Things your parents led you to think were 'special' or 'expensive' that you now take for granted?

Margo dh is off tommorow I'm going to Google my local nearest little chef and we can go for my lunch lets hope its all I've ever dreamed of

I had as much sanitary protection as needed. But I remember it being much more expensive then. Does anyone know if it was?

x2boys, Little Chef is the ultimate in road side stop offs. Never went in one before I was an adult, so have no knowledge of delicious and exciting lollipops that CountD speaks of .

However, the one I occasionally go to on the A3 is just what I'd always dreamed such places would be like. Sweets on the display as you walk in, red shiny chairs and formica tables, big laminated menus that feel slightly sticky and the overwhelming aroma of fried food. OMG, don't waste my time with fancy stuff at Medlar and Bar Boulud, just give me an all day breakfast at a Little Chef in a shiny red booth and I couldn't ask for more!

I really don't remember the power strikes obviously my parents told me about them I was born at the end of '73 'so must have been to young .

Electricity was only 'rationed' during the strikes which caused the Three Day Week in the mid 1970s. The miners and electricity workers went on strike and there wasn't enough power for the national grid so the three day week was introduced.

There was rampant inflation in the 1970s so the reason - for those of us old enough to remember - that our parents were so careful with money was because their wages had been devalued. And in the days before everyone had credit cards and easy access to overdrafts your wages really were the only money you had - for the majority of people.

I remember frequent power cuts throughout the 70s regardless of strikes. We all had a supply of candles not to make the house smell nice and to chill out with but to light it when the power was off.

Count I have never to this day eaten in a little chef do they still exist ?

Oh yes... I remember the power going off at 6pm or 7pm of an evening and doing my homework by candlelight in the 1970s. The power workers and miners were on strike. Google 'the winter of discontent'.

Somebody up thread mentioned Pear’s soap. My MIL (who is really very well off) has pristine Pears soap bars for ‘display’ in her bathrooms. She purses her lips and mutters when it is actually used. I’m sure she thinks I am a terrible spendthrift as I use liquid soap. She eyed up the Baylis & Harding by my kitchen sink once and then went into the cupboard below the sink to get some washing up liquid to clean her hands with. Clearly thought it was just for ‘display’ 😫

Margo I think we occasionally ate at a Little Chef. They used to give you a lollipop for clearing your plate. 🍭

Another no sanitary products at all deemed too expensive.

And underwear were also a luxury ( 1 pack of undies had to be divided among siblings) so any stained ones were hand washed.
My own DC will get as much sanitary products as they need and underwear is bought year round. DC laugh at me when they also get pack of undies each at Xmas too but they have no idea that it was a luxury item to me at their ages!

Yep Appu. I remember doing my homework by candlelight.

I was spoilt. Grew up in the 70's, fruit whenever I asked for it, crisps and an apple in my lunch box every day!

My dm used to cut up bars of chocolate too but I think more for health than price maybe, it seems sensible to me.
also get to share each others.

misdee my grandparents lived very near a small but international airport. In those days you could go up to the windows and look out directly onto the runway. A regular and fantastic day out was going there first to plane spot and stop at the nearby services for tea. They used to get a "local customer discount" if they showed their council tax bill. It was the mid 90s and there were no such things as food courts in shopping centres etc, so the sheer novelty of my gran having a knife-and-fork dinner while I had a Burger King was really something special.

My mum caused us to endure nylon sheets for years.

Really nice on a hot night!

I remember my PJs making little electric sparks on the scratchy blankets, I used to be terrified of being set on fire

Oh yes those heavy scratchy blankets! Unpleasant, much prefer a furry throw.

Should add, the heating never went on till very cold. Would wake up with frosty windows.

These days my parents house is so warm. They come here and say it's cold. It's not. It just not baking.

I watched something on TV, it may have been 'home in time for tea' and they said that people used to drive to service stations just to have a meal out. Height of sophistication.

For me. Double glazing. We lived in a council house. Single glazed windows and no central heating til the early 90s. We had scratchy woollen blankets on the bed. I would try not to have them touching my skin as would make me itch. They were warm though.

I'm wondering who the hell ate at service stations in the 70s and 80s to keep the cafes in business, because it doesn't sound like it was anyone here!

I remember going on a business trip in the 80s, by car. We were working for a penniless charity, so were paying for own lunches, no per diems, etc etc. We stopped off at a service station, me and a colleague bought a plate of chips to share and a couple of coffees, and were AGOG at the board member who came with us who bought a whole, actual meal! Neither of us genuinely had even known anyone who bought an actual, whole meal. I remember it so vividly!

I still feel like I've won the lottery when I take the DCs for something to eat at a service station. How ridiculous is that! They CANNOT understand how even sniffing the food in a service station was like going over to the dark side when I was a kid. I'm wondering who the hell ate at service stations in the 70s and 80s to keep the cafes in business, because it doesn't sound like it was anyone here!

My Dad died a few years back, but even in their twilight years when they drove anywhere they always had a flask in the car and some homemade sandwiches, so that when they stopped at the service station for a wee, they could have a coffee and lunch without spending any money. Bless them.

Electricity in general, one light bulb on at a time. For much of the 70s electricity was on a rota anyway (in the whole country) so you’d end up eating Sunday lunch at 11am

Really?!

artic roll was for special occasions I never remember getting a cornneto and still think of them as expensive ice creams. I remember Feats and a mint with a chocolate centre lolly they seemed very grown up and special

We had posh cups and saucers for when we have guests and used the front room

Going to a Bernie Inn for a £4.99 3 course meal we even wore our nice clothes it was such a treat and I can still remember the thrill of it especially as it was dark when we left the restaurant

Getting a taxi was the height of sophistication

I only remember having one Chinese take away prawn balls and egg friend rice I’m sure we got other dishes

No hairdryer - when we washed our hair once a week we had to sit in front of the gas fire with a towel round our shoulders. It seems pathetic looking back. Our hair was crap anyway because we had no means of styling it (no lotion, hairspray, putty not invented - not for hair anyway) so we just had to comb it and hope for the best.

The fashion was for long sleek straight hair - mine had a bit of a wave so was a nightmare to try to look decent. Now it is heavenly to dry and style with a hairdryer and styling brush. Oh, and we weren't allowed to have a bath or wash our hair during our periods 'because you'll get a chill' . Grim.