Things you thought were normal if you grew up working class

[Anycrispsleft]

Inspired by that "thought it was posh, turns out it wasn't" thread, I wondered if anyone else remembers stuff from a working class childhood that you thought everyone did and actually no it was just us?

Mine is playing with stray dogs. I was an adult before I realised that approaching strange dogs is meant to be dangerous. In my estate there were two strays (and one owned dog that would escape his garden) and they would chum along with us when we were out playing. We'd feed them crisps. (Luckily for the dogs I think we figured that crisps were more appropriate food for dogs than chocolate, as they were more salty and a bit like meat.) It would never have occurred to us not to befriend any other creature of the street. There was precious little else to do, why wouldn't we add a dog or two into the pack?

Going to 'do's' at the miners social club.
A pan of solid lard permanently on the stove top for cooking chips.
Peoples houses always smelling of chip fat and cigarette smoke
Brown swirly carpets that didn't show the dirt
Everyone you know being referred to as 'our' whatever their name, with family referred to as 'our mam/our dad/our kid (sibling)
The tv (known as the telly) on all the time with the volume and colour on maximum
Every life event ending in a sing a long of old Irish songs and the aunties Irish dancing.

Nicotine stained wood chip

Women wearing every piece of gold jewellery they’ve ever owned all at the same time on a night out

I thought the people who had the pop van deliveries were quite posh tbf.

I got tokens for free school meals at secondary school. I used to sell them and go down the sandwich shop...

Having to share a bedroom with my brother as thr central heating is rubbish. We had an electric heater in the bedroom. When we woke in the mornings we went to the open gas fire to warm through. If we ran out of milk I could pour my tea on my cereal. We weren’t poor tbh, my dad was just a tight arse.
On a Sunday we used to have a bowl of sweet corn covered in salt as a treat after dinner (weird pudding).
Tinned Ye Olde Oak ham in a tin, served with boiled eggs, pork pie, Edam cheese and salad with crusty bread.
Also, drawing on computer paper.

@Notsoaccidentproneanymore

Bread and sugar (though it was butter not marge)

When I first told my husband I used to eat sugar sandwiches, he was absolutely horrified.

Ours were margarine though, and cheap white bread.

Pudding only after Sunday roast dinner
Butter at the weekend
My parents going out to a restaurant every Saturday night
Going to the shops to get parents ciggys

Tinned red salmon

Holidays in a chalet.
Cockles and winkles.
Pie n mash shops.
Not having a car.

Mother taking us up to the high street to use the public phone box and taking a Dettol soaked cloth to wipe it down before using it.

Having horrible school shoes from the market that lasted all bloody year.

When someone got Married we would all gather around for the scramble. I remember my dad saving up all his coppers when my older Sisters got married for the scramble.

Never going in “posh shops” some unwritten rule that people like us weren’t allowed. Even to this day some shops I wouldn’t feel comfortable going in.

Not going to a proper hairdressers and getting a neighbour or an “auntie” to do it for you.

I don't think a lot of these are necessarily working class though - more just like what life was like generally in the 70s/80s?

@ParkheadParadise My mum had a scramble when she got married!

My grandma drove everybody mad that year asking the household to check their change for “new” coins every time they came in

Everyone came out of their houses to look at a bride back then.

I think bread and butter with meals was a throwback to rationing and bulking out meals, and the habit has died out. We had it with most meals in the 80s. I also think most people used margarine (Vitalite was my mum's choice!), it was sold as healthier, cheaper and spreadable! Even now I don't use proper butter often, usually Lurpak type blended stuff.
I think people were generally more frugal, whatever class they were. And it was less 'disposable' - things were fixed, handed down, etc. We should go back to that way of thinking, it would be better for us all.

@OverTheHill50

I don't think a lot of these are necessarily working class though - more just like what life was like generally in the 70s/80s?

Half of my primary school seemed middle class. They certainly did many things I would never dream of. Not everyone was poor in the 70/80s.

Mother taking us up to the high street to use the public phone box and taking a Dettol soaked cloth to wipe it down before using it.

Your mother sounds dead posh! And ahead of her time

What about family "do's" at the local legion/labour club and the mad scramble when the DJ announced the buffet was open? All the aunties would bring a dish to contribute and would usually consist of a variety of triangle sandwiches, cheese n pickle on sticks, pork pies, sausage rolls, crisps n nuts! The birthday/wedding cake would be the dessert and you'd be trying to balance it all on the flimsy paper plates. We had to wait for "the men" to get seconds before anyone else could
Oh, and little boys sliding across across the dancefloor on their knees!

Good times!

@Loopyloututu2

Mother taking us up to the high street to use the public phone box and taking a Dettol soaked cloth to wipe it down before using it.

Your mother sounds dead posh! And ahead of her time

What about family "do's" at the local legion/labour club and the mad scramble when the DJ announced the buffet was open? All the aunties would bring a dish to contribute and would usually consist of a variety of triangle sandwiches, cheese n pickle on sticks, pork pies, sausage rolls, crisps n nuts! The birthday/wedding cake would be the dessert and you'd be trying to balance it all on the flimsy paper plates. We had to wait for "the men" to get seconds before anyone else could
Oh, and little boys sliding across across the dancefloor on their knees!

Good times!

I still love a cheese and pineapple hedgehog!

My friends used to have fizzy pop delivered on a Friday night after tea. I used to think that was posh.

Guys, we outnumber the middle and upper classes by about 2 to 1. We’re normal. They’re the weird ones.

(But a bucket on the landing for overnight wees because we didn’t have an upstairs toilet might count)

I don't think a lot of these are necessarily working class though - more just like what life was like generally in the 70s/80s?

I was born early 90s so definitely felt a bit poor!

Has anyone mentioned tomato sauce sandwiches? Pop a few crisps in too

Also sandwich spread.... the stuff that looks like vom

I piece of fruit each a week, and you had to ask for it. Yes to bread and marg at every meal, which I always filled with whatever was on my plate. Fish finger butties, mashed potato butties, pie butties, whatever.

Not eating at lunchtime and spending my week’s dinner money on ten silk cut.

2oz of sweets On amSunday night.

white sliced bread, was there an alternative? Didn’t eat bread until I discovered brown bread at 14.

(But a bucket on the landing for overnight wees because we didn’t have an upstairs toilet might count)

Good God this brings back another memory - my dad had a bucket in his and mums bedroom so he didn't have to walk along the (2m distance) landing at night to the bathroom! The 80's poor-people version of an en-suite not envy.
I can remember being able to hear the amplified sound of his wee hitting the plastic bucket in the middle of the night!

I can remember being able to hear the amplified sound of his wee hitting the plastic bucket in the middle of the night!

Ha! Yes, that brings back memories.

Also sandwich spread.... the stuff that looks like vom

Beef & fish paste sandwiches....I still occasionally get the urge to buy some and have it on white bread with salty butter yum. I wouldn't actually eat it though, I think the memory is probably better than the reality!