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.

MrsJayy

Fish shop was a few bags of chips and some scraps shared out between 7 of us.

Dp always orders large cod and it makes my eyes water. I can never bring myself to do it.

We never had takeaways either and McDonald's was only had on holiday.

My nanna used to get chips and gravy from the Chinese when I stayed there though

Going to cafe etc for lunch. Almost never happened - usually a very plain picnic. I take my kids to cafes at least once a week, way more in the holidays!

Making any sort of phone call in the daytime. Cheap Rate After 6 should be on my mother's gravestone.

This ^^ and putting the phone down after 59 minutes and redialling as only the first hour was cheap/free

I think you and me may have come from the same town iirc from a previous thread ginger a town famous for it black pudding ?did you get pea wet with your chips and scraps?

Lol no 2boys I'm up in the north east. Teesside way.

Ah right must be thinking of someone else

Someone mentioned barley water upthread. I was given that too. Wasn't it rank? And what was the purpose of it?

My FIL used to make barley water, with actual barley. He drank it when he was making hay or shearing sheep, because it was more refreshing than plain water. Yeuch!
Hairdressers were a huge luxury for us kids and my dad, but not for my mother. She went regularly, but we all of us kids had to have our hair done at home, with a pudding basin. Once when I was 13 (and at a fairly posh boarding school) I moaned about my friends all having lovely perms and me looking like some kind of Medieval peasant. So my mother did a home perm on my pudding basin haircut. I can still feel the burning shame! After that I refused to let her near my head with scissors, but she always insisted I wash my hair at home before I went to the hairdresser, so she wouldn't have to pay for me to have it washed there.

Things we only got a Xmas eat me dates, .mixed nuts that you had to crack with a but cracker those sugerrd orange and lemon slice things salted and roasted peanuts bags of flavoured crisps and odley glace cherries all out in little dishes for people to help themselves .

Nut cracker *

but cracker

My mum used to be give my brother and I two squares each of Cadbury’s milk chocolate after our supper.

I still get a thrill from being to eat a whole bar now!

Holidays : never ever only for rich ppl
Ribena/orange juice/squash: never way too expensive
Fizzy drinks: nope never
Biscuits : never ever unless plain and then 2 only per day strict rations
Deodorant/makeup/perfume: never ever too expensive it'd only be wasted apparently
New shoes: a rare every 2nd/3rd year so feet better not grow like ever
New clothes: never ever charity shop only and even then certain charity shops were deemed too expensive
Takeaways/dining out : never ever no way again only for rich folks
Milk: was a precious commodity cereal only not to be drunk in a glass(even cereal milk was rationed)
Snacks: nope never not a hope even eating a slice of buttered bread between meals was frowned upon
Birthday presents: didn't exist ever

My DC have no idea with their frankly luxury lifestyle of annual holidays /gifts/ clothes/takeaways even the fact their parents have a car to drive them places is a luxury.

Maroonpencil 😂 at the cornettos - I'm SURE they used to be much bigger too

Yep and Vienetta

Laughing as I read this thread.

Ones I remember are:

Tin foil - my mother still reuses tin foil. She has a little pile of smoothed out sheets that she cleans (!) And reuses. Why??

Any ice cream other than a choc ice.

Calling mobiles. This was reserved for dire emergencies.

Sky Tv. My mother scoffed that it was hundreds of channels of American shite and my dad thought it was daylight robbery. So we had 4 channels until ONE WEEK after I moved out they got Sky + and my mum now has a serious addiction to NCIS

Wham bars we used to get 10 p to go to the local sweetie shop I always got a wham bar because they lasted all afternoon.(80,s child )

TOBLERONES used to be a posh treat too as did those Côte d'Or chocolate elephants 🐘🐘🐘🐘

Ooh and using the oven - it still feels naughty

Oh dearie me pudding perm you poor poor bugger. I think you win the thread zippy

And my mum used to get Fenjal bubble bath and it was hers that nobody else could use

Bananas. If I chose one I’d have to decide whether I’d want it in a sandwich or on its own, so I’d ask for half in the sandwich and the rest on the side of the plate. As I rarely has them it was a treat!

Southern Comforts you reminded me.

My mother used to keep the paper that butter came in. She used it to grease the tins that she made cakes in, I am so wasteful now I feel quite ashamed.

After Eights were bought in specially for dinner guests only and were strictly not for casual eating.