For a snapshot of grocery prices in 1953, this ad appeared in the July 28, 1953 edition of the Pittsburgh Press.  (You can click on the image above for a larger version.)

These prices look low, but there’s been a lot of inflation since 1953. According to this online inflation calculator, one dollar in 1953 is the equivalent of $11.10 in 2022 dollars. So the 25 pound bag of flour for $2.05 would be the same as $22.75 today. You can compare that to the link below, which shows today’s price for 24 pounds:

The price is pretty close, but the 1953 version contained a silver teaspoon inside the bag! And I’m guessing that more households bought flour 25 pounds at a time than they do today.

Ground beef was 2 pounds for 89 cents, which works out to $4.93 per pound in today’s money. How does that compare to today’s price below?

If you were doing your family’s grocery shopping in 1953, what would you buy? And do you think you would spend more time in the kitchen preparing dinner than you do now?

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