Easier to be OS in the olden days?

[Deleted User]

Poverty is relative to the time I think What my Mum considered as poverty was probably totally different to what poverty is thought of today. We wern't poor as such, and never went hungry as some of my school friends did, but we also were never given all that we wanted, it never occured to my brothers or myself to to ask for things. You had a birthday present, and if you were lucky it was something you wanted ,but never asked for(sometimes a few dropped hints helped ) but with rationing and the shortage of manufactured goods in the shops things for children were fairly limited.Christmas was usually if you were lucky a jigsaw,a book maybe a small toy (my brother David like model aeroplanes, so had a small balsa wood kit) or if they were really lucky my Dad would buy the boys some Meccano stuff.I remember having a post office set that I loved and cut-out dolls with cut out clothes. I don't suppose in the 15-20 odd years my late Mum had children to buy present for she spent £200.00 in total. Presents were usually small things, but valued none the less. My Aunt in America would send stuff to my Mum and sometimes bits from the parcel were 'put away' for later to magically re-appear around Christmas morning..

We played a lot of board games and cards and listened to my Mums beloved wireless a lot. No tv in those days, but I never felt deprived or hard done by.

My middle brother had a second hand bike that he had found the frame, and rebuilt from odds and ends he found, and saved to buy One Christmas he was so pleased as my Dad and Mum had bought him a square black metal headlight to go on the front as he wasn't allowed to use his bike in the dark as he hadn't had a front light :)

My eldest brother Johnny was conscripted into the army when I was 10 so when he came home on leave he was a grown up and a bit boring, read newspapers, and spoke to my Dad about how things were going in a stange place called Korea and how he might have to be sent there I hadn't a clue where this was or even why they would need my brother there ,but children were seen and not heard so you learned to keep quiet:)

Todays children with their phones,Ipads and gadgets seem to have a lot more but don't always seem that happy about their things.To me spending £200.00 on a four year old seems more than a bit exccesive !!!

I spend around £15-20 on each grandchild and I have seven of them.Their birthdays they get the same, except when its a big one like 18,21 etc.But I also put £50.00 per month into one of my granddaughters account per month for 12 months while she is doing her teacher training and my DGS who is at Uni gets the same.

No doubt when the youngest three start higher education I will do the same for them.They don't get regular pocket money from me but if I know the really need something for school I will help their Mum out with extras.They get my undivided attention though, and lots of love and as many cakes and biscuits as I can turn out at times.

We take the three younger boys out to different places and to the cinema.in a couple of weeks I shall look after them overnight as their Mum and Dad are having an overnight stay in London and going to see a show .So we will have a 'naughty night' with a movie on tv and fish and chips for supper and some sweets and popcorn.Stuff they normally aren't allowed

CRANKY40

parsniphead wrote: »

Erm, what's a downie mardatha?

Don't think I could ever get bored of this thread. It' s bringing back some lovely memories.

It's the duvet maybe? Years ago in winter, on top of all the blankets etc in winter the eiderdown went on too. It was a quilted thing filled with feathers the size of the top of the bed and very cosy if you were lucky enough to have one.

Reminds me of a joke I heard once...

Child shouting to mam downstairs "Mam, mam, the coat fell off the bed".
Mam to child "Hush, we have visitors, you have to say the eiderdown has fallen off the bed".
Some time later, the child shouts down again "Mam, mam, the sleeve's come off the eiderdown".

Well it made me laugh :rotfl:

candlelight_2013

When I was in primary and junior school if there was to be a day trip. we would take 2 shillings into school each Monday morning to save for that trip. Now I expect the trip cost only about £1.50, and this would be to Windsor, we had a trip to London Zoo and also one to Whipsnade Zoo. With there being 3 of us it was the only way to save the money.

By the time I reached secondary school, they were doing skiing holidays to Switzerland and Austria, but I never told Mum and Dad about those, because I knew there was no way they could afford to let me go.

We have 3 grandchildren, 21, almost 18 and 15. Since each were 2 years old we have saved £25 each for them in a Building Society on the understanding the account would be theirs when they were 18, but if in the meantime they needed money for a school trip or anything important, then they could have it out of their account. They don't have pocket money off us, but of course, like most Nans, I make them cakes and biscuits and buy them some chocolate.

This has worked really well, when DGD1 was 18 we went with her to change the account into just her name, and she quite rightly, after advice from the Manager, opted for a savings account and a current account and shortly we will be doing the same for DGS. At least when he goes to University he will have a cushion, and we have already told him we will buy him a supermarket card and will top this up for him periodically. Last night he said Nan there isn't much danger of me starving is there? You know what boys are they seem to have hollow legs.

I know we have been lucky in that we have been able to do this, but we both worked up until retirement.

Candlelightx

parsniphead

CRANKY40 wrote: »

It's the duvet maybe? Years ago in winter, on top of all the blankets etc in winter the eiderdown went on too. It was a quilted thing filled with feathers the size of the top of the bed and very cosy if you were lucky enough to have one.

Reminds me of a joke I heard once...

Child shouting to mam downstairs "Mam, mam, the coat fell off the bed".
Mam to child "Hush, we have visitors, you have to say the eiderdown has fallen off the bed".
Some time later, the child shouts down again "Mam, mam, the sleeve's come off the eiderdown".

Well it made me laugh :rotfl:

Of course. My brains not plugged in today.

I remembered on year being really poorly with measles when I was about 10. Anything with spots I do very well. Anyway while tucked up on the settee dad asked me what I wanted for Christmas and as a joke I said a TV for my bedroom. I didn't want one as I never really watched TV. My dad who was out of work at the time looked really sad and said that he couldn't afford it. I tried to tell him I was joking but it fell on deaf ears. Oh the guilt. At the time our TV was rented and about a month before Christmas a new one arrived. Dad told me that the old one had broke so they had sorted him a new one. Come christmas morning I had a big box pressie and when I opened it there was a portable TV. Cue MORE guilt. I ran to dad and said that I was joking and that he shouldn't have done it as he couldn't afford it and he laughed and said that he was walking past Redifusion and that they had an offer of a free portable with each TV rented so he decided to take them up on the offer. The best thing was though that the new TV rental was cheaper so saving him money and he had got my Christmas present for nothing. But do you know what even now at the age of 44 and 23 years after his death I still feel guilty.

[Deleted User]

englishrose89 wrote: »

shortypie please don't worry about your 3 sharing. All my parents could ever afford was a 3 bed with 5 children. .

I shared a big room with 4 sisters, oh it was fun, we chatted for ages, every night. We never played in there as it was just for sleeping, we played out or downstairs in the room with the fire.

Maybe that is why I love my own company now

craigywv

CRANKY40 wrote: »

It's the duvet maybe? Years ago in winter, on top of all the blankets etc in winter the eiderdown went on too. It was a quilted thing filled with feathers the size of the top of the bed and very cosy if you were lucky enough to have one.

Reminds me of a joke I heard once...

Child shouting to mam downstairs "Mam, mam, the coat fell off the bed".
Mam to child "Hush, we have visitors, you have to say the eiderdown has fallen off the bed".
Some time later, the child shouts down again "Mam, mam, the sleeve's come off the eiderdown".

Well it made me laugh :rotfl:

reminds me of the joke my dad says........woman and child in butchers,woman asks for "a bone for the dog please", child chips in "but we don't have a dog mum"...........says it all really joke with a jag. I was born in the 70s we were used to sugar sandwiches in my grannies and melted cheese on a plate put under the grill. I too had the post office sets which I loved ,my mum still has my letters in her handbag lol.yes kids have so much now I wouldn't like to be growing up in this day. no thanks give me "calling for your mates" anyday at least we were out! all weathers didn't annoy us. now they wont leave house without a crowbar to move them. that's why I have my son in as many clubs as poss, scouts, swimming, football,hes made to go shopping with me so he can learn about money and ys goods lol hes a bargain hunter! hope he stays that way.

[Deleted User]

I wonder if the real difference between the post war years and now is that although we would all have liked to have nice things and our own houses and all things to go in them there wasn't that prevailing attitude that is here today of entitlement and resentment that others have what you don't have? We were on the whole a contented bunch and although we had very little I don't remember feeling that I 'should' have by right what everyone else had. I got pocket money each week but I had to save that up to buy school shoes, I was allowed to take 6d which got me on the bus and back to the Saturday morning cinema, a 1/2p ice lolly while I was there and a penny sweetie from the corner shop when I got off the bus in the village. I don't remember thinking 'so and so' has a shilling a week to spend so it's not fair that I don't, we were aware that some peoples' parents had more to spend on then than ours but were happy in the main with what we did have. I don't think our aspirations and expectations were huge but I think part of that was because the world was much smaller, no TV with 24 hour news, radio news a couple of times a day and Pathe News at the cinema was all we had so our experiences were more local and news that did filter through was most likely 2 or 3 weeks old. I don't know if it was a better world but it certainly was a less uncertain one for us as children, we knew our place and felt safe in it.

parsniphead

The world seems so busy now. Even for myself looking back to the 70's everything is so cluttered and quite frankly messy. I hate driving at the best of times but with all the street signs, road signs street furniture etc I find it a total sensory overload.

I think that's also why I shop at Ald1. I don't want to have to wander aisle after aisle trying to choose from 42 types of beans. A bean is a bit although my DH would disagree being a bean snob.

I know progress brings many good things which most of us wouldn't like to be without but it's also given us piles of old carp and rubbish to.
We have a local living history museum called The Black Country Museum. It's a fantastic place to visit ( not just for the traditional fish and chips) but just to see inside houses not stuffed full of quite frankly useless rubbish. They have the most homely houses I have ever been into especially as I'm a sucker for a rocking chair and open fire. Trouble is it takes ages to get mum out when she starts talking to the guide about her home as a child.

I still wouldn't want to be without my washing machine though.

mardatha

Yea a duvet but we call it a downie lol

PixieDust

I have nothing to contribute, but I love this thread

ps Parsniphead - love your picture