What normal experience was a luxury in your childhood home?

[Spinneret]

going on a screen for example a computer for more than 5 minutes

 

[snowwite]

Being able to have anything to eat in the living room was a big deal. We were allowed a TV dinner (also a rare treat) which we could eat on a TV tray in the living room while watching the Sound of Music, Heidi or an After School special.

 

[NYCgrrl]

No television set in house until I was a tween.
Actually considering what was available to watch this was a good thing and a life altering experience. I can still go years without watching TV but would be lost without a book to read.

 

[Neapolitan Ice Cream]

Growing up in a musical environment

 

[TippyThomas]

Finally having a stable and loving home of my own. You don't realize how huge the little things in life are until you get to experience them. I'm so happy my parents decided to adopt me. They completely changed the direction my life surely would have gone. I will love and honor them for the rest of my life.

 

[barkley]

i guess as far as what seems 'normal' these days (and definatly on the dis)-

eating out-pretty much reserved for VERY special occasions or when on vacation,

vacations (or should i say multiple vacations within a single year)-dad got x number of days off per year and the vacation was planned around the one time per year he took time off (did not realize until i was older that he was likely banking allot of time to help increase his pension),

renovations or home improvements based on wants or being tired of the way something looked-much more of the era of 'use it up, wear it out',

kids having their own bedrooms let alone a designated playroom. most of the kids i grew up with were like me-multiple sibs so it was rare if anyone had a house with enough bedrooms for everyone let alone spare space so everyone shared and maybe if you were one of the youngest in the household you might eventualy get your own room when you sibs moved out. any spare room was not likely to be a playroom when it could be put to the productive use of being mom's sewing room (or a nursery for a younger sib b/c the most common was for that crib to be in mom and dad's room).

 

[luvnwdwgal]

I was born in 1962 and going out to eat was definitely a luxury that didn’t happen very often. We didn’t even order pizza. My mom made us pizza out of a Chef Boyardee kit.

 

[barkley]

I was born in 1962 and going out to eat was definitely a luxury that didn’t happen very often. We didn’t even order pizza. My mom made us pizza out of a Chef Boyardee kit.

my mom said chef boyardee was a waste of money so she got the 'appian way' brand kits (crusts were like cardboard and parmesan was like chalk dust ). these kits were what led kids of our generation to actualy look forward to the once every couple of months school cafeteria version of pizza

 

[GoingSince1990]

Staying in a hotel. I grew up in the UK and we only ever took caravan (trailer) holidays, and my parents delighted in how much cheaper it was than a hotel. I literally never once stayed in a hotel with my parents.
Eating out. Even on vacation we would buy food in a supermarket which my mother would cook in the caravan. VERY occasionally on vacation we would eat in a cheap burger restaurant. Probably less than 5 times in my entire childhood. And when driving to our destination we would never buy food along the way; my parents could not bring themselves to spend that kind of money when they could bring sandwiches in a paper bag and coffee in a flask.
Ordering takeout. I literally cannot recall ever doing this, even once.
Flying on an airplane. The first time I set foot on a plane was when I was 23 years old.

 

[cvjw]

Eating out. Vacations of more than one night. Having snacks in the house. Getting more than two new outfits per year. So many things. My parents did the very best they could - money was just very tight.

 

[tvguy]

I was born in 1962 and going out to eat was definitely a luxury that didn’t happen very often. We didn’t even order pizza. My mom made us pizza out of a Chef Boyardee kit.

I'm older than you but Chef Boyardee or the frozen pizza's from the grocery store with my mom adding toppings to them were the norm. I was a Senior in High School before I had a pizza from a pizza parlor.
Dinner out was Sambos.

 

[wide awake]

A different world today. I was born in 1961 so totally get the no going out thing. If younger generations wonder why people were thinner/richer there are a couple of reasons. The first most people didn’t have credit cards. No cash no fast food. Also, mom sometimes wasn’t the best cook. People used what they had with the skills they were taught. In my case lucky, for others not so much. Again, people limited to what they had cash for…my mom calculated her list to the cent and I did the same for many years.

 

[tony67]

Caravan (trailer) holidays, and my parents delighted in how much cheaper it was than a hotel. I literally never once stayed in a hotel with my parents.

To be fair, these are quite popular in the UK and Ireland...for some reason that I don't understand.

Staying in a hotel was a rarity for us as well. We never flew anywhere on vacation - my first time on an airplane was the flight to Airborne School.

Clothing - it was always stuff on sale and out of style. Bell bottoms...yeah in the 80s... The kids on welfare had better clothes than us- but that is a different discussion. The only person worse who dressed worse than me was my cousin who got my hand me downs.

Eating out was not so rare, but we had to order off the kids menu.
4 for $1 hot dogs from K-Mart was also a treat on occasion.

Pizza yeah - we got it once and a while and it was one pizza for the four of us.

BTW - My brother and I worked weekends to pay for much of that stuff, and by work weekends I mean in a factory assembling things and boxing things etc... The place made dad worked paid him to make up missed quota on the weekends.

Still cant complain. Could have been much worse...we could have lived in a hole in the middle of the road

This is a PRE-Python version of the The Four Yorkshiremen sketch

 

[MICKIMINI]

Air conditioning - in a farm house no less! Daddy worked for the power company.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

Pizza was a rare treat.

 

[Meriweather]

Vacations other than grandparents.
Eating out....usually only on birthdays