We’ve all been there; as we’re doing our weekly shop, or treating ourselves to a little luxury item, we often find ourselves gasping: “How much!?”
It doesn’t take a genius to work out that life can be expensive – it seems 
that the prices of items we use in our everyday lives, continue to creep up each time we go to buy them.
I’m sure I’m not alone in finding that as I mutter, “How much?” at an item I regularly buy, it’s often followed by the phrase: “I remember when they used to be such-and-such price!”
Well, you’re right. Because, those lower such-and-such prices we seem to remember paying have somehow become sky high now we’re in the 21st century.
And, just to show you how expensive things have become, here’s a little run-down of how much normal everyday items cost us now, in comparison to 50 years ago, in the 1960’s:
Food & Household Groceries
Although plenty of our favourite supermarkets today claim that they offer the cheapest day-to-day products in comparison to their rivals, their prices still don’t come close to the prices that were around in the 1960’s.
Take a small pint of milk for example. In the 1960’s, one of these would have cost you a mere 3.3p. Hard to believe, isn’t it? And you thought that milk was cheap anyway, right? Well, compared to that price, milk now costs an average of 51p – which totals to a staggering rise of 1545% in the last 50 years!
Bread is also another everyday item that’s rocketed in price. Back in the day, a standard loaf of bread would have cost you 5p. Yes, that’s right…5p! With a 2000% increase, the same loaf now costs us a whole £1.
Lifestyle
Aside from the weekly food shop, a lot of us may have already noticed that other items that we purchase for our regular lifestyles, have also increased.
Starting with your very own bricks and mortar. The average price for a standard family home currently stands at a staggering £226,887. However, if you’d bought the same home 50 years ago, it would have cost you an unbelievably £2,530. That’s an amazing 8967% increase between 50 years ago and now. It’s no wonder so many people are desperately searching for the best payday loan in order to help them keep up with such payments.
A price that I always seem to notice is a little high, is stamps. Just a little first class stamp to send off your little letter, costs an unbelievable 60p today. Wouldn’t it be great if we could travel back to the days when this tiny item only cost you 1.2p?
Entertainment has risen significantly too: One cinema ticket would have cost you 60p 50 years ago, whereas today one costs an average of £8.00.
If you’re an avid Manchester United Fan, you also won’t be pleased to hear that the price of your beloved season ticket has risen a staggering 6258% in the same amount of years. what now costs you around £532 to see Alex Ferguson’s team play, would have cost you only £8.50.
A pack of 20 cigarettes used to cost 25p, and at an average of £6.57 today, that really is a saving that you could do with today!
A pint of beer has been on the up too. What would have cost you 5p for a standard pint has now risen 1545% to £3.00. So, you’ve popped to the pub for that after-work-Friday-night drink and now you’re off to the chippie to get the Friday night fish and chips. Well, if you’d done that 50 years ago, a regular portion would have cost you 6p – extremely cheap compared to the price of £3.30 today!
Cars
We all know cars are money drainers. From buying the car, they then need their MOT’s, their servicing, their tax and the petrol to run them. A little mini that’d set you back around £12,000 today, would have only cost you an average £470 back in the 1960’s!
And to run it? Well, with a litre of petrol now costing £1.30, that’s seen a staggering rise of 3939% in comparison to 50 years ago, where the same volume would have cost you only 3.3p.
However, it has to be said that although we’ve seen an incredible rise in everyday items since the 1960’s, the average income per annum has also risen dramatically. With an average increase of 2679% from £948 a year back then, to around £25k today, which would you prefer?