What luxuries do you have that your parents wouldn't have?

[GrabtharsHammer]

Following on from my thread about the reasons younger people can't buy houses due to iPhones and sky telly?

We have Sky Q and iPhones etc but I'm really thinking of things that would have been available in the 70s/80s but were real luxuries.

Mine would never have had a second car. We went out the the Harvester on special occasions, always the early bird menu and only about twice a year. Holidays were camping although we went to France twice to stay in a friend's house.

Day trips to Chessington etc were very rare, once every couple of years. We had piano lessons but that was our only 'extra', we wanted to ride horses so had to wait until we were old enough to work on a yard (12/13) and earn lessons.

I don't think we ever had a takeaway, the closest was a family bucket from KFC once in a blue moon.

Having said that, my dad smoked sixty a day until we were in our teens, and my mum always had a bottle of sherry a week.

What else? Black and white telly until we were about seven or eight (so 86/87). We had a video recorder but it was a huge luxury.

My dad had a computer but he was the only person we knew with one.

Once a fortnight we'd rent a video.

We had one pair of school shoes, one pair of trainers and wellies. I remember being bought a pair of red patent shoes for a party and thinking all my Christmases had come at once. Mum made most of our clothes.

How different is your experience of modern life to your parents? And so you think things are much cheaper or that priorities are so different?

My parents never had any spare money when we were growing up so there were no after school activities, trips out or holiday abroad. There was no luxury food items or takeaways/meals out. My parents rarely drank and never smoked. I think i was 8 or 9 before we had central heating and in my early teens before we got double glazing. We had one crappy car after another and they never paid off their credit card. They used to argue over money all the time

They are well off now as my dad went to work in the ME just before retiring. So the mortgage is paid off and the house is always warm. I noticed recently that my mum stockpiles food so maybe she's worried about being poor again.

I was determined not to follow in their footsteps so i've worked since leaving college, have been lucky to never been on benefits and always made sure i could afford things before taking any debt on. We're able to afford new cars, private schools and holidays abroad but i think i've been careful not to spoil my DC. I still don't eat takeaways but that's by choice.

For all they have materially, I at times feel sorry for our kids today.

This is SO SO true. We didn't have many luxuries at all when I was growing up. McDonalds was a birthday treat. We never had holidays. Clothes were hand-me-downs. But there were four of us, and my mum didn't have to work. My dad earned enough money to keep us homed, warm, clothed and fed on his single, blue-collar wage. I consider that a luxury; I would love to be able to stay at home with my son full-time like my mum did with us. I don't remember much about the material stuff that we did/didn't have, but I remember her love and warmth and being there for us all the time. It makes me sad that I can't provide the same for our son and that both my husband and I have to work full-time just to make ends meet. I can't rationalise why things are so different now!

Quilted toilet paper.

This is the height of extravagance in my mothers opinion.

My parents had same or more luxuries, they even put me and 2 sibs through provate school.

I was born in 72, we were comparatively well off, dad had a company car, my parents owned their home (majorityof friends lived in council housing), we had a black and white tv, then a colour in the late 70's. I remember having to get dressed in front of the fire before we had central heating and we didn'5 get double glazing until I was 16. We didn't have a video recorder, my dad was a bit weird about stuff like that (although to be fair my cousins did and they had access to all the 'video nasties' of the time so maybe he had a point)
I only recall eating out once in a Chinese restaurant. We went on holidays to relatives or to caravans, always uk. Every large purchase that was made was pondered over and considered and rethought and considered again (which has proved a disaster for me as I can't make a decision without overthinking it to the extreme).
I have loads of material luxuries that my parents didn't have but my life is nowhere near as happy as theirs was/seemed.

A sort of luxury we have now is the availability of so many tv programmes and films at the touch of a button but do you know what? I really don't watch much now. I know it makes me a Luddite, but only having three channels and having to wait for my favourite programme to come round once a week, really made me enjoy it better when it was on. I also found recently letters replying to letters that I sent to the BBC and ITV asking them if they would broadcast a film that I really wanted to watch. It was my only chance of watching the film and my letter writing campaign lasted months! Certainly kept me busy.

I had no idea that peppers existed until I went to university.

I grew up in a wealthy household but my parents were early eco-warriors of their time and came from the school of tough love ('children to be seen not heard' type thing).

1 TV only and we never got to watch fun children's programs (only the news or whatever my parents were watching), no TV in the mornings, no dishwasher, no dryer, no air conditioning (grew up in hot climate where air-con was near essential), most fruit and veg was from the garden or local farms, we were never allowed to have takeaways, never allowed to have store-bought biscuits or cakes, we lived far away from everyone and everything so I hardly ever had friends over my house.

That's why I've always lived in Zone 1 or 2 in London and will never move further out, we have TVs in every room of our 5 bed house, we have two dishwashers, a separate dryer, have takeaway at least twice a week, big jar of store-bought biscuits on the kitchen counter... I could go on...

A legal entitlement to earn as a man - the equal pay act wasn't passed till I was 15 - the freedom to love a woman if I choose, and an assumption that my male partner will do his share of the housework.

Oh, and a much better deal for women in the workplace.

Using the telephone before 6pm was only for emergencies.

I agree this thread is really interesting! I worry that my children take too much for granted but maybe that happens every generation?

My children accept going out for pizza or going to a cafe for baby chinos and pastries as just what they do - we never did but I do fondly remember scampi and chips in a basket occasionally, which was mega exciting.

Somethings that are no normal now like computer games and fresh orange juice but I still feel it's really a massive indulgence, because it was when I was growing up in the 80s. Without supermarket clothes and Primark back then like we have now, clothes were much more expensive and rarely bought if they weren't secondhand. They're much cheaper now and my children have a lot more. I never seemed to have the right thing for the right weather/occasion and I definitely over compensate for that now!

My MIL thinks drinking wine at home and takeaways are luxuries we shouldn't do to save money but it's all we have! We never go out and my parents went out for dinner regularly. My MIL also thinks the amount of toys my children and other kids have is well over the top and she's probably right (but 'd never admit it).

Food is a big luxury we have now my parents definitely didn't have, the most 'spiced' or flavoured thing we ate was black pepper! There's so much more available now. Did anyone else have mice and potatoes for dinner - not in a pie with cheese on top but just "mince" think it had carrots with it"??

Dapplegrey - I still always wait till 6pm, can't shake the habit!

We do have a car unlike them- but not really a luxury as it was mainly bought for dh's job + for dealing with ailing relatives.

We have:

Fewer foreign holidays.

More varied food- but not really very expensive; it's more that I spend more time reading cookery books (and am less averse to vegetarian). But we had good home cooked food then, we have good home cooked food now.

More theatre trips- but that is partly about where we live.

More takeaways- but then we work longer hours.

Smaller and less comfortable house- but then we have paid off our mortgage much earlier.

Will certainly have less comfortable retirement.

My mum was shocked at what we used to spend on nursery. She kept on saying "you can't spend that, it's too much". Well, it was either spend that or lose my job but she thought it was a huge extravagance!

I too was a child in the 60’s and a teen in the 70’s. I remember getting a coloured TV and feeling we were so lucky. We didn’t have central heating for a long time and only got a landline when i left home to go to uni. We didnt go abroad for a holiday until i was aged 16 (ferry to Europe)) and i never flew until i was age 23. My mum and a twin tub washing machine as did i when i first got married. I also didn’t have the abundance of clothes/make up/perfumes etc that my DD’s have

All that being said i had a wonderful and happy childhood and never felt i went without. We had great holidays in the UK, magical Christmases and were members of loads of things like brownies, dancing etc. We were well fed and adequately clothed. My mum was fantastic at making what money we had go a long way.

I feel quite nostalgic sometimes for those simpler days! I am officially an old gimmer.

now my DH gets really excited if I cook mince and tatties now, as we very rarely have either (once in a blue moon, last time a few years ago). Same with liver and onions - he sees that as a luxury because we rarely have it. I think the more frugal meals can be very good still, if not overused.

There were no luxuries in my mums house. Treats were tesco value custard creams, ice poles in the freezer during the summer. There was no squash, fizzy drinks etc kept in the house, you drank water or milk.

Once a month we went to the video shop and rented a film for a treat 'movie night', and had a packet of crisps each.
Holidays were spent at a seaside caravan park with aunts and cousins, very cramped all of use squashed into a tiny caravan but we all loved it. We went abroad twice with her during my childhood, Tenerife and France.

We got essentials like clothes and shoes for xmas along with some toys, there were never really clothing items bought throughout the year. School shoes had to last you the whole school year, had to be careful not to rip tights or you'd get a severe bollocking.

My dad was better off so his house had a few more luxuries, and I went abroad with him twice too.

By contrast my children have an annual abroad holiday and at least 2 UK breaks a year, multiple days out (seaside, museums, theme parks etc), Sky TV, too many clothes, birthday parties, regular visits to soft play, the cinema etc.

It's only when I think about it in detail like this that I realise how lucky mine are!

Nothing. My parents are very comfortable and it's usually me tutting at them at their extravangce (dad drives to costa every morning to get him and my mum their morning coffee).

I can't include things like iPhones, laptops and sky telly because a. they weren't invented when I was a lass and b. If they wanted them they'd go and buy them.

They are early 70s with whopping pensions.

My parents have very different priorities. I h

Their house is crammed full of stuff and they have thousands of pounds worth of antiques in storage that never see light of day. Possessions are king, and they have never once been on holiday, in this country or abroad. They have a beautiful house, that is like a show house or museum and they do not welcome visitors

I spend what I earn on experiences rather than possessions, I like messy dinner parties and people staying over. I spend my money on holidays and doing stuff, I own very little in terms of possessions, that is of any great value. I avoid people that do behave like that, like the plague

It seems to me there is a massive difference depending on the decade in which you grew up.
I grew up in the 60s and the difference is stark.
Both my parents worked so we were not considered poor in comparison with those on benefits and yet...
No central heating.
No car until I was 10.
Holidays were at relatives.
Never had a takeaway.
If we went out for the day there would be a picnic, my mother would no more buy food or drink out than fly.
We got a tv when I was 10.
Our diet was limited to fresh seasonal stuff.
Fruit and veg was home grown.
We had no freezer.
My mother made our clothes.
The first time I ate out in a restaurant was when I was 19.

In comparison my children have grown up wealthy. We've always had two cars and two or three holidays a year, and to be fair they are very appreciative of it.

That's a good point snootch about possessions. My MIL's house is also packed with furniture and stuff that has been collected all her life and so many paintings. Her house is also a show home I'm scared to touch anything in or let the children loose in. She can't understand why I just don't want to buy stuff or dreaded ornaments I'll have to dust forever.

I'd much rather spend on experience and take the kids to legoland for the day (which is extortionate! and something my MIL would see as a luxury) than buy something that will last a lifetime. What if you get fed up with it?

Priorities change and I think older generations never replaced furniture/carpet or redecorated unless it was worn out or broken but with Ikea and places like that, it's easily replaceable.

Much like previous posters who grew up in 1960s and 1970s. I grew up on a farm. We never went on holidays or ate out. Very few gadgets. Food from vans which came round e.g. fishmonger. The food was fresh and lovely though. Everything cooked from scratch as people say on here. Very little alcohol. Thankfully my mother didn't make any of our clothes. Coal fires and Rayburn which heated the hot water.
At the time I used to envy friends whose parents bought fitted kitchens etc but now I think meh. We weren't poor and had everything we needed.
Money was spent on giant sheds and pedigree animals.

Heating, two cars, washing machine and dryer, driving lessons for dcs, bottle of wine now and then.

We don't have much in savings. They had loads but couldn't bring themselves to spend it.

I was born in 84. Parents were skint as we grew up. No abroad holidays just Cornwall camping and once to Scotland. Always had a tv. Got a PC in 95 - remember being the only kid in my class with Internet (AOL chat rooms anyone?). Never used to eat out! House always freezing, I hated it. Dad got a better paid job in around 96 in Abu Dhabi and the money started to come in. Holidayed abroad till I was 17 then I was on my own. Christmas was never ott. Remember getting a few big gifts like a piano which was second hand a clarinet. Our house was never maintained and still isn't now. They bought for £13k in 1979 and it's worth about £130k now.