Thursday, March 3, 2011

Thirties Thursday

In 1934...



a new 5 bedroom stucco bungalow was listed in California for $3,750.



and a gallon of gas was 10 cents.


In 1938...



You could have bought steak for 10 cents for a pound,






and a pair of single vision glasses would have cost you $3.85.



A radio would cost $9.95.



If you were buying a Plymouth Roadking car, you needed to have saved $685.




Sounds great, doesn't it?



Now remember the average US income in 1930 was $1970.00 a year, and by 1939 it had dropped to $1730.00 a year.


It puts these prices into a different perspective, doesn't it?

6 comments:

  1. I guess compared to today's prices, that would be about the same for most things. Life was much simpler in those days, in many ways.

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  2. Carol; It is more or less the same percentage, isn't it? Thanks for leaving a comment, I was feeling very alone!

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  3. I'm curious to know which of these items would be considered luxuries. For example, would someone living in the house you showed be considered affluent? Was the average family eating steak?

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  4. Elspeth - Thanks for giving us all a perspective on those prices. You know, after thinking about Elisa's question, it occurs to me that things that would have been considered unheard-of luxury at the time are now just part of our daily lives. Gives one pause to think...

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  5. Elisa; What an excellent question? I should think, for many, the car was a luxury item, but owning a house was the norm for families. Steak was not considered a luxury item, strangely enough.

    Margot; Imagine what an adult of the 1930s would think if they could see how we live now; with our mobile devices, etc.

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  6. We always hear about how low prices were, but not much about average income. Makes me feel better about our gas prices now (well, a little, anyway.) :)

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