1969 Pay in case anyone was wondering

old medic said:
In 1986 working construction, My take home pay was $168 a week and wife could afford to stay home and care for the kids.
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Wow! Kudos to you for being able to do that. I suppose, in part, it has to do with cost of living in your area, but certainly a lot to do with your ability to keep to a strict budget. I made somewhere around $80k in 1986, which comes to around $1,538 a week. Until prices started going crazy in my area, it was like being an American living in Thailand with all the disposable income. But somewhere along the line, prices started going upward at an increasing rate. For us, it wasn't a problem since I made so much more than we needed to get by so prices never really caught up with our income, but for those in much lower wage categories, those folks seemed to be drowning financially, and now are really screwed with this whole COVID-19 situation.

All through our marriage, my wife worked when she wanted to and didn't when she didn't. It was always her choice. She wanted a career but when she wanted to go back to school to get her degree, she didn't have to work, and when she decided to retire, she was able to. There was never pressure for her to work, but then we don't have kids. That made all the difference around here, as I am sure it would most anywhere.

Tony
 

hollydolly said:
Blimey you all earned loads compared to me. My first real job in 1970 paid me the grand sum of £4/10 a week. This was pre decimilisation for any that don't know, equivalent to £4.50 today.. ..and I had to hand it all over unopened to my father..
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I shuld mention that I was an office junior... and in the UK in those days white collar workers earned much less than Blue collar workers, although the latter was still very small compared to all of you guys... but paid around a 1/3rd more than white collar..If I'd been an adult my pay would have only been around £20 per week if that...
 
hollydolly said:
I shuld mention that I was an office junior... and in the UK in those days white collar workers earned much less than Blue collar workers, although the latter was still very small compared to all of you guys... but paid around a 1/3rd more than white collar..If I'd been an adult my pay would have only been around £20 per week if that...
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Interesting point. My dad had a Master's in Library Science from Columbia University and was a research specialist at Lockheed, yet the plumber next door made a lot more than he did back in the late 1960s. Fast forward to today. I recently talked to a plumber and his pay is commensurate with the number of years one would put in going to college (assuming getting a marketable degree that provides a decent income) and the years of his training are equal to that of getting such a degree. To me, that seems fair and I was glad to hear that instead of being undervalued, a plumber can make what a "white collar" worker can make with equivalent education.

If anything, many of the skilled labor jobs seem undervalued in the here US, where they once were considered an important part of our economy. There was long a push for people to go to college, whether that was the right path for them or not. Hopefully, people realize the mistake and maybe those who go into the trades can do as well (or better) as those with a college path.

Tony
 

tbeltrans said:
Interesting point. My dad had a Master's in Library Science from Columbia University and was a research specialist at Lockheed, yet the plumber next door made a lot more than he did back in the late 1960s. Fast forward to today. I recently talked to a plumber and his pay is commensurate with the number of years one would put in going to college (assuming getting a marketable degree that provides a decent income) and the years of his training are equal to that of getting such a degree. To me, that seems fair and I was glad to hear that instead of being undervalued, a plumber can make what a "white collar" worker can make with equivalent education.

If anything, many of the skilled labor jobs seem undervalued in the here US, where they once were considered an important part of our economy. There was long a push for people to go to college, whether that was the right path for them or not. Hopefully, people realize the mistake and maybe those who go into the trades can do as well (or better) as those with a college path.

Tony
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Interesting!! today of course wages are much higher, minimum wage ,,, but compared to the USA generally smaller some by a long shot..than the USA.. also our houses are far more expensive generally than the US.. and our fuel and oil higher in price. I'm trying to think of what the USA pays more for than us...can you give me a shove .. I can't think, yet I know there has to be something...

As from April 1st this year...these are the minimum wages in the UK..according to age....

Rate from 1 April 2020Rate from 1 April 2021Increase
Aged 25 and above (NLW)£8.72£8.912.2%
21-22 Year Old Rate£8.20£8.362.0%
18-20 Year Old Rate£6.45£6.561.7%
16-17 Year Old Rate£4.55£4.621.5%
Apprentice Rate£4.15£4.303.6%
Accommodation Offset£8.20£8.362.0%
 
I don't remember what I made in the Air Force as an E5, but it was always enough with room and board included. What was done though with the pay was to misspend it on carousing. Glad those days are over. Could not hack that night life today. Got to see a lot of Europe though.

The GI bill was a good benefit afterward . Got me through college.
 
hollydolly said:
Interesting!! today of course wages are much higher, minimum wage ,,, but compared to the USA generally smaller some by a long shot..than the USA.. also our houses are far more expensive generally than the US.. and our fuel and oil higher in price. I'm trying to think of what the USA pays more for than us...can you give me a shove .. I can't think, yet I know there has to be something...

As from April 1st this year...these are the minimum wages in the UK..according to age....

Rate from 1 April 2020Rate from 1 April 2021Increase
Aged 25 and above (NLW)£8.72£8.912.2%
21-22 Year Old Rate£8.20£8.362.0%
18-20 Year Old Rate£6.45£6.561.7%
16-17 Year Old Rate£4.55£4.621.5%
Apprentice Rate£4.15£4.303.6%
Accommodation Offset£8.20£8.362.0%
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Offhand, I can't think of anything that costs more in the US except maybe goods made in England. When I was over there, I remember going into music shops as I wandered around London. At the time, I had a synthesizer at home that I had purchased. In the music shops, the same synthesizer was rented out. I asked why, and the response was that people there couldn't afford to purchase it. When they showed me the cost, it was easily double what it cost me in the US.

I also remember that gas cost more even though it was sold by the litre instead of the gallon. However, cars were much more fuel efficient there on average. The people I was working with drove me all over England and into Wales all week and the only time they filled up the car was after dropping me off in London to go home. Of course the cars were smaller and they didn't seem to drive nearly as fast as we do here. Around here, people routinely drive 70 - 80 MPH on the freeway.

Tony
 
tbeltrans said:
Offhand, I can't think of anything that costs more in the US except maybe goods made in England. When I was over there, I remember going into music shops as I wandered around London. At the time, I had a synthesizer at home that I had purchased. In the music shops, the same synthesizer was rented out. I asked why, and the response was that people there couldn't afford to purchase it. When they showed me the cost, it was easily double what it cost me in the US.

I also remember that gas cost more even though it was sold by the litre instead of the gallon. However, cars were much more fuel efficient there on average. The people I was working with drove me all over England and into Wales all week and the only time they filled up the car was after dropping me off in London to go home. Of course the cars were smaller and they didn't seem to drive nearly as fast as we do here. Around here, people routinely drive 70 - 80 MPH on the freeway.

Tony
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Tony I don't know when you were here but Cars are routinely 4x4's here although some people do have smaller cars because our roads are smaller particularly here in the countryside with narrow lanes with only space for one car to get through at a time.., and people drive at around 80mph or more on the motorways although the speed limit is just 70mph...

Interesting about the synthesizer...
 
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hollydolly said:
Tony I don't know when you were here but Cars are routinely 4x4's here although some people do have smaller cars because our roads are smaller particualrly here in the countrysdie with narrow lanes with only space for one car to get through at a time.., and people drive at around 80mph or more on the motorways although the speed limit is just 70mph...

Interesting about the synthesizer...
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The last time I was over there was probably around 1988. Compared to people in the US, most everybody seemed so polite. I remember when we were driving down a country and there was what you would call a "lorry" carrying a load of hay in front of us. The driver pulled over to let us pass. :)

Tony
 
tbeltrans said:
The last time I was over there was probably around 1988. Compared to people in the US, most everybody seemed so polite. I remember when we were driving down a country and there was what you would call a "lorry" carrying a load of hay in front of us. The driver pulled over to let us pass. :)

Tony
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yes on a country lane of which there are many where I live, that's what we call manners of the road... :giggle:
 
to our friends over there. you need to think of the size differences between your countries and the US. the state I live in, montana, you could put all of the UK here and have room left over, so consider how far you have to travel to shop, or visit and consider that most people in this state live in single family housing and many on rural farms/ranches and not in multiple apartment complexes. lot of difference.
 
cdestroyer said:
to our friends over there. you need to think of the size differences between your countries and the US. the state I live in, montana, you could put all of the UK here and have room left over, so consider how far you have to travel to shop, or visit and consider that most people in this state live in single family housing and many on rural farms/ranches and not in multiple apartment complexes. lot of difference.
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Good point about relative size. When I was working over there in England, in late afternoons we would go places. We were in Hereford and we could get pretty much anywhere and back before dark. I didn't really think about it at the time, but you could not cover the country like that here in the US. I don't mean that we went all over England in an afternoon, but in a week or two of afternoons and a weekend in between, we could do it and we did. Depending on where you live in England, I am sure you might have to drive a fair distance to get shopping and that sort of thing done, just as is true in the US.

Tony
 
cdestroyer said:
to our friends over there. you need to think of the size differences between your countries and the US. the state I live in, montana, you could put all of the UK here and have room left over, so consider how far you have to travel to shop, or visit and consider that most people in this state live in single family housing and many on rural farms/ranches and not in multiple apartment complexes. lot of difference.
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yes absolutely..I agree... however the trafic density here is ridiculous, and prevents us travelling by car very far in any one day. For example I live 20 miles from the centre of London, by car it can take me 2 hours or more to get there... whereas if I drove 20 miles North the same distance I can get there in 30 minutes, but after that, I hit a bottle neck, and then can take another hour to get the next 20 or 30 miles...
 
tbeltrans said:
Good point about relative size. When I was working over there in England, in late afternoons we would go places. We were in Hereford and we could get pretty much anywhere and back before dark. I didn't really think about it at the time, but you could not cover the country like that here in the US. I don't mean that we went all over England in an afternoon, but in a week or two of afternoons and a weekend in between, we could do it and we did. Depending on where you live in England, I am sure you might have to drive a fair distance to get shopping and that sort of thing done, just as is true in the US.

Tony
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You couldn't really get anywhere in one day.. as I say above... if travelling by train you can get pretty much anywhere in England, but say from Hereford ( which is in the west) you wanted to travel to the far North of England it would take 5 hours by train.... you were on the borders of Wales while you were in Hereford, and that area has so much less traffic density than the rest of England being mostly farming land It would have taken you 3.5 hours from Hereford by train.. and that doesn't take into consideration the getting to the train station etc... and doesn't include your journey back , to get here where I am..in the south/east...with light traffic it would take you over 3 hours... but there never is light traffic, so the reality is that it could take anything up to 4.5 hours or more... :) further to that if you do drive, the traffic ( outside of covid lockdowns)..is so heavy, that by the time you get to your destination you would be in no mood to drive back
 
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Feelslikefar said:
When I was stationed in the UK, we lived on-base at one of them
and lived off-base at the other.

They offered us Base Housing at both, but we enjoyed living in a quiet
small village so much, we turned it down at my last base.

We adjusted our spending to do this. Extra COLA helped a lot.

Why live in a different country only to surround yourself in an 'American Island'
which was the Base? Wife loved going to 'High Street' on Wednesdays and I loved
the local Pub.

Only American family in the village and it was the best place we ever lived.
(sorry to take the thread off -track)
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Glad you enjoyed being in our country. When people live abroad they tend to stick to their own kind, so it's nice to see someone enjoying a different culture.
 
hollydolly said:
You couldn't really get anywhere in one day.. as I say above... if travelling by train you can get pretty much anywhere in England, but say from Hereford ( which is in the west) you wanted to travel to the far North of England it would take 5 hours by train.... you were on the borders of Wales while you were in Hereford, and that area has so much less traffic density than the rest of England being mostly farming land It would have taken you 3.5 hours from Hereford by train.. and that doesn't take into consideration the getting to the train station etc... and doesn't include your journey back , to get here where I am..in the south/east...with light traffic it would take you over 3 hours... but there never is light traffic, so the reality is that it could take anything up to 4.5 hours or more... :) further to that if you do drive, the traffic ( outside of covid lockdowns)..is so heavy, that by the time you get to your destination you would be in no mood to drive back
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I wouldn't be surprised if things have changed that much regarding traffic in 20+ years. Yes, there are places it would take longer to get to, but it surprised me how much ground we could cover compared to the US, and that is what others have mentioned in posts in this thread.

Tony
 
Rosemarie said:
Glad you enjoyed being in our country. When people live abroad they tend to stick to their own kind, so it's nice to see someone enjoying a different culture.
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With the exception of one Caribbean cruise my wife wanted us to go on, all my travel outside the US was work-related (engineering projects, military, musician), so I worked with the people in those countries I travelled to. Tourism always seemed to me more a matter of ticking off the boxes saying "I was there", rather than getting to know people in the areas visited. Being stationed in another country, a person could choose to interact with the people in that area or to stick with his or her "own kind".

Tony
 
Rosemarie said:
Glad you enjoyed being in our country. When people live abroad they tend to stick to their own kind, so it's nice to see someone enjoying a different culture.
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I was worried when we first moved to my first base in the UK.

The worry was for the wife and how much I'd be deployed while there.
She would have to get used to driving on a different 'side of the road',
voltage change and similar things.

She had about 2 weeks to get used to it all before I deployed for a 179 day adventure.
Don't know why I doubted her; she stepped up and got on better than I ever did!

My Unit's only mission was to support Central Command, which takes in all of Europe and Africa.
Out of 4 years, I was deployed a total of just over 2 years, off and on.

Our family outings (when I was home) usually consisted of finding another 'Castle' to visit or a
church to do some 'rubbings' of the headstones.

My thing was finding as many abandoned B-17 bases and talking to the locals about what that time was like.
 
Feelslikefar said:
I was worried when we first moved to my first base in the UK.

The worry was for the wife and how much I'd be deployed while there.
She would have to get used to driving on a different 'side of the road',
voltage change and similar things.

She had about 2 weeks to get used to it all before I deployed for a 179 day adventure.
Don't know why I doubted her; she stepped up and got on better than I ever did!

My Unit's only mission was to support Central Command, which takes in all of Europe and Africa.
Out of 4 years, I was deployed a total of just over 2 years, off and on.

Our family outings (when I was home) usually consisted of finding another 'Castle' to visit or a
church to do some 'rubbings' of the headstones.

My thing was finding as many abandoned B-17 bases and talking to the locals about what that time was like.
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which Base were you stationed at ?
 
Driving distances here are very big. Before the freeway system was built there were of course state roadways and many are still in use. I live in a small town population just a tad over 3000. There are no major department stores here, the closest is 55 miles on the freeway (autobahn?) at 80mph (129km) but you dont have to drive that fast. There is no place here with major traffic jams, there are slow downs at peak times. But there are other states to consider with way more population. Currently the UK has 66 mil compared to montana at just a bit over 1 mil.. Of course there are larger states montana is number 4 after alaska, texas and california.
Western montana is mostly mountains and forests split by the continental divide the east is considerably lower in elevation with some mountainous areas but mostly flat high plains. Lumber, mining, ranching in the west, wheat fields intermingled with ranches in the east (and oil wells). I never made it to Europe but would have liked to have seen it. I spent my time in southeast asia (jungles and rivers) and the wide pacific.
 
cdestroyer said:
Driving distances here are very big. Before the freeway system was built there were of course state roadways and many are still in use. I live in a small town population just a tad over 3000. There are no major department stores here, the closest is 55 miles on the freeway (autobahn?) at 80mph (129km) but you dont have to drive that fast. There is no place here with major traffic jams, there are slow downs at peak times. But there are other states to consider with way more population. Currently the UK has 66 mil compared to montana at just a bit over 1 mil.. Of course there are larger states montana is number 4 after alaska, texas and california.
Western montana is mostly mountains and forests split by the continental divide the east is considerably lower in elevation with some mountainous areas but mostly flat high plains. Lumber, mining, ranching in the west, wheat fields intermingled with ranches in the east (and oil wells). I never made it to Europe but would have liked to have seen it. I spent my time in southeast asia (jungles and rivers) and the wide pacific.
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Montana is a beautiful state - Big Sky Country!

Tony
 

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