Were anyone else’s parents skint during the late 70s, early 80s?
We were probably considered lower middle class. Dad was a teacher, mam worked initially in a shop then did admin work. When very young, she did an evening shift at the big new supermarket savecentre. Pretty much tag-team parenting. Dad would come home from work, mam would go out. He was the one doing stories and bath time, because we needed my mam’s income.
Cheap family holidays camping. They did buy their own house but it was a struggle and the interest rate surge in the 80s was a worry. Thatcherism gripped the north east. They did ok, but a couple of years were really counting the pennies to get us Christmas presents. That was usually just the one big thing like one of the larger Star Wars ships or a bigger lego set and a handful of smaller things. Not a lot by today’s standards.
We were probably better off than many in my class, a lot had a dad out of work, as north east industry fell apart. But even then, I don’t remember a life of riches and excess.
This is the generation we are having a go at now. Those a decade younger than me, grew up with foreign holidays and games consoles. People who are the same age as my parents when they struggled, walk around wit hundreds of pounds worth of tech gadgets in their pockets, have more at home, all subscribed to various media contracts. Multi car families are the norm and people don’t drive crappy old bangers barely holding together. More than 10 year old is considered obsolete. A stag night is 5 days in Prague not a few pints down the club.
By comparison is it really that bad that our parents generation can get 20p off a pasty during the working week?
