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

[Alan Clifford]

Shop bought jumpers . My mum always knitted ours.

That triggered a memory. My mother used to get very angry when people said to her, "You are so lucky to be able to make clothes".

 

[RichA]

Mayonnaise
Fizzy drinks
Food with flavour
Colour TV
Foreign holidays

 

[Alan Clifford]

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

Therte's nothing wrong with plastice per se. It's what we do with it that's the problem.

 

[jim8flog]

That triggered a memory. My mother used to get very angry when people said to her, "You are so lucky to be able to make clothes".

When it comes to clothes one big memory for me was that I passed the 11+ and when my parents saw the uniform requirements for the grammar school they had a long debate about whether or not they could afford to send me there.

 

[RichA]

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.

Two veg would have been considered a bit ostentatious in our house.

 

[Neilds]

We weren’t poor but my old man is the typical tight Yorkshireman so unless it was absolutely necessary then we didn’t have it. Only got a video recorder because he had loads of overtime pay from being a copper during the miners strike

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Another one in the not poor but not cash rich either, low disposable income if going down the economic root. For me, I didn't get branded sportswear, and I played a lot of sport. Rubbish brand trainers and boots being the worst (yes, all relative)

Also, no foreign holidays until mid teens. When mates were off to Spain or France, North Wales was our destination, year after year .

Pop was only to be had at grandparents houses. I don't know if that was cost or for teeth / health, but it always felt a big treat when I had it.

Little things, certainly not poverty.

 

[Pin-seeker]

Mr Frosty

 

[GB72]

Another one in the not poor but not cash rich either, low disposable income if going down the economic root. For me, I didn't get branded sportswear, and I played a lot of sport. Rubbish brand trainers and boots being the worst (yes, all relative)

Also, no foreign holidays until mid teens. When mates were off to Spain or France, North Wales was our destination, year after year .

Pop was only to be had at grandparents houses. I don't know if that was cost or for teeth / health, but it always felt a big treat when I had it.

Little things, certainly not poverty.

Luckily branded sports gear was not a thing when I was a kid. The nearest there was were Dunlop Green Flash trainers were seen as posh.

 

[Fromtherough]

I grew up in the 80’s and I suppose we were ok, not rich but lucky enough to have mod cons, nice clothes and holidays. However, until I was about 9 or 10 our house didn’t have a shower. I remember what a pain it was to have a bath every night (my Mam is a bit of a clean freak). Immersion heater as well, so you had to plan when you would go in it. The day they updated the heating system and bathroom was a game changer.

 

[bobmac]

I didn't have a sore hip
I didn't have hang overs
I didn't have high blood pressure
I didn't wear glasses.
I had hair
I had to share a 12in b&w tv with my big brother
We didn't have central heating
We didn't have double glazing
We had one phone, in the hall.

But was I happy?
Oh yes, Joyce Parker was in my class.
I never did ask her out.
How could I, I had to practice my short game.

 

[GB72]

I grew up in the 80’s and I suppose we were ok, not rich but lucky enough to have mod cons, nice clothes and holidays. However, until I was about 9 or 10 our house didn’t have a shower. I remember what a pain it was to have a bath every night (my Mam is a bit of a clean freak). Immersion heater as well, so you had to plan when you would go in it. The day they updated the heating system and bathroom was a game changer.

We had the rubber shower attachment you put over the taps.

 

[Ye Olde Boomer]

What I didn't have as a kid is lower back pain.
I didn't wish for it, either. Eventually, it just came on its own.

I also didn't have a dog, however, and that had to have had a negative impact on my mental health.
I certainly had them once I had my own home.

The problem with dogs is that they only live about fifteen years, less for large breeds, and I'm heartbroken when I lose them.

I have the ashes of the ones that we've lost on a shelf with their pictures.
With any lucky, the Welsh Terrorist Terrier that we have now will outlive me.
She'll be taken care of if she does.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Butter or jam/marmalade on our bread but not both.

We didn’t have much and other than what we bought with our weekly pocket money (I remember getting an increase from 6d to 1s quite clearly) our sweets ration was that we got one of a fudge, flake or Fry’s chocolate cream once a week on Fridays. And though me and my wee brother one year got a train set for Christmas (a shared main present was the norm) we could never afford to buy an engine such as a Mallard or Flying Scotsman - and boy did i wish we could afford one. But we couldn’t.

And no foreign holiday; overnight stays in hotels, restaurant or take-away food. But we were brought up in a loving caring environment and wider family so the things we didn’t or couldn’t have were compensated for many times over by lovely family things and holidays in the Highlands and Islands.

 

[arnieboy]

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

Same here, we went to Bognor seven years in a row but only twice to Butlins. My parents never owned a car so we used to go by coach. All my memories of Butlins are in black and white for some reason!

 

[arnieboy]

When it comes to clothes one big memory for me was that I passed the 11+ and when my parents saw the uniform requirements for the grammar school they had a long debate about whether or not they could afford to send me there.

My parents faced the same problem, council house boy going to grammar school, unheard of. Only much later did I appreciate how difficult it was for them to afford everything required.

 

[GB72]

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

My nan used to live just outside Bognor and ran the post office in Pagham. Used to go to Bognor all the time as a kid.

 

[arnieboy]

My nan used to live just outside Bognor and ran the post office in Pagham. Used to go to Bognor all the time as a kid.

We stayed in some sort of cabin near the beach in Pagham and spent a lot of time catching crabs in the rock pools. When my son was at Chichester Uni I insisted on going to Pagham to reminisce!

 

[williamalex1]

Growing up we all listened to the Man in Black on the radio, then our 1st TV only had BBC, an outside toilet shared by 4 families, gas lighting in the entrance and stairs, a coal fired range for cooking and heating no hot running water or central heating, we got out 1st hot water gas geyser 1954 1st fridge 1965. A treat was a piece on condensed milk

 

[Crow]

Our holidays were at static caravan sites around England and Wales. We had a car though so were obviously doing okay.

Always took sandwiches, never had cooked food in a cafe or such.

First colour TV was a rental about 1978, first telephone around then too.

I've never had a new bike in my life.

But I think we were fairly typical then, people had fewer expectations and there wasn't such a chasm between the haves and the have-nots.

Mostly happy days.