If you believe that things just aren't like they used to be, then this gallery is for you. Society has changed, and some things that were commonplace 30 to 40 years ago have become luxuries. The people of Ask Reddit came together to give 21 of their best examples.
Believe it or not, when we say 40 years ago, we're talking about the 80s, not the 60s. However, some of us have a hard time accepting that time moves as fast as it does, so some of these answers might apply a little more to decades slightly before what was actually 40 years ago. Those answers have still been included for emotional, if not strictly physical accuracy.
Do you remember the days of going outside with your friends and riding your bikes around the neighborhood, doing who knows what sorts of mischief only to get back home just in time for dinner? Well, those days are over, thanks in combination to technology and your parents' real crime documentaries. Kids just don't hang out the way they used to Stranger Things style, and it's a real shame. Unless of course, they live in a culdesac. Here are 21 things that were common 40 years ago, but a luxury now.
1
Quality furniture made out of real wood.
2
Food and comfortable seats on airplanes.
3
Being a ‘free range’ kid; being able to play outside without being tracked, not having cell phones, learning to self-entertain instead of being glued to tech, etc.
4
Quality appliances. My grandma’s fridge from 1965 is still going strong. My piece of junk from Samsung died in five years.
6
A college education you could actually pay for in full, yourself.
7
Clothing that is not designed to end up in the great pacific garbage patch in six months.
8
“In the 90s, when I was a kid, we lived in a big 3 bedroom semi-detached house with a huge front and back garden. Rent was £200 a month. My Mum could afford that on one wage. The rent on that same house is now closer to £2000 a month, and wages are largely the same.”
9
Saying you’ll be at a place at a certain time and doing exactly that. You had to show up on time because you couldn't just shoot a text.
10
All kinds of very high quality goods used to be made in US factories. Factory jobs that paid well and were a point of pride were common. It all unraveled after the implementation of open trade policies, globalization, and outsourcing. Now we have Walmart.
11
Soda in a glass bottle.
12
Going to the movies was exciting, and you went for more than just the big superhero movie, you'd go for a comedy, too. And then you'd laugh with a room full of other people.
13
Buying cigarettes with a bit of loose change. Where I live, a single packet costs more now than a carton cost back in the day, but this is a good thing.
15
Annual family vacations that don't involve a tent.
16
Playing outside with neighboring kids.
17
Locally sourced quality food not filled with additives, fillers, preservatives, and antibiotics.
18
Actual privacy, and the ability to make mistakes that don't follow you around for the rest of your life.
19
A good toy in a cereal box.
20
Fish prices have skyrocketed. In my lifetime, certain fish have gone from being poor people’s food to trendy to scarce and expensive.
21
Going to a concert. It used to be a fun weekend thing. Now, I have to save. And buy it months if not a year before.
22
Natural quartz, granite, marble and wood countertops.
