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We had a team work luncheon at a restaurant today and I sat next to a work colleague (a vegan) who brought up the topic of how cheap meat is today, relative to prices in the past.
I told her that compared to wages, I thought the price of meat had risen more than the average wage, percentage wise, but I had no data to back it up other than my own anecdotal evidence. I used to never think twice about purchasing meat when I went grocery shopping, but now I am a bit shocked at the high prices and choose to eat it much less for budget reasons. Also, it's probably healthier as well.
I came home and tried to look up some stats on google, but couldn't really find what I was looking for and I was wondering if any of you - who might be a little better at research than I am - would be able to either refute or back up my argument. I could be wrong, but I am making more money than I used to and I find it more un-affordable than ever. Thanks in advance.
Binkie The Clown
(7,911 posts)In the middle ages only royalty and wealthy merchants ate meat. It was well beyond the reach of the average person, unless you could catch a pigeon or a cat now and then to throw into the pot.
Leith
(7,813 posts)Let's see if this helps. Looking for more and better info...
https://www.infoplease.com/business-finance/us-economy-and-federal-budget/retail-prices-selected-foods-us-cities-1890-2015
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)It has definitely gone up, just wondering how it has kept pace with wages. I seem to be willing to spend money on vegetables even though they are more expensive, but I balk at higher meat prices. Maybe that's a good thing.
petronius
(26,606 posts)At a very quick first glance, it looks like beef has gone up about a dollar (adjusted for inflation) since 2011, with a price spike in 2015...
(Of course, I could be reading it all totally wrong! )
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)I might be eating my words on Monday. Doesn't look like a really significant spike if I am seeing it correctly.
Leith
(7,813 posts)Many years ago, I saw a chart that showed how much time the average wage earner would have to work to afford a loaf of bread, a TV, a gallon of gas, or several other products. I really hoped to find something like that again, but I couldn't. I would have made the comparison a lot easier to see that the average wage earner would have to work 9.5 minutes in 1970 and 9 minutes in 2010, for example. It seemed that a chart like that was the sort of thing you needed.
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)I appreciate it. I think the bottom line is that food overall is more expensive for most of us compared to our wages. I definitely feel like my grocery budget takes a much bigger bite out of my paycheck than it used to.
llmart
(15,556 posts)but I have read that food in general is much cheaper in relation to wages than it was say in the '50's or '60's.
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)leaving on their own because of Trump's policies. Without cheap labor, food prices will most certainly go up.
Tanuki
(14,923 posts)in 1948.....
http://www.businessinsider.com/the-first-mcdonalds-burger-stand-2014-9
"....They later shut it down and reopened it in 1948, with a pared-down menu of just nine items, including hamburgers (15 cents) cheeseburgers (19 cents) and drinks, such as coffee, Coca-Cola, and Orangeade, for 10 cents.
Here's a picture of the stand from 1948 that we found in AP's archives:
In 1954, the stand caught the attention of Ray Kroc, an Illinois businessman who sold milkshake mixers.".....
former9thward
(32,096 posts)You can get a hamburger at McDonald's for $1.19 - $1.29. Sometimes cheaper. So it looks like that, at least, is cheaper than in 1948.
Whiskeytide
(4,463 posts)... now not so much.
Leith
(7,813 posts)http://beef2live.com/story-retail-ground-beef-prices-year-january-0-111644
Wages have pretty much stagnated, changing only with inflation.
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)Sometimes it seems for us single people that it's almost cheaper eating out. At least in a city.
Demsrule86
(68,707 posts)In 1987 Round Steak was $2.93 per pound...I got if for $2.53 per pound today on sale at Sparkles. So yes I think considering how much wages have gone up, meat is cheaper. But I think it depends on the area. Georgia was very expensive for groceries...Ohio is much cheaper.
https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2014/article/one-hundred-years-of-price-change-the-consumer-price-index-and-the-american-inflation-experience.htm
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)which are notoriously expensive. I have occasionally shopped at markets in Maine where my sister lives and I am shocked at how much cheaper food is. I will often stock up on non-perishables and lug them back on the train.
Demsrule86
(68,707 posts)I was shocked at how expensive groceries were in the Bronx. Connecticut is not known for cheap living but our prices were much lower. I love Boston and Maine. I envy you . I miss the East coast and areas where you could walk instead of driving. I am in Ohio now and hour out of Pittsburgh. We can practically walk to PA and it has an eastern feel, but nothing beats New England.
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)never seen anyone carrying a gun - ever! I used to live in San Francisco, but there is something about the beauty of New England and the northeast that I just missed so much. I think it's such a beautiful part of the country up here. Hopefully you will get a chance to visit again soon!
Demsrule86
(68,707 posts)I will visit him soon and in the fall...be a 'leaf' peeper. Promised my daughter to take her to Boston...looking into grad school
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)If she gets in that will give you an excuse to visit more often! The southern Maine coast is lovely too and only a day trip from Boston.
Demsrule86
(68,707 posts)ending up in a college somewhere...being a professor. Although, there is a new boy....nice kid. I guess I should say man...although they seem like children to me. Of course I would have been very insulted at their age to have been called a child.
Demsrule86
(68,707 posts)http://smithfamilymeats.com/meat-packages
https://gearpatrol.com/2017/01/18/best-mail-order-meat-companies/
There are tons more online sites. I have bought meat from local farmers in bulk, and it was great. Although, I know people rave about grass fed beef ...and it is a better process for sure, but it tastes gamy to me...like venison.
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)Demsrule86
(68,707 posts)Demsrule86
(68,707 posts)And I get beef under $3.00 per pound. I have gotten London Broil for $2.99 per pound...I buy on sale and freeze. Also, I go to Giant Eagle when they have their buy one get one round or chuck roasts and have them grind it...it is so fresh this way and way cheaper.
janx
(24,128 posts)The graphs are clearer. Also, this is not relative to income, but most people know if their income has gone up or down. Meat is not cheap relative to prices in the past, at least when you are looking at the last decade. Beef, in particular, is expensive. Chicken is still relatively cheap. Fish is not cheap, but I don't think it ever has been, especially if you don't live on a coast.
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)She's probably right, but maybe I just shop at the wrong stores.
janx
(24,128 posts)that is a possibility.
flotsam
(3,268 posts)Use prices for beef brisket, chicken wings and bacon-all three have soared dramatically over time.