"Home Alone" fans are reminiscing about lower grocery bills after a TikTok video pointed out how much Kevin McCallister spent on his solo shopping trip in 1990 versus what it would cost today.

The film follows the antics of the young boy, played by Macaulay Culkin, as he is accidentally left behind by his parents who jet off to Paris for Christmas.

As the fictional 8-year old is left to fend for himself, he makes a trip to the local grocery store to pick up some food, toiletries and household necessities.

His bill comes out to about $20. One TikToker estimated that Culkin would spend close to $70 on the same grocery haul if the goods were purchased this year from Target, an increase of 250%.

We did our own calculations. Here is what we found.

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Groceries from 1990 versus 2023

In the film, Kevin buys his groceries at the family-owned supermarket called Rockford Schnucks, located in Illinois.

He picks up a half-gallon of milk, half-gallon of orange juice, TV dinner, a loaf of Wonderbread, frozen mac and cheese, liquid detergent, saran wrap, a bag of toy soldiers, Snuggle dryer sheets and toilet paper. McCallister uses a dollar off coupon for a grand total of $19.83.

According to the Schnucks grocery store's website, here's how much Kevin's groceries cost today:

  • Half a gallon of milk: $1.71
  • Half a gallon of OJ: $3.99
  • Butternut large white bread: $2.79 (Wonderbread not available)
  • TV dinner: $4.49 (Stouffer's classic meatloaf frozen meal)
  • Frozen mac and cheese: $1.49
  • Tide liquid detergent: $12.99
  • Saran wrap: $3.39
  • Snuggle dryer sheets: $2.94
  • Toilet paper: $7.99
  • Toy soldiers (not available so Amazon price listed): $9.99

Kevin would have spent a grand total of $54.94 (with Illinois sales tax) in 2023 or $53.94 with his dollar off coupon.

Here's what government data shows on how grocery prices have changed:

Milk

  • Average price in November 1990: $1.34 per half gallon of fresh, low fat milk, according to Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
  • Average price in November 2023: $4.85, per half gallon organic reduced fat 2% milk, according to USDA.

Bread

  • Average price of white bread (per pound): .70 cents in 1990, according to the St. Louis FED.
  • Average price of white bread (per pound): 1.70 cents in 2022.

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How has inflation changed since 1990?

Inflation is a generalized rise in prices. It can occur across the board in an economy, or it could affect individual products or services, such as gas, rent and groceries.

$1 in 1990 has the same purchasing power as $2.30 today. Over the past 33 years, this is a change of $1.30. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' inflation calculator, $19.83 in December 1990 has the same buying power as $45.62 in October of 2023 − the most recent CPI data available for this year.

From 2021 to 2022, U.S. retail food prices rose by 11% − the largest annual increase in over 40 years, according to the Government Accountability Office. While average inflation was increasing in 1990 at 5.4%, it was not nearly as high as 8% last year.

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