2008 Year in Review

Where's the Beef?

by Angie VanderVinne

“Where’s the beef?” “Beef, it’s what’s for dinner.” American’s eat A LOT of beef each year; approximately 65 lbs worth per person. In the early 70’s, American’s consumed only about 30 lbs per person. This upward trend speaks volumes as to our overall increase in food consumption and the reason we’re a “growing nation” physically. My family is big beef eaters, and we appreciate good quality meat. This week we’re going to continue our look at food costs and extend that look to quality too.

While there are some grocery stores in which you can buy good quality beef, there is really no comparison to buying meat from a meat locker, meat market, or beef producer. The quality of the meat is often much better and healthier, giving you a better value for your hard earned dollar.

When reviewing grocery budgets with clients, I often make the suggestion of purchasing a quarter of beef. In most cases, people have considered purchasing beef “in bulk” but don’t have cash at the time. My recommendation is to either start setting aside money to purchase bulk beef or use a bonus, tax refund, money gift, etc to purchase the beef. Depending on your family’s beef consumption, a quarter could last you an entire year. A hind quarter of beef right now would cost you about $385 which translates to $32/month which is a SMALL proportion of a grocery bill. Even if you need two quarters of beef/year, that’s $64/month. Take the beef challenge, and buy some meat from a locker or market and taste and see the difference. Also, by having meat in your freezer, it allows you to more freedom in cooking and planning less of a chore.

by  Editor, theCity1.com
September 25, 2008