30-yr-old supermarket receipt stashed in a borrowed library book makes people want to go back to the 90s

The flow of time is so all-encompassing that people often forget how much of a change it brings. The transformation comes slowly, but it surely arrives. An example was put out for everyone by u/lukestrim on Reddit. It was a photo of a money receipt for shopping at Tesco in 1994. Almost 30 years old, the prices on the receipt reflect how much the economy has changed. The amount that could suffice for a week's grocery will now not even be enough for a single day's worth of items. Things like inflation and rising cost of living have hit humans like a pack of bricks. Though many in the comment section pointed out the massive price increase, most considered the receipt as a symbol of simpler times. It was a time when people could breathe a little easy and enjoy life rather than just living it.

The photo was posted with the caption, "Before my time and not much to go off but 30 years old and still looking fresh." The poster was surprised to find something so old, hidden in a borrowed library book that too in such a prim condition. Everything was clearly visible and the ink hadn't brushed off even a bit. Considering the "nostalgia" the receipt contained within it, the poster felt that it should be placed in a museum. 

Tesco is a big shopping chain in the UK. The prices of the items represent the whole country. In this receipt, the price of minced beef is just £0.55 ($0.69). The present price in Tesco stands at £10.00 ($12.60). It implies an increase of almost 10 times. The situation was similar for other items as well. Beef Burgers for the shopper came at about £1.39 ($1.75). In the same outlet, it is now sold at £12.06 ($15.19). For cooking oil, the price has jumped from £0.65 ($0.82) to £6.00 ($7.56). 

Even though it is the way of the world for things to change in this era, the change has been faster. According to a report published in NPR, Americans under the age of 40 are seeing the highest inflation of their lifetimes. Not since the early 1980s, the prices have risen as fast as they have over the last 12 months. It is a result of various phenomena hitting people since the 90s. Federal Reserve History lists events like the rise and fall of the housing market, recession and financial regulation as the cause behind the present scenario. The price increase has taken over the increase in remuneration, leaving humans in a very bleak situation. For earlier generations, the inflation was not nearly as unsteady as for the present one. The receipt is a proof of that.

Along with a reminder of how grim things have turned out, the receipt also serves as a window to the past. The comment section poked fun at how the advanced generation might not be the happiest. u/TwoToesToni commented how some people would very much like to stay in the 90s, "The problem is I still think and expect to see these prices." u/PleasantMongoose5127 hit right on the mark with their comment and wrote, "Ahh… the good old days, when you could afford to eat."