The $10 Food Challenge, Chapter 2

I got interested in what the things you could buy in Rochester for $10 in 1922 would cost in Oregon in 2010, and decided to take a closer look at the photo, make a list, and price it out.

One thing I learned on doing a little research is that the people of Rochester really liked tea.  In the photo there are two boxes of Footes Tea (bags maybe), two tins of White Rose (a turn of the 20th century tea company) and two boxes of Good Luck tea which was Chinese green tea.  Then on the top shelf next to the Good Luck tea are olives, cocoa, bread, crackers, hot cereal, more teas, buckwheat flour and cornmeal.  Bottom shelf:  sugar, cornflakes, tea, rolled oats, flour (5 #) potatoes, pastry flour, 2 cans of vegetables, 2 # butter and a can of prunes, 1 dozen eggs and two cans of fruit.  A very fun half hour in the local IGA produced the grand total of $91.78!!

(I tried to be a thrifty shopper, though things like buckwheat flour are expensive in 2010–$3.99 for a small bag.)

1 Comment

  1. Fabulous! I don’t know what the tea thing is all about – maybe coffee hadn’t hit it big yet.

    So I went to an online dollar value calculator, and discovered that $10 in 1922 would be worth $124.83 today. So, my dear, you are an ace shopper. Good work!

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