Found an old newspaper within a couple months of when I was born (paper was from May 1st, 1991). Here's the ad from the local
SPECIALTY MEAT MARKET:
![](https://ip.bitcointalk.org/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2F0dlz2ms.jpg&t=665&c=Udl3dAS1QZ6cTw)
Here're current comparable prices from the weekly online flier from the local chain:
![](https://ip.bitcointalk.org/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FlUZENVZ.png&t=665&c=4di4C37teeLI0g)
Coffee WAS $.1279/oz. Coffee IS $.2652/oz.
Price increase since 1991: 107.35%
Milk WAS $1.69/gal. Milk IS $2.69/gal. (unless you live in a state with minimum milk pricing laws like PA where it's crazy - like $3.89/gal)
Price increase since 1991: 59.17%
Cottage cheese (sorry - on a page I didn't scan in - $.99/24oz) WAS $.0413/oz. Cottage cheese IS $.0938/oz.
Price increase since 1991: 127.12%
Ice cream WAS $.028/oz. Ice cream IS $.056/oz.
Price increase since 1991: 100%
Bologna WAS $.0619/oz. Bologna IS $.1429/oz (if you buy 10 freaking packs of gross faux bologna...).
Price increase since 1991: 130.86%
Lunch meat (sliced ham) WAS $.1119/oz. Lunch meat IS $.3333/oz.
Price increase since 1991: 197.86%
Kielbasa WAS $1.99/lb. Kielbasa IS $4.99/lb.
Price increase since 1991: 150.75%
Chicken breast WAS $1.09/lb. Chicken breast IS $2.66/lb.
Price increase since 1991: 144.04%
Paper towel WAS $.69/roll. Paper towel IS $.6238/roll.
Price increase since 1991: -9.59%
Broccoli (1 bunch = 1.5lbs) WAS $.3933/lb. Broccoli IS $.99/lb.
Price increase since 1991: 151.72%
As you can see - though fresh produce, fruits, dairy, and veggies are now priced outside the reach of the working class without food stamps, paper product prices (making the generous assumption that rolls have not decreased in size over time) have dropped. Hooray!
For our small basket of goods, the price increase (keeping in mind I was generous in estimates for 2014 quantities and conservative in estimates for 1991 quantities, and prices came from a specialty meat market while current prices come from Kroger, AND there was no advertisement for beef, which is now ~$3.19/lb) from 1991 to 2014 for groceries and staples has been ~115.93%. Nominally, this means there's been ~5.04% grocery price inflation per year over the 23-year span. -Or, using government math which hides compound inflation, ~3.4%. (for reference, USG claims 2.55% on CPI from '91-'14)
(ETA: fixed ice cream price comparison, h/t thoughtomator -- ETA3: fixed 1991 unit labels)
ETA2:
Nominal median household income in 1991: $28,479
Nominal median household income in 2013 (most recent USG data): $51,939
Median household income increase: 82.38%
Guesstimated grocery bill increase: 115.93%
Grocery price increases have outstripped household income increases by ~40.73%