Is there anything you wanted as a child that you can now get free?

MSE_Laura_F

For MSE Stephen B, it's the 'Now That's What I Call Music' compilation albums.

"When I was younger, getting a Now [INSERT YEAR] CD was the epitome of life and I would play it to death (and it meant I didn't need to record off the radio). So I've recently been going through all the Now playlists on Spotify and loving it."

Others in the office mentioned magazines (Glamour, Stylist, NME) which either became free in later years, went online-only or offered a decent e-newsletter alternative.

What about you? Is there anything as a child you always wanted which you can now get freely?

tudorchick47

Omg yes!!! My first one was Now 8 🤣

Unity

OMG yes! Getting a proper roof over our heads! We lived in a tenement where the ceiling was falling down due to the rowdy parties from the upstairs tenants. I used to sleep in a drawer (on occasion my parents opened it 😁👍). Seriously though it was dire and I still remember it.  It was dark, dingy and prey to vermin.

We moved when I was two - to a nice new council house, with lovely neighbours. It wasn’t free but it was cheaper! I didn’t move again until I was twenty, when I married my husband and we bought our first house. We have been married forty-six years, with three lovely children, but I never forgot my humble beginnings and always appreciate what we have now.

mark_cycling00

Almost everything "cool" that I wanted to learn is now freely available online instead of having to travel to a city and hope to find an expensive book. Or wait to do a course at 18.
Want to be a film-maker? It's all online for free. Want to learn the physics of blackholes? it's all online for free
Want to go to a top cyber-security conference in Las Vegas? Just wait for it to be uploaded to YouTube a few days later. No need to pay £2,000 to travel and stay there.

Thomas_Holding

Phoning abroad is free now compared to being very expensive in the 90s.
Saying that I would rather have 90s prices for homes and phone calls than current prices for homes and phones!
Being able to phone abroad is great - but housing is more necessary!
(In my road a 10% deposit was £7K in 97 now it is £35K, if you are very very lucky).

RobM99

Ee up lad,I remember getting a piece of cold  gristle and a cup of warm water for ¼d. Luxury!

MSE_Laura_F

I remember a young cousin wanting a baking book so she could find new cupcake recipes to make with her mum. Now I'm sure she finds all her cake recipes on her smartphone.

silvercar

I remember buying the large scale road atlas to keep in the car, used to update them every few years as motorways were added and junction numbers changed.

Then we bought a satnav with a suction cup to fit it to the inside of the windscreen. the maps went in the bin.

now the satnav is built into the car.

———
I’ve just googled and the road atlases are still produced!