Every year, we see in the news and elsewhere information on the latest cost-of-living change. Comments follow that it is only 2% or 2.5%, which isn’t bad — or so say the experts.
Well, it may not be so awful for one year, but if you go back in time — like to my youth — it is pretty devastating. I will now give some examples.
When I was a young person, my dad took me to a Chevy dealer and bought a new 1940 Chevrolet for $800, which I thought was quite a few bucks. Actually, he was lucky, as a year later World War II broke out, and no more cars were being made. Instead, the factories were pouring out Jeeps, tanks, armored vehicles, etc. His Chevy lasted through the war. When it was over, he bought a 1946 Plymouth. I don’t know what he paid for it, but I know he was cranky, as I needed a new bike. Before the war, they were $25, and after, they were $35.
The zooming cost over the years was also affected by lifestyles. The Blond in the House and I were married in 1956. We had our wedding at a Presbyterian church in Pittsburgh. It was catered by the ladies of the church, who made sandwiches and drinks for the horde of folks who attended. After the rice had been thrown at us, we headed clear across Pennsylvania to get to the Pocono Mountains and our reservation at Chestnut Grove Lodge, which was for honeymooners only. We spent the week there, and the total cost for both of us, including meals, was $128.
Now we can flash forward to 2026 (a mere 70 years later). One of our good grandsons married his now-wife in the mountains of Colorado. Chestnut Grove Lodge is now no longer just for those on their honeymoon. Therefore, they headed across probably one-third of the world to end up in Bhutan, where the mountains are higher than in Colorado. The cost was most likely more than $128 for the two of them.
I will now return to the glories of yesteryear. We bought our first house in 1962 for $14,500. We soon found out that we could not afford it, so after a year, we sold it for $16,200. We were of the opinion that we had made a fortune. However, we had been snakebitten by ownership. Thus, we rented until 1966, when we purchased a house for the large sum of $24,000. We found that we could afford this one, as I had received some raises since 1962. It did have its disadvantages. One was it had a moisture problem, and I had to personally repaint the house a couple of times. We eventually moved from that community. A few years ago, I looked up the price of our $24,000 home. It was now listed at $429,000. Darn those compounded minor cost-of-living increases!
One final example is a 1973 Chevrolet Caprice Wagon we had. It had a sticker price of $5,500 on it, which I felt was the height of ridiculousness. However, it was huge, and it was the longest station wagon I ever saw. We had three kids by then, and they all fit in the back. While we worry about gas prices today, it should be noted that cars today are much more fuel-efficient. The Caprice got 8 mpg around town. On the road, it made an efficient 12 mpg. Gas was cheaper, but still, I have to wonder how it all works out.
I do not intend to look for another 1973 Chevrolet Caprice to find out. Some things are better left alone! At least, that is my thought now, but strange things can occur!
Barry Evans is a columnist for Villages-News.com.