Things you didn't have as a kid...

[AmandaJR]

Not political but got me to thinking about when I was a kid. Being the youngest of 5, and my Dad a hard-working single parent, I guess there were lots of things we couldn't afford. The ones I remember clearly though are Chocolate Spread and Peanut Butter. My friend's house always had those readily available in the cupboards and boy did I envy her.

So. What did you wish you'd had...or rather felt you missed out on...

 

[Bunkermagnet]

Fizzy drinks only at Christmas
Pocket money was 2p, through the70's
Parents didnt drive, so we went everywhere by foot, cycle or train.

 

[Imurg]

Foreign holidays......nearest we got were the Isles of Wight and Man...
We frequented the usual UK destinations instead.
Might be a reason why I'm not a great lover of foreign travel.....

 

[AmandaJR]

Oh crikey yes I'd forgotten fizzy drinks. Said friend always had those too. Christmas or when I was poorly and my Dad bought Lucozade!

Also no foreign holidays. We had a VW camper can plus tent. I slept in the boot area of the van as I was the smallest!!

 

[GB72]

I think I was lucky in that I grew up in a reasonably affluent household.

What I did miss out on in the early years of my life was contact with kids my own age. I was brought up in a very rural area and so when I moved to a more populated place when we relocated I found that all of the kids at my new school were out and about with each other, round each others houses all the time and I never had that.

 

[Bunkermagnet]

Foreign holidays......nearest we got were the Isles of Wight and Man...
We frequented the usual UK destinations instead.
Might be a reason why I'm not a great lover of foreign travel.....

Holidays for us was a week at Butlins Bognor in mid May as it was cheaper. They were fantastic holidays.

 

[AmandaJR]

I've just remembered something - I added Andrews to squash to make fizzy pop

 

[SteveJay]

Central Heating, a telephone (land line), until I was in my late teens & colour tv until I was about 14 amongst other things.
Only foreign holidays whilst at school were couple of school trips for which my parents saved long and hard.

 

[Grizzly]

In no way a complaint - I recognise that growing up with two parents who were largely engaged with us a massive thing - but "foreign food". My Dad was adamantly a meat, potato, two veg kinda guy, so there was no pizza, pasta, curry etc. I do remember when Mum was indulged with a Chinese takeaway...he ordered chips!

Odd thing was, when I started paying for things, I took them to all sorts of places and we had the same routine in every one. I'd order for the table because Dad "didn't understand that foreign muck" then the food would pitch up and he would want to try everything. My local Indian took a shine to him, the chef even made him a special curry of meat, potato and veg

 

[SteveW86]

This thread will likely show the age spread of people on here. Things that were luxuries "back in the day" just arent any more for the average family.

Are you really "missing out" on fizzy drinks, they are incredibly bad for you. These are just a flat no for our kids through choice, not through affordability.

 

[Deleted member 29109]

Both parents at home at the same time on a regular basis. One was always at work.

 

[AmandaJR]

This thread will likely show the age spread of people on here. Things that were luxuries "back in the day" just arent any more for the average family.

Are you really "missing out" on fizzy drinks, they are incredibly bad for you. These are just a flat no for our kids through choice, not through affordability.

Yes. Back then. That's the point. Not relating to what's known or the norm now.

 

[Alan Clifford]

Fizzy drinks only at Christmas
Pocket money was 2p, through the70's
Parents didnt drive, so we went everywhere by foot, cycle or train.

Yeah, we never had pop. Other people did. But I'd get a bitter lemon when we visited my grandparents.

 

[Backache]

We weren't particularly poor but with four kids my parents were pretty careful with money. We virtually never ate out.
I had two foreign holidays through my childhood.
One to Malta where a relation ran a hotel and we got it cheap low season and one driving to Brittany.
Never had a colour TV till after I left home when my folks wanted to watch the Royal Wedding.
As the oldest my clothes were new but a lot of my sisters were hand me downs.

 

[GB72]

Both parents at home at the same time on a regular basis. One was always at work.

I had that for another reason in that my dad worked for Green Giant and so was off in America a lot and, as was the norm then, worked late hours in the office and so I saw him infrequently.

 

[GB72]

Yeah, we never had pop. Other people did. But I'd get a bitter lemon when we visited my grandparents.

My Nan used to get bottles of Pop from the Pop man who came every week. Fully recycled bottles then, how green we used to be.

 

[AmandaJR]

My Nan used to get bottles of Pop from the Pop man who came every week. Fully recycled bottles then, how green we used to be.

I think we had the Corona van...we used to try and "find" empty bottles to get a couple of pence back!

 

[jim8flog]

Shop bought jumpers . My mum always knitted ours.
also some of my clothes were hand me downs from my older brother.
I flight on a plane8 although we travelled abroad by car.

Some things I never had until I was a teenager - Steak, Venison, Chinese and other 'exotic' meals, although my mum made a really nice curry just nothing like a true Indian one.

* I was thirty years old before I had my first flight.

 

[Alan Clifford]

My Nan used to get bottles of Pop from the Pop man who came every week. Fully recycled bottles then, how green we used to be.

Hmmm... glass battles needed detergent to wash them I should think.

 

[GB72]

Hmmm... glass battles needed detergent to wash them I should think.

True but they went back, were cleaned and refilled. Got to be better than plastic.