Remember when Kevin McCallister grabbed $19.83 worth of groceries in "Home Alone"? (Well, technically $20.83 before he used that $1 coupon on orange juice; the kid knew what he was doing.) News outlets are now saying that same cart would cost you up to $70 today. But here's the thing — we refused to accept that price tag. We knew there had to be a way to get Kevin's essentials without spending triple what he paid back in 1990.
So we did what any deal hunter would do: we got creative with our store choice and swapped some name brands for store brands. The result? We figured out how to scoop up everything Kevin bought for just $23.70, pretty close to what he paid 35 years ago. No time machine required, just some smart shopping strategy.
If you're tired of watching your grocery bill climb higher every week, this is proof you don't have to accept inflated prices as your reality. (And we have an entire weekly series dedicated to helping you find affordable grocery essentials!)
What KCL Experts Say You Should Know
We recreated Kevin's iconic shopping cart for $23.70 at Dollar General — that's over $40 less than the reported nearly $70 price tag other outlets are claiming. Here's how we pulled it off:
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We shopped at Dollar General instead of big-box stores. Their store-brand prices and promotions crushed the competition. Between the best deals from the DG weekly ad and stackable digital coupons, we priced the same cart at Walmart and would've spent way more, even with their Great Value brands.
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We swapped name brands for store brands on almost everything. Clover Valley orange juice instead of Tropicana, Wizard dryer sheets instead of Snuggle, store-brand toilet paper instead of Quilted Northern. Kevin wouldn't know the difference, and neither will your wallet.
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We shopped on Saturday to use Dollar General's $5 off $25 coupon. This digital coupon is available every Saturday in the DG app, and it's what brought our total down from $28.70 to $23.70.
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The toy soldiers were actually our priciest item at $10. But Kevin needed his army men, so we found a 45-piece bucket that fits the bill.
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Name brands only made the cut when they were on sale. We scored two bottles of Tide detergent for $5 total by clipping a digital coupon in the DG app. If that deal's not available when you shop, Purex for $3 (with a $1 cash-back offer) or Xtra for $4.50 are solid backup options.
The bottom line? You don't need to spend $70 on basic groceries just because inflation exists. With the right store and a few smart swaps, you can keep your grocery bill closer to 1990 prices than 2025 sticker shock.
Here's Exactly What We Bought to Recreate Kevin's Cart
Kevin's original list was pretty straightforward: orange juice, milk, bread, mac and cheese, a frozen dinner, laundry detergent, dryer sheets, toilet paper, plastic wrap, and toy soldiers.
We're taking a page from Kevin's playbook and sticking as close to his cart as possible, making substitutions only where it made sense to save money. Here's our Dollar General lineup:
Food and Beverages:
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Orange Juice, 0.5 gal, $3.95
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Milk, 0.5 gal, $1.75
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White Bread, $1.50
Household Essentials:
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2 Tide Detergent, 31 oz, $5 total — with digital coupon in the DG app
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Plastic Wrap, $1
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Dryer Sheets, $1
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2 Toilet Paper, 6 ct, $2
Toys:
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Toy Soldiers, 45 ct, $10
Our subtotal came to $28.70. Then we clipped the $5 off $25 digital coupon in the DG app (download for iOS/Android) and shopped on Saturday to apply the savings. Final Total: $23.70!
Why Dollar General Beat Walmart (And Most Other Stores)
Dollar General wins for two major reasons: lower prices on key items and a stackable Saturday coupon that slashed our total even more.
News outlets have already been reporting what Kevin's cart would cost in 2025. Nasdaq says $66.67, while Mashed came in at $49.18. We wanted to beat all those totals using Dollar General — and it worked.
When we priced the same cart at Walmart, some items were cheaper (like milk and bread), but those savings disappeared fast. Walmart's store-brand orange juice cost $1 more, their dryer sheets were $0.50 more, and their cheapest laundry detergent was nearly $8 compared to our $5 (for two) at DG.
KCL TIP: Want to save even more? Check out the latest Dollar General coupons and the Dollar General Penny List for items marked down to just $0.01.
More Smart Shopping Secrets for Cheaper Grocery Hauls
The $5 off $25 coupon is available every Saturday at Dollar General. Just clip the digital coupon in the Dollar General app before you shop. It's one of the easiest ways to instantly slash your grocery bill by $5 every week.
If the Tide deal isn't running when you shop, Dollar General always has laundry detergent coupons available in the app. Look for deals like $5 off Gain purchases of $30 or more, $1 off Tide Simply, or $2 off Purex. Just clip before you head to the store, and you'll lock in a lower price when you enter your phone number at checkout.
Store brands vary by location, so your Dollar General might have slightly different options depending on where you live. But the strategy stays the same: Choose store brands over name brands whenever possible, and you'll see the savings add up.
Those toy soldiers aren't exact replicas of what Kevin bought in 1990, but the 45-piece set is actually a better value than a basic bag of army men. Kevin would approve.
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