JRStern wrote:
> On Mon, 09 Mar 2015 15:09:13 -0400, Ed Pawlowski > wrote:
>
> >On 3/9/2015 1:31 PM, wrote:
> >
> >>
> >> Also, there was clearly a mistake in the book - the mother said they spent
> >> $450 a month on food, so unless she meant $400, that would be just under
> >> 74 cents per person per day (using 365.25 days a year, I mean), not 66 cents!
> >>
> >> Thoughts? Granted, I'm sure there are all sorts of reasons food might be
> >> cheaper now - someone also once said that in the 19th century, too, food
> >> was pricey but servants were cheap, which was why Louisa May Alcott, in
> >> "Little Women" could get away with calling her family "poor" even though
> >> they had a servant, Hannah.
> >>
> >>
> >> Lenona.
> >>
> >
> >Using your inflation calculation, the multiplier is 7.8
> >
> >Prices I remember from working in a grocery store in high school in 1961-62
> >
> >Ground beef .49 then should be 3.82. Actual ranges is about $3 to $4
> >depending on grade
> >
> >Deli ham 1.29 should be $10.00. It is about $8 to $9 today
> >
> >Campbell's tomato soup. .14 should be 1.09 Not sure of actual.
> >
> >Loaf of bread .35 should be $2.73 I see higher and lower
> >
> >Quart of soda .25 should now be $1.95 I can get 2 liters as cheap as
> >78¢ for generic store brand but name brand is $3.29
> >
> >When we first married in 1966, a trip to the grocery store very two
> >weeks was about $20 for 4 bags of groceries. That would be $156 today.
> >Probably not far off.
>
> Remarkably close figures, thanks!
>
> I was going to say, as a general multiplier I'd make the number much
> higher, I think even at government numbers it would be over 10x, so
> this would indicate that food is relatively cheaper now.
Using this tool, multiply 1961 prices by about 8 to get present - day adjusted - for - inflation prices:
http://www.westegg.com/inflation/
A more important metric is, what *percentage* of an average household's income was spent on food in any particular era. I remember searching this years ago, and ISTR that in the US at least, that percentage has declined through the years, with it being considerably *less* now than in 1960; also average disposable income is far higher today than in 1960. Maybe someone here can take a stab at researching this...
Generally, the more affluent a society is, a lower percentage of income is spent on food.
--
Best
Greg