$8.69 per pound for rib roast at COSTCO...

[SoCalDem]

Beef has SKYROCKETED here..

It's a good thing that we also like pork & hamburger :)

[Champion Jack]

1. I got a leg 'O' Lamb

at costco yesterday for 3.49 lb

[BiggJawn]

2. And have you priced Eggs?

They're blaming the "Atkin's Diet" for driving up the price of protein. I think it's just good ol' fashioned GOUGING.

"Anybody got a spare banana?"
"No, but I gotta stick-a butter...It's yellow..."

[liberalnurse]

7. Yeap.......gouging at it's best.

[Loonman]

38. Freakin' Atkin's diet

That's what's doing it.

[shanti]

48. yes!

when the 99cent store stops selling eggs, you KNOW they have taken a price hike!

[RebelOne]

3. This may be a good time to become a vegetarian.

A whole lot cheaper.

[Lorien]

22. And, if Americans gave up beef

every human being on the plaet could be fed. America buys up thousands of acres overseas to feed America's beef habit-land that could grow veggies or grains that could feed far more people than cows. American beef is a major cause of deforestation worldwide. It's also pumped full of antibiotics which may eventually lead to a resistance to antibotics in the general population. I stopped eating beef after that Oprah show about mad cow years ago, and haven't missed it at all. :-)

[AngryAmish]

26. Go back to Russia, vegan commie (jk)

Seriously, almost always in the last 50 years famine and/or malnutrition are a function of war and/or poorly ran states. To say US could feed the rest of the world ignores the fact that the food would have to be paid for and transported. The hungry in the world need a functioning government (and maybe some proper roads and railroads) not a bag of oats.
Heck, in this country we pay farmers not to farm. Does our plenty exist Americans are uniquely intelligent and virtuous? No. But we do have a system that allows food to get from one place to another.

[Roy G Biv]

46. Good point.

Five years ago, Zimbabwe was self suffcient in food production, and was exporting food to other countries in Africa. Since then, Mugabe seized the farms. Today, most of that farmland is sitting idle, unplanted, with no crops being grown. So now, millions of poeple are facing food shortages. This has NOTHING to do with U.S. meat comsumption.

Preventing famine is extremely easy, *IF* that is the actual goal. All you need is stable government that respects the rights of the people and their property, and does not use excessive regulation to prevent entrepreneurship.

Sometimes people blame famine on "bad weather" or "drought" or "overpopulation" or other such things. That's nonsense. Among countries that respect the people's freedoms, including the rights of farmers to own land, and the rights of poeple to engage in entrepreneurship, there has not been a single famine anywhere in the world in the last 50 years.

A great example is North Korea vs. South Korea. The two countries have similar natural resources, geography, climate., etc. But the people in North Korea are starving, while the poeple in South Korea are rich and very well fed. The difference is because of the two countries' differing legal and economic systems. Souht Korea has private property rights, rule of law, enforcement of contract, and free market pricing. North Korea does not have these institutions. And the famine in North Korea has NOTHING to do with U.S. meat consumption.

I am a vegetarian. But I also understand economics. If everyone in the U.S. stopped eating meat, then the cattle farmers would go out of business. So the cattle farmers would stop buying grain. So the grain farmers would plant less grain. So there would be no "extra grain" to feed to the starving people.

Likewise, if all the meat eaters in the U.S. bought some extra grain to send to the starving people, then the grain farmers would plant more grain than they do now.

In other words, the amount of grain that the grain farmers will plant is FLEXIBLE and is based on the number of PAYING customers.

It doesn't matter if you are a meat eater or a vegetarian. If you have MONEY, then you can buy food. And the amount of food that gets grown by farmers will adjust upwars or downwards, depending upon the number of paying customers.

It is so frustrating to see so many of my fellow vegetarians wrongly blame famine on the fact that people in the U.S. eat meat. That's like saying if I build a house that is way bigger than what I need, that it somehow causes other people to end up homeless. It's simply not true.

[Ilsa]

4. We have always been

big egg eaters. My oldest son would eat a banana, two pancakes, a strip of bacon, and two scrambled eggs since he was two years old. My husband and eat alot of eggs also. No cholesterol problems here.

Eggs have gone up 33% where I live, and that's for a package of 18. Steak has also gone up in price. Ground beef is about the same.

It's price gouging. They'll ride it for as long as it lasts, especially the cattle ranchers who saw their stock go down after Oprah's comments five years ago about never eating another hamburger.

[SoCalDem]

5. I paid 1.93 for 18 eggs.. That's not too bad

hamburger (the extra lean) was the usual $1.89 per pound.. I also got some gorgeous pork chops for $1.79 per pound..

Turkeys were 9 a pound, but my husband does not like turkey :)

[grasswire]

6. but butter's cheap this year!

$1.25 per pound here in the Pacific Northwest!

Rib roast (certified black angus, upscale store) is $5.98/pound on special. At Krogers, $3.98. Lesser quality there.

I was told by my butcher that the rise in beef prices in the West is not due to the Atkins diet but rather to the fact that Japanese interests bought out dozens of big Western ranches with their herds and all cattle. They can make more $$ sending American beef to Japan than American ranchers can make selling American beef to Americans.

Very sad. Foreign interests are making a killing on beef and we are paying the price for it.

[SoCalDem]

27. butter is cheap, but cheese & milk are higher..

:shrug:

[Nikia]

28. Cheese prices are dropping at the wholesale level

I haven't checked to see if they are dropping in the grocery store, but why pass the savings on to the consumer? There should have been a big price drop a couple weeks ago. If they are still selling it for the same or more, someone is making a lot of money.

[shanti]

49. not for long!

lol

[short bus president]

30. Costco's had some GREAT pork chop buys

Big 12-18 chop packs for $12 or $14. Big, thick chops, too. Then again we live in a fairly prolific pig-producing state (NC), so maybe we're getting a deal related to transport costs. Bacon, though, remains ludicrously expensive. Go figure.

[thissideup]

8. My new wheelchair cost me $8,400.

[SoCalDem]

9. Yikes.. We have a $500.00 CAR..

It always amazes me when necessities like wheelchairs are so damend expensive.I hope you were able to get some help on it.. Does insurance help??

[thissideup]

10. No I had to sell my dog

She was a purebred Australian Shepard, minature, and a very rare breed. I had her for 6 years. She was the best company I've ever had. She use to sit on my lap for hours and sllep in the bed next to me. I called her "Aussie".

[SoCalDem]

11. That sucks..

Too bad you could not have bred her and sold the puppies.. If they are that valuable, you could have had an easier time, and kept her too:(

Most people will not pay much for an adult dog.. but puppies are a different story..

Too bad also that the family could not have picthed in do you did not have to lose your pet..

[thissideup]

13. She was sterile

I have no family around. BTW Your picture of Jeasus is kind of offensive.

[Habibi]

16. I think it's hilarious

(the pic o' Jesus, I mean.)

edited to clarify!

[Interrobang]

23. Everything's so expensive these days.

I have a great memory for trivia, and things are 30-50% more expensive now than they were 5-10 years ago, when I first moved out of the house, at least. Anything in the meat dept. that I can get (these days) for under $6.85/kg is a good buy!

thissideup -- You're complaining about offense...and you can't even spell "Jesus" right? Excuse me, but 'Jesus!'

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

29. But, but

everyone loves Buddy Christ.

[RebelOne]

20. That's sad. I hope you are not serious.

Selling a close companion is to me like selling a child.

[Wcross]

12. I have a few cows

I can buy feeder calf's for 40 and in two or three years have a whole cow in my freezer. By the way, Hamburger is shooting up also (it is a beef product). I am sure McDonalds will raise prices soon. The rise can be explained by the Adkins diet and the "mad cow" scare in Canada.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

14. I have been cooking and baking a lot bec. of the holidays

and I'm horrified that every time I go to the store. I have begun shopping at the regular supermarket since I'm unemployed (Whole Foods is too pricey), but still here's what I've paid recently:

Dozen Eggs $2.99 a dozen
Pot Roast $7.99/lb (cheap cut-nothing fancy)
Boneless Chix $5.49/lb
Center Cut Port Chops $5.99/lb (ON SALE!)
Cabot Butter $3.49 LB

And this is at Shaw's and Stop & Shop. I agree with the Atkins Diet influencing the price of meat. I don't know how a large family could afford to eat meat. I remember eating a lot of hamburger and spaghetti growing up, but even hamburger is $3.99/LB!

[SoCalDem]

15. Wow.. Those prices are horrible

Except for beef, the prices here (SoCal) are not that bad at all.. Well. lettuce did go way up, but I just stwiched to romaine..paid 2.49 for 6 of them..

Chickem is still cheap here.. I paid .99 a pound last week for chicken breasts..

I am glad I still have some $1.37 a pound london broils in my freezer:)

[Kathy in Cambridge]

19. One of our local TV Stations did an expose of supermarket prices

and the Boston area was tops in mark up. :wtf:

Produce is probably cheaper in the states with warmer climates because you can grow all year.

Here are some other examples off my grocery receipt:

Lettuce (mesclun greens): $7.98/lb
Broccoli: $1.99-2.49/lb
Asparagus: $3.99/lb
Spanish Onion: $0.99/lb
Leeks $2.49/lb
Bartlett Pears $1.39/lb (Sale)
Lemons 2/$1


Thank god I only have to worry about feeding two people.

[grasswire]

33. hmmmm

.....maybe I shouldn't say this, but if you are unemployed and worrying about your grocery costs, maybe you should be looking at some pasta dishes and budget cooking rather than asparagus and mesclun. It's possible to eat well on a limited budget. Polenta, risotto, fettucini with some olive oil, garlic, cheese and herbs --- you'll save lots of money. I like to make polenta with fresh rosemary and grated orange peel and romano in it, then saute squares in butter until crispy. Dee-licious.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

35. I'm on Atkins and I do cook the carbs you mention once in a while

I have cut costs elsewhere in our budget so we can attempt to eat healthily.

[grasswire]

41. well..........

.....a Mediteranean diet is considered to be pretty healthy.

[Don_G]

17. I've Seen Costo In Chicago

Two questions: (a) Can I get them here in my community and
(b) Would it be profitable in my area for my
Democratic Mayor (4th term) to ask for their
business?

[SoCalDem]

18. Costco supports democratic candidates

Sam's supports republicans.. That could be a selling point..

There would need to be a large enough population, or they might not consider it..

It never hurts to ask.. The big box stores like to locate near other big boxes.. What other stores do you have in your area???

[lumpy]

42. Glad to hear Costco is pro-Dem

since we do a lot of shopping there. Costco meats are the best in our area, veggies are a good buy. Surprized that the Puget Sound area prices are a lot lower than some posted here, but notice grocery prices are going up fast. I have been buying large econo sizes since we have 5 adults at home now. I am gearing up for worse times ahead so family members are welcome at our modest family home. Being a child of the 30s depression, I believe in families holding/working together to overcome economic bad times.

[mac56]

43. Costco seems to have its values and philosophies in the right place.

Shop Costco.

No, I don't own their stock.

[GAspnes]

47. Costco also upsets Wall Street -- "too good to their customers"

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=114&topic_id=3954

Wall Street curls its lip at Costco's ungreedy CEO

In a single paragraph tucked matter-of-factly into Fortune's hymn to Sinegal and his company, as if it were one more piece of incidental data, we learn that "some of the practices that made Costco great have lately come under attack by Wall Street." What the complaint boils down to is that Sinegal is too generous to the peasants. Stock analysts have "pounded on" him to trim workers' health benefits "and to otherwise reduce labor costs." The critics' view is summarized by "Deutsche Bank analyst Bill Dreher, who recently wrote, 'Costco continues to be a company that is better at serving the club member and employee than the shareholder.' "

Shop Costco!

[scarlet_owl]

21. Hell, that's downright cheap. Here it's almost twelve

dollars a pound. Beef filets are seventeen dollars per pound. Good thing I never buy that stuff, or even have a taste for it. I like to stick to good old 49 cent per pound chicken parts.

[Bertha Venation]

24. I bought a bone-in ham for $0.88/lb...

not generic: Smithfield. How does that compare with your part of the country?

[SoCalDem]

25. That's a good price.. Ham & turkey are the bargains

especially at this time of year.. I may shop the day after Xmas and get them even a bit cheaper and put them in the freezer..

The only problem, is that now that the boys are grown & gone , there are just two of us, and I have finally learned to cook for 2 instead of 5..So when I buy a large item like a ham, I am afraid it will go to waste if I don;t split it before I freeze it.. Being as how I am lazy, I often do not do this, and then end up throwing away leftovers (shhh don't tell my husband )

[banana republican]

31. Find a Good Butcher

one who sells 1/2 or 1/4 sides of beef.

one who also has an onsite freezer.

have him cut & wrap a 1/2 or 1/4 side of beef

it will be a lot cheaper than safeway.

you can tell a good butcher by how many steaks as opposed to hamburger that you get.

If you really want to save money... become a vegitarian......

[RebelOne]

34. Yep, I'm a vegetarian, so I save a bundle.

[banana republican]

32. Find a Good Butcher

one who sells 1/2 or 1/4 sides of beef.

one who also has an onsite freezer.

have him cut & wrap a 1/2 or 1/4 side of beef

it will be a lot cheaper than safeway.

you can tell a good butcher by how many steaks as opposed to hamburger that you get.

If you really want to save money... become a vegitarian......

[grannylib]

36. Beef high due to low-carb diet fads from what I hear....

[RedEarth]

37. $31.00 per pound for beef tenderloin

at a meat market. When they told me that price, I told them "thanks, but no thanks". Went to Albertsons and they had it on sale for $10.00 per pound. I felt that was still too damn much, but this is a family tradition at Xams and since we only have to buy it every two years I relented and bought it....$65.00 for 6.5 lbs!!! Crazy!!

Everyone damn sure better like or I'm going to have to whip somebody's ass....lol.

[radwriter0555]

39. I paid $2.99 lb for my standing rib roast this year,,, at a local chain

store here in LA. Got a 10 pounder! whooo hoooooo!

[Rhiannon12866]

40. I don't eat much meet except, occasionally, chicken

But I still find that my grocery bills are out of sight.:shrug:

[Booberdawg]

44. I noticed it was 4.69 here for a rib roast.

I must be closer to the cow.

[Rhiannon12866]

45. Considering all the play that Mad-Cow Disease has been getting,

I think I will be sticking to mostly vegetables and fish for the near future. I am not much into meat, anyway. Have you ever tried soy protein? I fooled my Dad when I used it in lasagna, and he was really big on meat. He liked the vegetarian dishes I made for him, but would always ask, "where's the meat?!":shrug:

[shanti]

50. lol

it's amusing to read this thread concerning beef BEFORE mad cow came out. wonder if anyone here has changed their tunes and vowed to become a vegetarian?