From eggs and milk to bananas and butter, the prices of the foods you buy regularly are on the rise.
Data courtesy of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. ("What you pay now" is the average price for March 2011; historical prices were calculated by averaging the monthly price data for the year noted.) (Reuters)
Bread
What you pay now: $1.41 (average price for a pound of white bread)
What you paid…
Last year: $1.37
5 years ago: $1.08
10 years ago: $1.00
15 years ago: $0.88
20 years ago: $0.71
25 years ago: $0.57
30 years ago: $0.53
(Reuters)
Butter
What you pay now: $3.69 (average price for a pound of salted butter)
What you paid…
Last year: $3.13
5 years ago: $2.92
10 years ago: $3.30
15 years ago: $2.05
20 years ago: $1.94
25 years ago: $2.15
30 years ago: $1.99
Eggs
What you pay now: $1.73 (average price for a dozen Grade-A eggs)
What you paid…
Last year: $1.66
5 years ago: $1.31
10 years ago: $0.93
15 years ago: $1.11
20 years ago: $0.99
25 years ago: $0.87
30 years ago: $0.90
Steak
What you pay now: $4.46 (average price per pound of round USDA choice steak)
What you paid…
Last year: $4.28
5 years ago: $4.00
10 years ago: $3.50
15 years ago: $3.12
20 years ago: $3.41
25 years ago: $2.77
30 years ago: $2.86 (Reuters)
Bananas
What you pay now: $0.62 (average price for a pound of bananas)
What you paid…
Last year: $0.58
5 years ago: $0.50
10 years ago: $0.51
15 years ago: $0.49
20 years ago: $0.48
25 years ago: $0.39
30 years ago: $0.36 (Reuters)
Potato Chips
What you pay now: $4.84 (average price for a 16-ounce bag)
What you paid…
Last year: $4.64
5 years ago: $3.47
10 years ago: $3.43
15 years ago: $3.06
20 years ago: $2.96
25 years ago: $2.68
30 years ago: $2.28 (Reuters)
Chocolate Chip Cookies
What you pay now: $3.22 (average price for a pound of chocolate chip cookies)
What you paid…
Last year: $3.25
5 years ago: $2.88
10 years ago: $2.44
15 years ago: $2.58
20 years ago: $2.69
25 years ago: $1.99
30 years ago: $1.73 (iStock)
Bacon
What you pay now: $4.54 (average price for a pound of sliced bacon)
What you paid…
Last year: $4.11
5 years ago: $3.44
10 years ago: $3.26
15 years ago: $2.47
20 years ago: $2.22
25 years ago: $2.08
30 years ago: $1.67
Tomatoes
What you pay now: $2.09 (average price for a pound of field-grown tomatoes)
What you paid…
Last year: $1.69
5 years ago: $1.73
10 years ago: $1.32
15 years ago: $1.21
20 years ago: $1.01
25 years ago: $0.82
30 years ago: $0.77 (Reuters)
Ice Cream
What you pay now: $4.92 (average price for a half gallon of ice cream)
What you paid…
Last year: $4.47
5 years ago: $3.75
10 years ago: $3.70
15 years ago: $2.86
20 years ago: $2.58
25 years ago: $2.36
30 years ago: $2.02 (Reuters)