Mom finds long-lost grocery receipt from 1997. She bought 122 items for a shockingly low price.
"That is WILD 😭😭😭."
Mom finds grocery receipt from 1997 and is shocked at how much grocery prices have increased.
It's no secret that grocery prices today are astronomical. As people look for more ways to save on their grocery bills, it can spark nostalgia for days when groceries didn't cost an arm and a leg, like back in the 1990s. One mom recently unearthed a long-lost grocery receipt from June 20, 1997 that proves how much grocery prices have skyrocketed.
TikToker Zoe Dippel (@zoeydippel) shared an H-E-B grocery store receipt that had been tucked into a baby book from her mother-in-law. It showed a massive shopping trip with a seemingly minuscule total compared with today's grocery prices. The 122 items cost just $155.
"POV: her mom saved a grocery receipt from 1997," the video caption reads.
@zoedippel I WISH!!!! #heb #viral #groceryshopping #fyp @Courtney
The women were stunned as they went item by item through the receipt, sharing what certain products cost back in 1997. A few examples include:
- Little Debbie brownies ($1.09)
- Gerber baby food jars ($0.55)
- Loaf of bread ($1.26)
- Large container of yogurt ($0.50)
- Bag of ground coffee ($2.47)
"We were immediately shocked," Dippel told TODAY.com. "As we started reading off the prices, our jaws dropped … It wasn't until that moment that I truly realized how much the world has changed in nearly 30 years."
Viewers had lots to say in the comments about how expensive groceries have become:
"That is WILD 😭😭😭."
"I used to fill UPPPPP a whole shopping cart at H‑E‑B for like $150 😭 I miss those days."
"It makes me sick to my stomach to see how expensive groceries have become. It's validating tbh, to see your mom's receipt."
@zoedippel $155 to $500 is CRAZY!!!!! WHAT?!? No wonder we are all struggling to survive out here. 🤣 Our parents had it so good!!!! #fyp #viral #heb #groceryshopping @H-E-B
Many viewers also asked Dippel to do a price comparison by buying the exact same items today to see the full difference, and she followed through. In a follow-up video post, she shared that she input all of the items into H-E-B's online curbside pickup shopping feature to get an estimated price for today's cost, and the total was astounding.
As she starts to add up the items, Dippel says, "This is going to be bad." For example, she shares that Little Debbie brownies now cost $5.75 and a bag of coffee is $9.43. After looking up the price of each item, the total comes out to $504.11—a more than 200% increase.
"$155 to $500 is CRAZY!!!!! WHAT?!? No wonder we are all struggling to survive out here. 🤣 Our parents had it so good!!!!" Dippel captioned the second video.
Once again, viewers had plenty to say in the comments:
"We aren't mad enough about this. THANK YOU for doing this"
"Now THIS is journalism."
"And boomers will tell us 'work harder', 'y'all are lazy' 😂."
Dippel's posts highlight the challenges many Americans are feeling. "It's honestly wild to see how dramatically grocery prices have changed due to inflation," Dippel told TODAY.com. "It's impossible to ignore how broken the system feels."