Things your parents led you to think were 'special' or 'expensive' that you now take for granted?

[VladmirsPoutine]

for the po-faced

Growing up my siblings and I were wary over using too much kitchen roll - we'd get a sheet and fold it in half to tear before using, the faff was a PITA but to this day I still get a bit territorial over my kitchen roll.

We also had 'special' China plates, cups, cutlery, that sort of thing. Only used when we had guests or at Christmas - I didn't carry that into adulthood but whenever I visit my DM I still fondly look at the unit containing all those 'special' cups

My dad died when I was relatively young but prior to this death he used to always take us (siblings&I) to our weekend clubs when we were young, on Saturdays one of my sisters and I attended clubs that finished at similar times and it was always Saturdays that mum worked nights so the 4 us: dad+siblings would always get McDs and think it was basically gourmet dining.

I didn't have a deprived childhood by any definition but I do find those quirks quite funny looking back.

I remember having a KFC bucket occasionally which came with a Viennetta and a bottle of Tango. It was so exciting!

I miss 'corned beef legs' from pressing up as close as you could to the electric fire!

I've seen my mum become speechless when DS has picked up his phone and rang for a taxi.
She can't understand how a taxi can be cheaper than a bus!
We've explained numerous times that a taxi will take the direct route across town however for DS to get to his destination he needs two buses with a 25 minute wait between buses and it will take 1 hr and 10 mins and cost £4.40. If he gets a taxi it costs £3.50 and he goes door to door in less than 20 mins. It's even cheaper if two or 3 of them go at the same time.
You can see mums head exploding when the taxi turns up!!

Haven't RTFT yet, but I'm sure someone has mentioned Imperial Leather soap

My mum worked in the factory where Imoeril leather was made so it wasn't special to us. Lux sop was seen as the top notch one!

Pears soap was common apparently we did sometimes have imperial leather

Fizzy drinks, we had them at Christmas only. One bottle each of lemonade, cola and cherryade.
Eating out, maybe twice a year.
Cream.

My big treat as a (only) child was during the school holidays and just before the start of term was a midday treat of a burger in the middle of the plate with curried baked beans ( mum added the curry powder ) with a ring of rice around it. Was told - don't tell your dad !

Haven’t RTFT. Has anyone mentioned photographs? There are years between one photograph and the next. There is one photo when I was about three and the next was taken when I was seven. My eldest sibling has albums of her babyhood. I have two photos, TWO photos.

I take photos of my children every day!

Did you get the pop from the milkman spank? We did.

One outstanding memory from my childhood was the day that we had, drum roll ......................................................

Sandwiches, juice boxes and crisps from Marks and Spencer. It was probably the only time I had them, or any other pre-made sandwiches, in the first 15 years of my life and we had them because we used to go on the 'Club Trip' which was a day out at the coast from the Working Men's Club and because we were poor children of striking miners (or because DM was a foster parent or some other reason I can't remember) M&S, before they joined the 'reduced for quick sale, yellow sticker' bandwagon like every other supermarket, used to donate all their unsold food to worthy causes and that time we were on the receiving end. We talked about those sandwiches for years.

I think i may be bringing ds up in the early 1980s without meaning to..
We go on on holiday once a year to the UK seaside for a week. Often in a tent.(like I did)
We didn't have a car for years
I won't buy him cornettos (as for Magnums..he once asked me when he could get a Magnum. I said "when you have a job"..)
We never get a takeaway
Going to Costa (for a hot chocolate about once a year if it snows) is the height of sophistication.
His preferred activity is kicking a ball against a wall.
I'm perpetually saying "why have you got every light in the house on I'm not made of money".
He doesn't play an instrument because I can't afford lessons.
If it wasn't for the PS4 (2nd hand) he would be properly deprived. I don't feel bad. It's good to yearn for things, and not get everything you want. Right??? Builds character.

Yes!!!photos!
That's one thing that will never be the same, and kids will never really get it, the idea that you couldn't see endless pictures of yourself.

Photos were expensive though.

Oh yes, the HOME MADE school cardigans!! Or plain grey cardigans from M&S instead of the lovely soft school sweaters that I coveted.

I live in hoodies now. I love that sweater material. I hate knitted stuff. The wind comes through the holes and makes you cold

Photos are true actually. I remember poring over family photo albums. And a film would last months or sometimes a year or two, so it was really exciting to get them developed. Plus the excitement when I was allowed my own camera. Most of DS's toddlerhood is chronicled in a digital blur. None of the photos are good enough to save or print out but I can't bring myself to delete them either. I really should go through and pick out the highlights.

Yes Imperial Leather was a luxury. Now you can get 4 bars for a £1 in pound shops. Which never seems right to me.

Anything at all that was not supermarket own-brand. When I met DH I though he was a bit posh because he bought Radox shower gel.

And buying food outside of the home. We'd bring sandwiches everywhere, and I think this habit is part of my DNA, because I can't plan a trip to a museum or the beach without reaching for the cling film and fruit shoots even though we've enough disposable income for a cafe lunch now and again.

Nodding in agreement to most of these!

We were never allowed McDonalds/Burger King/KFC, too expensive.
Ice cream van also banned - we had choc ices at home (these were still a big treat!)
We never had holidays abroad - my mum refused to go on a plane or a ferry. But strangely, when I was 24 (and had still never been abroad) she found a course that she really wanted to do, so flew down to Stansted to do it
Clothes were bought from the local market only - and I often loved getting my cousin’s hand-me-downs cos she always had fashionable clothes.
No branded trainers... my sisters could wreck trainers within 3 months as they were hard on their feet, I could keep mine for a year or more but I wasn’t allowed branded as my sisters would also want them.

Vienetta was a massive treat and reserved for Christmas only!

Best thing was, we weren’t poor!

Proper birthday parties! My birthdays consisted of asking if i could have a party at 3.15 when we finished school running round the estate inviting your friends! Lemon curd, sausages on sticks,cheese and pineapple and crisps with jelly and ice cream for afters.

On those rare birthdays & anniversaries when we did eat out, it was always to an Italian restaurant. The highlights being stuffing yourself on breadsticks while waiting (seemingly for ever) for the starter, and profiteroles for pudding.

M&S Chicken Kiev.

On our birthdays we were allowed either to go out for a meal, or go to the cinema. Never both. Only time we ate out.

I still am amazed at some people who post on here saying things like, we had a quiet weekend with the kids. Cinema on Saturday, Sunday family meal out. That would have been a very special weekend for me. Guess a sign of my age.

Orange juice was very special to us. I remember a little tin of Squeez thathad to be mixed with water.

Another one for take aways. Me and DP get one every Sunday!

My mum and dad still only get one once a year and even then it's a right rigamore with them getting leaflets and menus to choose from and warming the plates in advance.

I always knew that money was an issue for us, but it wasnt until i was speaking to a friend, who is a few years older than I, that i realised we had it a bit better. I mentioned that we could have a 99 ice cream in the summer if the ice cream van came around (which wasnt that often really and it was a real treat now and again ) she just laughed and said ' my mum used to say ' ask them if they have any free broken cones they can spare you ' if they didnt they had to go without. She then said that we must have been rich to have afforded a whole cone and flake. Honestly, we not rich at all, didnt have a car or holidays abroad or trips out or anything much and food was bought daily and had to last too ( no freezer).

There is literally about 5 photos of me under 5. When DD was born everyone was asking if she looked like me as a baby and I actually didn't know.

Hands up anyone who TO THIS DAY only has Viennetta for Christmas! ✋

My parents are dead FFS! It still just seems extraordinarily wasteful to have it just on a regular Wednesday. Good god, the mind boggles.