Updated

Updated · Fox News · Jul 12

Tasting Table Finds 1960s Eggs Equal $5.60 Today, While Steak Still Undercuts $17.99

Updated

Updated · Fox News · Jul 12

Tasting Table Finds 1960s Eggs Equal $5.60 Today, While Steak Still Undercuts $17.99

Q: Beyond eggs and milk, what everyday items are a better bargain for shoppers today than they were in the 1960s?

Beyond eggs and milk, several staples appear to be better bargains today than they were in the 1960s once inflation is taken into account. The reporting and supporting analysis point especially to butter, ice cream, boxed cake mix and Thanksgiving turkey as items that are relatively cheaper now. Tasting Table’s inflation-adjusted comparison found butter and ice cream among the products that cost less today in real terms. The additional material also identifies cake mix and turkey in that category. Other examples cited in the broader comparison include center-cut pork chops, cream cheese and even potato chips, which in some cases now cost less per unit than their inflation-adjusted 1960s prices. A separate wage-based comparison suggests some foods are also more affordable relative to earnings today, not just inflation. That analysis highlights whole chickens, white bread, bananas and ground beef as stronger values for modern shoppers because wages have risen faster than the prices of those items over time. The broader point is that the old ads can be misleading if viewed only in nominal dollars. While meats such as sirloin steak, pot roast, lamb and even grapefruit were often true bargains in the 1960s and are pricier today even after inflation, a number of everyday grocery basics are actually cheaper now in real purchasing-power terms.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 12

Tasting Table found inflation-adjusted 1960s grocery prices do not uniformly beat today’s: a dozen eggs priced at 55 cents in 1966 equals about $5.60 now, versus current prices as low as $1.59.
Sirloin steak was a clearer bargain—78 cents a pound in 1966 converts to about $7.95 today, far below roughly $17.99 per pound now; pot roast, lamb and grapefruit also remain pricier today.
Butter, milk and ice cream were also cheaper on an inflation-adjusted basis today, showing that some staples only look inexpensive in vintage ads until wages and purchasing power are considered.
The resurfaced ads have fueled social-media nostalgia over 25-pound potato bags, canned hams and Green Stamps, while commenters argue the fairest comparison is the share of a $2-to-$3 hourly paycheck.