How much would Kevin’s ‘Home Alone’ shopping list cost in California in 2024?
Making a grocery list has become an anxiety-inducing activity for many Californians as the costs of everyday items continue to rise.
The average American household spends an average of $475.25 a month on groceries, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
That’s a total of $5,703 spent on groceries in a year.
Social media users recently compared the cost of Kevin McCallister’s shopping spree in the classic Christmas movie “Home Alone,” released in 1990, to 2024 grocery store prices to illustrate just how much things have changed over time.
“Kevin paid $19.83 for two bags full of groceries, which included milk, laundry detergent, and mac and cheese,” Reddit user PettyPendergrass99 wrote. “No wonder there was an economic surplus by the end of the ’90s.”
“Inflation has increased by about 130% since then,” Reddit user HortonHearsTheWho commented.
How much would it cost to buy these items at grocery stores in California today? We did the math.
What’s on Kevin McCallister’s shopping list in ‘Home Alone?’
After he’s mistakenly left behind by his vacationing family in “Home Alone,” 8-year-old Kevin buys these 10 items from a local store:
Half-gallon of milk
Plastic wrap
Stouffer’s Roast Turkey frozen dinner
Snuggle dryer sheets
A loaf of Wonder Bread
Four-pack of Quilted Northern toilet paper
Kraft macaroni and cheese
Plastic army figurines
Tide liquid laundry detergent
Half-gallon of Tropicana orange juice
The entire grocery list comes to a total of $19.83 in the movie — after Kevin uses a $1 discount coupon at the cash register.
How much would ‘Home Alone’ groceries cost in 2024?
The Sacramento Bee checked the prices of most of the items on Kevin’s grocery list via websites for Raley’s, Safeway, Target and Walmart stores in the Sacramento area.
We left the plastic army figurines off our list because not all supermarkets sell the specific type of toy Kevin purchased.
In some cases, we substituted name or store brands in order to stay as close to Kevin’s $20 budget threshold.
Which California supermarket chain had highest prices?
Among the supermarket chains The Bee surveyed, Raley’s had the highest prices for certain items, including milk, plastic wrap, dryer sheets and white bread.
However, the costs of laundry detergent, orange juice and macaroni and cheese at Raley’s were comparable to those at Safeway and Target.
Which grocery store had cheapest costs?
The best overall bargain for shoppers was at Walmart, where the majority of Kevin’s grocery store purchases could be bought for less than $7.50 each.
Milk cost $2.17 for a half-gallon jug at Walmart, and a four-pack of toilet paper was less than $2.
Which items were the most expensive?
Laundry detergent was one of the more expensive items on Kevin’s shopping list in 2024, with an average price of $6.06, regardless of store.
A half-gallon of orange juice cost $3.46 on average, and Snuggle dryer sheets averaged $7.46 per box.
Looking for affordable groceries? Here’s how prices compare
Overall, Walmart was the most affordable grocery store for shoppers trying to replicate Kevin’s supermarket trip. There, a 10-item grocery list totaled about $21.
Raley’s was the most expensive supermarket in terms of Kevin’s grocery list, with 10 items totaling about $52.
Want to compare the prices yourself? Here’s the cost breakdown by item for all four stores The Bee surveyed:
Raley’s, 1601 West Capitol Ave., Sacramento
- Half gallon of orange juice (Daily Sun): $2.99
- Half gallon of milk (Clover & Sonoma brand): $4.29
- Stouffer’s turkey dinner: $4.99
- Plastic wrap: $3.19 (Glad brand)
- Snuggle dryer sheets: $10.99
- Kraft macaroni and cheese dinner: $2.19
- Wonder Bread: $4.49
- Tide liquid laundry detergent: $6.99 (34 oz)
- Four-pack of toilet paper (Simply brand six-pack): $11.99
- Total: $52.11
Safeway, 1814 19th St., Sacramento
- Half gallon of orange juice (Minute Maid): $3
- Half gallon of milk (Lucerne brand): $3.29
- Stouffer’s turkey dinner: $5.99
- Plastic wrap: $3.49 (Signature SELECT brand)
- Snuggle dryer sheets: $10.99
- Kraft macaroni and cheese: $1.49
- Loaf of Wonder Bread: $4.49
- Liquid laundry detergent (All): $7.99
- Four-pack of toilet paper rolls (Value Corner brand): $2.99
- Total: $43.72
Walmart, 6051 Florin Road, Sacramento
- Half gallon of orange juice (Minute Maid brand): $3.96
- Half gallon of milk (Great Value brand): $2.17
- Stouffer’s turkey dinner: $3.49
- Plastic wrap: $1.97
- Snuggle dryer sheets: $2.17
- Kraft macaroni and cheese: $1.24
- Loaf of Wonder Bread: $2.92
- Liquid laundry detergent (Ajax): $1.78
- Four-pack of toilet paper rolls (Black and White brand): $1.77
- Total: $21.47
Target, 6507 Fourth Ave., Sacramento
- Half gallon of orange juice (Tropicana): $3.89
- Half gallon of milk (Good & Gather brand): $2.89
- Stouffer’s turkey dinner: $3.48
- Plastic wrap: $1.99
- Snuggle dryer sheets: $5.69
- Kraft macaroni and cheese: $1.29
- Loaf of Wonder Bread: $3.04
- Tide liquid laundry detergent: $7.49
- Four-pack of toilet paper (Scott brand): $4.99
- Total: $38.17
