The cost of living in 1926
Oh, to have a 2026 income and 1926 prices!
Owensboro newspapers of a century ago featured advertisements of homes for sale or rent at prices that seem almost unbelievable to us today. Just check out these offerings featuring homes in local neighborhoods:
“Two nice cottages. Each has four rooms, front and back porches, water and lights in the house. Price $1,500 each.”
“Two good three-room houses, $650 each; also two good four-room houses in the eastern part of the city, both for $1,000.”
“Good house of four rooms, front porch, large lot. Price only $1,500.”
“Five room bungalow — new modern, up-to-date house. … $3,300.”
“For rent — House with large garden, $20. Four room cottages, $14. Two- and three-room houses, $6 and $8.”
And if you’re going to have a new house, you might as well decorate it with new furnishings. The Home Furniture Co. store advertised eight-piece dining room sets with a “real walnut surface” for only $79.50. An iron bedframe, springs, and mattress could be had for $14.75.
Kitchen cabinets — solid oak, lined with white enamel and featuring a flour bin and storage compartments — were on sale for only $29; while cedar chests could be had for the bargain price of $9.75.
And what about “This fine three-piece bedroom suite, bow end bed, vanity dresser with genuine French plate mirrors and chifferobe, all real walnut surfaced, nicely finished inside. Just a good dependable suite of furniture — sale price $79.50.”
If the buyer did not have cash on hand, not to worry. “Now that automobiles, radios, furniture etc., are mostly bought on convenient terms, why not get right in step with the times and take advantage of our convenient credit plan? Share in the sale opportunities now — pay as you earn!”
With that in mind, those dining room or bedroom sets could be paid in weekly installments of only $2.
Not to be outdone, the Ideal Furniture Co., located at 209 Allen St. (rear of Kresge’s), advertised sale prices on used furniture, including dressers ranging from $4 to $8; rockers from $1.50 to $4; and folding beds from $12 to $17.50.
But Home Furniture came back with another innovative incentive for shoppers in November 1926: “Mr. Payne, the manager, conceived the idea of giving to each purchaser a week’s supply of groceries free. … The packages are all full size, no samples. There are eighty items of standard groceries, including peaches, sweet corn, apple butter, syrup and flour, at no additional cost to the purchaser.”
Response to this offer was reported to be “gratifying.”
If those 1926 shoppers could have only known what 2026 grocery prices would be, they would have been even more eager to take advantage of that bargain! OL
