I remember the high inflation of the early 80’s and Late 70’s. There weren’t restaurants on every corner, because people only RARELY ate out. People had to cook every meal at home. And had to pack lunch for school and for outings. I remember the restaurant parking lots were completely empty. And, there were no advertisements on the billboards.
We drove cars no matter how old they were – until the wheels fell off, and it was typical to have one car per family. We changed the oil, changed the brakes and changed the light bulbs ourselves. Definitely had one car paid for.
Newlyweds weren’t entitled to automatically have a fully furnished house with brand new furniture and a lavish wedding. Furniture was handed down from generations. A wedding reception typically occurred in the fellowship hall of the church. And the only food was wedding cake, mints, mixed nuts and punch. A honeymoon might include ONE night at a hotel, or if they were really lucky they might get a weekend in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and it was the family that pitched in for the honeymoon.
We never wasted leftovers. We canned Green beans, strawberries, blueberries, peaches, corn, and tomatoes. and kept them for the year. We cooked potato patties, soup, hash, biscuit pudding, rice pudding, cornbread in milk, eggs and rice and bread with gravy. NO FOOD WAS WASTED. All food was cooked from scratch using potatoes and cut up vegetables. Homemade Kool aid was used for drinks and kept in a pitcher in the refrigerator.
People had few outfits. Hand-me-downs were common. You had church clothes and play clothes. And you took care of those clothes. Holes were mended and it didn’t matter if you liked the clothes or not. You wore what you had. Did you know that it’s a fact that most people today spend $3,000 per person on clothes?
People didn’t snack or eat all day long either. People were rarely overweight because they didn’t have junk food – couldn’t afford it. Water came out of the faucet or water hose. Cold water came from a water jug that was kept in the refrigerator- not bottles. Think about how much of your grocery budget is spent on Pop, Breakfast Drinks, Flavored Drinks and Bottled drinks!
Entertainment: Look at the PanoramaNOW Calendar for Events that are free.
2022 GROCERY SHOPPING TIPS:
Big Box Stores like Walmart are no longer the lowest price (like it used to be). To save money Shop your Dollar Store First, then Aldis or Save-A-Lot then if you still need something, shop Walmart Last. Also only shop and stock up on what is on sale.
Make a Shopping Chart with pricing and write in prices.
You’d be surprised at the difference in pricing from store to store. Many times an item is overpriced just because it’s convenient to shop one store. To beat this marketing tactic that all stores use, you can make a grocery shopping price chart. Here’s a sample, but you’ll need to draw in verticle lines to write down the pricing at each store. Sounds tedious, but believe me, it will save you hundreds over each month of shopping. Click here for link to grocery shopping savings chart.
Meyers is 35% higher on all items. Even if you have to sacrifice something on your list for that week, it’s worth to buy extras of those items on sale, because you know they will go up. Look for Dated meats that have to be sold, and shop through the week. Shop the sales at the end of the season when stores are clearing out of season items. Shop Christmas during the Summer Sidewalk Sales!
Lets Review:
Vacation: $3,500
New Clothes: $3,000 Per Person $12,000 Family of Four (low estimate)
Soft Drinks & Bottled Drinks: $2,600 (Family of Four)
Snacks: $1,300
SAVINGS: $18,100
(How do you think people could afford one parent staying home)
While some of these might seem extreme to you now, everyone of an older age can tell you that we really did live that way, and we survived until brighter days arrived.
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Susie Young Baxter, CEO, has published PanoramaNOW Magazine for 31 years. Her hobbies are Camping, Boating, Hiking, Nature, Gardening and Outdoor Activities. She is an Artist, Graphic Designer, an Avid Seamstress, Dabbles in Homemade Crafts and Landscaping. Since her Father was a Health Teacher, she also likes homeopathic Health Solutions. Since blogging started over 10 years ago, PanoramaNow has been added to Newsbreak – a national news affiliate.
