The absolute peak of luxury as a child

[hollydolly]

Another thing I always thought was the height luxury when I was a kid, was my friends or relatives fridges which were full of food..or cupboards with many packets and tins..

Our fridge only ever held milk and margarine... and there was never more than a can of peas or a packet of Kraft Mac & cheese in the cupboards..

 

[Jules]

Or go to the movies and sit through two features, newsreel, cartoons, etc. And maybe watch the first feature again.

In high school on one of those rare PD days, a friend and I went to two movies in the afternoon. I was grounded for that. What an uptight household.

I wasn’t allowed to eat sugary cereal so, the Kellogg’s Variety Fun Pack, six or eight little boxes of sugary goodness, was a serious luxury in my mind. I still get excited when I see them on the supermarket shelf.

Those were absolutely gourmet food. I must look and see if they still sell those, not that I’d buy it now.

 

[hollydolly]

In high school on one of those rare PD days, a friend and I went to two movies in the afternoon. I was grounded for that. What an uptight household.


Those were absolutely gourmet food. I must look and see if they still sell those, not that I’d buy it now.

they do sell them still.... Like @Jazzy I use to wish we could have those too.... instead of the cornflakes that we always got.....

They are still very available in the stores today... not that I would buy them now...

 

[jujube]

Eating dinner (maybe ever TV dinners) in the living room on metal folding TV trays in front of the TV.

I though that would be the height of modern living, but it would never happen at my house. We didn't  need TV trays, because my mother wouldn't have permitted eating in the living room. Occasionally we were allowed popcorn for Ed Sullivan or Sing Along With Mitch, but dinner? No way! TV dinners? Perish the thought!

 

[feywon]

Another thing I always thought was the height luxury when I was a kid, was my friends or relatives fridges which were full of food..or cupboards with many packets and tins..

Our fridge only ever held milk and margarine... and there was never more than a can of peas or a packet of Kraft Mac & cheese in the cupboards..

An advantage of being rural poor is that while one might sometimes be undernourished, or the food available not one's preferred, one is not likely to starve. Both my parents hunted, we all fished (i was baiting my own hook by 4-5 yrs old), we set up crab trap in shallows of Mangrove Islands across the river. We had orange trees in our yard. The downside being that those activities became chores not relaxing/fun. Too many times we knew if we caught nothing it would be oatmeal for supper.

My parents were best shots in the area, and often bagged extras for neighbors having less success, especially if they had more kids. Those with truck farms shared their harvests with us. When a weird outgoing tide (we lived close to delta area where river entered Tampa Bay and the Bay met Gulf) resulted in a flotilla of Blue Claw Crabs covering the fast flowing surface Dad sent us kids out to alert neighbors without riverfront land. Everyone came gathering what they could use in various containers.

When my kids were growing up, at the end of month fridge & cupboards had more empty space. But by time boys were out of the house and daughter a teen i was making a decent income and they stayed stocked. Yet to this day both DD and i have a feeling satisfaction when we're trying to fit things in on grocery day and we stock up on non-perishables and long shelf life foods, just in case.