Did your grandfather tell you the story of getting a hot dog and coke for 5 cents?  This list of items allows you to see what a dollar was worth in 1940 compared to today.  President Barack Obama gets paid $400,000 per year.  That sounds great until you compare it to the $1.4 Million that President McKinley was paid in 1940, using the consumer price index to adjust for the $50,000 salary at the time.  Here are a few comparisons to show the change in the value of money over the past century:

ü  Postage Stamp:  $.02 in 1900 (2009 Value: $.53)  vs 2009 cost of $.44

ü  Minimum Wage: $.25 in 1938 (2009 Value: $3.81)  vs 2009 wage of $7.25

ü  Hershey’s Chocolate Bar: $.04 in 1908 (2009 Value: $.87)  vs 2009 cost of $.71

ü  Movie Ticket: $.36 in 1948 (2009 Value: $3.21)  vs 2009 cost of $7.50

So some things have increased in value and some have decreased.  Take a little time today and use these top websites for financial advice. 

Tags: money, value, inflation, cost, best, top, list, consumer, price, index