Recommended Posts

Yes, on 1 shilling 8 pence an hour when I first started work, with fully skilled electrician on 6 shillings, and some were buying houses on that! That said things have changed over the years, but there always was "them and us" the rich and the poor, remember once walking the length of North Gate New Basford looking for a 10/- note I'd dropped that was to finance 2 nights out at goose fair and last till next payday! (I found it!)

What gets me these days is the rip off society and the gullible public,(in general) some of the latter actually believing they need 3 bathrooms in a house, new cars every couple of years that do 130mph, and so called "designer items" all pushed along and promoted by so called entertainment on the television. It would be interesting to see a true cost of living v wages comparison between say 1969 (bought my first car, a good runner taxed and mot'd Ford Anglia for £25 then) and 2009

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • Replies 68
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Posts

US, it's all free, I don't think I'll be getting a christmas card from them, I repiied "half the world is starving, the other wants world war 3, OAp's are walking round in pitch darkness I think it's

Austerity? what's that? I have been invited to a Rushcliffe Civic Dinner, not sure if at random or because I complained steret lights going out before 12pm since clocks put back (still not fixed) it's

I liked the 'Leather elbow' patches' used to match my briefcase back in the 70s ,as for turning lights off the wife gets on to me for always leaving em on,but she complains most about me turning the

What I remember is that 'back then' prices seemed to last a lot, lot longer.

99% of sweets were 4d a quarter,,,, for years,,,

Crisps were always 4d (until G.Wonder came along at 3d )!

Spark plugs were 4 bob,,,, for years,,,

even when we had our shop, I can recall that sugar, mushrooms, bananas etc, were all 1/4,,, for years.

Even Beer. You could go out with a certain amount of money in your pocket, month after month, & knew what you could buy with it.

These days (poor old sod !?) every time you go to the shop, pub, garage, things have gone up - again.

Link to post
Share on other sites

very true, though I think I recall crisps being 3d, and "new" flavour cheese and onion crisps coming in, think a phone call was always 4d though? Anyone else remember the old "tap out the number on the reciever rest?" it did work, IF you could complete the number before the operator came on, (think I managed it once) me and a mate who lived miles away had a "fiddle", I'd put my 4d in and ring him if I was planning to going round, he say if ok or not etc,and I'd press button B and get money back! his dad went apecrap when found out, big lecture re defrauding the post office!

Link to post
Share on other sites

,,,,,ahhh yes,,,,, good old phone tapping,,,, yes it certainly did work. I know someone that never ever paid for a call. I'd (sorry 'he') would go to the phone box with a list and spend hours there. Great for chatting up birds. Never got the operator though.

You could still tap out the numnber on the next version of phones,,,, but alas, it didn't by-pass the paying mechanism. Also, in those days, you could call the operater & tell them the machine had swallowed ya 4d,,,, & they'd just put you through !?

As you say, it was always 4d (for a basic call). This was in the shape of 4 separate penny coins. If you wanted to make a few calls, (& if you paid) you'd need to take a bag of pennies.

Not sure if it was still around then, but numbers were alfie numeric before this time.

In fact alfie numeric numbers can still be found for MOBILE phones,,,, for eg: one of mine is 070???? BARRY - sad or wot ?!

Link to post
Share on other sites

Went in a phone box opposite the Metropole once.There was a bunch of about 50 keys hanging from the cash box.Phoned the operator and a guy turned up 10 minutes later and took them...never even said thanks.

I wonder how many I could have emptied if I'd been that way inclined?...Knowing my luck I would have picked all those that had already been emptied.wink.gif

Link to post
Share on other sites

Lambretta keys fitted the call boxes Poohbear, it might have been an irate Mod, it could have been one of Craigs Dungeon pals, or perhaps Craig himself.

Austerity!! Look how the Supermarkets are capitalising on 'Saver' products, it proves how much we are being ripped off. I just went up to Sainsburies and bought a huge box of saver mushrooms, 89p, trouble is, they've been plucked straight out the ground, haven't been trimmed and have soil on them, sounds like a bit the mushrooms we bought in the old days to me. Schweppes charge nearly a quid for their lemonade, Tesco and Sainsburies seem to manage to sell sugar free bottles for 18p, can you tell the difference??

It's all being marketed with glaringly obvious labels to make you feel ashamed of looking poor and therefore not buy it, I couldn't give a sh~t myself, some nice stuff about, the 12p shortbread biscuits are fantastic.

The only thing we won't do is buy cheap meat, but you just get your timing right at the chuck out counter and the world is your oyster, we bought 2 huge joints of out door reared pork for £4.99 yesterday, amazing, but the divs are still qeueing up to buy it at 4 times the cost.

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 3 years later...

Hello

I am new to the site and all the posts about shopping and working in grocers in the 1950's are really fascinating - so different to now.

I am working on a programme about the history of the High Street for BBC 2 and am looking to talk to people who remembering shopping in shops where the food was sold by weight. Or people who worked in them. Our programme is a celebration of shops and shopping and any recollections of how different things were would be really welcome!

Thanks!

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 2 years later...

If you want to compare costs of way back when to now, use a silver or gold coin to compare, it's a TRUE indicator of how much money is really worth.

1oz of pure silver is one US Dollar, not the fiat money we use but REAL money. I think a Silver pound coin is 2 ozs. You'll have to confirm that on Google. I'm talking face value, not inflated fiat money value.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Seem to remember quite a few teachers with big leather patches on the elbows of their jackets. Presumably to prevent wear from leaning on desks and make the jacket last longer. I'm still really nit picky about turning out the lights if you are not in the room. My American wife tends to be very careless about that. Place is lit up like Blackpool sometimes. So we sometimes have words about that. I guess neither of us will change at this stage of the game.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I liked the 'Leather elbow' patches' used to match my briefcase back in the 70s :) ,as for turning lights off the wife gets on to me for always leaving em on,but she complains most about me turning the Heating up,i just can't stand the cold as ive got older,........she's even requested i turn the Telly off when we go to bed,......tut tut she'll be asking me to go to bed with no socks on next...lol.

  • Upvote 4
Link to post
Share on other sites

I picked this up as a recently added topical (political) subject but I see its not!

Water saving: I have recently fitted a water shaving flush syphon to each of my toilets, highly recommended for cutting down on excess water usage if you are on a water meter. Fluidmaster® Dual Flush Valve about 14 quid if you shop around.

550074_dualflushvalve_240.png

Link to post
Share on other sites

Perhaps you skim the surface !!!

  • Upvote 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

Just stick a house brick in the cistern and save 14 quid !

  • Upvote 3
Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks fo that, I won't have curry tonight !!!!!

Link to post
Share on other sites

For big jobs push the big button.

or

1.Remove cistern lid

2.Remove brick

3.Flush

4. if not clear, wait for refill then go to 3, or if clear goto 5.

5.Replace brick

6.Replace lid.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...