And health. However, I agree. All these things, plus luck of course, played their part whilst we strove to reach our golden years.
I was a child, not poor, not rich, in the fifties. There was some serious poverty around then, but also there wasn’t nearly so much consumerism, so more of a family’s income went on basics. No foodbanks, and benefits were minimal. Make do and mend was the norm. My mother, who was born before WWI considered herself and her siblings lucky because they had boots. I was lucky, because we had an indoor bathroom.
I was a worker most of my life, and at one time paid 33% as basic income tax. I’ve bought a house, budgeted for around 8% interest, it went up to 15%. People lost their homes, we scraped by and hung on. Coped without power during the time of the three day week. As parents, we did our best to give our DC opportunities that we didn’t have, they grasped them. Not expensive holidays, or designer clothes, just aspiration and a work ethic. They have passed those values on to the DGC. The kind of family that does their best, pays their way, doesn’t behave anti socially, etc., etc.
I’ve a DH who had a serious health issue in middle age, which decimated our income, so I had to keep working past retirement age. Now I am an older pensioner, my state pension is low, but my occupational pension lifts us a bit above Pension Credit levels. I value my bus pass, it got me to hospital today. I use the bus when I’m volunteering too.
Until we reach each stage of life, we don’t really know what it feels like. I was pleased women no longer had to give up certain jobs on marriage; that the childcare that wasn’t available for me as a parent, was there for my DCs’ and further generations; that further and higher education, and entry into professional careers was much more accessible. My generation rarely received inheritances, but as pointed out before, all our accumulated wealth will be passed down to benefit younger people, along with a slice from the really wealthy going to the government.