Alright, so I’m not “old” so much as really feeling my age beginning to show. The feeling sticks out like a sore thumb when I look at the price of things, especially when they are on sale.
My first offender is cases of pop. When I see 3 cases of 12 on for $11 I remember when you could get 24 cans for $4 and the grey hairs begin to grow. I remember when you could buy a can of Becker’s pop for 15 cents. Remember Becker’s Milk?
I shudder when I purchase popcorn at the movies; “That combo is meant to be a discount?” Likely my wallet is already aching in pain after extracting the wad required just to get admission.
Even garage sale prices baffle me these days. 15 years ago if it was tagged for more than $1 I would haggle because “really? $1 at a garage sale?”. This year I have seen video game consoles and games for only $5 off their regular price sitting on a table next to a variety of kitchen ware and overpriced McDonald’s Happy Meal toys. Hit up eBay or Kijiji and prepare to be shocked at what people expect for USED junk.
In the 1980’s, stamps were in the 30 cent range. As there was no Internet (“what do you mean “no internet”?) I can imagine business was booming at that rate.
A loaf of bread? 80 cents, regular price.
Heinz Ketchup? Under a buck, regular price.
And don’t get me started on gasoline.
Even getting Santa Oreo Cookies is going to cost me over $4 this year, if they aren’t on sale.
What deals strike you now as “Really? That’s a discount? I remember when…”.
Now get off my lawn.
Oh my gosh!!
your so right, i must getting old too:)
I was looking at my daughters baby book(she’s only fifteen)
and in it, it has a section on ‘what prices were when you were born’
Milk was 2.99
Bread was .85 I nearly gag when a year ago I could get my hubby’s rice krispies squares(8) for 1.97 at wm now they’re 3.87. Huh!
When I was little my grandpa use to give me and my sister $5(I know spoiled) when we came to visit. There was a corner store close by and we would go and be able to buy so much stuff we would need a bag and it would last forever!! Back when you could get a can of coke for .45 cents!. I don’t know I’m really glad I’m teaching my children to coupon:)
The sale price on anything Lululemon. 😮
And telephone/long distance/internet charges: most companies give a bundle price but I find the discount is a pittance.
ahhh, 50cents for a bag of sour cream and bacon chips or an eatmore…
-penny candy in a bag-little brown bag -you got to pick it out too-oh yeah remember that
i cant believe the price of bread these days. its shocking. i was in no frills this week to get hotdog buns and they had the no name pkg of buns for $2.99. REALLY?!
I remember when my Mum used to buy lots of times the sale price of Kraft Dinner was 4 for $1.00 or 3 for $1.00.
I am not even forty yet and I remember getting a bag of chips for 25 cents!! My mom would give me and my friend $1. We thought we were in heaven with 50 cents each!!!
McDonalds!!!!
Yikes, we used to eat there because it was a cheap fast food joint but now eating with my husband and 2 kids runs us over $30!!! We used to be able to eat there for less than $5 per person. Combo with fries and drink included!!
A burger now is the same price a whole combo used to be! (not that I like Micky-D’s, in fact I loathe it but every once in a while I get outvoted by the family and then the total to pay sends me over the edge!) Yuck
Fries and gravy at the K-mart cafeteria for 99 cents! And it was HUGE! I remember when $1 could get you chips and a pop and leave you a little to spare to get some candy too! Bread really has gone up in price. Wonderbread is now $3.19 regular price. Today at Costco I bought three loaves of Dempsters for $5.89. At first I didn’t think we would go through it, but since Sunday we’ve already gone through two loaves so I figured the three pack at Costco was the way to go!
Only 14 years ago I griped about gas being such a ripoff….it was .59 cents a litre. Oh the good old days. When I was a kid, in the late 70’s, my parents would take us to McDonalds for a treat now and then. Two adults and 2 kids, total cost less than $11. Now, it is closing in on $30 for the same size family.
My husband is 44 and his dad gave him .25 cents to buy a treat at the movies. Now you could get a bubble gum out of a machine for that.
My parents got a nickel each back in the 50’s.
Potato chips came in five cent bags and later in 10 cent bags. Plain, Salt/vinegar and a little later, Roast Chicken. Popsicles were five cents, or half a one for three. If you got a stick that said ‘free’, it was like winning the lotto. The price of a dozen eggs costs as much as the chicken now.
Canada’s still got it good compared to the Uk! You guys get paid more and everything costs less! I guess im the opposite of you guys since I grew up int he UK I come over here and im like amazed at how cheap things are! I have noticed the grocery stores increasing their prices quite frequently these days though! Only to lower it back down in a “promotion” then slowly raise it again.
im only 23 but i still feel the same, its probably because my mom taught me the value of a dollar growing up. there were actual penny candies you could buy at 7-11 and even growing up i remember gas being 87 cents for the longest time. a lot of things have doubled and tripled in price over the last 10 years
when popcicles were 19cents!!
And how does your current salary/income compare to that of 20 years ago? Thought so.
being able to buy penny candy at the corner store. now pennies are the cumbersome change in your pocket you want to get rid of but can’t 🙁
The price of staple foods is a real concern to me: bread, eggs, milk, produce, etc. Only a few years ago, all grocery stores in the area had their prices “locked” on these kinds of staples. Not anymore.
So is the price of gas. The price of crude in the markets goes down, the price at the pumps barely budges. The price of crude goes up, and suddenly newspapers are publishing articles about expecting to pay more at the pumps, with ridiculous quotes from so-called experts, trying to paint a correlation between the two. There is none – well, there is one when it’s convenient to the bottom line.
Most of it comes down to inflation, and a certain amount to greed. Without getting into the political side of things – gas prices definitely hurt our wallets when we fill up the tank, but they also hit us when we shop for food – a lot of those increased prices are attributed to the rising cost of transporting goods.
I’m 20 and I still cringe when I recall what prices used to be. I remember gas at $0.75/L and my parents thinking that was a ripoff. Still remember the day gas hit $1.00/L and now it seems as if it’ll never come back down.
Basically – I don’t think you’re getting old. I think regardless of your age, things were much cheaper even 4-5 years ago.
My first car, Toyota Corolla, cost me $5 to fill up the tank. It was a ’74.
I agree with mojo – those are my childhood memories too 25 cent bags of chips. I also agree that the price of bread is so crazy right now.
Some days I would really like to open a penny candy store and have all kinds of old fashioned stuff…I’m sure it has huge marketable potential, but not profitable because it costs so much to buy candy even at cost 🙁 If I were to make my own old fashioned candy I still couldn’t sell it for a penny because the ingredients are too expensive!!
I remember at my grandma’s house they had an old fashioned candy store and it was the only store in her area. If we were sent down there to get something for her we would get to keep the change and I could get a huge paper bag of assorted candy with whatever few cents was left over! I totally miss that place 🙁
I’m 28 and I remember Campbell’s soup being under a dollar normally, and then sale prices of 50 cents. Not anymore!
I remember when a 10lb bag of potatoes was .99 cents regular price. It would go on sale sometimes for .79 cents. Oh and remember bananas being .19/lb!
Yop-back in the day they were like $0.45, PB was $1.99, even cereal was cheap.
I think the main one for people is food, I remeber being give $2 for lunch money eery friday when I was younger and tat would buy my a slice of pizza, can of pop and a little bag of one cent candies. now your lucky to even get a can of pop. The prices of everything has gone up. and I’m only 23! I remember hearing stories growing up of my Aunt buying her house for $2500 and my uncle buying a whole apartment building for $3000. and now just to even rent and apartment (where I live anyways) your looking at minimum $1250! Its just unbelieveable!!
Blizzards at DQ. I used to get a large (and it was a LOT larger back then) every once in a while and my dad would say “I could buy a 4 L tub for that price! Never again!”
Now the “mini” one is that price. Ugh.
I worry for my future a bit, that is part of the reason I coupon and try and save.
People will continue to have kids, but I think a lot of them really wont be able to “afford” them.
In the same train of thought.. many companies have downgraded “how much product” you get while not lowering the price… Cavendish fries used to be a 1 kg bag, down to 750g now… Playtex tampons used to come 24/box… then it was 20… now it’s 18… if that keeps up one box won’t be enough for a cycle !
I agree with everyone’s posts, I can’t believe it.
Everything is getting smaller and less.
The products are also much lower quality. Companies outsourcing and exploiting cheap labour, trapping farmers in contracts, then covering this up with marketing…just so we pay higher prices. Unfair.
Low quality, decreased quantity, high prices!!! 🙁
Last year a McDonalds Big-Mac combo was $8.92. I recently returned to Mcdonalds and saw that it was down to $7.76….. but I still remember what it used to cost…
And we would bounce around gas stations looking for the one that advertised 63.1cents/litre instead of 63.9. I remember when it hit 94.5/litre and I was actually glad my car had recently been totalled, back to taking the (BS) bus for me sigh 🙁 🙁 🙁
how much is popcorn and foodat the movies these days?kinda wanted to bring my dd to the movies someday,just curious 🙂
You know you’re old when grocery stores start playing music that you like. You know you’re old if you’ve watched porn on VHS… 😛
It’s hard to accept but it is at healthy inflation rate, 3-5% a year. By rule of 72, prices should be doubled every 14-24 years. Considering the food shortage, we are still having it pretty good.
What’s not normal is clothes prices. It hasn’t changed since 1994.
To be fair, everything is getting smaller and less because we have this price anchoring effect. We refuse to pay more, but it cost more for the merchants. So the only way for them to raise prices is make things small.
I don’t really mind the price increase or smaller packets, but I care about quality. I still own T-shirts from the 90s that look fantastic. I’m very disappointed at T-shirts these days. But then, they are only $10-20. They cost $20-40 on average in the 90s. I’m just frustrated in finding a good white shirt that doesn’t show my bra! So damn thin!
OMG, I wish I could post a picture on here…we had a Becker’s when I was growing up (like every other Korean family growing up in the 70’s and 80’s) and I came across a picture we took in front of the store with a bunch of the neighbourhood kids. There are signs behind us with prices like Bread – $0.35, Orange Drink – $0.09 and 2% Milk 4L Bags for $1.45. This was circa 1978. There’s another sign I can barely make out…I think it says 10 popsicles for $0.07!!!! Seriously, prices are insane. The worst part about it is that wages haven’t increased much over the years to keep up with the cost of living!!
And remember when furniture, cars and homes were built to last? Not anymore…everything is disposable.
I love the lawn comment.
My biggest price pet peeve is POTATO CHIPS.
four dollars for a bag of chips???? FOUR DOLLARS?
I thought paying $1.50 at the connivence store down the street from my house was insane when I was in high school… that was only (gasp) ten years ago.
not connivence, convenience… oops… spell check won that round.
The prices of things aren’t making me feel old, it’s other things. “The big snow store of 03” , When i got stuck and this guy came to my aide. Or when i can’t remember what year i’m talking about but i know what size clothes i was in. “Yeah i don’t remember when but i know i was in a size 16” lol, I remember making fun of my mom for being born in the 1950’s, thinking that she was old, my son is going to run around saying that i was born in the 1900’s. the only prices that bother me are bread and gas!
I have a fond memory of my Dad and I at Safeway Saturday nights, 10 min before close to get 30 loaves of bread for $1.00. Stores were closed on Sundays back then. It is unreal the prices of things now…
I am 35. When I was in high school i used to joke with my friends that “some day” chocolate bars would be a dollar. I thought some day would be when i was in my 50s. Now I am supposed to get excited if I see chocolate bars ON SALE for a dollar!? I see the loonie is having it’s 25 year anniversary this year. That was a big one. I knew as soon as that came in the days of coin pop was gone. Everything was going to be a $1 because you could get it into a machine… then came the Twoonie… Has anyone wandered by a machine in a popular place (ex: hospital?) Except for Walmart or costco the days of pop for pennies is gone (even though i think it’s only about 2 cents to make…) It’s all about GREED. Love to know where all the money is going… Probably some account overseas somewhere….
I’m 28 and I already feel this way! I definitely agree with the products getting smaller and the prices going up- ie. halloween candy. they aren’t even bite size anymore. but i remember a dollar could easily get you 2 chocolate bars or a whole bunch of candy. unless you’re at the dollar store or get a good sale, now you need more than a dollar just for one!
Hahah I just did the “get off my lawn” saying today joking when some kids were running on our yard. I heart Clint.
i remember driving in georgia in 1996/1997 new years and gas was 86 cents A GALLON!!
I remember 25 cent chips, too. I’m also annoyed by package downsizing, but what REALLY grinds my gears is the “continuous improvement” of food. Chocolate doesn’t taste like chocolate anymore, it’s got too much cheap ingredients (so waxy, not creamy and melty anymore). Ice cream is now “frozen dessert”, and not even legally sellable as ice cream! Chocolate chips are “chocolatey chips”. Spreadable cream cheese becomes “cream cheese product spread”. Apple juice is “apple cocktail”. Look closely at your labels–are you actually getting what you THINK you’re buying? A higher amount of fillers and substitues gives the producers a better profit margin and the consumers a sub-standard product. Don’t even get me started on the bastardization of yogurt. Companies decrease the quality, decrease the package size, and increase the prices. BOO-urns!
What really sticks in my mine was when i purchased a hot dog and a milkshake from Harvey’s for 2 dollars, leftover money from buying a movie ticket. Also, buying a bag of day old donuts for less than what you pay for one now from Country Style. What happen with those doughnuts now?
Nowadays, what really gets me are those 10, 20 cent discounts. A discount?! Really?!?
i get depressed when i think of how when i was a kid a bag of chips was filled with chips.now you pay over$2 for 80% air.really?
i remember getting 5 bucks and getting a bag of chips,chocolate bar and a pop with money left over for 5 cent candies.
eggs are now over 2 bucks a dozen,milk is over 5 bucks,margarine is over $4…it is insane.
going to the movies is a nightmare. when i was a teen i could do dinner and a movie for $50. now dinner and a movie is well over $100 for two people.
Ok,Ok!I must be ancient.LOL. I’m 48,and can relate to penny candy you picked out of the glass counter of the corner store(I can still name almost all of them, including my fav. Black Cat gum) and on Sundays we would get an Icecream cone for $0.10. I was shocked when it went up to a quarter. We would buy an apple on the way to school for a nickel. Pomegranates were $0.25. Does anyone remember CocaCola or Pepsi in the large Glass bottles? Pepsi’s bottle was slightly twisted.How about small green bottles of Coca Cola(The original ones)(My mother would swear that it tasted better in those bottles, they came 6 in a carton carrier) My allowance for doing my chores was a quarter a week when I was 6. My first Grandaughter is 7 months old, I never thought I would one day be telling her stuff that existed that she would only see in books(Just like my Grandfather would tell me)This was a nice post down memory lane. Thanks Mupiel! For our gang it was not get off my grass but Old Mr Laberge would yell “get down from my fence”. HaHaHa. Nice.
I remember the 750ml glass bottles! I thought I was a smart preteen in noticing that 7up in those bottles were on sale for 25 cents plus bottle deposit! I really liked pop too much then. Can still enjoy soda but have to water it down sometimes when the sugar/sweeteners are too much.
I remember when Bantam convenience stores had the bottle opener on the side of the cooler for opening the single serve soda bottles. And Hostess potato chips were 35 cents for individual packs. Highlights of summer were winning a free pop (but paying the deposit) or bag of chips and biking to the store to redeem the instant win. Mmm, good times.
Popsicles were 25 cents each-the double kind.
Remember when the grocery stores sold the octagonal cardboard boxes of Humpty Dumpty potato chips and there were a few sleeves of chips inside? That was the “club” or party pack of the 1970s.
Hawaiian Punch drink crystals sometimes rivalled Kool Aid drink mixes for thirsty kids…HP was also sold in cans!
What really got me the other day was watching my niece and nephew play ‘store’. I remember playing that game with pennies with my brother; a toy car was a penny, a really nice one two or three; the little ones are using credit cards, because the little toy car is now $100, lol.
Shannon you are exactly right! I can’t even buy cereal anymore because they keep “fortifying” it to taste like cardboard.
In Grade 9 we would run across the field to Dairy Queen and get the Full Meal Deal (burger, fries, drink, ice cream) for 99 cents. Now that was a deal!! That was in 1982.
Oh my! I remember when I first got married 10 years ago, I would buy groceries for $120.00, now I’m lucky if I only spend $250.00 and yes I have kids now, but they are much too little to make a difference in my grocery budget. I’ve always cooked lots and bought many fruits and veggies, infact I’ve stoped buying pop and chips which used to be a regular on my grocery list. The cost of food just annoys me!
I remember when popsicles were only 25 cents. I’m only 29 years old so that wasn’t a long time ago. Now I can’t believe that they are almost a dollar!!!
I always feel annoyed when a box of Honey Bunches of Oats is almost always over $4 here when you can get it at Wal-Mart in the US for $2.
Even stuff that is a product of Canada is cheaper to buy in the US than it is here which really doesn’t make sense. Aside from Ontario’s minimum wage being $3 more per hour than New York’s, but I just don’t see how that could affect the price of cereal at the grocery store when they probably buy it in huge quantities anyway.
Aw, I love you channeling Clint, lol!
Yes, I’m a half-century – and the days of 10 cent chips (Hostess in the foil bags!), seven cent popsicles, etc. The penny candy was the bomb! When I was 10, I started babysitting and was getting 35 cents an hour. A Saturday afternoon movie was 35 cents, popcorn was 10 cents for a nice big box. Occasionally there were what were called “Coke shows” where you could take in a certain number of Coke bottle caps and get into the movie free – and you got a mini Coke bottle, too (gosh I wish I still had those, I see people selling them online).
My first job was when I was 12, at the public library, and I got $2.25 an hour; that was 1973.
Now, prices are up, sure, but things are relative to the general economy. We rarely buy the commercial bread for $3+, but instead get bakery bread which often goes on sale for $1 and it’s yummy. Yes, you can’t leave it for a week, but we consume it in a day or two anyway.
When you start thinking about the over cost of items today you have to remember that wages weren’t that great back then either. My 1st real job I made $300 a month and thought I was in heaven. Minimum wage back then was like $4.50 or $5.00 per hour so of course were priced accordingly. Anyone want to go back to those good old days.
Margaret Hirst, I have to disagree with you. Yes, we made less money back then but the cost of living wasn’t like it is now. Back then, mothers stayed home for years to raise their kids because a family could survive on one income (tightly, but they survived). Now, it’s almost impossible to get by on one income unless the one working makes a GREAT living. And the cost of homes now? The house I live in (South Etobicoke) was priced at $90K in 1995. In 1995, I was making $30K at a call centre job. That same call centre job still pays $30K. But the price of my home? We bought it 3 years ago for over $300K.
I am only 28.
I remember penny candy
I remember when i could fill up my car when i was 22 for 25 now its 55
I remember when a box of cereal was under 1 dollar now its 3-5 for the same box.
I also remember when a 12 case of pop was 2 bucks and not 5.99 plus deposit
I also remember when pepsi came in glass bottles here in good old PEI. I really miss glass bottles.
And for anyone that says that wages went up the same that is a laugh
average prices seem to of tripped and wages have not even doubled
I have only one point to argue: There WAS internet in the 1980’s, it just wasn’t the same way it is now. 😉
But yes, things are pricey. And in ten years it will be way worse!
I remember penny candy, I am about to turn 40. My brothers and I each got 30 cents to spend every Saturday and we were in heaven. We bought shoestring licorice, plastic fruit filled with powder, Fizz candies, Love Hearts, Mojos, wax lips, wax bottles filled with liquid candy, GoldRush gum in a little drawstring bag, Kraft caramels, Thrills, Chews… and so much more.
My twin brother and I used to go beer bottle hunting in the parks and behind stores and our Dad would give us the deposit money. We were RICH! hahahaa.
We also had a neighbour that would yell if we went on her lawn… we called her Mrs. Crabapple.
Cereal. Just a few years ago they were 2-3$ now they are almost double in price.
worst price increase in the last decade! BOTTLE WATER.
why do more people complain when a 1l bottle is as much as 1l of gas, clean water should be a right!
Paper Products in general are a rip off over $20 for a bulk package, for a product meant to be thrown away.
I also want to know why all the extra packaging, a box in a box with a plastic wrapper on the bunch all held in with a million wire twist ties.
I remeber my Dad taking me and my sister to a local bakery growing up, he would buy us a butter cream horn for a treat- cost, 15cents now they cost $2.99! yikes!
I think I am older than all of you. Yes, food prices are high, yes wages appear to be going down. I should be retired by now but I was downsized 2X so here I am at a low paying job, for which I am over qualified but I am grateful to be working. I remember minimum wage going up to $1.70/hr. I was thrifty then but I am even better now, thanks to web sites like this. Thanks to this site I impressed the cashier at the Super Store tonight with my coupons matched up to the sale items and no tax! Look out Shoppers Drug Mart, I am hitting there tomorrow! Also, thanks to this site for the inside scoop on the mega points event in December. You guys are fantastic. Thank you for all the work put into this web site. I cannot say how much I appreciate all you do.
I’m only in my 20s and i remember as a kid kid up to the cornerstone with friends to buy pop and chips, it was 1.09 for bottles, later on 1.19. Those bottles cost 1.99 now
cases of pop i tend to only buy when they are on sale for $3 for a 12 pack
ah damn spell check, should be kid going, and corner store
here are a number of goods to websites which i hook up to seeing that all of us think will have them worthy of going to.
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In the mid 70’s in Toronto, McDonalds, 2 regular burgers, med fries and med Coke, all for $1.22.