A grocery receipt from 1997 highlights the significant increase in prices since the late 90s.
Much has transpired since 1997, including major economic disruptions occurring almost every decade since 2000, such as the 2008 financial crisis, the Great Recession, and the global downturn caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Currently, the global political landscape is strained by renewed aggression from nations like Russia and the US under Trump, while China casts its gaze towards Taiwan. Additionally, the economic ramifications of climate change are also at play.
Millennials often question, just how many ‘once in a generation’ occurrences can one generation endure?
Nonetheless, let’s return to 1997, a year that would be selected for time travel if “Back to the Future” were to be made today.
Curious about a typical grocery bill back then? You might want to brace yourself.
TikToker Zoe Dippel discovered a receipt at her family home that resembled a lengthy scroll from a fantasy movie.
This lengthy list comprised 122 items totaling only $155.
But how does that stack up against wages of the time? Let’s delve into the data, though it may not be uplifting.
According to data from the US census, the median household income in 1997 was roughly $37,000 per year, or about $3,083 per month.
Even if you bought 122 items weekly, which is improbable, it would total $620 monthly.
That constitutes about 20 percent of the monthly income, assuming a weekly expenditure of this magnitude.
Zoe conducted a comparison, noting that it was an approximation since some items are not available anymore.
She discovered that in 2026, purchasing the closest equivalent of those 122 items would cost $504.
Meanwhile, the median income as of 2024 is approximately $83,730, translating to around $6,977 monthly.
Extrapolating that $504 for weekly shopping results in a $2,016 monthly total—just under 29 percent of those monthly earnings.
It’s important to remember that these figures represent median income; they don’t reflect minimum wage earners, so let’s examine that too.
Back in 1997, the federal minimum wage stood at $5.15 per hour. For a 40-hour workweek, that’s $824 monthly, meaning $155 would be around 18 percent of those earnings.
Since 2009, the federal minimum wage has been $7.25, equating to $1,160 monthly, with $504 comprising 43 percent of those earnings, almost half.
Some individual items reveal particularly striking changes.
In 1997, a jar of baby food was priced at just 55 cents, a figure that has now nearly tripled to $1.57, while a jumbo pack of diapers has increased from $12.99 to $29.97.