I was reading an old glass trade journal from the 80s and the price of clear cullet blew my mind

I found a box of 'Glass Art' magazines from like 1985 in my dad's basement last weekend. I was just flipping through one and saw an ad for clear furnace-ready cullet. It was listed at $0.18 a pound. I mean, I just paid over $1.20 a pound for the same stuff last month. I knew things got more expensive, but seeing the actual number from back then really hit me. It makes you think about how the whole cost structure for setting up a shop has shifted. Has anyone else come across old numbers that made you stop and think?

3 comments

3 Comments

abbyk103mo ago

Eighteen cents a pound is just wild to see in print. That's less than a single postage stamp back then. Really puts today's material costs into a harsh light.

the_daniel2mo ago

Remember when @tara15 mentioned a paycheck for groceries? My buddy tried to explain old prices to his kid last week. He said a pound of nails cost less than a stamp. The kid just stared, then asked how many video games that would buy now. Couldn't even start the math. Felt like explaining a different planet.

tara153mo ago

Makes me wonder what my hourly wage would have been back then. Probably enough for a stamp and a polite request to work less. These days I need a whole paycheck just to feel mildly priced out of the grocery store. It's a special kind of math that makes you feel bad at history and personal finance at the same time.