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?

Really??? That's disappointing.

Does the chocolate still crack and crackle? [hopeful]

Bagged salad. Any prepared veg really. Steak. Take away.

Oh! I have thought of one. Gym membership.

Artic Roll. Luxury.

allegretto Mc Donald's came to Britain in 1974. I had my 6th birthday party there and have vivid memories of queuing into the street on a Saturday to eat there

My dad worked in Libya for 6 years (he would go for half a year at a time) and when he came back he would always bring back "exotic" fruits like banana and mango.

SapphireStrange It does crack and crackle but the taste of the ice cream itself isn't the same.

Grew up in the 60's and 70's. Very rarely had heating on during the day - really only if someone was ill. Didn't have central heating till I was almost grown-up. Very rarely ate out, and never did things like buying coffee or lunch out whilst on a trip - always packed lunches, flasks, or nothing! We had far fewer clothes - I remember as a child getting a pair of patent party shoes and I was so excited - normally it was the same pair for everything, and wellies for bad weather. Only one coat. I can clearly remember my Mum getting a few new dresses after she got divorced when I was about 8 - I'd never seen her in anything new before. I did have ballet classes, but that was because the very lovely ladies who ran the dancing school knew of my Mum's circumstances and charged her a very reduced rate.

On the other hand, one set of grandparents lived abroad, which meant that we had beach holidays every year, for at least 2 and sometimes 4 weeks at a time. That is something my children have not done - on our few trips abroad as a family, it has only ever been for a week. And as teenagers, we went there 2 or 3 times a year , which was fantastic!

Agree with lots of these (child of the 70s/80s)

taxis
takeaways
hot water that doesn't run out after two baths
duvets
meals out on trips - always packed lunches
eating at Motorway Service stations
tumble dryer
fresh herbs/garlic - not sure if anyone used them in the 70s though
drinking at home except on a Sunday/family party

Chipmunck

Yes!

We got a "shower" when I was a teenager - a rubber hose attached to bathtaps

nothing really. my parents had 2 cars. we went on a foreign holiday once a year, we had TV, meals out.

DH and I are both working, 2 DC (1 severly disabled). we haven't had a holiday since having the DC (9 year). 1 car, no days and meals out, we don't even have a TV (though that is choice). My parents had a far better of quality of live than we do (thougn I have to admit that part of out hardship is the direct result if having a child with severe and complex SN).

No car , no luxuries. Fish n chip takeout was a real treat, twice a year!

My dad worked hard too.
Life was hard , but people did seem happier in my youth! ( rose tinted glasses maybe, but they seemed too be more contented)
Dad is still a council tenant! Money was always a problem when i was little.
It was tough for them.

Chip, our hose on the bath taps was bright pink! Used to fall off mid hair wash! Dad still doesnt have a shower!

My parents had and have more luxuries than we do. I'm in my mid thirties and grew up with 2 cars, a dishwasher etc. We only recently got a freezer, have no tv or dishwasher, and only one car BUT I prefer to live this way. I do have a smart phone but no ipad or anything. My parents have countless devices, a couple of TVs, 2 cars, 2 houses actually, come to think of it.
A combination of being baby boomers, and enjoying those things. I prefer to live with less if possible.

Winter coats. This was always a big purchase and had to be warm and sensible. Now, I have about 5 different coats and buy them because I like the various styles. However, part of me still sees a new coat as big luxury/outlay.
Also, carpet. In the 70s, my dad used to buy an off cut and fit it himself ( he made a pretty good job of it, too). If you moved, a lot would take the carpet with them and re lay it. My parents got "wall to wall" (ie professionally fitted), carpet in about 1979 and it was a big thing.
Things like irons, kettles tended to get mended ( my dad again), rather than just buying a new one.

A job I enjoy.

Born mid 1970's. Clothes are cheaper now than then as far more choice.

I can spend the same on shoes/clothes than I did in the mid 90's. I remember peers spending £60 on Kickers which my could not afford.

We did not have a car.
We did not travel abroad.
We shopped in Sainsbury's
I had a school coat which I also wore on weekends
I had one pair of shoes for school, one for weekend. As soon as I started working, I bought countless shoes
I went to girl guides
We had take out every Friday

My children wear supermarket, Next, H & M clothes and Clarkes school shoes.
They do extra curricular activities
We have two cars
They have shop bought fish and chips on Friday
We shop in Sainsbury's
We travel abroad and in UK

Sky q and a 4K 3D tv.

I still don't have Sky Q (have not idea what it is) nor an iphone.......terrestrial TV and an android phone works find for me

However - born early 60's and we went on holiday every summer (from about 1966) to mainland europe, by car, with a tent (Austria, Italy and S France)!

Definitely no take aways, occasional fish and chips.

Something I don't think has been mentioned yet is how much easier some things are now. I was born in the 70s and my mum and dad both worked. The bank was only open till 3 pm except late opening on Thursday till 3.30. So from age 6 or so I went to the bank most weeks to cash a cheque - because there were no cash machines, no card payments, it was cheque or cash.

The only supermarket near us was open till 6 most nights and did a late opening till 8. So again, working families had to fit everything into a much less flexible time frame.

They were and are better off, so very little, and I have fairly similar habits for buying many items. They didn't splash out on furniture (bought cheap stuff for their income bracket) and I don't either. There are quite a number of things I now wouldn't buy that they did at my age.

The only things that stand out are dishwashers and showers - items I didn't grow up with and really wanted. It wasn't a case of them not being able to afford them, they just didn't get these until I left home as they didn't feel the need for them.

I couldn't have coped without a shower for most of my life after I went to uni, though now I might just about manage without if I cut my hair really short. And I still hate it when there isn't a dishwasher available.

Now defunct, but they never got video rentals. I did when I left home.