For a snapshot of Depression-era grocery prices, this ad appeared on this date, September 16, 1938, in the Pittsburgh Press.  These prices might look like bargains, but money was hard to come by, and there’s been a lot of inflation since then. According to this inflation calculator, the 3 pounds of butter for one dollar is the equivalent of about $21 today, or about $7 per pound. How does that compare to today’s price, which you can find at this link?

A loaf of bread to put that butter on was a dime, but that was over $2 in today’s money.  Campbell’s Tomato Soup is 6 cans for 40 cents, or less than 7 cents per can. But that’s about $1.47 in 2022 dollars. How does that compare to the current price shown at this link?

Of course, the highlight for many would be the scrapple, two pounds for 29 cents.  The price appears to have gone up since then, as you can see at this link:

If you were shopping for dinner in 1938, what would you buy?

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