1 bottle of whiskey, I bottle martini, 3 bottles white rock all for $6.20---30s Erle Stanley Gardner

[bobbieinok]

A Donald Lam private eye story, writing as A A Fair

And secretary rides bike to work, people take trams, busses, cabs usually to get around city

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

1. And back then minimum wage was $0.25 per hour.

Before 1938 there was no minimum wage. So to put it in perspective, that works out to 24 hours of work at twenty-five cents an hour to pay for all those.

As miserable as minimum wage is, I think that these days you could buy all those for somewhat less than $174.00.

We definitely need more trams, trolleys, busses and streetcars. I am very fond of public transportation myself, but don't get to use it very often where I currently live.

[bobbieinok]

2. Thanks for min wage info!

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

4. It really is an important benchmark.

People will constantly quote prices from decades ago as if that's what the item would cost today. And while only a certain percentage of people make minimum wage at any point, and early on a LOT of jobs currently covered by the minimum were not, and so paid noticeably less, it. helps.

Here's another thing to do. Google "inflation calculator" and then have it do the math for you. Here's one I just used: https://www.usinflationcalculator.com/

And according to it, $6.20 in 1935 (I arbitrarily used the middle of the decade) would be $116.40 in 2019. I'm guessing that the same alcohol would actually cost a lot less than that today.

I frequently check out prices or wages by using an inflation calculator and find it highly useful.

[sarge43]

3. Some more from the 30's

Average wage 1,780.00 per year
Gas: 10 cent a gallon
Average housing rent: 26.00 per month
Loaf of bread: 9 cent
Milk: 26 cents a gallon

Comparative speaking that booze was expense.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

5. Yes, it was comparatively expensive.

And if you simply apply an inflation calculator (see my post above), you can clearly see that.

Thanks for pointing that out.

[sarge43]

6. You're welcome.

About a week's rent. A couple hundred bucks today.

I remember my mother telling me that during the Depression that having a quarter was a mind twister. What to do? Save it, spend it on what - milk, bread, eggs, a big T shirt to wear around the house to keep her one dress clean?