For a snapshot of the cost of living 75 years ago, this ad appeared in the March 15, 1946, issue of the Pittsburgh Press, for McCanns Grocery Store. When comparing pre-1964 prices, one easy rule of thumb is to remember that one dollar equaled one silver dollar, four silver quarters, or ten silver dimes, each equal to about one once of silver. Today, that same ounce of silver is worth about $26, so in today’s money, the 85 cents for three pounds of coffee works out to about $22, or over $7 a pound. The complete sirloin steak dinner sounds like a bargain at $1.35, but that would be the equivalent of about $35 in today’s money.

The eggs sound like a bargain at 49 cents a dozen, but in today’s money, that works out to over a dollar for each individual egg. Of course, the eggs were candled, meaning that you didn’t need to worry about an unpleasant surprise when you cracked it open.