‘$155 for all of this!’: Family finds old grocery receipt in box of mementos, and the price difference today will make you sick

A video showing a 1997 grocery receipt has gone viral online. The receipt shows a family bought 122 items for only $155. Today, many people spend $80 on just five items at the store, making this old receipt hard to believe.

According to the New York Post, TikTok user Zoe Dippel shared the receipt after a family member found it in a box of old keepsakes. The receipt was from H-E-B, a Texas grocery chain, and was dated June 20, 1997. One family member said in shock, “$155 for all of this!”

Dippel started reading the prices out loud. A loaf of bread cost $1.26, Dannon yogurt was 50 cents, and Little Debbie brownies were $1.09. These prices seem impossible today. Many viewers said the receipt felt like a reminder of how far everyday shopping budgets have been stretched over the years.

The gap between then and now shows how much harder life has become

Some items show just how much prices have jumped. A one-pound carton of strawberries cost $1.89 in 1997. Today, the same strawberries at H-E-B cost $3.97, more than double the price. Baby products saw even bigger increases. Gerber baby food jars were 55 cents each in 1997 but now cost $1.57. A jumbo pack of Pampers diapers was $12.99 back then. The same pack today costs $29.97.

These price jumps explain why many families struggle now. Income has not kept up with rising costs. US Census data shows the median household income in 1997 was $37,005. By 2024, it reached $83,730. While income roughly doubled, many grocery items have more than tripled in price. The rising costs have left many questioning how affordability concerns are being addressed by political leaders.

Dippel made a second video on TikTok trying to buy the same 122 items online from H-E-B. She could not find all the exact products, but the total came to about $504. That is over three times the 1997 price. Some people are finding creative solutions, like traveling abroad for cheaper services to save money. In her first video, one user even commented, “$155.34 is the equivalent of $313.70 in today’s dollars. You should put the same stuff in a cart from the same grocery store and see how much it would be now.”

Another said, “122 items for $155. After buying a can of formula and 3 or 4 other items you’re looking at $155.” Some even shared their grocery shopping photos for comparison. It shows how much buying power Americans have lost in less than 30 years.