Is the Kevin McCallister Grocery List Meme Accurate?

The $19.83 grocery bill that now costs $72.28

By Chuck Warren

Many of you may have seen the meme that the GOP released of the Kevin McCallister grocery list cost in 1990 compared to last year and this year. If you haven't, I've included the image circulating the internet below. I'll admit that I posted the image to my social media account without conducting additional research on the numbers, and a friend of mine called me out. Despite sharing articles that support the meme from Fox, ABC, USA Today, and The Indian Express he still believed it was a lie. So, I did my own research.

Kevin McCallister’s grocery list comprised of a half-gallon of milk, Wrappit! plastic wrap, Stouffer’s frozen turkey dinner, Snuggle dryer sheets, Wonder Bread, a four-pack of Quilted Northern toilet paper, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, a baggie of plastic Army figurines, Tide liquid laundry detergent, and a half-gallon of Tropicana orange juice, amounting to a total of $19.83.

According to the GOP’s meme, Kevin’s groceries allegedly cost $72.28 at a Chicago grocery store today. Since I don't reside in Chicago, I couldn't make an exact comparison. However, over the weekend, a friend in Utah visited the local grocery store, Smith’s, and purchased the exact same items as Kevin McCallister. The total cost, excluding the plastic army figurines, was $53.43. Then, at a local grocery store in Arizona, Albertsons, I bought the exact same items (excluding the plastic army figurines), and the total came to $54.19 after discounts. If discounts are excluded, the cost before taxes would be $59.71. A quick Google search revealed the cheapest pack of plastic army figurines were $9.66 from Walmart. Factoring this in, the total cost rises to $63.09 in Utah and $63.85 in Arizona, or $69.37 without discounts.

Unfortunately, I can't travel back in time to last year to buy the exact items—that's a topic for another day. However, I found a video of Rochelle Chalmers, owner of Drifter Doughnuts in West Virginia, who made a video on November 8th, 2022 selecting the exact same items as Kevin McCallister from the Kroger website and her total came out to $44.40. The cost of each item in her video is below:

Half-gallon of milk - $2.59
Plastic wrap - $2.79
Frozen turkey dinner - $3.99
Snuggle dryer sheets - $4.19
Wonder Bread - $2.99
Four-pack of Quilted Northern toilet paper - $3.49
Kraft Macaroni and Cheese - $3.29
Baggie of plastic Army figurines - $9.58
Tide liquid laundry detergent - $7.99
Half-gallon of Tropicana orange juice - $3.50
Total: $44.40

I also found a video of Katie Phernetton, a News 18 Daybreak Anchor in Wisconsin, who also conducted this experiment last year, and her total came to $46.78. You can watch a video of her whole shopping trip here.

I’m aware that there are inflation discrepancies in each state. However, based on the two receipts I found from 2022, there's a $2.38 difference, and today's totals are within $6 of each other. The price difference between last year and this year ranges from an increase of $18.69 on the low end to $24.97 on the high end, depending on which grocery bill you choose to believe.

The meme may have sparked controversy, but it's evident that the prices of everyday items have seen a significant increase over last year. While the exact figures may differ, the undeniable truth remains—the cost of living has significantly surged. Whether you live in Chicago, Utah, Arizona, or elsewhere, the evolving grocery bill speaks volumes about the economic shifts we've witnessed.

Note: the opinions expressed herein are those of Chuck Warren only and not his co-host Sam Stone or Breaking Battlegrounds’ staff.