HOW PRICES HAVE CHANGED THROUGH THE YEARS

I will use 1977 as my reference point because that is when I became aware of "how much things cost."  The average cost of gas was 65 cents a gallon (however it was much more than that in California).  At the end of 2011, it was about $3.65 per gallon.  The average rent in 1977 was about $250 per month; however, we paid less than $50 per month at married student housing for Memphis State University on Buford Ellington Drive.  In 2014 the average rent was about $1400 per month.  As always, things are more expensive in California.  It seems we paid about $20-$30 per month for utilities back then & it varies greatly depending on the size of your home and how much water, propane, or electricity we use.  When Dad & I are home alone, we are very conservative and we can get by on a LOT less than when the gang is all here. 

We budgeted about $50 per week for groceries back in 1977, I tried hard to keep it closer to $35 per week.  A moderate grocery budget today for a family of four would be around $150-$200 per week.  We paid about $550 for Dr Kline to deliver Ben in 1978.  Today that cost would be more like $3000 - then there are all the additional fees for the baby & the hospital.

The average cost of a car in the late 70's was about $6000, today the average cost of a new car is about $30,000.  We bought our home in Bartlett, TN for about $35,000 - the average cost of a home today varies greatly throughout the US (again, California being more expensive than most).  That same home in Bartlett cost about $150,000 in 2014 & sold for $236,700 in 2025.