Tomatoes were cheaper: a 1932 grocery bill

[Feraud]

So that is around.. 17 bucks a day.

 

[Mr_D.]

So that is around.. 17 bucks a day.

yep. about $34 for 2 days.

 

[Feraud]

Of course this is all relative to the number of people living in a family, where you shop, what kind of food you purchase, etc. etc.

The shopping list book is interesting to see.
Notice it says, "always bring this book". Assuming it is simply a ledger book, that's a slick little piece of vintage advetising.

 

[Brad Bowers]

What kind of cheese is "yellow"? (Maybe the question is, what kind isn't?)

My grandparents, living in a small farming town in Missouri, always bought what they called "yellow cheese" at the local market, and it was rounds of Colby Longhorn.

My grandad also called it "rat cheese," since it was also used as the bait in mousetraps. I still like to think of it as yellow or rat cheese.


Brad

 

[Fletch]

Great work Elaina

...and thanks. Hope it was educational and fun - and I for one would be grateful for the breakdown. Seems as tho we may not necessarily be getting cheaper - OR better - food in constant dollar terms today.

All this is particularly interesting to me as 2 of my ggfs were grocery wholesalers. It was a good business to be in, because people always need to eat. One ggf, a fruit & vegetable man, did lose his business but went right into the restaurant trade with many of the same suppliers.

I'm wondering where you found fly paper these days. I always thought it was cruelty to flies myself...sorta like pulling off their wings. Much more sporting to just end the little hellions.

I'll spare you all my awful handwriting. I got most of these from Superama food stores, and it is by far not the cheapest place (Minyard's clone) but it is the only one in my town. I did have to go next door to Family Dollar for some of them, and the local hardware store (I called my dad since he was going) for the lye.

If you want the breakdown, I'll be happy to do that, but this list at my stores would run me $237.16 if I bought it today, mystery item with cost inflation would be about $5 more. I did not buy name brand anything where I could find it cheaper, I did. I also got several things on sale.

 

[BegintheBeguine]

I get fly ribbons at Dollar Tree. 6 for a buck. Made in Germany so you know it's good. The fly struggles for only a second or two then apparently has a tiny heart attack from the shock then is still forever more. It's icky to open your medicine cabinet and see a big ol' fat fly on the business end of your toothbrush. It's worse to imagine what they've been in that I haven't seen.
I'm lucky where I live. The regular price of skim milk is 1.69 a gallon, eggs 92c a dozen, lard about a dollar a pound, big can of creamed corn is 39c. Chicken and ground beef are on sale for 1.99 a pound!

 

[Elaina]

6 Bars Soap: 5.94
1# Bean Coffee: 5.79
1 Bot. Blue ink: Not avail, had to substitute pens: 2.19 (Ink is avail 50 miles away for 12.95 per bottle, however and I found this out after.)
2# round steak: 5.58*
2 Can Clover milk: 3.98 (Gal. of whole milk, told was the same thing)
4 Evaporated Milk: 3.16
2 Can Peas: 1.38
13 yellow cheese: 2.99* (I too thought Colby was yellow)
2 can Corn: 1.38
1 can peaches: 1.19
1 box cornstarch: .89*
1# mix candy 3.99 (Brach's was there in the display for 4.99/lb)
1# mix crackers: 1.69 (sub. Saltines)
1#lard: 1.39
1/2# cooked ham: 2.50 (No deli)
2# large beans: 2.19 (2# pkg. of Navy beans)
1 doz. oranges: 2.99 (bag of then w/ approx. 12-18)
2 heads lettuce: 2.98
1 box Rinso: 3.50^
1 box Agro Starch: 1.19^
1# peppers: 1.00*
1 1/2# tomatoes: 1.50*
2# peaches: 1.78*
1 jar mustard: .99
1 box macaroni: .79 (1# box)
1 can lye: 7.95^
2 fly papers: 1.00^
1 jar relish: 2.19
1# butter: 2.99*
1 lb. coffee: 3.19* (Folgers)
3 pk. Lucky Strikes: 12.57

* denotes items on sale
^ I went to Family dollar for some of these. They had the Argo and Rinso brand in store. The lye and fly papers were at the local mom and pop hardware on the town square. It is actual fly paper, although Family Dollar has fly tapes 3/$1

I need to stress I did this at the local store, where even going 15 miles up the road, prices are vastly different. My county specs. place population at 39K, with about 1800 being in my town with a 618 sq. mile radius. We have a lot of little places that coming to town is here, not the larger county seat (15K people there). Avg. income is for males is 20K, females is 16K, family avg. is 24K, poverty level is less then 10%, although we're in a bad depression here, and this figure is from 2006, I'd wager it being lower.

 

[Lady Day]

Hmm, I wanna try this at a Traider Joes.

LD

 

[Elaina]

I looked at some of them at Wal-Mart, and a lot of these were cheaper. 20 miles away, but cheaper. Some weren't. I'd be interested in something other then where I am for sure LD.

 

[in/y]

My grandparents, living in a small farming town in Missouri, always bought what they called "yellow cheese" at the local market, and it was rounds of Colby Longhorn.

Brad

Same with my dad growing up in the 30's in Peoria, Ill. only they had 2 kinds of cheese "round cheese" aka Longhorn (It was always Longhorn when I was a kid, when/why did they add the Colby?) and "square cheese" aka Velveeta.

 

[Lady Day]

I think that on average, I spend $15 a day on food for just me. If they are a family of 5, and if they ate well, $126 sounds reasonable for two days.

Wow, you spend about $450 a month on food for yourself?! Geeze, Im not even half that ($35-40 a week), and I think I do alright.

What do you buy!?

LD

 

[Lady Day]

Here is my pricing list.

**6 bars of soap- $4.99 8 pack Dial

1 lb bean coffee- $6.49 16oz New Mex

*^1 bottle blue ink-99¢ 10pk ball point

2 lbs round steak- $11.98

**4 evap milk- $3.96 12oz each

^2 can peas- $1.29 16 oz frozen bag

1 lb yellow cheese- $3.29 mild chedd

2 can corn- $1.78 8oz each

^1 can peaches- $3.79 20 oz jar

**1 box cornstarch- $1.99 12 oz jar

**1 lb mix candy- $1.69 24 oz star mints

1 lb mix crackers- $1.99 10 box 12 grain

***^1 lb lard- $3.49 Crisco 16oz

1/2 lb cooked ham- $2.49 8oz not deli

2 lbs large beans- $3.38 bean medley

1 bag oranges- $3.49 4 lb bag

**2 heads lettuce- $2.98 iceberg

1 lb peppers- $1.59 12 oz (2 peppers)

1 1/2 lb tomatoes- $2.69 1lb 4oz (4 maters)

2 lbs peaches- $2.69 18oz (4 peaches)

1 jar mustard- $1.99 9oz jar

1 box macaroni- 99¢ 16 oz bag of Penne Rigate

**2 fly papers- 99¢ 4 pack

**1 jar relish- $1.96 16oz jar store brand

**1 can coffee- $4.79 11oz Maxwell House

1 lb butter- $2.49

***2 can Clover milk- $3 14oz store brand

3 pkgs lucky strikes Cigs- $16.35

^1 box Rinso- $4.99 Borax 4lb 12oz box

**1 box Argo Starch- $2.49 16oz jar

1 can lye- could find no sub for this one at all

*sale item
**item found at conventional grocery
^substitute item

Total before tax $107.07

I went to Trader Joes, which is kind of a mass bulk generics store meaning they sell mainly their own brands which they get at discounted rates from suppliers. I love the store and find most items at least 25% less than conventional store rates.

For the items I couldnt find at TJs (although I tried to get a much from there as I could), I went to Ralphs, which is like, well, is Kroger for you folks on the other side of the mountains

I paid attention to the weights and averaged that a 'box' was generally half a pound (8oz) so I kept a lot of my choices in those guide lines. Some items were more than that, some were a bit less, so its averaged out. To look at the items I chose, its not a lot of food, and I cant for the life of me think why some one needs THAT MUCH corn starch! Its on the list twice.

I also noticed there are no grains or rice on this list which makes me think they bought them in bulk else where.

All in all, I spent almost 20% less than they did in 1932. Thats kind of creepy.

LD

 

[John in Covina]

I like to get milk at the new grocery chain in the area "Fresh & Easy" it's $1.99 a gallon where my local Albertsons is 2.49 to 3.99 and up depending on the brand of milk. F&E has some similarities to Trader Joes.

TJ is interesting and noted for some great items, their salsa verde is a great basis for Chili Verde. I did have a weird spaghetti sauce from them where they used a significant amount of SOY SAUCE in the makings, a flavor profile for spaghetti sauce that was too bizarre for words!

Also beer wise TJ would often buy a train car load of brews that were some ones deal feel thru situation, which is fine in the winter but an unrefrigerated box car of beer in the SOuthern California summer is bad decision making.

 

[Elaina]

Very interesting, LD. I tried to stay as close to the original list as I could, tho, instead of modernizing it. Strange how some prices are the same and some are way off, due to areas too and being in a city/country. I'm sure even that was the case back then too.

 

[Lady Day]

TJs dosent have the overhead of advertising the way name brand items in a conventional grocery do. I saw some the the same name brand things in both stores and often the difference was up to $2!

It also made me take a good needed look at conventional groceries. The one I went to had long aisles, broken up into 5 slot segments. It had two LOOOOOOOG aisles of wine and spirits, but only 2 segments for baking goods :eusa_doh:

Also snack foods trumped so much space as well. It was amazing how lopsided groceries have become. I couldnt believe it. Give me a TJs and a farmers market any day.

LD

 

[Elaina]

The one I went to is small, very small. It has 7 aisles, which includes the small produce/dairy and frozen foods/beer on each side, and is about half the size of a normal aisle. While the produce is small, it's all local and there's not a lot of name brand things there. But you also pay for location: my area is small and is for about 3000 people, and you do have to pay for that.

On the upside, I went in for about $10 in stuff, and found out I was short on what I bought (sister stole out of my wallet), and instead of making me not get what I wanted, the manager was like "Oh, just come back and catch me on your way in next time." Something I haven't had happen to me in over 20 years.

 

[Shangas]

*^1 bottle blue ink-99¢ 10pk ball point

1 bottle blue ink - Original Price - 15c.
Your substitute - 10pk ballpoint pens - 99c.
1 bottle blue ink - 2009 Price - $14.

This price I know from experience. I buy fountain pen ink regularly.

 

[Viola]

I don't think I understand how you spend more than five, six dollars a day on food unless you're eating out a lot? Do I just have horribly low-brow tastes?

 

[LizzieMaine]

I suspect there's a substantial regional variance in prices depending on region -- the west has historically always had higher food prices than the east.

I'm another who spends a lot less on daily food, largely because I can eat the same thing day after day without getting bored with it. Corned beef sandwiches, macaroni and cheese, baked beans -- ingredients for which are mostly bought in bulk rather than as name brand products, and even the name brand stuff is cheap: a large box of Prince's Elbow Macaroni is less than a buck and a half here, and I can stretch it out to last the better part of a week.

The last time I bought a bottle of ink, Parker's Quink, from the local art supply place, it cost about $8, and that was only the year before last. Either the price has gone way up since then, or the regional variation in stationery products is even worse than the food supply.

 

[Fletch]

To look at the items I chose, its not a lot of food, and I cant for the life of me think why some one needs THAT MUCH corn starch! Its on the list twice.

What do you suppose accounted for the use of so much corn starch? Argo Starch is laundry starch (today anyway), which might account for it being listed separately. The rest - puddings? gravies? babies' rashes? all purpose cleansing agent? Some ideas here, altho who knows how many were known of in 1932.