A video posted on Facebook reels on March 15, 2024, by Jonathan Harris (@Cowphopia86) went massively viral, garnering over 6 million views. In the video, Harris compares the amount of groceries that $50 bought you in 2010 compared to 2024. The difference in the video was stark, but the video itself wasn’t meant to be. The playful nature of the video and the fact that the hashtags #comedy and #funny seem to have been lost on many viewers. Still, with inflation still a problem, is there any truth to the video?
In the video, Harris starts with a bunch of groceries on the table while he is dancing in the background to the song Party Rock Anthem. The video caption reads “What $50 got you in 2010.” The following items are on display:
- 1 package Oreo Double Stuff Family Size Cookies
- 1 package Little Debbie Honey Buns
- 1 Package Little Debbies Nutty Buddy
- 1 can Easy Cheese
- 3 bottles Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing (Harris loves Ranch)
- 1 jar pasta sauce
- 1 jar Great Value brand peanut butter
- 1 large canister Nesquik chocolate mix
- 1 gallon milk
- 1 box Stove Top Stuffing (pork?)
- 1 bag Ruffles Potato Chips (9 oz?)
- 1 bag Lays Sour Cream and Onion Potato Chips (9 oz?)
- 1 box Eggo Chocolately Chip Waffles (10 count?)
- 2 cans Campbell’s Soup (1 cream of celery, 1 unknown)
- 1 jar Kraft Mayo Olive Oil, 30 oz
- 1 bunch bananas (approx. 5 bananas)
- 1 box Great Value Elbow Macaroni
- 4 to 5 unidentified items, 2 jars, 1 box, and at least one package (??)
What $50 Gets You Today
Then, the scene switches, and fewer items are on display. Harris scratches his head in the background and has a sad face. The music switches to a somber piano piece (I don’t know the song). The video caption reads “What $50 gets you today.”
On display during this second “What $50 gets you today segment” are the following items.
- 1 bunch asparagus
- 1 apple (gala or honeycrisp?)
- 1 gallon milk
- 1 loaf of sliced white bread (Great Value brand?)
- 1 dozen eggs (generic not high-end eggs)
One of the most popular comments under the video is “I work in a grocery store and I know those few items would not cost $50. Stop it!” The video was also posted to X where it got over 2 million views. The X post read “Where are people buying groceries? This order is $18 at my local Walmart, not $50.”
Harris also posted the video on Instagram, where a commenter wrote, “Oh man. I love your stuff but getting political? If that’s all you got for $50 you should leave the shopping to someone else.”
Clearly, something is amiss here. What’s amiss is that people don’t know a joke when they see it. The items themselves are part of the joke. The first set of items is mostly junk food with few staples. Time for a party! The second set is a paltry group of essentials that would make anyone ‘sad’ if that’s all they had in the house. Yes, Harris knows that the second set of items doesn’t cost $50. But, how much would they cost? Is it $18?
This depends on where you shop and the prices will vary not only by store but by state. This is what these items would cost me:
- 1 bunch asparagus: $4.20
- 1 Gala apple: $0.89 to $0.99
- 1 gallon milk (cheapest): $2.79
- 1 loaf cheap sliced white bread: $2.99
- 1 dozen eggs (cheapest): $2.39
- 1Â bottle Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing 24 oz: $4.79
Total = $18.15
While I’m not sure what this would have cost in 2010, the video is nowhere near correct, as many have pointed out. My cost is surprisingly in line with the commenter’s price, shopping at a Walmart in California.
h/t Snopes
