For a snapshot of how much groceries cost in 1926, this ad for Piggly Wiggly appeared in the Washington Times on April 22, 1926.

The prices look low, but there’s been a lot of inflation since then. According to this online inflation calculator, one dollar in 1926 was the equivalent of $17.65 in 2024. So ten pounds of potatoes for 69 cents sounds like a bargain, but that works out to over $12 in today’s money. And the chuck roast for a quarter a pound sounds cheap, but it works out to $4.41 per pound.

What would you make for dinner if you were shopping in 1926?

For a snapshot of grocery prices sixty years ago, these ads appeared in the January 27, 1964, issue of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette.

Some of these prices look like a bargain, but there’s been a lot of inflation since 1964. In fact, 1964 was the last year that American coins were made out of silver. So one dollar meant one silver dollar, or four silver quarters, or ten silver dimes, each about one ounce of silver. Today, that ounce of silver is worth about $23, so you can multiply these prices by 23 for a fairly good idea of the value in today’s money. So the hamburger for 39 cents a pound is about the same as $9 per pound today.

If you were shopping for dinner 60 years ago, what would you buy?

For a snapshot of grocery prices 50 years ago, this ad for A&P appeared in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on January 16, 1974.

The prices look like a bargain, but there’s been a lot of inflation in 50 years. According to this online inflation calculator, one dollar in 1974 is the equivalent of about $6.18 in today’s money. If you wanted a fast dinner, you could buy the Freezer Queen two pound package of Charcoal Beef Patties for $1.49, and a package of frozen vegetables for about 22 cents (4 for 89 cents). For the side, you can get a loaf of bread for about 33 cents (3 for a dollar). The Kroger ad in the same issue of the paper shows that margarine is also 33 cents a pound. For desert, you can have ice cream for $1.19 a gallon, and coffee, $1.59. So the cost to feed a family (with food left over) would be $5.15, or about $32 in today’s money.

If you were in a hurry, you could get the 13 ounce frozen pizza for 69 cents, and an 8 pack of Coke for 89 cents, for a total of $1.58, or almost $10 in today’s money.

If you were shopping for dinner in 1974, what would you buy?

For a snapshot of grocery prices in 1954, this ad for Red & White Food Stores appeared in the Tabor City (NC) Tribune, December 29, 1954.

Sirloin steak for 49 cents a pound sounds like a bargain, but there’s been a lot of inflation in 70 years. According to this online inflation calculator, that works out to about $5.59 per pound in 2023 dollars. You might decide to eat the 33 cent bologna instead, but even that works out to $3.77 per pound.

If you were shopping for dinner in 1954, what would you buy?

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?

For a snapshot of grocery prices in 1925, this ad for Sanitary Grocery Co. appeared in the Washington Times, August 8, 1925. There’s been a lot of inflation since 1925. According to this inflation calculator, one dollar in 1925 is the equivalent of $17.47 in 2023 dollars. So that 15 cent loaf of bread would be the equivalent of $2.62 in today’s money. A 12 pack of Schlitz would set you back 98 cents, or about $17.12 in today’s money. Of course, this was during prohibition, so that near beer had an alcohol content of only 0.5%. You could also buy a quart of grape juice for 35 cents. But, of course, you would want to be careful and not leave it sitting out too long.

Eggs were 47 cents a dozen, which sounds like a bargain, but that’s the equivalent of over $8.

What would you make for dinner in 1925?  Click on the image above to see a full-size version of the ad.

For a snapshot of grocery prices in 1949, this ad for A&P stores appeared in the August 12, 1949 edition of the Chapel Hill (NC) Weekly.

The basics of a good dinner could be put together for about $2.29. Two pounds of roast beef would be $1.30, which could be served with two pounds of green beans for a quarter. A loaf of bread would be 18 cents. A pound of grapes was 15 cents, and a pound of coffee was 41 cents.

That sounds like a bargain, but there’s been a lot of inflation since 1949. According to this inflation calculator, that $2.29 works out to $29.36 in 2023 dollars. Maybe we’ll put back that roast beef and instead get some fish for 33 cents a pound.

For a snapshot of grocery prices in 1975, this ad for A&P appeared in the Pittsburgh Press, June 18, 1975.  (You can click on the image above for a larger version.)

According to this online inflation calculator, one dollar in 1975 was the equivalent of $5.65 in 2023 dollars. So you need to multiply all of these prices by 5.65. The pound of coffee for $1.02 sounds like a bargain, but it works out to $5.77 in today’s money. And five pounds of flour was only 69 cents, but that’s the same as $3.90 today.

The federal minimum wage was $2.10 per hour, so you would earn $16.80 for a day’s work. How would you spend your grocery budget if you were buying?

If you were buying groceries for your family in 1924, here’s a snapshot of what the prices would have looked like. All of these ads appeared in the Omaha Bee, May 24, 1924.

Interestingly, more than one of the stores indicate that they will fill mail orders or orders shipped by rail express. If you lived out in the country, you could take advantage of the big city prices in this way.

On all of the images, you can click on the image for a larger version.  What would you buy for dinner in 1924?