Saw a stat that my grandma's depression era cookbook meals cost less than $1.50 per serving today

Read an article from the Extension office out of Iowa State that broke down the cost of basic meals from the 1930s, and it blew my mind that a pot of her bean and ham soup would still run under a buck fifty even with today's prices, has anyone else looked up old family recipes to see how they stack up now?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_elliot1mo agoMost Upvoted

That "less than a buck fifty per serving" thing really does put things in perspective. It makes you realize how many of the cheap, filling meals our grandparents made were built around a few basic ingredients that haven't jumped in price as much as everything else. A bag of dried beans and a ham bone are still some of the cheapest things you can buy, while something like a bag of chips or a box of sugary cereal keeps getting more expensive. It feels like the stuff that's actually good for you and fills you up has stayed pretty affordable, but all the processed junk has gone through the roof. Kind of wild how a Depression era meal plan still makes more sense for a tight budget than what most people buy at the grocery store today.

claire_butler11mo ago

@the_elliot you nailed it with the processed food point. I read somewhere that the inflation on boxed mac and cheese has been way higher than the inflation on dried beans or rice. That bean and ham soup sounds exactly like the kind of meal that's been flying under the radar, using a ham bone you'd normally toss and a bag of beans that costs like a dollar. It's a shame more people don't dig those old recipes out, my grandma's cornmeal mush recipe still costs pennies a bowl if you skip the fancy toppings.