Dana Daly

The weight of the dollar is a popular topic of discussion. Work hard, earn much, and save early. Such a motto is chanted to each successive generation so they too can afford whatever they want. Whether it is a quick snack or a new car, everyone always considers the weight of the dollar. This is not a constant value, however. For this reason, prices from the 1950s and '60s often stun modern Americans. The price tag attached to just about anything was much lower in decades past. Inflation usually explains away this discrepancy - and any joyful awe at how cheap everything appears. Even so, there is a marked difference between how much a dollar could get you years ago. Traveling back 30 years will show the reason for people's shock. The 1990 Christmas classic Home Alone features young Kevin McCallister buying several typical grocery list items. The final cost is $19.83. Viewers still marvel and wonder what it must be like to get so much for roughly $20. To fully understand the value of the dollar decades ago, consider these values. $1 could purchase a pound of coffee Coffee / Coffee Bar Society Caffeine addicts rejoice! When done calculating your personal, recommended caffeine intake, you can buy a pound of the stuff for just $1. Old supermarket ads reveal just how much one dollar bill could get at the grocery store. Among the items purchased by patrons, coffee was the most expensive. Even so, Bright & Early Coffee cost 79 cents per pound in the 1950s. Today, that price can range anywhere from $7 to $13. Reportedly, about 64% of Americans drink at least one cup of coffee a day. This number is even up from the 2017 value of 62%. Indeed, that number is projected to climb over the years and with age. If Americans could have a dollar for every pound of coffee, they'd have a lot of caffeine. The value of a dollar could net a lot of comic books Comic books / (Cool)Progeny Marvel and DC have long been household names. Gradually, comic books became an increasingly popular way to escape to a world where heroes stopped deadly threats while hiding their secret identities. Comics taught important messages and established a whole new cultural subset still going strong today. According to Comichron, before the 1960s, one dime could purchase one comic. Heading into the comic book store with $1? Ten issues of your favorite hero fighting crime and saving a city. Today, prices vary by series, issue, and seller. Generally, comics run at about $4. This makes comics a slightly more involved investment for dedicated fans, particularly when many start reading them at a young age. Get 2 for 1 when going to the movies Two could enjoy a movie for one dollar / Ann Arbor District Library Everyone loves an escape from their present reality. Within the darkened walls of a movie theater, viewers can forget live as they know it and focus on an intriguing plot and engaging characters. No matter the year, movies hold a special attractive draw. For this reason, producers find new ways for viewers to get excited about upcoming movies throughout the year. Today, it is not always necessary to leave the house to enjoy a good film. Now, it is not even necessary to wait for the holidays to get into the festive spirit. But that requires a subscription, which costs a hefty amount itself. However, seeing a movie in the 1950s was cheap, and could be done with company. By 1951 the price of a ticket was 49 cents. That's enough to enjoy the latest hit with a friend to talk about it afterward. The value of a dollar lies with the headache it relieves Buying aspirin in the 1960s / H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock/Getty Images If watching the flashing screen and hearing the loud noise from that 49 cent movie induced a headache, worry not. Relief came at a low price in the '50s. Based on records from the New Jersey’s Morris County Library, a 100-count bottle of Bayer aspirin cost just 59 cents. Now, aspirin, like many other drugs, requires a greater financial commitment. Consumers continually search for deals, ensuring they get the most for their dollar. Decades ago, one dollar was all they needed. A dollar packed a punch on cigarette packs Cigarettes AP Photo/Toby Talbot Today, discussions surround the advent of vaping. In the same way, more health information was revealed about cigarettes, more are learning about the effects of e-cigarettes. Methods somewhat differ, and so do price tags. E-cigarettes cost from $7 to over $10 per pack, depending. This makes vaping capable of running a hole through the wallet as well as the lungs. Pursuing the popular habit of smoking decades ago required one dollar. Accounting for inflation, the financial cost to a person is roughly the same since a dollar in the 1950s is roughly $10 today. Perhaps some things are best left at high prices if it keeps people's lungs healthy. Patterns of smoking across the years are fascinating to track. Read onto the NEXT page to find out what else $1 could buy you in the 1960s! Enduring a cold cost only a dollar It cost just a dollar to address a runny nose / Medical News Today Transitional seasons often mean transitioning into a period of headaches, congestion, drowsiness, coughing, and more. Various approaches address each symptom, from medications to relieve a cough, to holistic approaches like tea with honey to soothe an aching throat. As far as addressing a runny nose, one dollar would cover it. A typical Kleenex box can contain as many as 300 tissues. Shapes and textures vary, with some being compact cubes vs. traditional rectangles, while tissues can feel very papery or comfortably soft. Regardless, one dollar could buy three, almost four, boxes of tissues. That, hopefully, will be enough to muscle through a cold in the 1950s. Getting a good gallon of gas is great too Gas prices frequently change with the times / The Regulatory Review Different stations will charge different rates. Generally, gas prices center around a national average and will be a bit higher or lower to be competitive or turn a profit. As soon as a time machine is built, gas will be easy to purchase after a trip back to the '50s. Then, gas costs had not crossed the one dollar mark. Rather, a gallon cost around 86 cents. Considering inflation, citizens living during that time might not have appreciated this value as much. Recall the value of a dollar then equates roughly $10 now. Still, it is nice to think about how much a car could be filled with just a buck. "Life tastes good" with just a dollar spent on multiple Coca-Cola bottles Coca-Cola / Mind Floss Coca-Cola is a classic drink with a prevalence that spans over a century. Throughout the decades, the beverage empire has gone through many advertising campaigns and catchy slogans. In 1922 their slogan was "Thirst Knows No Season." It knows no high prices either, at least by today's standards. In the 1950s, some sellers sold Coca-Cola for one nickel. And since it tastes so good - and may help with longevity - it's natural to want to buy many. Fortunately, decades ago, all that required was one dollar. The price for an MLB all-star game was a real win MLB all-star game in the '60s / Bettmann / Contributor/Getty Images Seeing the big names in baseball give it their all can cost a lot. Licensed sellers and scalpers alike require a great deal of investment to obtain a ticket. Tickets to the 2016 All-Star Game in San Diego cost as much as $506 on the resale market. In the 1950s, watching Yogi Berra, Jackie Robinson, and Ted Williams only required a dollar. Indeed, this could secure a pretty decent bleacher seat, perfect for watching all the action from the MLB all-star game, maybe while sipping on a one-nickel Cola. Drain cleaner won't drain away the money Cleaning the drain was easy and cheap with drain cleaner / Rooter 9-1-1 Plumbing Repair & Drain Service It may not be as glamorous as easy baseball tickets or thrilling comic books, but drain cleaner became a necessity very quickly in many American homes. Drain cleaner offered an easy alternative to calling a plumber, which would invoke service fees and possible costs for parts. Instead, homeowners turned to drain cleaner. The logic behind this decision was that the cleaner could dissolve away any blocks in the pipes. Many cleaning tricks were pursued with great success found to this day. 22 cents alone bought a 12-ounce container of Drano. Once again, the appeal is highly visible. If this method worked, that was a lot of money saved at the homeowner's convenience. One trip to the supermarket in Home Alone got Kevin a lot of useful items for a small fee / 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment Coca-Cola Plus Coffee May Be Coming To The U.S. By End of Year