MovieChat Forums > Home Alone (1990) Discussion > How things used to be.

How things used to be.


Kevin was able to buy all those groceries for only about $20. Back then you could buy a bottle of Tide Laundry detergent, a bottle of Downy Fabric Softener, a bottle of bleach, a TV dinner, a loaf of name brand bread, a carton of eggs, a gallon of milk, and a package of army men for only about $20. It'd be way more in today's world. Especially in Illinois where I live and where the movie takes place. Though I live in Southern Illinois.

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You can thank the Fed for that. They've destroyed the value of the dollar by "printing" trillions out of thin air. 22% of all U.S. dollars in circulation were printed just this year (2020).

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I wasn't wanting to get political.

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Oh okay. We'll just pretend the Fed isn't responsible then.

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It's a pretty political post in nature. His response was factual rather than opinionated.

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I mean there is other things. Minimum wage increasing increases the price of things as well.

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Adjusting for inflation, $20.00 in 1990 is equivalent to $39.85 in 2020. I don't know if all those items could be purchased for less than $40.00 today. The Tide brand detergent alone would be more than $10.00.

https://www.usinflationcalculator.com/

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Actually, I am pretty sure the smallest container of Tide where I live is less than $10. But still with the Downey Fabric Softener and the Chlorox bleach along with the other stuff, it would be quite a bit more than $20.

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