For a look at 1978 grocery prices, this ad appeared in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette on April 5, 1978.  The prices might look low, there has been a lot of inflation since 1978.  According to this online calculator, one dollar in 1978 works out to $4.89 in 2025 dollars.

This means that the ten-pound bag of potatoes for 98 cents is about $4.79 in today’s money.  And the quart of Miracle Whip for 59 cents would be about $2.89.  A pound of bacon for $1.29 would be $6.30.  If you want to compare prices, these links take you to the current listing on Amazon for the same product.

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For a snapshot of the 1987 cost of living, this ad appeared in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette on March 26, 1987.  While the prices look low, there has been a lot of inflation since 1987.  According to this online calculator, one dollar in 1987 works out to $2.81 in 2025 dollars.

So the 79 cent box of Sunshine crackers works out to about $2.22.  How does that compare to today’s actual price?  You can find the price for the Amazon store brand at this link.

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For a snapshot of the cost of living in the Bicentennial year, this ad for A&P stores appeared in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette on March 5, 1976.  While the prices look low, this was the era of the WIN button, and there was a lot of inflation in progress.  According to this online calculator, one dollar in 1976 works out to $5.58 in 2025 dollars.  So 59 cents for a five pound bag of flour works out to about $3.29 per pound today.  You can check the current price at Amazon at this link.

For a snapshot of grocery prices in 1966, this ad appeared in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, February17,  1966.  So the 59 cent butter was actually closer to $6 a pound.

There’s been a lot of inflation since then. According to this online calculator, one dollar in 1968 is the equivalent of $9.68 in 2025.  And the whole chickens for 29 cents a pound were closer to $3 a pound.

What would you make for dinner if you were buying the groceries in 1966?

For a snapshot of grocery prices in 1968, this ad appeared in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, January 22, 1968.

There’s been a lot of inflation since then. According to this online calculator, one dollar in 1968 is the equivalent of $9.07 in 2024. So the margarine is closer to $3 a pound, and the pork chops are over $6 per pound.

What would you make for dinner if you were buying the groceries in 1968?

For a snapshot of grocery prices in 1957, this ad for Thorofare Super Markets appeared in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, December 17, 1957.  The prices look like bargains, but according to this online inflation calculator, a dollar in 1957 equates to $11.23 in 2024 money.  So the Swanson TV Dinner for 69 cents was actually equivalent to $7.75 today.

If you were shopping for dinner for the Class of 1957, what would you buy?  And since you now have that song stuck in your head anyway:

For a look at grocery prices in 1928, this A&P ad appeared in the Washington Evening Star, September 20, 1928. Even considering inflation (according to this online inflation calculator,
one dollar in 1928 was the equivalent of $31.77 in 2024) some of the prices look reasonable. For example, 12 pounds of flour would only set you back 47 cents, the equivalent of about $1.20 per pound in today’s money. And grapes were only about 8 cents a pound, or about $2.40 in today’s money.

But eggs were 47 cents per dozen, or almost $15 in 2024 dollars. What would you make for dinner in 1928?

For a snapshot of grocery prices in 1985, this ad appeared in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, Septeber 4, 1985. A pound of ground beef was 85 cents, and bacon was $1.39 per pound. Cucumbers were five for a dollar, and five pounds of potatoes were $1.09. A package of frozen waffles was 79 cents.

Of course, there’s been a lot of inflation since then. According to this online calculator, one dollar in 1985 is the equivalent of $2.92 in 2024. To see comparable prices today, click the links above, which will show you the current prices on Amazon.

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For a snapshot of grocery prices in 1965, this ad for Loblaw’s supermarket appeared in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on July 15, 1965.

Chicken was 39 cents a pound, sugar was just over a dime a pound, and a six pack of Pepsi was only 39 cents, plus deposit.

Of course, there’s been a lot of inflation since then. According to this inflation calculator, you need to multiply those prices by about 10 to get the equivalent in 2024 dollars.

What would you buy for dinner in 1965?

For a snapshot of the cost of living in 1927, this ad for Sanitary Grocery Co. appeared in the Washington Evening Star on June 20, 1927. To keep the prices in perspective, this online inflation calculator reveals that one dollar in 1927 was the equivalent of $18.05 in 2024 dollars. So the chum for 14 cents a pound works out to $2.53 in today’s money.

A half pound of bacon was 23 cents, which would be $4.15, which sounds like a better deal than the chum. Coffee was 32 cents per pound, which works out to about $5.80. Potatoes were five pounds for a quarter, or about $4.50 in today’s money.

For a snack, for just 29 cents a pound ($5.26), the “Educator Toasterettes” don’t sound bad. They were a butter-sprayed whole wheat cracker that both children and grown folks could eat like peanuts. And the were surprisingly good with salads or cheese.

What would you make for dinner in 1927?