Home Alone fans react to how much Kevin's supermarket shop would be in 2023

"WHOA boy! You'd be in big trouble if you did this today!"

Jordana Shell

3 min read

November 30, 2023 - 11:11AM

What if Keven McCallister went supermarket shopping in 2023

Lifestyle

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If Home Alone is on your Christmas-movie watch list, join the club. And yes, we're only including the ones with Macaulay Culkin - no offence to Jim Carey, Tom Hanks, Hugh Grant, and anyone else who played a lead character in a festive flick!

While many have speculated what exactly Kevin's dad did to afford a mansion in Chicago and 13 first-class tickets to Paris for Christmas - he most certainly could not be the one paying the bills in 2023!

Between inflation and the astronomical rise in the cost of living, many of us are now left wondering: “What would Kevin’s grocery bill come to today?”

One TikTok user, Geoffrey Lyons, did the maths, and let’s just say, if Kevin was shopping today (in the US), he’d need more than a $20 bill.

Let's go back a moment.

In the famous grocery shopping scene, 8-year-old Kevin McCallister is shopping at a grocery store by himself after his family accidentally left him behind for their Paris holiday vacation. While they’re away, Kevin figures he should stock up on some grocery staples.

*Side note, if my 8-year-old was shopping for any household essentials, it would be a trolley full of lollies!

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Kevin shopping for essentials in Home Alone. Source: IMDB

Kevin’s shopping list

Alright, Home Alone fans, let's now recap what was on Kevin's shopping list that day.

TV dinner
Loaf of Wonder Bread
Frozen mac and cheese
Cling wrap
Half gallon (2L) of milk
Tide laundry detergent
Toilet paper
Half gallon (2L) of orange juice
Pack of army men
Dryer sheets

After all the items are rung up, Kevin hands a $20 bill to Sally, the store clerk, spending a total of $19.83. And that's with the $1 off coupon for the Tropicana orange juice.

Lyons then goes through each product Kevin bought and lists what that grocery item would cost today at a regular supermarket.

“So, I broke it down, $4.50 for the orange juice. $4.50 for the saran wrap. TV dinner: couldn't find the same one, so we did $5 for that one because it had the food inside,” he says.

“$13.00 for the Tide. $3.00 for the Wonder Bread. $3.50 for the frozen mac. $4.60 for the milk. You got $8.79 for the dryer sheets. You got $8.00 for the toilet paper, and you got just $9.00 for the toy soldiers.”

Think how much trouble Kevin would be in today if he went shopping? Source: IMDB

KEVIN! You spent how much on groceries??

So, how much would Kevin McAllister’s groceries cost in 2023? The bill would start at USD $63.73. Plus tax which would bring the total to $68.00 (after the $1.00 coupon, of course).

Lyons notes that there is a 248% percent increase in price.

The viral TikTok video, with over 3 million views, had some Christmas-cracker responses.

"Self checkout I’m still paying 19.83 today"

“A $100 bill is the new $20 bill,” one user commented.

“I bet the cashier’s wage is still the same in 2023 😂,” another joked.

"Self checkout I’m still paying 19.83 today," someone bravely admits.

"For reference, $19.83 in 1990 would be equal to about $46.68 today. So it’s not just inflation. Things are way too expensive now," another maths whizz jumped in.

"Kevin was in CHICAGO, it's expensive! And he would pay for bags today."

It's so true, we forgot to add an extra $1 for bags!

"Buy the same stuff at Aldi you spent $35," a conscious shopper went on to add.