Beyond Reach for Many
By Juliaacv
@Juliaacv (54948)
Canada
September 14, 2025 1:10pm CST
The price of food just continues to rise.
Yesterday my son and I were chatting in the truck on our way home. I told him that I had just placed an order for a hind quarter of beef. Although I always ask for a small animal, since it is just my husband and myself, and our deep freezer isn't huge, they rarely seem to be able to deliver a small enough order that would fit perfectly. So we adjust, and we usually ship some of the meat over to our son. He has a larger freezer and is always so helpful with either taking some of the packages of meat off of our hands, or just storing it for us until we have room ourselves.
They shop at Costco. I do not know what their quality of beef is, although I would not expect it to be organic and as high a quality as what we purchase is.
He told me that beef has gone up so much that he cannot afford to buy a roast.
That comment stuck with me and I questioned it. When I got home I checked an app to see what the grocery stores are selling their rump roasts at, and he was right. It is running around $6 per kilo, and being nosey, I stopped at a grocery store to see the size of roasts they are offering at that sale price. Of course the sizes of the roasts all ran large, and it made me wonder if the price of beef is beyond reach for many.
13 people like this
13 responses
@Juliaacv (54948)
• Canada
7h
@AmbiePam It may be hard to admit, but you are not alone. 
I do not think that our son would be eating much beef if we did not step up to help him, and that is alright, we have to look after each other. I truly believe that.
We eat alot of beans here, and will continue, not just due to the season but the health benefits and cost.
I have a ham in the oven now. It will make for leftovers for over a week for Ron and the girls and myself.
It smells delicious in here now, as I have an apple crisp in the oven to use up the bruised apples that the girls threw yesterday.
I do not think that our son would be eating much beef if we did not step up to help him, and that is alright, we have to look after each other. I truly believe that.
We eat alot of beans here, and will continue, not just due to the season but the health benefits and cost.
I have a ham in the oven now. It will make for leftovers for over a week for Ron and the girls and myself.
It smells delicious in here now, as I have an apple crisp in the oven to use up the bruised apples that the girls threw yesterday.1 person likes this
@Juliaacv (54948)
• Canada
7h
I take it that it is terribly expensive in your country as well.
We love ground beef and we eat a fair amount of it-there are so many ways to prepare it, which I love.
That is a shame, but at least we have lots of other options.
I am doing a ham for supper tonight.
2 people like this
@Juliaacv (54948)
• Canada
5h
@wolfgirl569 I save money overall because you pay for the pounds of beef, not the cut, which is in my favour.
@wolfgirl569 (122307)
• Marion, Ohio
5h
@Juliaacv I buy the half price meat at DG Market when I can. It's all been good and saves money
1 person likes this
@Tampa_girl7 (53420)
• United States
8h
I have also noticed how high roasts have gotten. We will be having it less often.
1 person likes this
@Juliaacv (54948)
• Canada
7h
I am now almost dreading the call from the butcher as the price will be well over what we've paid in the past.
But at least we can share some of the roasts with our son, although they will need 2 of ours as we have the butcher cut them into smaller sizes.
1 person likes this
@Juliaacv (54948)
• Canada
6h
@Tampa_girl7 Trust me, I budget very tightly to try to stay away from that.
@Tampa_girl7 (53420)
• United States
6h
@Juliaacv Hopefully it won’t send you to the poor house.
1 person likes this
@Juliaacv (54948)
• Canada
7h
@NJChicaa I agree, it isn't worth it for 1 person, unless you bought a quarter and split it with your ex.
I like the consistency in flavour and texture. I don't like having to shell out $1200 or what I would expect to be much more this time I get the call that the order is ready.
The abattoir that I found was completely by accident.
When most meat processing plants were closing due to infected workers during the covid time, this abattoir made national new about them working upwards of 80 hours a week to fill their orders for the customers.
They kept their call in habit. When I want to pick up my meat or chicken order, they give me the bottom line, and I send them an e-transfer of the money. That way when I arrive, and the line up of customers is outside the door and halfway across the parking lot, I can back up to the side door and call them and they pack it into the back of the SUV. Easy peasy and a bit of a 'reward' as I consider it to be, for being a loyal customer.
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (48398)
•
8h
The price of beef has reached past the ridiculous point. I can't tell you the last time I bought a roast of any kind, even a chuck roast. It's just too much and the money doesn't go far enough with so many other items being pricey as well. I have learned to adapt...casseroles that I used to make with a pound of ground beef, are now made with half of that amount. It's still enough protein. The same with chicken. I use other alternatives, we eat beans, etc. to fill in the blanks.
My best friend called last night. She is making a birthday dinner for her son and his family today. He asked for his favorite, a roast with potatoes and carrots, gravy, etc. that she always has made for his birthday. With her son's family and herself, she is cooking for five people, so she wanted to buy a roast that was a decent size for the dinner. She was upset, it was $30. Roasts are beyond the reach of many now.
1 person likes this
@Juliaacv (54948)
• Canada
7h
I would fill my cart up if I could find a roast to feed 5 for that price.
All of the roasts that I saw yesterday, that would feed such a crowd were in the $60ish dollar range.
And with the other parts of the meal, that is just too expensive.
Sometimes I need a reality check because i pay for the quarter and it lasts us almost a year, and we know how many price hikes there are at the grocery store level in that period of time.
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (48398)
•
5h
@Juliaacv the roast she bought was pretty small. She lives on a tight budget and it was a stretch for her.
Actually, all meats have really gone way up in price. I wonder how high they will really get?
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (48398)
•
Just now
@Juliaacv
Many people are already buying less meat here. I make soups,etc and nothing goes to waste.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (165764)
• United States
4h
It is beyond what I choose to spend unless I find a good sale, or for a special occasion.
@snowy22315 (195986)
• United States
8h
Beef and steak are both incredibly expensive. I don't buy it unless there is a super duper sale going on. I bought some a few weeks ago..it was 10 something for a small and what turned out to be a tough roast.
1 person likes this
@Juliaacv (54948)
• Canada
7h
That is so disappointing.
One of the things that I like about buying beef by the quarter is the consistency.
You know what the flavour and texture will be after eating some of any of the cuts.
We are eating less beef currently because I only placed the order earlier last week and it is generally 4-6 weeks to get your call, and with being specific and asking for a small animal, it will take longer. It always does.
@celticeagle (179680)
• Boise, Idaho
3h
I've never been to Costco. I've heard good things about their produce and the little extras sound interesting.
We usually have a roast for Thanksgiving but I'm not sure what we will do this year. My grandmother used to fix roast for our Sunday meal. It cost her $3. Can you imagine?
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (179680)
• Boise, Idaho
2h
@Juliaacv ........Prices are getting way out of wack nowadays. We haven't even had hamburger in a while. It's so expensive and not that great anymore.
1 person likes this
@Juliaacv (54948)
• Canada
3h
We usually have a roast or a ham for Sunday suppers.
We've had to change our usuals over the past couple of years due to the availability of those cuts in a quarter. I have to stretch all of it out for as long as I can.
When the twins were babies Costco was a necessity as they could buy wipes and diapers at good prices.
1 person likes this
@RasmaSandra (88906)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
6h
I hardly ever eat beef, When I can like today I mixed ground beef with ground Italian sausage and topped with cream of mushroom soup mixed with mayo and baked it, It was very good and mor for tomorrow, Otherwise I eat a lot of frozen meatballs I add to things and frozen chicken fingers and nuggets and so on,
1 person likes this
@Juliaacv (54948)
• Canada
6h
We will be eating less beef now as we have to wait the required 4-6 weeks until our order is filled.
We do not waste any food, meat in particular as it is so expensive, but so are vegetables.
When I cook, it is larger meals that my husband can take to reheat for lunches with him and the girls.
They need to have foods prepared differently than their parents prepare them to give them good appetites.
@Traceyjayne (5233)
• United Kingdom
8h
I’m not sure what our price is but that seems a good price. No, I think you are right the quality at Costco will not be the best.
1 person likes this
@Juliaacv (54948)
• Canada
7h
He tells me that they really like the quality of the chicken, but I question if it is organic.
I hope that he will start to shop at the abattoir that we use, they are very reputable.
During 2020, when many meat processing plants (for places such as grocery stores and Costco) were closing dur to contamination of workers, the privately owned abattoir, that we go to, made national news as they were working 60-80 hours a week to provide their customers with fresh, healthy chicken, pork and beef. We've never tried their pork, but love their beef and chicken.
When my order is in, they call me, and I can send an e-transfer to pay for it, and then when I arrive I just have to back up to the side door and call them and they will bring it out. Often times they are lined up outside of the store and halfway across the parking lot.
