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.

The onions were held together in onion shoot plaits consisting of about six onions per plait, as far as I can remember, AdoraBell.

They were dug and then cleaned when the shoots began to die back, then dried for a few weeks in separate layers first, as far as possible not touching each other, on old builders' pallets in the garage (dry air and no mould) until the skins became papery, with the shoots brown and dry but not yet brittle, then dad strung them together and hung them from hooks in the shed.

Some were discarded or turned into onion chutney or jam along the way - if they had soft spots or if the shoots had broken off, because they were more liable to get mouldy as time wore on.

Dad grew very hot onions, and I later learned that these are the kinds that last best over the winter.

There were always earwigs among the dry onion stalks so I kept well back from the plaiting. This site explains how to do it though. I think dad used string and didn't rely completely on the onion stalks.
www.theprairiehomestead.com/2015/10/how-to-braid-onions.html

The photos on the site show onion shoots that are a lot greener than those I remember. I suspect if you had a really dry storage place with good airflow you could get away with that, as the shoots would dry in time. However, we were in Ireland and the shed was inclined to be a little damp so dad waited until the onion shoots were drier.

You just use a secateurs or kitchen scissors to cut off onions from the plait when you need them.

Neighbours used old nylon tights with about 3 or 4 onions per leg, knotted between each onion. They let their shoots dry off to brittleness, than cut them off about an inch from the bulb. This might have been simpler.

Fizzy drinks, especially branded ones. My sister and I were given a can of Coke or Pepsi on New Year's Eve, and unbranded pop appeared at Christmas and birthdays, but that was it.

Thanks mathanxiety that’s really helpful 👍

Me too, HotDamnState. Mum had a gizmo that you pushed peeled potatoes through to cut your own chips. We longed for the visits of our uncle and aunt and cousins from the west of Ireland as that always meant fish and chips from the chipper - they would be famished from their long trip (it used to take ages to get from Mayo to Dublin) and they always stopped at the chipper in the village on their way. They bought enough for everyone. Mum was always a bit miffed that they never took up her offer of preparing dinner for them when planning a visit.

Eating out (we only ate out at The Harvester once a year it seemed).

Any ice cream other than a choc ice.

Having crisps with a Diet Coke while on holiday.

We also never went to coffee shops. In fact I spent a lot of my childhood in b and q!

Thanks to this thread I impulse bought a box of After Eights when I stopped at the supermarket after work! Now do I save them for Xmas (and dole them out one at a time) or just dive in and indulge now 🤔

We were allowed not a whole piece of fruit, but half a piece of fruit per day.

My mum baked a lot though. When we went on holiday (in the extremely small caravan , 2 adults, 4 kids, how did they stand it?!) she would bring piles of home made cakes, empanadas etc. Being an ungrateful brat I can remember sitting on a beach (probably shivering) eating a delicious piece of home made fruit cake and coveting the shop bought chocolate that the family next to us had 😂

Plenty of time to replace them Most, get stuck in I say 😁

I like your thinking there AdoraBell

We also never went to coffee shops

To be fair the coffee culture is a relatively recent thing in the UK. When a lot of us on MN was growing up there wasn't a Costa or Starbucks or McCafe on every corner. Now many high streets are covered in a combination of indies and chains and you can hardly walk past someone without seeing the ubiquitous takeaway cup with it's plastic lid.

Coming very late to this, I’ve just remembered one. Like so many others growing up in the 50s and 60s we never ate out, & ice cream (when we had it) was a block from the corner shop wrapped in newspaper & carried home by a child at a gallop.

However. We lived in Middlesex & my mum’s family lived in Staffs. We got a car when I was about 5 & driving up (no motorways, slow old car, took 5-6 hours ) we used to stop in Banbury for LUNCH IN A CAFE!!!

And stop again in Kenilworth for a STRAWBERRY MIVVI!!!

Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive.

(I wonder now if my mum only did it in order to swank when we got there...)

This thread has bought back so many memories for me. My dh is a similar age to me but with much younger parents so experienced none of this frugality!
Like most others, Cornettos were the ultimate childhood forbidden fruit, no sooner had your eyes settled on one then they would be directed by an adult to the mini milks.
Also it was almost unheard of to buy an individual chocolate bar or packet of crisps. Everything was from supermarket own brand multi packs, even desserts which were small tubs of mousse or yogurt.
I didn’t have a McDonald’s until aged 10, a Chinese until 16 and an Indian take away until in my 20s! Fish and chips were the only treat, eaten in the paper in the car or, if it was a very special occasion, in a chip restaurant.
Sandwich fillings were more frugal too, pre made sandwiches never featured. Most fillings were from a jar, jam, sandwich spread, meat paste, marmite etc. If we had a sandwich filling from the fridge you could only have one thing, eg ham or salad, not both together.
Those days were amazing though and on photos I was much slimmer! I need a month or two confined to my parents house- who needs a health farm!

Feraro Roches. I don't know why but I can only remember one christmas growing up when we had them. And they had been given to granny as a gift. Looking back I think my parents just didn't like them but back then I always viewed it as a luxery, far too expensive item. I have a vague recollectionnof my mum saying they were too expensive.Even today I won't buy a large box on offer, but will buy a box of celebrations which usually costs more if not the same. Its mad...especially when I had an incrediably privelidged upbringing. But i still vye away from buying them even though I love them

I love this thread.

In our house:

• Ice pops. No idea why because they cost about 10p but they were strictly forbidden.
• any ‘premium’ brands like Walkers crisps or Cadbury’s chocolate. You could have a packet of Squares or a Breakaway if they were on offer, or it was supermarket own.
• chocolate biscuits didn’t exist until I was about 10. Nor did ice cream in any other flavour than vanilla, and only on special occasions.
• fruit only came in two types - apples and bananas. Maybe a satsuma if the parents were feeling flush. (In contrast, my daughter expects blueberries as a daily food)
• no fancy cereal like coco pops or shreddies. Only bran flakes or rice crispies. Or Alpen, but only if you were an adult.
• taxis. I think I was about 18 before I went in one.
• foreign holidays. Also hotels. Everything was self catering, even when we did eventually go abroad.
• we were another family who rationed orange juice. And it was only the long life concentrated stuff we were allowed. The actual fresh stuff was only for the uber-rich.
• hair conditioner. As children we were subjected to Boots own brand wheatgerm shampoo (what even is wheatgerm?!) with no conditioner. As someone with thick, frizzy hair, you can imagine how attractive the end result was.
• we were almost certainly the last family in Britain to get broadband internet. I think they finally gave up dial up in about 2010.

My Mum was brilliant at this. Malt Loaf and crumpets were an exciting treat to us. I was amazed how cheap they were when I started doing my own shopping.

More seriously, I am sometimes sad at the things young families think they "need" today. It puts so much pressure on them, when only a couple of generations ago families were happy without them.

Eating out (first restaurant meal I was 16)
Holidays (first holiday/flight I was 23)
Orange squash
Takeaway (very very occasionally had fish and chips)

Heating!

Showers!

As a young child (in the early 60s) I had to share a bath with my sister - we would take turns to sit at the tap end.
Then from about age 6 to 12 we shared the bathwater, one after the other - we would take turns to have the first bath with the hot, clean water, or the second bath with tepid soapy water. Baths only every other day.

An American exchange student stayed when I was a young teenager and she wanted to shower every day - we thought she was unbelievably spoilt.

Undiluted fruit juice
More than one yogurt a day
Any frozen oven food

Coca cola!

Fruit juice here too - only half a small tumbler each.

We were very lucky as a kid and had teachers holidays in our own caravan in Cornwall for 6 weeks every year - was absolutely fabulous!

However, we went to the beach every day even if the weather was crap, because it was free. We also had meat paste sandwiches on white bread for lunch every day with absolutely nothing else - no salad even. Water to drink.

On the last day of our 6 week holiday we would have our 'special picnic' which was always looked forward to with great anticipation by us kids.

The special picnic consisted of the same white meat paste sandwiches, water but in addition.....drum roll......a ski yoghurt each and a packet of crisps from a multi pack!!! We thought it was fabulous. My children would not!!!

Loving the memory of those white sliced bread abbatoir floor sweepings er..., I mean meat paste sandwiches. To make ours special, we would have a wagon wheel biscuit to go with them.

• Orange juice once a year with Christmas Day breakfast
• Coca Cola on Boxing Day when all the neighbours came round
• When we ate out - about twice a year max - we were allowed either a starter or a pudding but never ever both
• never had chocolate in the house apart from the Christmas Tree decorations, which had to be kept for visitors - torture!

On the other hand they were fairly lax about some things - I was happily given 3 spoons of sugar in my tea all throughout childhood - which I regret now!!!!!

We would have a vienetta on Christmas Day. I’d always thought they were too expensive and special for everyday eating, until I noticed them recently for £1 in Iceland. Still it felt like such a special dessert to us and it breaks my heart a bit to think of my mum buying it religiously every year to give me a fancy Xmas dessert.