Red meat prices part of trolley battles

Grabbing a handbasket at the supermarket doesn't ever seem to add up to less than $70, while a trolley total is enough to make you cringe.

Australia's two biggest supermarket chains have announced they have lowered the cost of major lamb cuts as of this week, with expectations beef will follow.

There are two schools of thought on this - the first is that it's about time, considering what is happening at saleyards across the country.

The other is that it will mean less money coming in to the red meat sector, which may hamper recovery.

When prices hit the extreme highs in the past couple of years, there were a lot of conversations about how expensive is too expensive before customers turn away.

I tend to measure economics by the lamb cutlet factor.

Growing up, we ate lamb cutlets regularly - they were a favourite of us kids and they weren't too expensive.

But as I got older, the prices rose, hitting $50/kg.

At the weekend, I thought about buying some and was a little shocked to see them still going for $45/kg, after months of talking about the state of the market.

But they're still something I want to enjoy nostalgically.

There is a chance that reducing the price may help families afford lamb again, and create those memories in a new generation.