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

DP makes me write in gift tags

Buying a sandwich. My mum still thinks that this is a shocking waste of money & will endlessly tell me how cost effective making your own is.

Buying water or any kind of drink that you should have brought with you in your own recycled container or a flask.

Not reusing all packaging, tinfoil etc.

Readymeals - when you could have some disgusting gristle stew with a few vegetables floating in it for a third of the price?

Anything pre-made - all a shocking waste of money. That includes all soft drinks that come pre-made (Coke, fanta, lemonade etc)

Squash & cordial - why would you add anything to water?!

Didn't go to the cinema much either. Went for the first time when I was six. I was born in 1984.

Went to a soft play type place when I was 9.

Munchies were a big deal
Walnut Whips
Fry's Turkish Delight bars

Ice Gems were a big deal in Dh's family

Liquid soap was posh.

I also never write on the tag and am unreasonably happy when I am given an unwritten gift bag I can reuse, I never realised we were a group!

Yeah, I was an adult when Magnums came out!

That was how I found out about my friend's tin foil re-use: I had baked a cake and brought in round in a tupperware box with a tin foil covering (since the bloody lid had gone missing, as usual). I took the box back and she offered the tin foil too! I was on my way on holiday and the idea that, even if I did re-use tin foil normally (which I had never before heard of), I would want to keep used foil sitting in my car for a week was a bit weird.

I never write on the gift tag of a gift bag so the person can reuse it.

I congratulate you on your gift bag etiquette, so many people get this wrong!

The only time its allowed is at Xmas when there is likely to be a mix up and then you tie on a cut out from an old Xmas card that can be easiy discarded. Thems the rules!

Harriet you've made me feel very old. I was pregnant with DS1 when the original Magnums came out, no white chocolate ones.

Tin foil - my mum was paranoid about you using too much!

I remember getting a can of coke between me and my sister on a Saturday morning. Huge treat.

I never write on the gift tag of a gift bag so the person can reuse it. I often wrap presents instead though

My mother does reuse foil if she can, and will save foil you have given her around something and give it back to you.

In our family it goes....hand over gift....gift is opened.....

"Oh thats lovely thank you!......Do you want the bag back?" Tradition dictates that you say no and then recieve it back in a couple of years but crucially, not from the person you gave it to.

Surely everyone does that? I dont think that I have bought a gift bag for years, we all bought a few eons ago and they work their way around the family :o

Not so much special or expensive but pain killers.

My mum had this idea that they were "junk" for wimps and you should just be "tough". I was only given paracetamol if I was really really ill. I had terrible period pains as a teenager (still do) which I just suffered through because pain killers were not even a consideration.

Barbara - definitely not unreasonable to reuse gift bags!

My PILs get really fancy ones, but all the presents inside are wrapped and tissue papered as well. My parents are at the 'reusing wrapping paper' end of the spectrum. My mum got really ratty with me for opening a present for my fiance last Christmas, because she reused my sister's paper from the year before - except my sister had written my name directly on the paper (in proper big gold pen not just biro).

I sit in the middle of the spectrum. Always reuse gift bags. Never reuse paper.

I agree PolarBear I don't always think taking a picnic or a packed lunch to work is a sacrifice.

If I'm faced with a choice of paying a lot of money for what is mostly shit food at attractions, I would rather take my own.

Similarly, I take leftovers to work most days and on occasions that I have no leftovers or decide to go out and buy something, it's often disappointing and I wish I hadn't bothered. Or it was nice but very expensive for what it was.

I re use gift bags i thought everybody did or it considered stingy?

It's amazing how much has changed in a few years isn't it? I'm guessing most of the people on this thread are around my age (44) and we're generally talking about the 60/70/80s? So at least 30 years ago, which makes it sound like ages

In my recollection as an adult, so 1990s onwards, it was more normal and less of a luxury to eat out regularly, but it wasn't something we've been able to afford until the last 10 years or so really.

I'm struck by the number of these things that I don't do / allow my DC to do...

We nearly always take picnics (I'm always that people will pay for the cafes in zoos / farm parks) or if we go to soft play or somewhere picnics aren't allowed then we come home for lunch. My picnics are a nice selection of sandwiches, fresh fruit etc so not a sacrifice imo.

McDonald's is also a rare treat... I have some boxes (like you can get from Party Pieces etc) and they have "pretend Maccies" - ie nuggets and chips - most weekends with a small bag of sweets and a carton drink in the box.

I thought everyone reused gift bags? No so much wrapping paper and tin foil though.

Once every main school holiday we would walk to the nearest town paying the water bill at the reservoir on the way

Is that like when you used to go and pay your electricity bill at the showroom, or is it a euphemism for returning some of the water you have used .

I always save gift bags, and there are a few that have done several rotations of our family.

Even though we only ever get them from Card Factory, or more expensive places when on sale, it's more than decadent to not reuse them, it's a ridiculous waste of money and resources.

You pay a pound or two, at least for a nice bag, but a box of chocolates, bottle of wine etc in it for a few hours and then just throw it away? I don't think so.

Still any quite bring myself to make a sandwich with more than two things. Salad and cheese fine, salad and ham fine. Salad cheese and ham oh nooooo.
Ditto cheese sandwich for lunch or tomatoe soup and bread n butter. But do have a full blown sandwich and soup- just wow!
Silly really as plenty of other things that cost far me are no problem at all.

One, very blurry baby pic of me. One!!
Then nothing until about 4...
My mother is the world's actual worst photographer though. Every picture of all of us is out of focus and features the backs of heads, or only parts of faces

Not in real life but I had a book as a child where the children eat salad and they have cucumber on it as a special treat. Always makes me smile when I think back on it.