Just realized something wild while rewatching Home Alone with my family. Remember that scene where Kevin buys a whole cart of groceries for under $20? That was 1990, and honestly, I can't stop thinking about how insane inflation has gotten since then.



So I looked up what that exact Home Alone grocery haul would cost today. We're talking milk, orange juice, bread, frozen meals, detergent, all that stuff. The original bill was $19.83 with a coupon. Guess what it would be now? Nearly $70. That's a 300% jump in just over 30 years.

Breaking it down, a half gallon of milk went from $1.34 to $4.85. Orange juice jumped from $2 to $4.50. Even basic stuff like toilet paper more than quadrupled. The Tide detergent alone went from under $5 to almost $14. It's honestly kind of depressing when you line it all up like that.

What really gets me is that grocery prices have shot up over 20% just since 2020. Supply chain issues, tariffs, corporate pricing games, shrinkflation—it all adds up. That Home Alone grocery run would feel like a luxury shopping trip now, not a casual trip to the store for a kid.

It's a weird way to measure inflation, but that Home Alone grocery comparison really puts it in perspective. Makes you appreciate those cheaper grocery days, even if they're basically gone now.
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