Quote:
Originally Posted by afc wimbledon
I don't buy the parents dollar bought more argument, the real reason that they saved more 50 years ago is they lived simpler lives in small houses and rarely replaced anything unless it was actually broken beyond repair.
The actual things people bought in the past were far more expensive than what we spend now, if you look at old ads appliances and TVs cost about the same in dollar amount as they do now, except in those days a good wage was one 10th we get now.
It used to be ok to have 2 kids in a bedroom, you kept cars, TV's, shoes clothes etc until they were literally threadbare or un fixable.
Holidays tended to be a week camping or visiting relatives.
We don't save these days because we piss money away on Coffee machines, X boxes, Blue ray players, we throw away perfectly good cell phones because we want to be able to browse the web or BBM each other while driving regardless of the fact we already have laptops and computers all over the place.
You spoilt little b*****d's don't now how good you've got it, in my day etc etc etc.
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I think the above is true of people living in the 1950s and earlier. It doesn't apply to the baby boomers.
Peolpe in the 1950s may not have had as many electronics devises, but both careers and houses were much mroe readily available than they are now.
I think the excess of consumer products has moer to do with those products falling in price than peolpe being more frugal. I suspect that people spent a similar proportion of their income on those things. It just happened that a black and white television cost far more than a widescreen plasma does now.