Someone Asked, “What Was Normal 20-30 Years Ago, But Is Considered A Luxury Now?” And Here Are 50 Of The Best Answers
Interview With Author
Despite the fact that our parents love to talk about just how hard they used to have it when we stop and think, it becomes depressingly clear that a lot of commonplace things have fallen into the luxury category without almost anyone noticing.
So one internet user wanted to hear others' thoughts, so people from all over the net shared the items and experiences that used to be downright regular and are now seen as extravagant. We also got in touch with zombiem00se, who made the original post. So read through and prepare a tissue after you weep for better times, and be sure to upvote your favorites. And don’t forget to comment your own thoughts and examples below.
This post may include affiliate links.
Being left the f**k alone.
Buying something and just like, owning it.
Playing a video game without an internet connection.
*Not* having to provide your email address for every single f*****g thing you do.
Good quality fabric in clothing. I have clothes from the 90s (and 80s from my mother) that still hold up today. These days, I'm lucky if my shirt isn't saggy and misshapen within a year.
Unfortunately most want very cheap clothes and will not pay lots of money for a T-shirt for example. I also think the fashion industry has moved their business to countries where the production costs are way lower - so they can profit more. All we have to do as a consumer is NOT buy too much crappy quality and not be a slave to fashion. It's a simple choice. Even on a small budget you can have a few good pieces of clothing and mix and match.
Calling a company and getting a *person* on the other end of the phone.
*edit: Thanks for the awards kind people! I really didn't expect this to blow up like this.*
Bored Panda got in touch with zombiem00se and they were kind enough to answer some of our questions. We wanted to know what prompted them to make the thread in the first place. "What inspired the question was at the gas pump, and I had gotten a small bonus from work of about $50 so I knew I'd be able to just let the pump go without having to watch the meter. Then it struck me that people used to be able to do that all the time, just fill their gas tank without worry, and nowadays the normal thing to do is watch it like a hawk so you could also afford groceries for the week and wondered what else could this same mentality be applied to."
We also wanted to hear their thoughts on what was ultimately causing so many things to become unaffordable. "I think the cause is due to the same thing that's been said many times over now, the cost of living has not kept up with the rate of inflation. The rich get richer by keeping the poor poor. We were told to pull ourselves up by the bootstraps, but those saying that were given boots made of nice Italian leather that was custom fit for them, while the rest of us were given bricks of lead...and the straps are rattlesnakes....very angry rattlesnakes. I'm a millennial, and with millennials, there's of course the same tired participation trophy joke, but the ones complaining about it are the ones who gave the trophies out in the first place and then blamed us for them, all the while they have everything handed to them."
Single income families buying a home
Oh. First house I ever lived in my parents bought for $38,000 (NZD), and sold in 1990 for $95,000. It is now worth $1.2 million. That's $100,000 for the house and $1.1 MILLION for the land. It's not even a large plot of land. When my parents bought it they subdivided and sold off more than half the land. That was 41 years ago. It's in a pretty cruddy area of Auckland. Kind of place where it was getting unsafe to walk around in daylight hours when I was a kid, but it's 104% worse now than when it was the 90s (we moved out in 1990).
New furniture made out of real wood
This is still possible, but most people don't like the price and waiting that comes from well-crafted, hand-made furniture. Chat to your local carpenter, they're worth their weight in gold, our coffee table, book shelf, and tv stand were all made by hand over 10 years ago and with a bit of polishing once a month still look brand new.
Items not requiring a subscription each month
I do the free streaming. I get lots of old sitcoms, lots of older movies, documentaries, news. I could get sports if I were interested. There are several cat channels for Bouche. We can listen to pretty much any music. If a specific movie is on only one paid stream, well most of them offer free trials. We're both happy with our TV options.
In general, when people stop and ask “Why are things so damned expensive now?” Current events tend to dominate the discussion. The global supply chain was hit by a jump in fuel costs, as a result of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. This pushed the price of most things up because most things are not made within walking distance of your home or nearest store. And thank goodness for that, living next to a factory or manufacturing plant seems more hassle than it would be worth.
Regardless, the effect is that the cost of transportation went up. And since everything needs transportation, everything got more costly. And just to hit us when we are down, droughts and disease hit food supplies around the world, limiting supply. Since most of us still need to eat, a reduction in supply without a change in demand tends to mean an increase in cost. Hope this revisiting of econ 101 didn’t trigger any unhappy memories.
That being said, inflation is starting to ease off in many places, so perhaps eggs won’t be a gourmet ingredient like truffles and lobster for long. But, as this article mentions, there are still some things that refuse to get cheaper and have gotten so expensive over the years that most people have given up ever buying them. Yes, we’re talking about housing. The simple answer is that supply hardly meets demand at all, as homeowners aren’t selling and interest rates are pretty brutal for the average worker.
Not being expected to be reachable 24/7
You cannot be expected to be reachable 24/7. If someone says otherwise they are not your friends or not the right fit for work.
Ads only on TV or the newspaper or radio. Now it's ads EVERY-F*****G-WHERE. YouTube: 1 minute video. Two 15 second ads. Unskippable. Streaming service you pay for: watch promos for shows we want you to watch before you watch the show you want to watch. Music service: pay premium for no ads. Random website: ads + tracking cookies FOR ads. Social media: ad every 3-4 posts + collecting data to show you MORE ads + targeted ads. Amazon: here are some sponsored products you might like.
I'm so tired of everything revolving around ads and collecting data to show you ads that are catered to you. It's like a freaking hell loop.
When it comes to finding a place to live, it’s really the worst of both worlds. Housing is expensive, and renters are feeling a similar pain as landlords and ladies raise rent to offset the cost of living increases. Which, you guessed it, increases the cost of living for tenets. On average, renters can expect a 15% jump in rent costs, though this will vary aggressively from building to building and area to area.
Being able to dance and have a good time and not have a chance it will end up recorded and put on social media.
Farmer's markets. You used to be able to go down and get fruit and vegetables cheaper than the grocery store. Now it seems like they charge 3x more than stores do.
Owning the software you purchased.
And of course, if you are paying more for rent (and eggs) you probably have less to save to make a down payment on a home. This has not stopped prices from continuing to rise. In 2021, the median US house was $369,800, a pretty penny. In 2022? $423,600, which is an entire 53.8 thousand more, for those curious about the math. Of course, wages have generally not risen to match inflation, so the buying power is running in the opposite direction of prices, making it harder and harder for millennials and Gen Z to ever picture owning a home.
household products that didn't break within the first few years of use. My grandma had the same fridge from 1993 for a good while before deciding to swtich to a newer, bigger one 2 years ago, yes, it broke within those 2 years; my mom's wedding cookware is still going strong 25 years later, but whenever she needs new pans they start flaking teflon into the food within a few months
Yup, bought a house that was built in 95 and giant built in fridge freezer in kitchen. Refrigerant leak caused it to start to fail, cheapest replacement for same dimensions was 9k+ USD. Did some research and found that R12 refrigerant was outlawed around the same time, so guessing contractors who built house got this massive unit on the cheap. Ended up hiring a commercial firm to do a full sealed system replacement for about $2500. Best decision I could have made I think.
paying no more than 30% of your income in rent
And the mortgage company just raised amount I have to pay. Because of an shortage of escrow from last year.
And while we are on the topic of annoying expenses, many of the items here boil down to the incredibly annoying modern trend of “services and subscriptions.” Remember paying for things once? Unlike mortgages and inflation rates, in many ways, consumers only have themselves to blame for companies charging us monthly. Over the last ten years, subscription services have grown by roughly 300%, meaning that no matter how much we might dislike them, enough people will happily pay month to month.
Being able to afford having only one person working in a relationship
Even with two people ,we are barely making it, from paycheck to paycheck.
Getting a hand written letter
I used to have penpals so that I'd still get handwritten mail instead of all bills/spam. They all either fizzled out or wanted to email instead of writing because they had no patience for the post.
At the same time, people still hate it and what it stands for. Owning things, from houses to music, feels like a concept from the past. Enticed by a quick buck, or a high share price, to be accurate, many companies have dabbled with offering a subscription over a one-time fee. The result is that many actually fail and fall apart. Even the current giants, like Netflix, once a huge industry disruptor, are struggling. So maybe consider looking through your active subscriptions and cutting the ones you don’t need.
Being a stay at home mom.
I’m all for women having the option to work a career and be a mom, but I’ve met so many who hate having to drop off their babies or small children with grandma or at a daycare because it takes 2 incomes to survive because wages haven’t kept up work productivity for the last 50 years.
It would be great if one income would suffice - it should be a choice within the family who wants to work and who wants to stay at home. I know a few men who would be the most amazing SAHD given the chance. Unfortunately 1. That's still looked down on and 2. Until the pay gap is erased most women's salaries are still not enough to pay the bills alone.
A pension you could retire on
How about having holidays off. And stores being closed on holidays. If you didn't fill up or get the ingredients for your recipe before the holiday- you were out of luck.
Word used to be just installed with your microsoft software. Now you have to pay each month/year.
Leaving your family behind to start your life at 18 or even younger.
Now, folks be livin' with their parents until they're 45, saving up for 100 sq. ft. closet that costs $2000 a month in what barely passes as not a slum.
Attention spans lasting longer than a lightning bolt.
Privacy
I can still hear Zuckerberg say that 'privacy is a thing of the past'. What was that guy thinking?
Being able to pay your bills without being charged to make a payment, you want it on paper $2, pay at post office $3, pay using debit card 70c. It's ridiculous that we have to pay to pay.
Also getting away with doing some really dumb or embarrassing s**t, no phones anywhere to capture and upload the moment you slip on dog s**t or walk into the most beautifully cleaned glass doors that are so clean you don't see them, it's just you and those who witnessed the painfully embarrassing moment, not millions of people around the world seeing it.
Clothing and shoes that last more than a year with regular wear
Shoe-wise I always buy skechers. They are comfortable, I still have 2 pairs from 2016, they look beatup however they're still comfortabe. Just for the record I work in a warehouse I'm on my feet all day.
Getting prescribed opioids when you need them for pain.
'War on drugs' zealotry has created a landscape where even terminally ill patients on hospice are routinely denied the mercy of pain management because of 'addiction risk'. Acute pain patients are being told to take OTCs for severe injuries and major surgeries, and chronic pain patients are being tortured to death. Those precious few doctors with enough compassion to provide quality pain care are persecuted by drug cops at the DEA who know nothing about practicing medicine whatsoever.
It's all sickening and depressing. Every year I think it couldn't get worse, and every year I'm proven wildly wrong. And there is zero upside - the addicts who can't get scrips just switched to fentanyl and are dying in record numbers.
This needs to be higher. Opioids have been completely taken off the market here, even codeine.
Affordable Healthcare
Australia, free healthcare in emergencies and other problems. Private healthcare though is needed, but costs are significantly reduced.
Family vacations.
I remember going on road trips regularly and even flying once or twice as a kid. Now that I have kids there's no way I can afford a week-long trip to the Badlands, Grand Canyon, Disney/Universal Studios etc. Best I can do is a day trip to the Dells maybe once a year.
Being able to buy a decent standard home on one modest salary.
Avoiding people by simply not answering the landline phone, this would make the person calling assume you are just not home. We introverts no longer have this luxury with cell phones, texting, "online" status when logged into a PC so co-workers can IM you, etc.
I can still ignore my mobile if I'm not feeling like answering and at least now you can see who is calling before deciding whether to answer.
Right now, I'm struggling just to own a dog.
Decent dog food is insanely expensive right now. Dog parks are not for every dog, but they're the only space to let your dog play if you don't have a yard or can't walk due to the pavement being too hot (providing the park has shaded areas and water access, which is hit or miss). Vets keep raising their prices to keep up with inflation, which is making it so much harder to keep up with basic care. Same with licensing. Quality dog toys are at least $20 and often don't last as long as I would like (except MonsterK9 and King Chew, very well worth it) for my heavy chewer. Grooming is costly, flea and tick protection is costly, treats are costly, everything about owning a dog is so much more than it used to be, even though canine care wasn't as quality as it is now. Heck, my first dog didn't cost this much to care for and he was a frequent flyer at the vet for his health issues
We adopted a dog with our teenage son not knowing what a money pit she would be. We adore her, but Trefexis and insurance is about $90 a month, her yearly exam is about $400. She just injured her back playing with the sprinkler and that cost us over a $1000. We live paycheck to paycheck so I understand how tough it can be.
Electronics coming with free headphones and chargers
Universal charger and universal accessories required by law. You’re free to buy whatever you want/need from whoever you want. Less waste, better prices.
People making friends with one another purely because they enjoy their companionship and not because of networking
I'm hung up on the way perception has changed. 30 years ago *incompetent John is promoted to shift lead because he's dating the CEO's daughter* People: "That's disgraceful! Everybody knows Bill was a much better pick for that position, he knows the work and safety procedures by heart and is popular with his co-workers. This is a blatant case of nepotism!" Now *Jack has just finished his BA and is hired as factory manager because he's dating the CEO's daughter, despite never having set foot on the factory floor and having no idea what needs to be done* People: "Now, that's brilliant networking!"
Boredom.
There's always something to take your attention nowadays. There's literal lifetimes of entertainment on a single streaming service. Phones. There's tons of free and cheap games that can just eat hours of your time. Social media. YouTube, etc etc etc.
20-30 years ago, if there was nothing you wanted to watch on TV, you either sat through it or found something else to do. Games had to be bought in stores, so it was more of a process buying them. Once you had them, you committed to it or bought a new game. Sometimes there was just legitimately nothing to do.
You had to get creative with your downtime. Make your own fun.
I remember whining to my mom about being bored. She'd threaten to find me something to do.
House ownership and being debt free.
Everyone has accepted debt as parts of their lives.
Free driver’s education classes taught in all high schools.
Yeah not a thing in most places outside of the US. In the UK we've had to pay for out own driving lessons. I had to stop learning 20 years ago because I couldn't afford them after my parents stopped paying. At 18 I was still in school and my wages from my part time job went on other things like food and clothes.
Doctor coming to visit you at home when you were sick
Depends where you live I guess. Regular GPs haven't done housecalls here in decades. But there are housecall services where a doctor will come to you. It just won't be the GP you normally see. From memory it costs more too. edit: Damned typos. Why can't I spell anymore?
Groceries to last you the week, like nothing fancy or bougie, just enough food to just permit grocery shopping once a week
Working hard to put yourself through college, buy a house, and a truck.
Surviving on entry level wages
Especially when you had to do an unpaid internship instead of entry level job, and after you get your education and five years of experience—which used to move you from your entry level job (which you went into fresh out of school with zero experience) to a mid level position and wage—-you still end up paid entry level wages, and have to fight tooth and nail to be paid more. Of course, once you’ve made your mark in your field and become established, then you can get the goodies. But that can be a long haul if you or your family are not already well-connected.
Being able to go out every Friday after work and being able to afford it
If I saved all my free Cash every day till each paycheck i could do this, but i Also work for the scum called Walmart and only make what i do because they're desperate
I remember as a kid, where I live they would allow people to just visit an area of the airport from where they could see the runway and flights take off - they didn’t have to pay anything for it - people would spend hours just looking at flights take off and land ❤️
EDIT: To everyone saying this is still doable in many parts of the world - that’s great, I haven’t been to those parts of the world yet and where I come from one would still need to pay a certain amount to get in and watch from a glass cabin or so. Back in the day, there would just be a gate on the airport ground, a small barricade where you could just stand for hours and nobody would bother.
Plus before 9/11 kids were invited to see the cockpit and talk to pilots.
Pork Belly. Used to be a bad cut of meat that was disposed of or given to the poor for dirt cheap prices. Then rich people realized that the poor made it delicious, which then caused prices to skyrocket.
and have you met fajitas? skirt steak is a poor cut of meat that was dirt cheap. It would get marinaded within an inch of its life and then cut thin against the grain to make it easier to chew... then Mexican food became popular and its price shot up. A lot of 'poor man's food' had this happen to it.
Apartments. I could get a one bedroom apartment in the state if Wisconsin back in 1997 for under $500. Now that same apartment $1800.
PC games coming with physical media, manuals, and "swag" as standard.
The maps, trinkets, toys, and sometimes even novels came with games. It made the game an event. Now people just download games and they sit unplayed in a digital library until the urge to try them comes along.
I was thinking about this the other day. My Atari STe games had manuals like books with the story of the game in it. Even on PC, SimAnt had a manual section and another part dedicated to ant facts and was really interesting to read
Photographs on actual photographic paper. I know its still possible but oh so rare.
I disagree. It’s not just possible, it’s incredibly easy and cheap. You can order online your printed pictures, choose the size, the quality, the material, even photo albums. You just have to do it..
Ooh I love this game!
* Having a hot tub
* Having a boat
* Also: having one boat for lake fishing and another for sea fishing
* Having one working parent and one parent staying home with the kids
* A four bedroom house on a lake in the countryside
* Having a ‘game room’ or ‘play room’ in your house
* Having a bar with a pool table in your basement
* A home cooked meal every night
* Also, getting most of your veggies from the garden because one of your parents has enough free time to spend most of the day gardening
* Situations where the parents take random classes in geology or calligraphy or whatever, just to get out of the house because they’re bored and have too much time
* Every adult in the family has their own car, and sometimes one adult has a ‘project car’
* Having “shopping” or “home improvement” as a hobby. Just buying a bunch of new stuff because you can’t think of anything else to do
I grew up lower-middle class in the 90s, and we had all of these things. My dad made $28-32k depending on the year, and my mom stayed home.
The biggest difference was the sheer amount of free time everyone had.
Edit: The biggest thing I personally miss from that era was the culture of taking classes or going to school just because you want to learn something cool. One time my mom took a six month course on how to make those glass signs with neon gas, for no reason other than “because they’re cool”. Another time she learned how to weld, and there was a solid two year period where she and a bunch of her friends from the PTA took finance/economics courses at a community college just for fun. My aunt got a Masters from RISD when she was in her 60s just because she wanted to.
About a year ago I signed up for a course in auto mechanics just because I think cars are cool and wanted to know more about how they work, and the guy teaching the class was *really* weirded out and didn’t let me join because I didn’t want a career as a mechanic. This whole “education is for a job only” thing is really weird to me.
Lol, having a 10+ room house on a beautiful lake, with 5+ cars, and not one but two fishing boats has never been lower middle class. This person is delusional. And by the way, wealth and revenues are two different things.
Note: this post originally had 65 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
Customer loyalty. Rewarding long term customers instead of offering better deals to new customers. Companies focusing on product quality instead of increased profits. Looking at you Apple! You abandoned your own philosophy about providing quality products ahead of profits. Music artists being artistic, creative and individual. Cornbeef and spam.
Customer loyalty. Rewarding long term customers instead of offering better deals to new customers. Companies focusing on product quality instead of increased profits. Looking at you Apple! You abandoned your own philosophy about providing quality products ahead of profits. Music artists being artistic, creative and individual. Cornbeef and spam.
