MovieChat Forums > Yours, Mine and Ours (1968) Discussion > $126

$126

posted 17 years ago by kceight
16 replies | jump to latest

I watched this movie again, for the first time in years. During the groceries scene, I laughed when the "grand" total for all that food came to $126, which is less than it costs nowadays for a week's groceries for me, my husband, and pets.

However, when I looked up the amount on a cost-of-living site, $126 in 1968 equals about $744 today, and $744 for a week's worth of groceries today would be about $5 per day, per person (for 20 people). I guess that would still be a bargain, but it would be $40,000 a year in 2007, just for groceries for 20 people. At least there's Sam's and Costco today, I suppose.

Can you imagine, though, factoring in the clothing, even with the younger siblings inheriting clothes from the older ones?

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] TooSlim 17 years ago

We were a family of 8 in the 60's and I can tell you the prices are correct. Our family grocery bill normally was about $50 a week I think. I remember helping my father push the 2 carts thru the A&P. Sometimes the checkers would ask if he was buying food for a school!! And everyone wore hand me down clothes, I wore from my older sister, my BROTHERS, and neighbors always swapped. Lots of large families back then...we weren't even the largest..the folks across the street had 9 kids...ONE bathroom! House only about 1500 sq feet! KIds didn't need all the crap they have today. A different time...

[–] dfortier5 17 years ago

We were a family of 10 in the 60s. We're from Canada and our weekly grocery bill was $50.

We only had ONE bathroom too! But we had a 1700 sqft house and it had 6 bedrooms and each of us kids luckily had his own twin bed. We were 3 boys in my bedroom which was only 10x15 feet in size.

Since I was #6 and I have 4 older brothers who are a bit older than me, I got my older cousin's hand me downs. The aunts and my mom used to exchange clothes on a regular basis. I'm now almost 50 years old and I STILL refuse to wear someone else's clothes! I even refuse to put on my own son's socks! No more hand-me-downs for me! EVER!

"I'd rather believe what I believe and be wrong than believe what you believe and be wrong."

[–] jaybabb 17 years ago

Considering today's prices of food and clothing, I don't think it is posiable to have a blended family of 22(including two adults)today.

Who could fork out $744.00 a week?

"If GOD is for us, who can be against us? JESUS is my rock and my fortress"

Jay

[–] MrPie7 17 years ago

What in the world are they doing buying milk by the QUART fa Chrissakes!? They bought 20 quarts. The savings on buying 5 GALLONS probably would have bought a "free" quart of milk extra! We KNOW they weren't rich.

[–] dfortier5 17 years ago

The real Bearsleys couldn't afford liquid milk. They had powdered milk. I know this for a fact, plus it's written in Hellen's book

"I'd rather believe what I believe and be wrong than believe what you believe and be wrong."

[–] MrPie7 17 years ago

I read the book also and it slipped my mind. However I was refering to the movie and it is just plain folly for someone on a budget to buy milk in qts.

[–] jaybabb 17 years ago

The movie has taken liberties with the story(As Hollywood always does)yes it is silly to buy milk by the quarts for a large family like that, since the Real Beardsleys used powdered milk-it makes no differernce.

Don't assume that just because the movie is based on a true story, that it is going to be 100% factual.

"If GOD is for us, who can be against us? JESUS is my rock and my fortress"

Jay

[–] MrPie7 17 years ago

You are preaching to the choir. I READ the book. I just forgot the powdered milk. Look at my post for "The Invasion" on Oct. 22 entitled "How movies get ruined" for a couple of interesting anecdotes on the liberties taken with stories by no-nothing execs.

[–] dfortier5 17 years ago

What is totally idiotic about the quarts of milk is that they aren't buying enough milk for 20 people. They buy 20 quarts of milk. This means they are buying one quart per person. If we assume that they are shopping for one week's worth of groceries and since one quart is equal to 4 cups, this means that each person in the family is only allowed 4 cups of milk per WEEK!

This is unrealistic or what?

"I'd rather believe what I believe and be wrong than believe what you believe and be wrong."

[–] jeffster67 16 years ago

When I was part of a family of 5 in the 1970's, that was probably our 2-week grocery bill...$126. There was my mom and dad, my grandmother, my brother and me.

"I'd be very happy to be myself if I could remember who I am. Who am I?"

[–] lilgiggler35 9 years ago

Although we today are used to buying milk by the gallon, stores didn't sell milk by the gallon back then. Stores only sold the quart bottles. You could get larger quantities if you were on or near a farm. Many places didn't start selling gallons of milk until some time in the 70's.

[–] taylorje 16 years ago

Hey, dfortier5, my husband's the same way. He was the youngest of five boys and he NEVER had new clothes until he grew up, got a job, and bought his own. He always wore his brothers' hand-me-downs, even shoes. He absolutely hated it. By the time the clothing was passed down to him, it looked worn out. The only new things he got were socks and underwear, which didn't last long enough to be passed down. When we first met we were in our 20's and I couldn't understand why he was so particular about his clothes. He always did his own laundry, actually sorted according to colors and whites, and used Spray 'n Wash and made sure everything was hung up after it left the dryer. That's when he told me how much having new clothing meant to him.

[–] jefgg 10 years ago

When I was a kid I wore hand me ups. What are "hand me ups"? That is when your younger cousin is bigger than you and you get his old clothes.

[–] jaystarstar 9 years ago

I was the oldest of 5 kids in the early 70s but the youngest two were born when I was 12 and 15 1/2 and I was already working part time by then and paying some of my own bills.

But a $126 grocery bill in 1967-68 would have been monstrous. I remember going shopping with my parents in the late 1960s and a $40.00 bill was huge.

[–] liscarkat (16692) 2 years ago

My mom told me that when the price of a loaf of bread went up to 15 cents in 1936, her grandmother was afraid they wouldn't be able to afford food anymore. When I was a kid in the early '60s my dad brought home about $100.00 a week, and our family of four lived pretty comfortably. I worked at a grocery store in the early '70s, and when a customer spent $50.00 one day it was a big deal that everybody was talking about. Today $50.00 worth of groceries can easily fill one bag.