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.

New duvets
Takeaway once a year
Fresh juice - even now I water mine down half

Rather missed the past tense idea there...
Okay then, having more than one pair of shoes. Maybe two would be acceptable if they had markedly different uses.
Going to the gym. Just go for a walk or do a Jane Fonda work out tape!

Fizzy pop was a treat
Telephone calls
Keeping wrapping paper
KFC only on Christmas Eve
Did have a Macdinals meal til I was 18!! And then it was just a burger
Bus fare when we could walk
One bath a week
Anything you could 'get on the market' knock off/cheaper

Hotels & airlines.

I had never even flown or stayed in a hotel until I went to university. Now I have a stack of loyalty cards for BA, Hilton, Virgin, Marriott, Lufthansa, Radisson etc etc. I could write a bloody guide book.....

Individual Ski yogurts
Cocoa pops
Chocolate biscuits
Fish and chips
Going to restaurants (once a year to a Chinese place-best clothes and V. Exciting)
Getting the train anywhere
New shoes
Going to the hairdresser
Renting a video from Blockbuster
I regularly try to explain to ds that he doesn't know he's born...

Eating out. And takeaways. We only ever had fish and chips we collected. The idea of getting food delivered to the house was impossibly decadent.

Taxis and trains.
I am still completely averse to using them.

Tin foil. Every time I use it i can hear my Ddad telling me only to use a tiny amount!

But then times have changed.

Going on big days out was once a year. Eating out was seen as a treat.
Now though merlin passes exist for regular visits to theme parks and my nephews get taken to softplay more than once a week, regularly eat out in cafes.

Takeaways. We only had a takeaway about twice a year, but we ate out quite often, so I assumed that takeaways were more expensive than restaurants. Didn't figure that one out until I was at uni.

Nail polish. My mum bought cheap nail polish, and made a big deal of bringing it out for special occasions. I was delighted at being given some for my 12th birthday, and always weighed up whether an occasion was special enough for a light coat. Now I wear it nearly every day and nicer brands

Boxes of hankies instead of just blowing your nose on toilet paper.

Yy to hotels! I was well into my 20s first time I stayed in one.
But we had pop from the pop man (2p back for the bottle). That wasn't a luxury for some reason!

Taxis
Hotels
And we had basics brand of every foodstuff...crisps, yoghurt, squash, biscuits, instant coffee, cereal.
We did however have huge quantities of home baked cakes.
But they were brought up during rationing.

Taxis. And I don't let my kids have magnums

Taxis - only for millionnaires
M+S food - ditto
Variety pack cereal - caravan holidays only
Kingsmill bread + lurpak butter - christmas only

God me neither alltheworld on principle!

Ribena here too
We had a friend who had a soda stream, that was posh! I now use one to turn tap water into fizzy every day!

Yes fresh orange juice!! Why was it expensive?!? My mum used to buy this weird frozen concentrated stuff I think. At the very best the long life juice not the fridge cartons. I think we got Coca Cola more frequently. My kids would be horrified.

Also my sister and I used to get a mars bar to share after dinner as a special treat. To share! We were not on the bread line. Eating out at Pizza Hut was also a treat.

Chocolate biscuits. Only for birthday parties.

Having a variety of breakfast options. My parents believed that once a packet of cereal was open, you should eat that cereal and nothing else for breakfast until it was finished. Ideally, they believed, you should identify your favourite and remain loyal to it for life (parents and sibling achieved this). They were constantly frustrated that I could decide on 'my breakfast cereal'.

As an adult, I have two or three cereal packets simultaneously open. My children can have whichever they like. I even let them mix different cereals in one bowl! Sometimes they ask for eggs, or toast and fruit and actually eat no cereal! My parents see breakfast in our house as unpredictable anarchy I am sure.

Oh god yes Taxis! They were only reserved for the gazillionaires!

Cheese bizarrely enough. Just common or garden cheddar. My mum never skimped on food: we ate really well, lots of fresh fruit and veg, big joints from the butchers. But cut yourself a slice of cheese more than a couple of mm thick and she was on your case.

I positively revel in cutting myself a big chunk of cheese now.

Yes to Cornettos they were adult icecream and I never ever had one. My DC see them as bread and butter icecreams. I flinch every time I buy them.

A battered fish from the fish and chip shop. We always had chips with a scallop - so potato with battered potato. The adults had fish and we might get a little bit off the end!

Oh god yes, the Mars bars. My dad used to cut one into little slices for the four of us to share watching the telly . We all angled for the end piece.

I second putting the heating on, or a bar on the fire.
Brand Coca-cola was a huge thing too!
And buying Pears soap.
Kitchen Roll.
A Kinder Egg was a massive treat.