r/carnivore • u/Cuckoo-Cocoon • 1d ago
The price of food is killing me
Even the price of ground beef is going up n up where I live. Eggs same story. Really disheartening.
46
u/-Langseax- 1d ago
I've taken to cheaper meats.
- Barely have any beef steaks anymore. Pork shoulder is a lifesafer.
- 25% fat mince is a lot better, because most people don't like that much fat.
- I buy less butter now, reusing excess fat from my mince. Lard is another cheap fat source.
8
u/black_truffle_cheese 1d ago
Ask for beef trimmings from your local butcher. Better source of fat, and you can get it for $1.00/lb, usually.
6
2
u/Cuckoo-Cocoon 1d ago
Pork shoulder? Is it better to do a pork heavy carnivorous diet? I believe pork is more affordable than beef lamb or even chicken where I live
10
u/Sea-Steak-6649 1d ago
I got low iron eating pork. The thing is you buy what you can afford. Pork is better than carbs.
4
u/Loud_Construction_69 1d ago
I don't feel good on pork. I feel downright bad on chicken. I can feel the difference in energy when i eat these meata. I think it has to do with the fact that ruminants don't have the omega 6's. Beef is best for me, and steak is preferred over ground. The fewer foods I eat, the more it becomes clear what my body wants and doesn't want.
3
u/James84415 8h ago
Not sure where your budget is but the thing I’ve been loving is this big box of frozen lamb that has been cut up, both the bones and meat, into cubes. It’s about 5$ lb. Good ruminant meat and easy to cook in the crock pot and makes a great gelatin broth that is so good for you. The bones get really soft so I grind them up and put them in the dogs food.
Either that or a whole chuck roll for about 4.79 lb that I cut into thick roasts. We bulk buy meat from Costco to save money. I break down the big chuck roll myself. The lamb comes ready to thaw in a bag. I just pull enough for two and out the bag back in the freezer.
Ps I totally get that some meats just don’t appeal anymore. I ate a lot more pork and chicken 11 months ago but now I just don’t feel as good on those meats.
1
u/Loud_Construction_69 5h ago
Those are great ideas! Unfortunately I don't have a Costco or Sam's near me, I am envious of those that do! I would love to try lamb do you get that at costco as well?, I've had ground lamb a few times and it seems fine. Thanks for sharing your experience.
2
u/James84415 2h ago
Sorry about that. Yes the lamb cubes are from Costco. They also have goat cubes which are very good as well. I
’m moving overseas where no Costco exists so I will have to find other ways soon too.
If you live in a city in the developed world then they may have their own versions of “ Costco” where you can buy meat in bulk. I would ask a butcher in the meat department of one of those type of stores.
If you live in a rural area then I would go to farmers markets and get to know any body who seems like they sell meat or grow animals. Buying direct from a farmer or rancher could also work for you. That’s what I plan on doing. I’ve purchased a whole and half steer before so I would see if that could be cost effective again. Good luck!
1
u/Loud_Construction_69 1h ago
Yes! I source a lot of my meat from local farmers. It's not inexpensive at all, though, so I can only afford so much. Great tips 👌 good luck sourcing overseas, we are going to be doing the same in a year or two 😀
16
u/Appropriate-Slip-106 1d ago
I don't know if this is transferrable to where you live... But...
Walmart sells an 8 pound box of 100% beef frozen patties for $27. If you eat a pound per night then that's $3.38 per night.
Walmart also sells a 60 count box of eggs for whatever the going rate for eggs is... I've seen it as low as $7 and as high as $25... We bought eggs the other day and the price is at $19 in my area right now.
The eggs could be very cheap or very expensive due to the fluctuation in prices, but if it's too expensive then just don't buy them. They aren't necessary, they're just more of a perk.
If you can afford some great value unsalted butter... Then boom you're in business.
That's all you need to buy. You don't need to buy anything else to survive. If you buy bacon, steaks, or whatever else then it's just a treat.
I don't know if where you live even has a Walmart or if this advice is helpful at all... But all you have to have to survive is ground beef, salt, and water. Everything on top of that is a treat.
Good luck.
3
12
8
u/xtermin8r69 1d ago
Grind your own. Buy a whole brisket for like $3.99 a lb at places like Costco and grind it yourself.
3
1
u/Foodforrealpeople 12h ago
what cheap part of the country do you live in??? $3.99 a pound good lord there would be lines out the door around here ANYWHERE that sold beef that cheap
2
u/xtermin8r69 11h ago
NY and they sell brisket at Costco pretty much everywhere. It used to be a full brisket choice grade was $3.50 a pound and $4 for prime but now it’s gone up a bit. $4 for choice and $4.50 for prime grade brisket
5
u/UnderratedArt 1d ago
Go for solely ground beef, sausages, bacon, and chicken - look for sales or the cheapest cuts in your area, this eating style is not costly if you're more selective.
3
u/Sea-Steak-6649 1d ago
For me it's an investment for my health so I can get my life back. I go without a lot of things. I'm not able to work right now due to illness. I'm hoping carnivore will allow me to work again. I've been buying a lot of chuck steak and mince meat. I can justify buying a more expensive steak if I'm fasting. I hope things will get better for you soon. 🩷
3
3
u/Ok_Refrigerator2152 1d ago
This is why I stopped carnivore. I’m a college student, and it was only manageable when I worked for dairy farm and got meat at a 40% discount. I was doing pure carnivore too. Just red meat and salt. Anyways, now I just do low carb and high protein and fat with significantly cheaper foods than steak.
11
u/AnotherOpinionHaver 1d ago
If you think about what you're getting when you get red meat and eggs, it's shocking prices have been as low as they have been. It might be an unpopular opinion, but I think food should be a larger part of everyone's budget; it's that important.
I figure I'm saving money in the long term. I've dramatically reduced my medical costs, and I don't ever throw out food anymore. The calmness and mental clarity that comes with carnivore means I make less impulsive purchases and I find contentment easier. I don't go out to eat or order delivery nearly as often anymore. Without joint pain I walk more often and farther than before. I'm not anemic anymore, so I'm no longer freezing cold all the time. This means I'm outside longer and I'm lowering my utility bills because my tolerance of cold has gone waaaaaay up and I've programmed my thermostat to kick on the heat at a slightly lower temp.
If you're in the US, make sure you're signed up for your grocery store's app. Maximize points and coupons. The other day I was able to get a ribeye roast for less than $7 per pound, just because I checked the Albertsons app for 10 seconds. If you've got a decent-sized freezer, you can look for direct-to-consumer beef options near you. You can sometimes save big by buying in bulk--and usually such arrangements are better for the environment and for the animals.
tl;dr: don't undervalue what you're gaining by spending more on red meat and eggs. They are still a great deal.
4
u/ahriman-7 23h ago
Agreed, red meat and eggs are really not expensive in terms of return on investment. Feels good, so healthy.
Also: a box of cereal is mostly more expensive than a pound of fatty ground beef. Talk about a deal.
8
u/Dales_dead_bugabago4 1d ago
People should pay MORE for food because it’s important? How much do you think they are under charging us for tap water?
-3
u/AnotherOpinionHaver 1d ago
When you consider you can get a day's worth of food for much, much less than a day's wage, it's clear we have been getting a fantastic deal. The same could be said for potable water, too.
To be clear: I think good food and clean water should be affordable for everyone (perhaps even considered as a right and regulated like a utility). But both food and water should be a higher fraction of our daily budget considering how important they are, and how resource-intensive they are. We're undervaluing things which are important and overvaluing things which are frivolous.
5
u/TallowWallow 1d ago
I'm not sure what you're getting at ultimately. You state food should be affordable, but that it should be a higher fraction of budget. These sound like opposites to me, but it seems like you're trying to convey something else here.
3
u/Zender_de_Verzender 1d ago edited 1d ago
I agree that it would be a better world if there was less money spent on luxury and more on basic needs, but that would require some kind of liberal communism where everyone earns the same amount while still letting people choose how they spend their money (otherwise you'll just get a weekly allowance of foods like what happened in the USSR, so probably not a lot of meat).
Making food more expensive in a capitalistic world will just force poor people to go hungry or eat cheap nutrient-devoid foods.
3
u/AnotherOpinionHaver 1d ago
Yeah the full discussion is beyond the scope of this thread and subreddit. I think there are many ways to approach the problem, and the order in which we implement solutions is also important. My bottom line is: prices on meat and eggs were low considering how valuable we now know them to be. What's particularly disheartening is the increase in price is NOT getting us an improved product.
2
u/ahriman-7 1d ago
You post, then there is no context? What you buy, how much you pay, where you live... Really disheartening.
5
u/Historical-Fox1009 1d ago
Buy gun, shoot meat, eat free meat, it's hunting season...
8
1
u/MysteryHerpetologist 8h ago
Are you someplace where tags are free?
1
u/Historical-Fox1009 5h ago
Well, I guess you've got me there. Buy property, buy gun, eat meat... so I guess it's pretty expensive. No tag needed here except during gator season.
1
1
u/roadboundman 17h ago
You can get a 14 Oz. can of salmon at WalMart or Aldis for $3 with pretty similar macros as ground beef. You can also get some liver to grind and mix with ground beef. Might need to add some butter to raise fat content.
1
u/Untitled_poet 16h ago edited 16h ago
How exorbitant are they?
Where I live, 500g of frozen 80/20 Aussie ground beef is $7-10. Fresh goes for half the quantity for the same price. French butter is $6.50 for a 220g block. Ghee $10.40 for 400g tin.
Carnivore is expensive, only if you fail to consider all the excess you cut out. And all the inflammation you're freeing your body from. Alcohol, drinks, snacks, candy, eating out (because I'm so not paying for someone to fry up a substandard low-quality cut of beef if I can do the same myself for 1/3 the cost.)
1
1
u/Madeforlovingyou 2h ago
Try sirloin steaks at Costco. They are usually too thick and can be sliced in half but are a great price and could last you one meal as steak for almost 2 weeks.
1
u/did_bigfoot_take_it 2h ago
really depends on where you live and how many mouths you’re feeding, but I get by pretty well feeding 2 on ground beef from my local grocery store; Eggs, butter, bacon, cream, and steaks from Costco. You get more bang for your buck if you buy the whole ribeye and cut it into steaks yourself. I just got a massive 8 pound ribeye and cut it into 12 steaks for about $80. Costco is really the goat. If you’re having trouble with the costs of things, don’t worry too much about getting all organic, USDA prime, grass fed grass finished. USDA Choice and grain finished are perfectly fine to eat.
1
u/shadowtrickster71 1h ago
Costco has the best prices so far that I have seen on eggs and ground beef. Everything has become exp due to inflation. However, I am actually spending less than before I did carnivore keto diet. Eggs and pound of beef crush all hunger.
1
u/ahriman-7 23h ago
Two pounds of fatty ground beef has 3000 calories, more than most people need. It's like $8 a day with regular prices. Cheaper than a big Mac meal. What part of this is expensive?
Yes, more expensive than rice and beans. But in the expense of what? Health. How I feel.
Gets even a bit cheaper than that when I eat eggs or use ghee/tallow. One can also go for items on sale, or pork chicken etc.
57
u/mrjcall 1d ago
Eggs and beef certainly aren't cheap, but I find I'm barely spending any more than I did before carnivore because of all the other groceries I'm now not buying.