so. We're aiming for about 87% lean (JUST enough so you don't have to add olive oil to the pan to fry it). If you're interested (they'll be hanging it for 2-3 weeks- makes a huge difference on flavor), PM me. We'll be getting $4 a pound (actual weight, not "hanging weight")

Summerthyme
Click to expand...


About $4/lb here for half a cow in the freezer too.

Pasture raised and finished by the folks who butcher, good beef....actually has flavor.
 
S

summerthyme

Administrator
_______________
Millwright said:
About $4/lb here for half a cow in the freezer too.

Pasture raised and finished by the folks who butcher, good beef....actually has flavor.
Click to expand...

Yep- we're SO spoiled, it's not funny. I haven't bought beef from the store in years. About 5 years ago, we ran out of hamburger, and it was summer- barbeque season- and we weren't butchering a steer until fall. I bought some supposedly high quality ground round, and it was AWFUL. Decided right then and there we'd eat chicken and steak until we butchered again.

We raise them all on pasture and good hay until the last month, and finish them on a couple hundred pounds of cornmeal. No one really likes pure grass fed beef (even the purists who insist that they do!) It's *possible* to get decent marbled beef on pasture, but only if you're finishing them in May or June, when the pastures are super lush. The problem is, you want calves born in the spring so the mama cows get that good pasture to produce lots of milk to grow the calves. That means at 18 months, when they are ready to butcher, it's fall. 200# of cornmeal doesn't hurt the CLA levels in the beef, and it ensures absolutely wonderful flavor.

Summerthyme
 
Kevmoley

Kevmoley

Look, I am a Member
Phoenix Area

Albertsons & Bashas
80% Lean- $2.99lb.

Frys
73% Lean- $2.49lb.

Terrible deals around here!
 
rafter

rafter

Since 1999
summerthyme said:
Yep- we're SO spoiled, it's not funny. I haven't bought beef from the store in years. About 5 years ago, we ran out of hamburger, and it was summer- barbeque season- and we weren't butchering a steer until fall. I bought some supposedly high quality ground round, and it was AWFUL. Decided right then and there we'd eat chicken and steak until we butchered again.

We raise them all on pasture and good hay until the last month, and finish them on a couple hundred pounds of cornmeal. No one really likes pure grass fed beef (even the purists who insist that they do!) It's *possible* to get decent marbled beef on pasture, but only if you're finishing them in May or June, when the pastures are super lush. The problem is, you want calves born in the spring so the mama cows get that good pasture to produce lots of milk to grow the calves. That means at 18 months, when they are ready to butcher, it's fall. 200# of cornmeal doesn't hurt the CLA levels in the beef, and it ensures absolutely wonderful flavor.

Summerthyme
Click to expand...

I agree...grass fed beef is nasty. Give me good ole fed out beef any day. Fat adds flavor.
 
N

NukeMaster

Contributing Member
93% ground beef, 3.54 per lb. fresh, 3.04 frozen mark down. Prices at Commissary NAS Corpus Christi. Haven't checked HEB, no doubt lots more. We don't bother with Wal-Mart meats.
 
Suzieq

Suzieq

Veteran Member
This week, Kroger has 73% Lean Ground Beef @ $2.69 lb. sold in 5 lb rolls. I don't buy the regular hamburger because it has no flavor. I buy Hormone free 80% Lean ground beef for $6 pound. Sometimes they run a special for $5 pound, when I buy extra for the freezer.
 
KKC

KKC

Veteran Member
Is $3.00 per lb. hanging weight for the cow and the butchering and $0.60 per lb. processing a good deal? Or are they leaving out any hidden costs? I can't believe I can buy a cow worth of meat for $3.60 a pound. Can that be right?
 
RCSAR

RCSAR

Veteran Member
KKC said:
Is $3.00 per lb. hanging weight for the cow and the butchering and $0.60 per lb. processing a good deal? Or are they leaving out any hidden costs? I can't believe I can buy a cow worth of meat for $3.60 a pound. Can that be right?
Click to expand...

You are buying bone too.
 
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