Over the last few years, between the energy market going nuts, COVID-19, and inflation, people have become significantly more aware of just how much the cost of living is spiraling out of control. It’s a pretty common refrain, that many younger people can’t afford housing, but this has started to expand to cars and even groceries.
So we’ve gathered some examples of what things used to cost in the US, from “cost of living” lists, to old menus and ads. From the cost of tuition at Harvard in the 1850s to McDonald's items, back when they just cost a few cents. We also got in touch with Daniella Flores from iliketodabble.com to learn more about managing money.
#1 Mcdonald’s Menu From 1959
Image credits: VisionaryVoid
#2 The Westerner Motor Hotel
Image credits: Heather David
#3 Cost Of Living In 1938
Image credits: historyinmemes
Bored Panda got in touch with Daniella Flores, the Founder & CEO of iliketodabble.com, a site and blog dedicated to helping people manage their money. First and foremost, we were curious to hear what she thought is the biggest misconception most people have about managing money.
“That you have to use a strict budget and restrict your life, you can manage your money and still live your life too. Instead of cutting on the things you love, review your spending and look for the purchases that you don't remember or notice that you spent that money on something that didn't matter much to you - that is what you should cut. Spend money on the things that matter to you and cut what doesn't.”
#4 1916 Sears Catalog Home
They shipped the entire house to you by railroad car. Sears was like Ikea before Ikea. Friends and family would come from all around to help the owner build it.
Image credits: High0nHistory
#5 Vintage Travel Ad - Hotel Las Brisas, Acapulco, Mexico - 1965
Image credits: Heather David
#6 The Bill For A Semester At Harvard, 1869: $170.42
Image credits: timecaptales
In general, many people get uncomfortable around the idea of managing their money and making a detailed plan for the future, so we were curious to hear her take on what pushes people away. “Money is emotional with beliefs that get ingrained in us from childhood. It is difficult to face that head-on, review your spending, and actually create a plan to manage your money. That's why it's great to work with a financial coach who can talk you through that process in a non-judgmental way.”
#7 Housing Ad From 1955
Image credits: High0nHistory
#8
Image credits: Scott Damcom
#9 Danish Modern Furniture Ad 1962
Image credits: Heather David
“Your beliefs about money might lead you to think you're "bad with money", but that isn't true. The game is rigged but that doesn't mean that you shouldn't educate yourself about financial wellness. Learn how to navigate the financial system in a way that works best for you, and who knows - maybe you can help change it one day.”
#10 1924 Cost Of Living
Image credits: themindcircle
#11 McDonald's Menu From 1925
Image credits: Heather David
#12 1943 Cost Of Living
Image credits: Memory Road
Daniella left us some suggestions of where to start if someone was dealing with a lot of financial insecurity or was just looking at a beginner's guide to investing. You can also find more on the iliketodabble X and Instagram page. Because looking at these prices might seem sad, but it’s always better to think about the future.
#13 My Grandmama Just Passed Away And We Found The Hospital Bill Of When She Had My Aunt In 1957. Insurance Paid $100 So They Ended Up Paying $2.95 For Having A Baby
Image credits: squidnezy
#14 "Vacation Specials" - Steve Aloi Ford Ad [c.1970]
Image credits: FNaXQ
#15 Hospital Bill From When My Grandpa Blew Up A Stump With Homemade Tnt And Lost His Eye
Image credits: WudButton
While many people have accepted that things are terrible, some economists argue that, to some degree, the discourse around the economy is dominated by bad vibes and not facts. Kyla Scanlon, financial analyst, writer, and content creator coined the term “vibecession” to describe the strange disconnect of the US avoiding a recession while many people in it vehemently believe the sky is falling.
#16 Kentucky Fried Chicken
Image credits: InsomniacAttentionSeeker
#17 1959 Cost Of Living
Image credits: VisionaryVoid
#18 Disneyland Menu, 1955
Image credits: ElectroSpark
Despite all the doom and gloom, economic indicators show that wages are growing alongside the economy. While our current prices are, obviously, higher, due to inflation, some people seem to be working from the misguided position that prices would go down or that there would be deflation, ignoring the fact that this would actually be an indicator of inflation.
#19 Old Popeye Menu
Image credits: Jimmy takes photos
#20 Kmart Prices
Image credits: Kmart
#21 Plane Ticket Price In 1946
Image credits: jollytoes
#22 1960 Cost Of Living
Image credits: Memory Road
#23 1952 Cost Of Living
Image credits: TonyLiberty
#24 Sears Men's Fashion 1960's
Image credits: dogbytes
#25 Prices In 1923 Found In My Great Grandma’s Memoir
Image credits: CryptographerLost407
#26 Book Price List From 1956
Image credits: SilvahSoul
#27 St. Luke Hospital - 1950s
Image credits: adam2341
#28 1968 Cost Of Living
Image credits: Memory Road
#29 1970 Cost Of Living
Image credits: themindcircle
#30 The Taco Bell Five! (1968)
Image credits: AxlCobainVedder
#31 Modern Home Floor Plan, Sears 1934 Catalog
Image credits: DualCay0te
#32 1999 Cost Of Living
Image credits: Memory Road
#33 In-N-Out Burger(1970s)
Image credits: T1mbuk1
#34 Mortgage Payment In 1952
Image credits: 1stumbler
#35 McDonald's Extra Value Menu 1993
Image credits: Djf47021
#36 1947 Hospital Bill Found Out My Parents’ Attic. Not Sure Who It’s For
Image credits: Old97sFan
#37 The Original Burger King Whopper In 1963
Image credits: reddit.com
#38 Prices Of Houses In Pine Hills Back In The Day
Image credits: Draesden
#39 Vintage Nintendo Ad From 1989
Image credits: leejtam
#40 Vintage New Home Advertisement, Toronto With $500 Bonus!
Image credits: jabnes
#41 1952 Ad For National Homes
Image credits: morganmonroe81
#42
Image credits: fjbruzr
#43 Walgreens (1955)
Image credits: SL13377
#44 1950's Woolworth's Special Menu Signs That Were On The Walls At The Luncheonettes And Lunch Counters!
Image credits: AxlCobainVedder
#45 Cat's Meow Restaurant, Fort Lauderdale Florida, 1950s Menu
Image credits: CincoDeMayoFan
#46 Mayfair Department Store Ad San Jose 1956
Ad that appeared in a San Jose Mercury News insert called "COOK BOOK" - Sunday, September 2, 1956
Image credits: Heather David
#47 1954 Snack Bar Menu, Connie Mack Stadium, Philadelphia (Pa)
Image credits: AxlCobainVedder
#48 Who Wants To Get Mexican Spaghetti At The Chinese Place Tonight? China Inn, Tulsa Ok, 1950s
Image credits: Msktb
#49 1960's Cocktail Menu From The 'Cannibal Room' At Ren Clark's Polynesian Village In Ft. Worth, Tx
Image credits: 5_Frog_Margin
#50 The Moskowitz & Lupowitz Restaurant Menu, New York City (1940)
Image credits: HelloSlowly
#51 “Colonial” Living Room Furniture From The Sears Catalog, 1975
Image credits: Quick_Presentation11
#52 Try The Mcdonald’s All American 3-Course Meal (1965)
Image credits: AxlCobainVedder
#53 Mcdonalds Circa 1965
Image credits: AxlCobainVedder
#54 Unknown Drive-In In Southern Us Circa 1950
Image credits: travio
#55 My Great Grandfather's Pizza Shop Menu From The 1970's
Image credits: AnAwfulLotOfOcelots
#56 Kmart Grill- July 1971
Image credits: AxlCobainVedder
#57 Chris' Hot Dogs, Montgomery, Al Circa 1941-1945
Image credits: HappyBreezer
#58 The Famous Cotton Club: The Aristocrat Of Harlem Menu. New York: (C. April 1932)
Image credits: HelloSlowly
#59 Vintage Ad From Kaybee Toys Featuring Some Nintendo Nostalgia
Image credits: reddit.com
#60 Ad For A 4-Bedroom Home In 1958
Image credits: 2ndSifter
#61 My Grandma’s Hospital Bill After Giving Birth To My Dad In 1955
Image credits: VirgoQueen918
#62 Cost Of Living 1989
Image credits: VisionaryVoid
#63 Lunch Menu From R.h. Macy & Co, New York, 1917. All Prices Are In Cents
Image credits: timecaptales
#64 A Woolworth’s Menu From The 1960s When They Served Food
Image credits: VisionaryVoid
#65 Who Needed A Food Court When Woolworth's Lunchonette Counter Was Serving Up 35-Cent Hamburgers
Image credits: birminghamrewound
#66 Bayou Menu
Vintage menu from the Dixieland days of the Bayou, the famed supper club at 3135 K St NW under the Whitehurst Freeway in Georgetown. The Bayou opened as a Dixieland club in 1953 and continued that format until the mid 1960s, when it switched to rock 'n roll and became famous
Image credits: Streets of Washington
#67 Bayou Menu
Vintage menu from the Dixieland days of the Bayou, the famed supper club at 3135 K St NW under the Whitehurst Freeway in Georgetown. The Bayou opened as a Dixieland club in 1953 and continued that format until the mid 1960s, when it switched to rock 'n roll and became famous
Image credits: Streets of Washington
#68 Herman Miller Chairs Ad 1957
Image credits: Heather David
#69 Hawaiian Bikini Ad 1960s
Image credits: Heather David
#70 Ad For Space Shoes 1962
Image credits: Heather David
#71 The Stable Menu 60 S. Bellevue, Memphis, Tenn. Known The World Over For "Florida Fried Shrimp"
Image credits: jericl cat
#72 Retro Fast Food Nostalgia
Image credits: InsomniacAttentionSeeker
#73 Lawless Shoppe
Image credits: birminghamrewound
#74 1958 Cost Of Living
Image credits: Memory Road
#75 My Great Grandma's Medical Bill From 1950
Image credits: Kytothelee
#76 This Price For Alien 3 On Vhs In 1993
Image credits: eltonjohnstamos
#77 The Prices Of Floor Model Tvs From 1976
Image credits: Efficient-Ad-3302
#78 The Price Of A PC In The Mid-90's
Image credits: HarrarLongberry
#79 1962 Cost Of Living
Image credits: Memory Road
#80 1963 Cost Of Living
Image credits: Memory Road
#81 1971 Cost Of Living
Image credits: Memory Road
#82 Chicken Hut Menu
Menu from the Chicken Hut restaurant, which opened in 1944 at 427 11th Street NW, in space previously occupied by Schneider's Restaurant. Chicken Hut was an early fast food chain. Later the Alla Scala Italian restaurant was located here. The façade of the building survives and now houses a FedEx office
Image credits: Streets of Washington
#83 Hot Soda Menu Northwestern Druggist 1913
Image credits: travio
#84 Vintage Ad TV Trays 1952
Image credits: Heather David
#85 Champ's Menu 02-27-1962
Image credits: Streets of Washington
#86 Coffee Shop Menu For The Woman's Club Of Tallahassee's Christmas Bazaar, Ca. 1940
Image credits: AxlCobainVedder
#87 Chicken Hut Menu
Menu from the Chicken Hut restaurant, which opened in 1944 at 427 11th Street NW, in space previously occupied by Schneider's Restaurant. Chicken Hut was an early fast food chain. Later the Alla Scala Italian restaurant was located here. The façade of the building survives and now houses a FedEx office
Image credits: Streets of Washington
#88 Akron Planter Parade Ad 1957
Image credits: Heather David
#89 The Hot Dog Show 450 S. La Cienega 3694 Crenshaw Boulevard Los Angeles 1949
Image credits: jericl cat
#90 Caesars Palace, Pool Service Menu, Circa 1960s
Image credits: AxlCobainVedder
#91 New Bake Shop
Image credits: birminghamrewound
#92 Toll Booth Quarter Gun (1962)
Image credits: GymbagDarrel
#93 Opening Sale
Image credits: birminghamrewound
#94 When I’m 64
Image credits: Yahtrok
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