Found a 1964 grocery list inside a copy of 'To Kill a Mockingbird'

I used to think old shopping lists were boring junk people left behind. But last week I found this one from a woman in Wichita, Kansas. She had items like 'oleo' and 'soda crackers' written in pencil. The prices were wild - a dozen eggs for 35 cents. Has anyone else found a list that made you feel like you stepped back in time?

3 comments

3 Comments

eva_adams6824d agoTop Commenter

That's a neat find. Makes me wonder what future folks would think if they found my old grocery lists - probably just a bunch of sad receipts for frozen pizzas and discount yogurt. A dozen eggs for 35 cents would sure beat my usual sticker shock at the checkout.

john65024d agoProlific Poster

Would you really want them to think we were all just eating cheap processed food and struggling to afford eggs? Those receipts might be a perfect time capsule showing how the cost of living has gone completely sideways, not a reflection of bad choices. At least they'd know we got by on frozen pizza and yogurt, not like some folks who don't have anything to put in the cart at all.

the_emma24d ago

The whole thing feeds into a bigger pattern I notice everywhere. You see it in how people talk about gas prices or rent, it's always the same story of things costing way more than they used to. It's not just eggs either, @eva_adams68 probably sees it with her own shopping trips. The receipts tell the real story of what it actually takes to get by these days.