For a snapshot of grocery prices in 1959, this ad for A&P appeared in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on August 31, 1959.

The prices might look low, but there’s been a lot of inflation since 1959. According to this inflation calculator, one dollar in 1959 is the equivalent of $10.50 in 2023 dollars. The make the math easier, let’s just call it $10. So a can of beans or peas for a dime is really a dollar. And ham for 39 cents a pound is actually $3.90.

The minimum wage was $1 per hour, so an hour’s labor could buy you two cans of Spam at 49 cents each, with two cents left over. And if Junior needed a new shirt for back to school, you could get one for a dollar.

If you were shopping for dinner in 1959, what would you buy?