Money WondersPlay

Inflation & the EconomyInflation

Why a Dollar Buys Less

Prices creep up nearly every year

Five groceries cost $5.54 in 1980. Same eggs, same bread, same coffee: what do you think they cost you now?

You'll find out

  • What the same cart costs 46 years later
  • How the government weighs your shopping
  • The one year since 1956 prices fell

Why it matters

Every price you pay is part of a number that quietly decides what your paycheck and savings are worth.

About 3 min6 interactive slides · 5 questionsLesson 64 · Zone 8

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More in this zone

  1. 65PricesThe 5-Cent CokeA bottle of Coca-Cola cost a nickel for over 70 years
  2. 66InflationYour Money in 20 YearsWhat today's savings will really buy later
  3. 67InflationWhat Causes InflationToo much money chasing too few goods, and other reasons
  4. 68InflationReal and NominalThe number you see and what it's really worth
  5. 69Central BanksZero Inflation Is the GoalThe Fed aims for about 2% on purpose
  6. 70ValueThe Wheelbarrow of MarksIn 1923 Germany, prices doubled every few days and a lifetime of savings turned into paper
  7. 71The EconomyGDP: The Size of the PieEverything a country makes in a year, in one number
  8. 72CurrenciesThe Big Mac IndexA burger that compares the world's currencies