I use the Candy Bar Index. Which is now 1.05, for a candy bar that was 75 cents 2 years ago, and has risen from 15 cents in the past 30 years. The CPI says that the fifteen cent candy bar should be just 39 cents today, or a premium bar for a quarter would be 65 cents today.
Watch dry nonfat milk contracts. Those give a better long term picture without the sawtooth daily bounces.
***The CPI says that the fifteen cent candy bar should be just 39 cents today, or a premium bar for a quarter would be 65 cents today.***
I remember when a Hershey bar was 5 cents. Half as much as a bottle of soda pop.
Here is a list of groceries from 1963.
Flour, 10 lb, 99 cents.
Bacon 2 lb 79 cents.
Catsup 14 oz 15 cents.
Potatoes 25 lb 59 cents
Tomatoes 15 cents a lb.
Hams 39 cents a lb.
In 1888 Levis cost $1.80 a pair.
73 years later...
In 1961 Levis cost $2.60 a pair.
50 years later...
In 2011, Levis (now made overseas) cost about $35.00 a pair. Using the earlier inflation rate (1888-1961) they should not cost over $6.00 a pair today.
Inflation really went into overdrive since 1963, when the Democratic Johnson administration took over.