| Item | Apr-04 | Jan-84 | % increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cucumbers (lb.) | $0.99 | $0.52 | 90.4% |
| Bread (lb.) | $0.97 | $0.54 | 79.6% |
| Apples (lb.) | $1.04 | $0.58 | 79.3% |
| Bacon (lb.) | $3.20 | $1.81 | 76.8% |
| Ice cream (1/2 qt.) | $3.82 | $2.19 | 74.4% |
| Butter (lb.) | $3.35 | $2.06 | 62.6% |
| Processed cheese (lb.) | $3.85 | $2.49 | 54.6% |
| Unleaded regular gas (gal.) | $1.83 | $1.22 | 50.0% |
| Margerine (lb.) | $1.13 | $0.78 | 44.9% |
| Cookies (choc chip lb.) | $2.63 | $1.87 | 40.6% |
| Steak (lb.) | $4.06 | $2.93 | 38.6% |
| Potato chips (16 oz.) | $3.38 | $2.49 | 35.7% |
| Chicken (lb.) | $1.12 | $0.84 | 33.3% |
| Flour (lb.) | $0.28 | $0.21 | 33.3% |
| Orange juice (16 oz.) | $1.86 | $1.41 | 31.9% |
Of course, gas prices topped $2 a gallon today for the first time ever, so this chart is a little out of date. I'm glad I never followed through on my cucumber-powered car though!
For comparison sake, here's how IBM's PC prices compare:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1179813,00.asp
1984
80286 Intel Processor
256K RAM
20 MB Hard Drive
No Monitor
$6000
http://reviews.cnet.com/IBM_IntelliStation_M_Pro_6230
___P4_3_2_GHz/4505-3118_7-30524943.html?tag=pdtl-list
2004
Intel Pentium 4 3.2 GHz
1 GB DDR SDRAM
80 GB Hard Drive
CD-RW IDE
128 MB Video RAM
Integrated Sound card
17" Flat Panel Monitor
$2661.55
44% Decrease in price. Many thousands of times the power.