What $1 Could Buy the Year You Were Born
In 2024, $1 can’t buy that much in terms of goods and services. However, you might be surprised at how much $1 could buy in the past. Remember when $1 could buy six Hershey’s chocolate bars? If you were alive in 1973, you might. What’s the cost of three gallons of gas today in your neighborhood? Ten dollars? More? In 1966, those three gallons were less than $1.
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While these examples are fun to look at, they’re also an important representation of the devastating power of inflation. Over time, inflation reduces the purchasing power of a dollar, as exemplified by these various items. Ten or 20 years from now, you may look back yet again and be amazed at how “cheap” things were in 2024, as inflation will no doubt have driven prices higher still in the future.
To see how much $1 could have purchased in the year you were born, GOBankingRates took a sample of prices from 1940 to 2024. For each year, you’ll see an example of a common good or service that cost about $1. The list is not only interesting but also educational, as it points out in black and white how the purchasing power of $1 declines over time. Check out your birth year and you may get a chuckle out of what $1 could buy in that year.
1940-1944
1940: School bag, $0.98
1941: 2-gallon aquarium, $0.98
1942: Women’s dress, $1.00
1943: Handbag, $1.00
1944: 3-piece toy set (doll, Klik-Klak and teether), $1.05
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1945-1949
1945: B-29 Boeing Super Fortress Bomber model kit, $0.95
1946: 2 RCA Victor records, $0.89
1947: Apple tree, $0.98
1948: Men’s belt, $0.94
1949: Boy’s cotton shirt, $0.97
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1950-1954
1950: Throw pillow, $0.80
1951: Baseball cap, $0.95
1952: 1 cake pan & 6 custard cups, $1.05
1953: 1 quart of paint, $0.98
1954: 4-piece screwdriver set, $0.98
1955-1959
1955: 2 McDonald’s meals (1 burger, fries and soda), $0.70
1956: Hair spray, $1.05
1957: Baby gown, $0.87
1958: Bath towel, $0.91
1959: Pitcher, $0.91
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1960-1964
1960: Tights/nylons, $0.94
1961: 2 Sunday New York Times, $1.00
1962: 1 yard of fabric, $0.94
1963: Movie ticket, $0.86
1964: 2,000 cigarette papers, $0.97
1965-1969
1965: Rifle carrying case, $0.88
1966: 3 gallons of gas, $0.96
1967: 2 Big Macs, $0.90
1968: Baby blanket, $1.00
1969: Set of greeting cards, $0.99
1970-1974
1970: 2 pillowcases, $0.88
1971: Rake, $1.09
1972: Wrench, $0.98
1973: 6 Hershey’s bars, $0.90
1974: Barbie outfit, $0.77
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1975-1979
1975: 50 vitamins, $1.00
1976: Knee socks, $0.99
1977: Skein of yarn, $0.97
1978: 6 first-class postage stamps, $0.90
1979: 8 guitar picks, $0.98
1980-1984
1980: 1/2 gallon milk, $1.02
1981: 1 dozen eggs, $0.97
1982: Pack of cigarettes, $0.82
1983: 2 D batteries, $0.99
1984: 1 pound of grapes, $0.99
1985-1989
1985: California Lottery ticket, $1.00
1986: 3 shots of bourbon, $0.97
1987: 2 bags of gift wrapping bows, $1.00
1988: 4 packs of gum, $1.00
1989: 1 gallon of gas, $1.00
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1990-1994
1990: 1 share of Microsoft, $0.94
1991: 1 share of Disney, $1.00
1992: 1/2 pound bacon, $0.93
1993: 4 vending machine toys/gumballs, $1.00
1994: 1/2 bag of potato chips, $1.00
1995-1999
1995: Ballpoint pen ink refill, $1.00
1996: 1/2 pound chicken breast, $0.96
1997: Die-cast Nascar model, $1.33
1998: 2 liters cola, $0.98
1999: 11 green Lego bricks, $0.98
2000-2004
2000: Loaf of bread, $0.99
2001: Postage for three letters, $1.02
2002: Taco Bell bean burrito, $0.69
2003: Ticket to Blink-182’s DollaBill Tour, $1.00
2004: 1 share of Apple, $0.94
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2005-2009
2005: 10 KWHs electricity, $1.00
2006: 2 pounds bananas, $0.96
2007: iTunes track, $0.99
2008: Slice of New York pizza, $1.00
2009: 1/2 a weekday New York Times, $1.00
2010-2014
2010: 1/3 gallon of gas, $0.93
2011: 1/3 pound ground beef, $1.00
2012: Fitness app, $0.99
2013: 1 pound of navel oranges, $1.00
2014: 1 car air freshener, $1.00
2015-2019
2015: 50GB of storage (iCloud), $0.99
2016: Shot of whiskey, $0.99
2017: Makeup brush set, $0.89
2018: A dozen Krispy Kreme donuts, $1.00
2019: 4 dry-erase markers, $1.00
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2020-2024
2020: Wendy’s Frosty (small), $0.99
2021: Amazon Kindle e-book, $0.99
2022: A can of soda, $0.75
2023: 10-count pack of ballpoint pens, $0.58
2024: Lipstick, $1.00
Justice Petersen contributed to the reporting for this article.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: What $1 Could Buy the Year You Were Born
