3 ms·

I feel like I am living in a different universe to the author. My beef still costs around $5/lb, my milk is still roughly $3/gal, similar on a lot of staples I

by Hasz 1mo ago

I feel like I am living in a different universe to the author. My beef still costs around $5/lb, my milk is still roughly $3/gal, similar on a lot of staples I buy regularly. My shirts cost about $5 for a t-shirt, and my jeans cost $20 or so. I spend 80% at Costco and 20% at King Soopers (Kroger). Ancedota I know, but the author is writing like Big Business has 100% coverage of the whole market.

cnity 1mo ago
The article contains 31 references. Of course, no report on the _general_ market trends are going to cover every anecdote in the US. It could be that the staples you mentioned aren't affected to the same degree. How about your non-staples? How about cars? Houses? Vacation expenses? In fact, your comment could be read as the exception that proves the rule: you haven't been affected by rising costs because you stick to staples and avoid "frivolous" purchases (that is, you live frugally, as suggested by the article).
- Hasz 1mo ago
  Most of the references are not to actual price data, eg CPI basket of goods, so here is the actual link. https://www.bls.gov/charts/consumer-price-index/consumer-price-index-by-category.htm https://www.bls.gov/charts/consumer-price-index/consumer-pri... Energy stands out as actually being noteworthy, but is not discussed in the article compared to food, consumer goods. It is pretty inelastic for most people, especially gas/diesel.
agency 1mo ago
Sincere question: where are you buying beef for $5/lb? I shop at Costco and ground beef is close to $10/lb
- mc32 1mo ago
  I think the only beef you can find for $5/lb is the ground beef that comes pre-weighed in sealed tubes -not at the meat counter.
  - Hasz 1mo ago
    all 88/12 ground. Choice sirloin is $8/lb. Boneless chicken breast is $2.5/lb. Beef on craiglist (1/4, 1/2 or whole) is averaging $6-12/lb for mostly grass fed beef raised <50 miles from me.
    - mc32 1mo ago
      When the general pop talks about beef prices they’re not referring to premium beef (organic, grass fed) they are talking about 80/20 at working class retailers.
  - atmavatar 1mo ago
    I'm in the midwest, and 1lb 73/27 ground beef rolls are $6.44. Even 80/20 rolls don't drop below $7 unless on sale. If I want to get $5/lb ground beef, I have to stick to 73/27 rolls, and they have to be 5lb or larger. I have started seeing beef/pork mixes for $4/lb, but alas, those are not to my taste.
  - cam_l 1mo ago
    Americans buy beef in a roll? I had to look this up. In oz I have only seen this kind of packaging for pet food or lunch meat (colloquially 80/20 in this case would probably refer to the meat to sawdust ratio). Otherwise prices in Australia are similar but for beef mince from the supermarket meat counter.
    - mc32 1mo ago
      The pre-packaged rolls/tubes are the cheap option -most but not all supermarkets have them. All supermarkets have a meat counter with fresh meats. Obviously the fresh meats are more expensive and of course aged meats are way more expensive.
lowbloodsugar 1mo ago
Define "beef"? My beef is $20/lb for flank! https://www.macrotrends.net/4487/us-steak-prices https://www.macrotrends.net/4487/us-steak-prices
toomuchtodo 1mo ago
Cattle herds are at historic lows to the point that meat packers have closed a handful of facilities, laid off thousands, and still have excess capacity. Your beef prices are either not accurate or not representative of the macro. Is America Falling Out of Love With Beef? Surging prices are finally hurting demand for the country’s favorite meat - https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2026-08-21/after-beef-prices-surge-is-america-falling-out-of-love-with-its-favorite-meat https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2026-08-21/after-... | https://archive.today/2K1Rh https://archive.today/2K1Rh - August 21st, 2026 Skyrocketing Beef Prices Finally Have Americans Reaching Their Spending Limit - https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-08-16/skyrocketing-beef-prices-finally-have-americans-reaching-their-spending-limit https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-08-16/skyrocket... | https://archive.today/9AYzx https://archive.today/9AYzx - August 16th, 2026 Tyson to Close More Beef Plants as Cattle Shortage Drags On - https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-08-13/tyson-to-close-more-beef-plants-as-us-cattle-shortage-drags-on https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-08-13/tyson-to-... | https://archive.today/KYI6P https://archive.today/KYI6P - August 13th, 2026
michaelmrose 1mo ago
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by Hasz 1mo ago

cnity 1mo ago

The article contains 31 references. Of course, no report on the _general_ market trends are going to cover every anecdote in the US. It could be that the staples you mentioned aren't affected to the same degree. How about your non-staples? How about cars? Houses? Vacation expenses? In fact, your comment could be read as the exception that proves the rule: you haven't been affected by rising costs because you stick to staples and avoid "frivolous" purchases (that is, you live frugally, as suggested by the article).

Hasz 1mo ago
Most of the references are not to actual price data, eg CPI basket of goods, so here is the actual link. https://www.bls.gov/charts/consumer-price-index/consumer-price-index-by-category.htm https://www.bls.gov/charts/consumer-price-index/consumer-pri... Energy stands out as actually being noteworthy, but is not discussed in the article compared to food, consumer goods. It is pretty inelastic for most people, especially gas/diesel.

agency 1mo ago

Sincere question: where are you buying beef for $5/lb? I shop at Costco and ground beef is close to $10/lb

mc32 1mo ago
I think the only beef you can find for $5/lb is the ground beef that comes pre-weighed in sealed tubes -not at the meat counter.
- Hasz 1mo ago
  all 88/12 ground. Choice sirloin is $8/lb. Boneless chicken breast is $2.5/lb. Beef on craiglist (1/4, 1/2 or whole) is averaging $6-12/lb for mostly grass fed beef raised <50 miles from me.
  - mc32 1mo ago
    When the general pop talks about beef prices they’re not referring to premium beef (organic, grass fed) they are talking about 80/20 at working class retailers.
- atmavatar 1mo ago
  I'm in the midwest, and 1lb 73/27 ground beef rolls are $6.44. Even 80/20 rolls don't drop below $7 unless on sale. If I want to get $5/lb ground beef, I have to stick to 73/27 rolls, and they have to be 5lb or larger. I have started seeing beef/pork mixes for $4/lb, but alas, those are not to my taste.
- cam_l 1mo ago
  Americans buy beef in a roll? I had to look this up. In oz I have only seen this kind of packaging for pet food or lunch meat (colloquially 80/20 in this case would probably refer to the meat to sawdust ratio). Otherwise prices in Australia are similar but for beef mince from the supermarket meat counter.
  - mc32 1mo ago
    The pre-packaged rolls/tubes are the cheap option -most but not all supermarkets have them. All supermarkets have a meat counter with fresh meats. Obviously the fresh meats are more expensive and of course aged meats are way more expensive.

lowbloodsugar 1mo ago

Define "beef"? My beef is $20/lb for flank! https://www.macrotrends.net/4487/us-steak-prices https://www.macrotrends.net/4487/us-steak-prices

toomuchtodo 1mo ago

Cattle herds are at historic lows to the point that meat packers have closed a handful of facilities, laid off thousands, and still have excess capacity. Your beef prices are either not accurate or not representative of the macro. Is America Falling Out of Love With Beef? Surging prices are finally hurting demand for the country’s favorite meat - https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2026-08-21/after-beef-prices-surge-is-america-falling-out-of-love-with-its-favorite-meat https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2026-08-21/after-... | https://archive.today/2K1Rh https://archive.today/2K1Rh - August 21st, 2026 Skyrocketing Beef Prices Finally Have Americans Reaching Their Spending Limit - https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-08-16/skyrocketing-beef-prices-finally-have-americans-reaching-their-spending-limit https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-08-16/skyrocket... | https://archive.today/9AYzx https://archive.today/9AYzx - August 16th, 2026 Tyson to Close More Beef Plants as Cattle Shortage Drags On - https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-08-13/tyson-to-close-more-beef-plants-as-us-cattle-shortage-drags-on https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-08-13/tyson-to-... | https://archive.today/KYI6P https://archive.today/KYI6P - August 13th, 2026

michaelmrose 1mo ago

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