Kevin McCallister’s grocery haul in 'Home Alone' was $20. What would it cost in 2024?
If you're rewatching "Home Alone" this holiday season, one particular scene may stand out to you. Fictional 8-year-old Kevin McCallister makes a trip to the grocery store to pick up some food and household necessities. He leaves with quite the haul and spends 20 bucks. TikTok users are speculating how much his groceries would cost if he made the solo shopping trip today.
The 1990 film follows the antics of the boy, played by Macaulay Culkin, as he is accidentally left behind by his parents as they jet off to Paris for Christmas.
A TikTok video from last year estimates that Culkin would spend close to $70 on the same haul if the goods were purchased in 2023 from Target, an increase of 250%.
We calculated the total cost of goods using prices from the grocery store in Home Alone. Here is how much McCallister's groceries would cost in 2024:
Groceries from 1990 versus 2024
In the film, Kevin buys his groceries at the family-owned supermarket called Rockford Schnucks in Illinois.
He picks up a half-gallon of milk, half-gallon of orange juice, a TV dinner, a loaf of Wonder Bread, frozen mac and cheese, liquid detergent, Saran wrap, a bag of toy soldiers, Snuggle dryer sheets and toilet paper. McCallister uses a dollar-off coupon for a grand total of $19.83.
According to the Schnucks grocery store's website, here's how much Kevin's groceries cost today:
- Half a gallon of milk: $1.89
- Half a gallon of OJ: $3.79
- Butternut large white bread: $2.89 (Wonder Bread not available)
- TV dinner: $3.99 (Stouffer's classic meatloaf frozen meal)
- Frozen mac and cheese: $3.69
- Tide liquid detergent: $12.99
- Saran wrap: $2.99
- Bounce dryer sheets: $6.99 (120 count)
- Toilet paper: $8.39
- Toy soldiers (not available, so Amazon price listed): $7.49
Kevin would have spent a grand total of $58.54 (with Illinois sales tax) in 2024, or $57.54 with his dollar-off coupon. That's a price increase of 190% over the past 34 years.
Here's what government data shows on how grocery prices have changed:
- Average price in November 1990: $1.34 per half-gallon of fresh, low-fat milk, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
- Average price in November 2024: $4.83 per half-gallon organic reduced fat 2% milk, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture. That's a slight decrease from the cost in 2023.
- Average price of white bread (per pound): 70 cents in 1990, according to the St. Louis FED.
- Average price of white bread (per pound): $1.92 in November 2024.
How has inflation changed since 1990?
Inflation is a generalized rise in prices. It can occur across the board in an economy, or it could affect individual products or services, such as gas, rent and groceries.
One dollar in 1990 has the same purchasing power as $2.36 today. Over the past 34 years, that's a change of $1.36. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' inflation calculator, $19.83 in December 1990 has the same buying power as $46.76 in November 2024 in the most recent consumer price index data available for this year.
From 2021 to 2022, U.S. retail food prices rose by 11% − the largest annual increase in more than 40 years, according to the Government Accountability Office. Average inflation was increasing in 1990 at 5.4%, not nearly as high as the 8% rise in 2022. Last year, the average rate of inflation was 4.1%.