Clarebabes

I always thought I had it quite bad, but we always went on holiday every year, first time abroad was when I was 7 on the cheapest package holiday in the world ever!!!! (But it was cheaper than staying in rip-off Britain my parents say!)

I think we were OK though, never really went without but didn't have a car of our own until I was about 7 or 8, we used to borrow my grandad's car if we went away in in this country.

I did feel embarassed about bringing friends home cos I was the last kid in my class to have a fitted kitchen or a VCR! (Probably not, but it felt like it!)

Sound like a snob don't I?

fast bloke

Holidays??????? - snobs - you must have been minted.

We were completely skint until I was 6, when Mum set up a business (hairdresser). The extra money meant we could have a car. She didn't cook dinner. I walked home from school and cooked dinner from about 9 - I didn't see it as a hardship - it was just how life was.. My youngest is 9 now. I would doubt that she could make a drink of cold milk never mind produce dinner for the family. - We went on holidays to Scotland when I was 10. We had a tent and a mini. We went to a campsite in Ayr with trampolines set into the ground. We met an American who bought me a packet of tic tacs. They fell out of my pocket and into the pit below the trampoline. I was devastated. I had never had tic tacs before

ScoTTyB

If he re-wired houses today he could charge a small forture no doubt.

austinwrx

well things weren't that bad- but I do remember walking everywhere, or the bus as my dad always had the car for work. when I went to big school- it was 2 hrs each way on the bus........ 6 days a week !

but I do remember wearing school clothes all the time and never having weekend clothes I suppose, xmas time would be school stuff, like pens, clothes, books as oppose to masses of toys.

I remember my dad smashing the b/w telly in a fit of rage (he wasn't a great dad) and that was it, no telly for maybe a yr.

never being allowed to watch grange hill- as it reminded my dad of work (he was a deputy head I think then) in fact he wasn't keen on tv at all.

no video in the hse until I got my first months wage and I bought one !

however- remember being happy and warm and fed, being greatful in hindsight for what we did have. I have no qualms about splashing out on my mum now- thinking with hindsight what she did for us.

I think it teaches financial sense/ give us all a good head. kids growing up now with everythign handed to them with no effort/sense of reward- heaven forbid. I bet they're the ones crippled with debt as adults.

I was brought up- if you haven't the cash- forget it. No credit.

85rob

one thing i remember my dad telling me, when he was a kid most of the windows had broken/ cracked glass and he krept up to the bathroom window with a bike pump full of water and squirting his dad irrc.

lozgti

All I can think about is belly pork (delicious) and Bacon potatoes and peas with the fat poured over the potatoes.

In all honesty we weren't poor but we still didn't have all the Richie Rich stuff kids have nowadays.They are spoilt to hell.We all are!

And yes,as with all the other posters we were Happy too

Jamz3k

With me being only 23 (or am i 22 ) i wasn't around for the "good ol' days" but i was brought up in a poor family. My fathers ex-wife screwed him out of any money we ever had and when my parents did get on their feet my dad broke his back and had could not work and had to chase the army for numerous years for compensation.

I can remember being cold in winter because we didn't have central heating, wearing clothes that my granny picked up from the local War On Want, traveling to see my rich aunt and uncle who lived in what could only be described as a mansion every christmas like beggers in our Nissan Bluebird that nothing electrical worked in. I had a fantastic upbringing even if i didn't have all the things other children had. Usual menu's included stew and hotpot and stew and hotpot i hated it

Unfortunately when my Dad did recieve compensation for his injuries it really did tore my family apart. You could say it was like the bonds that held the family together just werent there anymore.

I left my parents at 18 got a house with a SHOWER and Central Heating which to me was amazing

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

My wife is getting all despondent over the current financial crisis, our shares have takign a beating, not sure how much as she refuses to look (female logic), she is all panicy about it but we dont owe any money to anyone, we are all well (the main thing) and have luxuries I couldnt have dreamt of as a kid, plenty of food and can buy things within reason when we want them, my job is as stable as you get at the moment.

Life with a glass half full person can be challenging, dont understand how much money she would need to be comfortable, why stress about it if you dont need to ?

Only here once, make the most of it and dont worry about what ifs or might have beens, poverty is not defined as not being able to go on a foreign holiday, change the car or spend money on stuff you dont actually need.

I suppose even the skint, mortgaged to the hilt type people with loads of loans and credit cards will survive, they wont starve or die of hypothermia, just wont be able to buy "Stuff".

What changed my opinion of "Stuff" was that **** who killed his family as things werent going his way, I see them all round our way, all fur coat an no knickers a lot of them.

yoza

BTTT For Trout/Rannoch or whatever he is calling himself this week.

bigsinky

i sill get an orange in my xmas stocking every year

jasey

First family holiday we had was Butlins @ Minehead.

Dad's Cortina conked out on the way home and we spent a day and a half in a road side cafe waiting for a garage to open on Monday to get going - couldn't afford the AA / RAC etc.

House had a coal fire in one room which was the only source for heating and hot water (back boiler or something).

I had never been out just for a meal with my folks until I'd left home.

Used to sleep in my Jeans in the winter as it was too cold to get into bed without them on and they would be frozen solid in the morning if they were taken off.

But we were all happy and never complained once about not having anything to do .

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

We were poor, All we had was 2 year old threads to survive on.

Simon C

Thats Yoza's fault

In all seriousness, bl00dy hell. I read this thread and compare to mine. Growing up, I knew I wasn't poor, but jees, it certainly brought that home.

However, some of the stuff, I can relate to, even with my back ground. Mum was brought up in Pembroke dock area in the 50's. So I got corned beef hash as well as bunny stew (oh what a riot that was when I found out what I'd been fed!!!)

Still, I look back and realise it was mums upbringing that has influenced what I do. I enjoy what she did to live, like foraging etc. Can't wait to get my hands on the blackberry crop up the road

Leslie

Yes all of that, and the gas and electric meters took one shilling coins!

My Dad had a BSA three wheeler with the big vee twin engine on the front.

Les

ChefDude

if you were really poor, you probably didn't wear shoes.

WRX_Dazza

i used to wear winfield 4-liners lol.

and plimsoles, pmsl wtf were they all about..... were the soles made out of rizlas or something? you could twist your ankle stepping on an ant!!!

i had the best my parents could get for me and my brother....

others had bbc computers, i had a vic20
others had grifters, i have a tornado
others had scalextric, i had TCR, but above all else, as said above, we had love and home cooked family meals (at the table)

i only ever have recollections of being left with "sitters" a few times, like my dad's work's xmas do or similar, but we always did things as a family.

i used to also call my elders or friends parents, mr....... and mrs..... so and so...

and my parents friends were always uncles and aunt's lol

makes me smile now looking back... shame the country is sooo crap now !!! - what a waste !!!

Diesel_DC

iTrader: (7)

PMSL, adiaddastripe

I can remember my dad having to bump start our car every morning for about a month cos he couldn't afford to get a new alternator.

WRX_Dazza

yeah thats it dave.... more leather on pete stringfellas thong then on those trainers, which also had all the tractional properties of a pair of rollerblades, when trying to play footie!!!

mattvortex

Although we had much less "gadgets/stuff" etc when i was growing up in the seventies, cant help thinking the world was a happier, stress-free place, where kids would entertain themselves and not need to be taken , like today, to the themepark, beach, etc, all the time.
"aint life a bitch!"

finalzero

Had a very rough time growing up (the bits I remember), had to deal with constant racial abuse but being broke was hardwork.

Father had a good job and then lost it and never really recovered... I remember walking to school with the same old shoes with holes in the bottom, my moms was resourceful and managed to glue some plastic on the inside to stop crap getting into em.

Kind of depressing seeing all your class mates dressing okay and you still have the same bag of rags from the year before but character defining stuff.

Especially when you consider you grow up, earn good money, get stable and oh look, 2009, the year when you get turned into a modern day hobo with no cash.

Leslie

Spot on.

Les

Will

There was 6 of us, 5 boys and 1 girl. Had to share a bedroom with 4 of my brothers. The only time we had gifts was at christmas! My mum had to burn clothes and things just to keep the fire going, we were that poor we couldnt afford coal!! Yes i had hand me downs also. The only place we went on holiday as kids was to Blackpool!. But i can tell you, we were happy

jasey

Posh *******