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.

Count I have never to this day eaten in a little chef do they still exist ?

Electricity was only 'rationed' during the strikes which caused the Three Day Week in the mid 1970s. The miners and electricity workers went on strike and there wasn't enough power for the national grid so the three day week was introduced.

There was rampant inflation in the 1970s so the reason - for those of us old enough to remember - that our parents were so careful with money was because their wages had been devalued. And in the days before everyone had credit cards and easy access to overdrafts your wages really were the only money you had - for the majority of people.

I remember frequent power cuts throughout the 70s regardless of strikes. We all had a supply of candles not to make the house smell nice and to chill out with but to light it when the power was off.

I really don't remember the power strikes obviously my parents told me about them I was born at the end of '73 'so must have been to young .

x2boys, Little Chef is the ultimate in road side stop offs. Never went in one before I was an adult, so have no knowledge of delicious and exciting lollipops that CountD speaks of .

However, the one I occasionally go to on the A3 is just what I'd always dreamed such places would be like. Sweets on the display as you walk in, red shiny chairs and formica tables, big laminated menus that feel slightly sticky and the overwhelming aroma of fried food. OMG, don't waste my time with fancy stuff at Medlar and Bar Boulud, just give me an all day breakfast at a Little Chef in a shiny red booth and I couldn't ask for more!

I had as much sanitary protection as needed. But I remember it being much more expensive then. Does anyone know if it was?

Margo dh is off tommorow I'm going to Google my local nearest little chef and we can go for my lunch lets hope its all I've ever dreamed of

It appears the nearest one is about 20 miles away

What a shame x2. I forgot the other thrilling feature of the one on the A3, is bird music in the loos. I honestly don't think I could have asked for more, from a place I'd always wanted to go to as a child.

I don't know x2boys, we don't have a car.

Your Dreams really did come true

They were delicious and exciting Margo!

My dh refused to get the kids dunkin donuts when we stopped off at a services on the way back from a holiday at haven because as he said we could buy a bag of donuts for a pound from Asda I hope they don't feel as resentful of us as they get older

I don't need bird music, just lollipops!

'Mineral' water (this is what my DM called any type of bottled water). I mean, I avoid bottled water even now- we have taps! We do not need to buy bottles of water if we aren't out and about and very hot and thirsty!- but my dc do not, as my brother and I did, regard mineral water as the height of sophistication and something only very posh people had.

Anything from a vending machine, ever. It was my DM's firm belief that buying from a vending machine was the sort of profligate behaviour that would lead to ruin. Also, things from a vending machine were likely to kill you.

Turning on the heating (once we'd moved to a house which actually had heating) before ice had started regularly forming on the windows. Which is odd as my parents now live in a fucking oven and complain that my house is painfully cold.

Vienetta. In the first 12 years of my brother's life we had this twice. Both of us remember it in greater detail than any Xmas, birthday or holiday that took place in those times.

Toiletries for each person rather than everyone sharing the same soap/ shampoo. I still get a bit of a thrill out of having my own shampoo :)

Cedar I remember the power cuts and the rush to get the candles from under the sink. Such a fire risk as we didn't have candle holders and had to drip melted candle wax onto a saucer and then the candle would be stuck in that. It's something that's stayed with me as I keep a box of white household emergency candles in the cupboard in the utility room!

since my parents house is like a sauna now too! As soon as I moved out they had radiators put in all rooms, including my bedroom which didn't have one for the 21 years that I lived there.

sinceyouask - "the sort of profligate behaviour that would lead to ruin" exactly that!

I was going to say Viennetta as well.

Also new shoes.

Little Chef was properly gross. I don't think the lollies were only if you finished your plate, the staff never cared, but my dad wouldn't let us have one unless we had :( I hardly ever did because I used to leave the disgusting bits. Meanie.

We didn’t really have any money in a one parent working family and horrendous mortgage rates, so anything was a luxury. We had a foreign holiday and presents at Christmas/birthdays but I would NEVER ask for a toy/treat when we were out or get to dictate what went into a shopping trolley.

I hate to this day buying ridiculously overpriced food/drinks from services/on days out and what I consider to be ‘tat’ toys.

All of the above! Central heating, Vienetta, individual shampoo, holidays. Also wine which DM now consumes by the bucketload and cotton buds for some reason. I remember being aghast at a friend who decadently used one cotton bud per ear instead of using both ends of the bud.

MumOfTwo none of my DC have ever asked for a toy/treat when out, they learnt very quickly that sweets are puddings only and small toys are a reward on a Saturday for whatever behaviour we're trying to improve.

My mum would never let me have baked potatoes, as it was too expensive to turn the oven on just for one spud ... going to SpudULike was an annual treat

She now denies this

My parents took me to a Little Chef for my birthday treat once. I’ve always been cheap date 😑

LaLaLandfill we had baked potatoes a LOT, as if you have a big family then it's worth putting the oven on, as you can cook a LOT of carbs all at once, and it makes a cheap meal at that scale. (Still had to stick a fork in each of them to cook the insides quicker, though, and remember not to use the same fork when you went to dish up.)