Things you thought were posh/exciting/unattainable as a child that are actually everyday items

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I'm just searching for scotch tape on Amazon ready for Christmas. It got me thinking how double sided sticky tape was but a dream back when I was little. Blue Peter used it all the time but it was something I'd never have. The same with play dough. I only ever had plasticine. Scotch tape was fancy too, we only ever had yellow sellotape. Ribera. I'm sure I'll think of others.

Child of the 1980s/90s here - avocados were the height of luxury, as were pomegranates.

I was GOBSMACKED the first time I went to Crete (as an adult) and saw pomegranates just casually growing on trees by the side of the road.

Chicken Kiev and pizza, I thought they where really exotic and only had them about twice a year.

Tea at one particular friend's, the mum always made sausage and mash with gravy, how posh thought little me. Bless!

Going to a restaurant/cafe of any description.

Pure orange juice. If we had it out it was in a thimble and came on a doily.

Shop-bought cakes. My mum wouldn't buy them and baked everything.

Grapes - I thought only rich people or those in hospital got those.

Fizzy drinks and freezer food. We were never allowed unhealthy things like that. I was so excited to be served Diet Coke at a friends house probably around 7 or 8 that I spilt it all over my nuggets and chips 😢

Biscuits. My mum couldn’t afford to buy them often. With two brothers you had to make sure you didn’t get left out. The biscuits would often be gone before the shopping had even been put away.

Another one here with the fresh orange juice. We also had thimble sized glasses if we were ever lucky enough to have it. I also remember it being listed as a starter on restaurant menus. If we, very rarely, went out for a meal my mum always chose it as a starter. Now I usually have at least 3 big cartons of it in the fridge and my so chugs it back like there's no tomorrow!

Grapes

Mixer taps. The absolute height of posh.

And being allowed fizzy drinks. We had a soda stream and on my Y1 class trip to the zoo I was allowed to take a soda stream in a Tupperware cup. With the entirely predictable result that it opened up in my lunchbox and drowned everything in flat, sticky liquid.

Meanwhile Jackie Wilson (not her real name) was allowed a tin of coke from the fridge whenever she wanted one Life is unjust when you're 6.

I didn't even know about those things.

Going out for dinner at a Harvester

After Eight mints

Fondue

Those lemon scented flannels you get after your meal usually at a Chinese or Indian restaurant.

Potpourri

Having more than one coat or pair of trainers

It was served as a starter at formal meals.

Going to a restaurant/cafe. We never ever went. My parents both didn’t trust the hygiene, or could cope paying so much more than it would cost to make the food at home.

Fruit and veg. We only had enough fruit to have one piece each a day, and veg was a spoonful each. I don’t know how they lived so long on so little fruit and veg.

The height of luxury was a glue pen (think felt tip style thing full of glue). I would get one for Christmas and birthday. Plain white paper to draw on - especially A3 was the height of luxury and would be given out at school like it was gold! Having more than one pair of shoes ( school shoes were worn everywhere). My children also laugh hysterically now when I talk about a starter in a posh meal being a small glass of orange juice, a slice of melon or soup. The absolute height of sophistication being half a grapefruit with half a cherry on top for breakfast!

Tissues (as opposed to just using toilet paper for your nose)
Taxis
Healthy eating

Oh the OJ as starter thing is so interesting... when did that stop do you reckon? I'll appreciate it more now!

Shampoo! My parents were doing okay, professional jobs, our own home. We had holidays abroad. But we used dishwashing liquid instead of shampoo. I am not sure I even used conditioner until I left home.

No idea why.

I saw orange juice as a starter at a hotel in Scotland in 2002. Can anyone beat that?

When I was a child 70/80s homeownership was ultra posh. Then it wasn't, then it was again.

I remember watching Dallas and they had massive glass jugs or orange juice on the breakfast table. They were millionaires though so it's be be expected.

Dublin, 2016.
It was a very old fashioned menu...

Yes by have it out I mean when we were out for a formal meal. It was a starter.

And the grapefruit segments were neatly cut with a grapefruit knife! I don’t know whether grapefruit knives are still a thing.