What Did You Think Was Indicators of Wealth When Growing Up?

[SHOOTER12 8,810]

39 minutes ago, nnm said:

Man, that’s rough. So when they changed the policy, did you have a leg to stand on?

Just one, just one damned leg to stand on...... but that's better than none 😁

[Okie State 3,821]

I always thought my neighbors were rich compared to us. They had boats, dirt bikes, Mongoose BMX bikes, in ground pool, Sega Genesis/Game Gear/Channel, etc. They also got 5.0 Mustangs and Honda CBR600's when they turned 16. Ballers.

 

 

[Okie State 3,821]

You lived in a nicer neighborhood than me, you rich fuck.

Ha, trust me...we didn't have any of that shit. We didn't even go out to eat unless it was someone's birthday and my Grandpa was paying. I also don't remember going to more than a handful of movies in a theater as a kid.

[SHOOTER12 8,810]

24 minutes ago, Lobo said:

Glad to read I'm not the only one on here who grew up lower middle class but was cared for, and also really wanted cable tv, a lake house, a country club membership, a Lincoln car, a portable gaming system, big screen TV, pool table, ski trips, and house big enough to have its own "play room" filled with cool toys.  

I don't mean to brag fellas, but now that I'm grown up and have my own family of four.  We have TWO television sets in our house.  That's right, count 'em.  TWO.  One upstairs and one downstairs.  Oh yeah.  Both with cable TV.  

Hell even in my old timey lower middle class childhood, I had that... A checkerboard and a pocket full of marbles for pocket pool, you could take a them anywhere.

[Iceman 2,715]

Cheese that didn't come in a cardboard box.

[SDG 3,319]

On 7/1/2020 at 4:14 AM, RPM said:

Color TV, refrigerated a/c (not swamp cooler), an actual house and not a trailer

This was mine.  The funniest thing about that is I has friends in the park who thought my family was “rich” because we didn’t live on welfare or receive food stamps.  

We did finally move into a house when I was in 7th grade that had two beds, one bath, and no closets.  I stepped up my game and only thought people were rich then if their house didn’t have paneling on every wall.  
 

We were AAA members and I’ve been to Disney Land so don’t feel sorry for me.  

Edited July 2, 2020 by SDG

[Shoxthemonkey 1,981]

Central air. We had swamp coolers until Dad cut a hole in the wall for a big-ass Gibson. Noisy bitch.

Parents that only worked one job.

Schwinn bicycles.

My Dad could fix just about anything so we had lots of things that had been discarded by rich folks and repaired. Sometimes they were name brand but they still carried hand-me-down stink.

[burntorangebongos 10,714]

I liked the government cheese during the Carter years. That shit was legit Wisconsin cheddar.  It came in a Velveeta Cheese-like box and it was the first real cheese I ever had since I grew up with the Kraft single slice shit. My grandma qualified for it but she didn't like it so she passed it over to my mom. I think she got a box every week or two. My mom made cheese bread with it and all kinds of dishes. Real fucking cheddar, man. I still have a soft spot for cheddar to this day...sharp.

[Hate 20,108]

Man, my aunt had the Tyson fight vs Holyfield’s ear on that big TV. The best part of the night is that my uncle accidentally turned to Spice and was unable to turn back to the fight for 30 secs for some reason. Saw titties and boxing. mammaries.

Hell yes.

[nnm 36,416]

2 hours ago, SHOOTER12 said:

Just one, just one damned leg to stand on...... but that's better than none 😁

I know. That’s the joke😉. You have a great attitude about it, as evidenced by occasional self deprecating jokes about it (like in the injuries thread), otherwise I wouldn’t have thrown it out there. 

[SHOOTER12 8,810]

27 minutes ago, nnm said:

I know. That’s the joke😉. You have a great attitude about it, as evidenced by occasional self deprecating jokes about it (like in the injuries thread), otherwise I wouldn’t have thrown it out there. 

It's something you learn to live with.  I really believe in self deprecating humor.  I think it helps keep a person humble and honest with themselves.  As a side note, if it gives someone a good laugh, we've helped the world be a little bit better.

[nnm 36,416]

The 100-pack crayola boxes. 

This is all I ever took to school. 

 

[T’Boo Ted Marshall 2,732]

20 hours ago, DalTxHornFan said:

Man, I hated wearing those to school!

These were the worst. Light blue color gave them away.   I tried as hard as I could to tear them so I could get some Levi's or Lee's but those things were indestructible.  

[ImissWallyPryor 9,046]

Console TVs with built-in stereo, turntable, and speakers. My aunt and uncle had one, and I always thought that was fancy-schmancy. We always had a TV on a simple stand with wheels. I guess the people who had their TV on crates thought we were rich. 

[Underdog 28,676]

I remember a friend having one of these...

[Wally Fairway 5,550]

having a pool
belonging to a country club
home air conditioning 
people who went skiing on vacation - like to Colorado or Utah

 

the again I remember talking with my grandmother and she said she was excited when the old farm house was updated with indoor plumbing

[Okie State 3,821]

Skiing is a good one. No idea how so many people could afford to do that.

[ImissWallyPryor 9,046]

15 minutes ago, Underdog said:

I remember a friend having one of these...

Ha! You were from the future. These are what I’m talking about. 

vs

[Bozo_Casanova 26,472]

Country clubs, ski trips, new cars, quality clothes, new sports equipment, new anything, really. Carefree girls with shiny hair who drove white convertible rabbits and 318s. The act of being able to buy stuff, little things, without sweating it and figuring out the budget. To not live in a state of constant financial vigilance. 

Edited July 2, 2020 by Bozo_Casanova

[ImissWallyPryor 9,046]

17 minutes ago, Wally Fairway said:

having a pool
belonging to a country club
home air conditioning 
people who went skiing on vacation - like to Colorado or Utah

 

the again I remember talking with my grandmother and she said she was excited when the old farm house was updated with indoor plumbing

My grandparents finally got indoor plumbing when they were in their 60s. They had a section of their front porch enclosed for a bathroom, but floor wasn’t level. Hence, the bathtub didn’t drain correctly because the plumbing/drain end was against the main house wall and the old porch floor sloped away from the house. It wasn’t a claw foot tub, so I guess it was easier to push the water to the drain than it was to shim the low end.

[Dennis Taylor 18,829]

80s middle class kid tryin to make a few bucks

1. Columbia House cassette deal

 

2. dual cassette deck

3. blank cassettes

4. profit

 

Edited July 2, 2020 by Dennis Taylor

[ImissWallyPryor 9,046]

I still have my bad ass stereo I bought back in 1977 with my GW Jr’s pay checks.

[Underdog 28,676]

Mmmmmm,  GW Jr's. 

[BearSchlong 8,098]

56 minutes ago, Underdog said:

I remember a friend having one of these...

My grandparents got one of these when they came out.  Watched a lot of Sunday afternoon golf on that sucker.

[RamjetFDO 10,575]

[ABSR 5,315]

1 hour ago, ImissWallyPryor said:

Ha! You were from the future. These are what I’m talking about. 

 

 

We had this but with no TV.  It had two speakers in it on front sides, 8 Track player, turn table and Radio tuner.   So just a wood paneled stereo system.   It was prominently displayed so you could see it in living room as you walked in.   It looked even bigger than real life because my parents had taken press on mirror squares and covered the wall behind it (mirrors had brown squiggly marks on them).  

[Iceman 2,715]

4 hours ago, burntorangebongos said:

I liked the government cheese during the Carter years. That shit was legit Wisconsin cheddar.  It came in a Velveeta Cheese-like box and it was the first real cheese I ever had since I grew up with the Kraft single slice shit. My grandma qualified for it but she didn't like it so she passed it over to my mom. I think she got a box every week or two. My mom made cheese bread with it and all kinds of dishes. Real fucking cheddar, man. I still have a soft spot for cheddar to this day...sharp.

During the Reagan/ 41 years, it came in a 5# box, much bigger than velveeta.  It was harder than Velveeta, but it damned sure wasn’t cheddar like what you’re describing.

The grossest thing was opening the canned pork.  Those were the days I knew I really wanted to eat to survive.

[Okie State 3,821]

We had this but with no TV.  It had two speakers in it on front sides, 8 Track player, turn table and Radio tuner.   So just a wood paneled stereo system.   It was prominently displayed so you could see it in living room as you walked in.   It looked even bigger than real life because my parents had taken press on mirror squares and covered the wall behind it (mirrors had brown squiggly marks on them).  

I want one of these for my house.

[Doug E. Fresh 452]

For me in the early 80s, it was the kickass BMX like a Diamondback, Mongoose, Haro, etc.  I was always livin large on my Huffy or Schwinn.

[Okie State 3,821]

For me in the early 80s, it was the kickass BMX like a Diamondback, Mongoose, Haro, etc.  I was always livin large on my Huffy or Schwinn.

I had a POS Huffy. Finally got a Diamondback when I was almost old enough to drive so it wasn't cool anymore.

[BearSchlong 8,098]

Hutch Pro Star was my dream bike.  I did have a badass Mongoose but it got stolen.

Edited July 2, 2020 by BearSchlong

[Bullneck 19,103]

12 hours ago, mchookem said:

Jordache jeans, Izod/Polo shirts, Reebok/Nike shoes, Liz Claiborne purse

 

Some of the kids at my school had one in every color.  Blew my mind.

[Bullneck 19,103]

2 hours ago, Dennis Taylor said:

80s middle class kid tryin to make a few bucks

1. Columbia House cassette deal

 

2. dual cassette deck

3. blank cassettes

4. profit

 

+rep for those images alone.

[Bash Riprock 1,695]

A pool.

[burntorangebongos 10,714]

https://www.npr.org/2018/09/07/645459818/government-cheese-well-intentioned-program-goes-off-the-rails

Haha, NPR did a thing about it. The surplus cheese was grade A cheese. That was some damn good government cheese you missed out on, Slorch. 

[fattyflattie 4,639]

Car with leather seats - mom always had a decent ride, dad took the hand me down, still to this day.  But never had leather seats.

Elf/Mongoose/DB bike. - I eventually got a Dyno, which still wasn't as good, but better than what I had before that.  Legitimate Thank You to Dad.  

Go cart/4 wheeler - I mowed about 234432233 lawns to get one when I was about 13.  Manco.  That thing ripped and I've been looking to find one for my oldest.

Our Christmas' would be about 1/4 of the stuff the "rich" kids would get.  And holy shit if you were "rich" and your parents were divorced, motherload.

We had more money than most, if not everyone, that we lived around (VERY 1st gen Hispanic neighborhood).  I assume that will help my folks retire easier.  I am not rich, but my kids do not know the same struggles, and I fear for their snowflakeness.

Edited July 2, 2020 by fattyflattie

[nnm 36,416]

We had lots of government cheese. We were never in the program, but had lots of friends that were. Dad was a community developer, mom was a teacher, neither made much, but we never went on food stamps or directly took government cheese. But through dad’s work he had plenty of contacts that did, and we had it a lot. I don’t remember the real cheddar stuff. This was more like velveeta.
One time the commercial freezer went out at the cafeteria at dad’s work, and they had like 200 lbs of frozen chicken breast. We took as much as we could fit in our freezer. We had chicken every meal for a very, very long time. 

Mom and dad quite intentionally got off of the corporate ladder and raised us in the country, with an intentionally minimal lifestyle. We never had much. One year we got blankets for Christmas (seriously), and were very happy for it.
I’ve made different choices for raising my kids, and they have all the things I thought rich people did, and many more I never dreamed of.  Maybe that’s good, maybe not. 

[nnm 36,416]

9 minutes ago, fattyflattie said:

Car with leather seats - mom always had a decent ride, dad took the hand me down, still to this day.  But never had leather seats.

Rich, Corinthian leather. Because Corinth is known for its leather, dontcha know?

[Guest Lobo]

4 hours ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

Country clubs, ski trips, new cars, quality clothes, new sports equipment, new anything, really. Carefree girls with shiny hair who drove white convertible rabbits and 318s. The act of being able to buy stuff, little things, without sweating it and figuring out the budget. To not live in a state of constant financial vigilance. 

Ah, you knew Lauren?  She had an awesome VW convertible.  White leather seats even.  

I remember a few years after my parents split up, I was pouting about "needing" something.  Don't remember what, I was maybe 10-11 at the time.  And my mom showed me a list of her monthly bills and said something like "I pay these people one month, and I pay these other people the next month and keep alternating that way all through the year."  and that's when I realized that although she managed to keep us in a decent neighborhood in a decent school district, we were not well-off...at all. 

To this day, because of those years...having stuff doesn't mean anything to me.  It'll be a long time before I get to join the watch, cars, and golf threads on Surly.  But I clawed as best as I could to get my children into a great neighborhood in an exceptional school district.  We own just two televisions, drive really old cars, and my wife and I buy our clothes at annual clearance sales of mid-range department stores.  My kids will one day whine about all the shit their friends have that they didn't get to have, but I think they'll be better off for it.  Maybe.  I dunno.  I should probably spoil them instead of giving the money to charity.  But one day, I can tell them..."Your grandma did an amazing job keeping our family afloat.  And your mommy did the same.  And now we're doing okay so let's be thankful.  I mean, my mom---your grandma---had weeks where she didn't know how she was gonna buy groceries...and now your father is on a pretend message board with Rex Kramer and Johnny Sack.  It's America.  Anything is possible."  

Edited July 2, 2020 by Lobo

[hundredTT 578]

17 hours ago, Bash Riprock said:

 

 

 

 

The HBO one is spot on. I remember my grandparents having HBO and it was like the sacred grail. Funny how priories seem to have changed. My parents could have afforded HBO back in the day, but that was like an extreme luxury, hell cable was even pushing it. Now everyone has HBO, Netflix, Hulu, Disney +...etc. and it’s like deemed a necessity. When I was an investigator, every poor persons house I would go into sometimes didn’t even have working water, but that Netflix app on the smart tv and kids with iPads were always prevalent. 

Edited July 2, 2020 by hundredTT

[ImissWallyPryor 9,046]

4 hours ago, ABSR said:

We had this but with no TV.  It had two speakers in it on front sides, 8 Track player, turn table and Radio tuner.   So just a wood paneled stereo system.   It was prominently displayed so you could see it in living room as you walked in.   It looked even bigger than real life because my parents had taken press on mirror squares and covered the wall behind it (mirrors had brown squiggly marks on them).  

So, your mom was an interior decorator?

[Iceman 2,715]

In football, teammates who had their own helmets/ cleats( not school issue.)

Buying my own helmet might as well have been a Maserati.

Edited July 2, 2020 by Iceman

[ImissWallyPryor 9,046]

6 hours ago, Dennis Taylor said:

80s middle class kid tryin to make a few bucks

1. Columbia House cassette deal

 

2. dual cassette deck

3. blank cassettes

4. profit

 

I got suckered into the Columbia Record Club (LPs, not cassettes). I either marked the wrong box or they fucked up because I ended up with this instead of a Doobie Brothers album I wanted:

[burntorangebongos 10,714]

My parents were teachers raising 6 kids in the 60's and 70's so we didn't have much but I was too dumb to know it. I never got jealous about what my friends had because we all shared anyway. I had a friend with this nice banana seat bike and we learned to ride it with her climbing all over me and standing on my shoulders. We did all kinds of tricks with it. I got a basic skateboard and my sister's boyfriend redid the whole bottom with new trucks and everything so I could do more with it. It was that old fiberglass model that every kid had but he fixed it up nice, I guess to impress my sister. I loved that skateboard.

[davidg 4,038]

5 hours ago, burntorangebongos said:

https://www.npr.org/2018/09/07/645459818/government-cheese-well-intentioned-program-goes-off-the-rails

Haha, NPR did a thing about it. The surplus cheese was grade A cheese. That was some damn good government cheese you missed out on, Slorch. 

 

[Teddyballgame 441]

10 hours ago, nnm said:

The 100-pack crayola boxes. 

This is all I ever took to school. 

I agree with most posted on this thread but this is the correct answer   I can still remember kindergarten when I first noticed not everyone is like my family  and how does that motherfucking Timmy have a goddamn 64 pack of crayons and I have the crappy 8 pack

 

[Bullneck 19,103]

14 hours ago, Lobo said:

Glad to read I'm not the only one on here who grew up lower middle class but was cared for, and also really wanted cable tv, a lake house, a country club membership, a Lincoln car, a portable gaming system, big screen TV, pool table, ski trips, and house big enough to have its own "play room" filled with cool toys.  

I don't mean to brag fellas, but now that I'm grown up and have my own family of four.  We have TWO television sets in our house.  That's right, count 'em.  TWO.  One upstairs and one downstairs.  Oh yeah.  Both with cable TV.  

 

[Prepuce of Doom 21,074]

11 hours ago, T’Boo Ted Marshall said:

These were the worst. Light blue color gave them away.   I tried as hard as I could to tear them so I could get some Levi's or Lee's but those things were indestructible.  

Fuck Toughskins. 

An unskinned knee "protected" by Toughskins hurt far more than ripping through regular jeans and skinning a knee. 

I remember being delighted and relieved when I finally convinced my mom to cut my Toughskins into shorts. 

[ImissWallyPryor 9,046]

I think it’s predictable that my older sisters would say store bought clothing every time, all the time. My mom made countless dresses and blouses in the 60s and 70s. She even made my wife’s wedding dress, which helped a lot when my MIL decided she wasn’t going to pitch in anything for the wedding because she was “offended” that my wife asked for some of her dad’s inheritance to help pay for the wedding after dear MIL bought her boyfriend-of-the-month a new car on her way to blowing through the inheritance.

I think I need to visit another thread. 
 

P.S. - Speaking of making things, my dad made a car-top carrier out of plywood. He painted it to match our blue 1964 Pontiac Catalina station wagon. I’m sure we impressed everyone on vacation with that thing on top. Aerodynamic? Lol

Edited July 3, 2020 by ImissWallyPryor

[mulletpelini 5,211]

Please tell me you have pictures of that.

 

13 hours ago, Okie State said:

Skiing is a good one. No idea how so many people could afford to do that.

Dad was good about that, we went skiing a lot.  Didn't hurt that Colorado was only 8 hours away and we had friends in high places that let us use their "ski" cabins.  He didn't take us out to dinner, but that money went to lift tickets and gas.  He also worked a couple extra jobs during the year to pay for our vacations.

11 hours ago, Bullneck said:

Some of the kids at my school had one in every color.  Blew my mind.

I hated those fucking dudes.

7 hours ago, Iceman said:

In football, teammates who had their own helmets/ cleats( not school issue.)

what/whose planet are you from?  Every piece of football gear I ever had was provided by sponsor/school.  I made my own arm covers by cutting the ends out of socks and rolling them up to my shoulder pads.