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.

Pot noodles me and my dad had to share

Butter.

The joke in our family was that you knew it was Xmas when there was butter in the fridge.

I always buy it now but it still makes me feel a bit festive when I have it on crackers.

Oh this thread has made DH and I roar with laughter.

One thing we never had was proper haircuts. There was a lady on our street who would give my mum, aunties and nan a home perm. She would do her own at the same time.

Then give me a trim.

She wasn't a hairdresser though. IIRC she worked in the Co Op funeral parlour.

Yeah my parents rarely bought us sweets and ice creams and crisps were a treat they wouldn't have dreamed of buying us fruit shoots if such a thing had existed in the 80,s but they have cupboards full of treats these days for the grandkids

We did have a hair dresser but a mobile one it would be an evening of it with mine and my mum and sisters bad 80,s perms

She wasn't a hairdresser though. IIRC she worked in the Co Op funeral parlour.

HA! bet she did the deceased before viewings

This is a great! Such memories!

I remember being jealous that our neighbours kids had robinsons Barley water as we were only allowed tap water, no squash.

Clothes were from charity shops, had new ones occasionally on birthdays and at xmas. And we treasured those new items, they weren't flung on the floor like my teens are prone to do

Yy to fresh orange juice! I was allowed a very small glass at breakfast time only. The only other time it was acceptable was as a starter at a posh dinner party!

My mum's particular thing was a twix - I was only ever allowed one of the bars and the other one had to be saved till the next day...

A lion bar on a Sat night watching Starsky and Hutch was a massive treat 😂

Juice!
Only one small glass a day and we had to choose when to have it

I had a friend who always had ‘moist’ tissue paper - I thought she was Uber posh - now I always have it!

Also vienetta, taxis, CD players, households with more than one car, ..game boys! Only for those richer that us..

Strawberries and sun cream

I can still remember some of my clothes that I loved. They were nothing special really, but I think it is because we did not have much.

love I could never buy moist toilet paper. I know it is not that expensive, but it seems so extravagant to me.

I never went to the hairdresser as a child, my aunt would do it ( she was a hairdresser tho ). Had a hideous pageboy haircut as a child and grew it out as long as I could as a teen!

Still feel frivolous getting a haircut tho and as I have longish hair, I'll often just cut the ends off myself. Have to spend £50 a time to get it dyed however, as it's going grey!

My mum was of the age where she'd go get a shampoo and set every Sat at local hairdresser and had it dyed her lovely chestnut brown at the hairdressers, was so sad when she was in a nursing home for 4 years following a severe stroke where her hair was unstyled and totally white, she would have been mortified if she had been aware of it

I remember my aunt being very odd about new clothes for her clothes my uncle's a QC so as you can imagine hes not short of money they lived in a big fancy house with a n extremely large garden the kids went up private school from the age of three but my aunt would only ever buy second hand clothes for them

Fizzy drinks- only at Christmas

Loving the ice cream hierarchy that existed with us - mini milk or lump it!!

For her kids not clothes*

I remember strawberries signifying the start of summer as you couldn't get them any other time. Such a treat to have strawberries and cream whilst watching Wimbledon on the telly!

I was born in 1958 and have got a 13 yr old and a 19 yr old and they literally CANNOT get their heads around the fact that I had no internet and social media when I was their age.

We had no DVDs, or any means of playing films at home, and the watching highlight of my year was the occasional trip to the cinema and watching Disney Time on Bank holidays and Christmas!!

Regarding fizzy pop we rarely had it apart from Xmas my grandma used to give us lemonade but it was always flat I can still remember the little glasses she served them in .

If she had to bring them in her suitcase from the US, I am not surprised she was so careful with them.

Philadelphia. In the 80s when it came in a foil wrapped block. We used to divide it into little squares and eat one at a time. I remember Mum's friends coming round and her being all like 'Oh yes, help yourself to philly' and they hoovered up the whole pack in one evening!