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

[AlternativelyWired]

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.

My mother considered herself superior to her sister, because she used Basildon Bond paper. Her sister used thin, inferior paper.

tl;dr sorry but Mayonnaise. I now make it almost every week!

Lol Basildon Bond paper :)

Orange juice - it was a starter in a Bernis Inn
A colour television - I was so impressed, my best friend’s family had one
Jeans - I got my first pair at 12

Silky 🧣 scarfs
Knee length overcoats
Drinks trolley
Personalised initialled gold rings (school days)
Perfume
make-up
Hair tongs
Pedicures
Watches
Shower rooms
Gym / swimming

I had quite a spartan upbringing.

I like orange juice in a tiny glass or a melon boat as a starter. Anything more and i find it hard to get through main course and pudding.
Id prefer melon, and two puddings though...

My friend had a cleaner, I thought this was so posh and always ate at the table and shopped at Sainsbury's and John Lewis

A real Xmas tree. We had a small crappy silver one.
As an adult I have had one in the past, but am now back to having a fake tree that comes out every year. Its much better than the silver one.

I loved our silver tinsel tree. My family insist on a real one.
My mum's friend had a charlady called wee Mary who could talk without taking her cigarette out of her mouth.

White socks. We had grey or beige as they didn't show the dirt!

And 'magic markers' (aka felt tips). I was given a packet of 4 by a neighbour when I had chicken pox. The joy!

Ha, I remember being jealous of girls whose mums got them white lace-up slippers for PE. The standard issue was the black pull-on 'mutton dummies', but white plimsolls cost more, and were a badge of affluence.

I haven't heard of mutton dummies for years. Im going to reintroduce it into general use in my little family!

Austrian/festoon ruffled blinds instead of curtains. These blinds became particularly popular in the 80s but were fiddly, impractical and expensive to make. Our neighbours had them and I thought they were so pretty and fancy. I still hanker after them now TBH. Might make just one for the downstairs loo

Avon shaped soaps in a box. I absolutely coveted these. Never got any.

Being ex-directory
Having letter headed paper with own address
Having Sarah Lee double chocolate gateaux. I was never allowed it as cost too much. Always vowed to get it when older but never have!
Taxis
Having sky/bskyb (90s)
Flying on a foreign airline and not Monarch/Britannia
Having a starter and a pudding when out

Also luxuries:
Pears soap
French fancies
Fruit & fibre
Small cake forks
After eight mints
Fancy coffee (floater coffee)
Corner baths
Phone in bedroom (seems like lots of US teenagers had these, or that's how I remember in early 90s)
Sink in bedroom. I was desperate to have this. Apparently, there was plumbing in my room for it when we moved in but we could never afford to get a sink installed

'Floater coffee' wtf, that sounds pleasant!

I can remember people making such a fuss about Perrier water in the 1980s - it was the 'yuppie' drink - we got a bottle out of curiosity and my father said it tasted like Andrews Liver Salts and chucked his down the sink.

My Mother was like this also , I have no idea why, it was the 70's both my parents worked ok working class jobs . To expect two pints of milk to a family of five a day ,three of those children . I liked milk it was good for me .I used to steal a drink when no one was around .
When I had children I always swore I would never ration milk and they could drink it to their hearts content . Now they are in their twenties and still guzzle milk like it's going out of fashion .

'Floater coffee' wtf, that sounds pleasant!

our local pub does floater coffees

What is it exactly?

you put coffee in a glass, without alcohol you add 2 sugars and then pour thick cream (double cream whipped up slightly) over the back of a spoon and onto the black coffee - the cream floats due to the sugar in the coffee.
Its usually called a floater without alcohol.

Alternatively you can add Alcohol for example whiskey for an Irish coffee, brandy for a French coffee, vodka for a Russian coffee tia Maria and Bailey are also used

Ah it is a sort of teetotal Irish coffee, thanks. They could have chosen a slightly more appetising name!

I agree, it is not a good name. I can't think of a good name though.
In terms of being posh, I loved having coffee in big department stores, I aspire to being a lady who lunches. I miss department stores.

I miss dept stores too. When I was a child they were fabulous at Christmas.

I told my son that I bought Kate Bush's Running Up that Hill in the Co-op Record section when it was first released, and I realised that none of that made any sense to him...

Oh the lovely department store windows at Christmas. Even Debenhams, who I will never forgive, vanishing when I need middle aged lady wedding outfits.
That is another thing I miss, buying lovely wedding presents like towel sets.

@dontcrushthemlynn all of those things! And those coffees that had a gold container that sat on top of your cup! Vswanky!