Just last week when the ladies were out and it was mid-afternoon and I hadn't yet had lunch, I treated myself to lunch at A&W. I was hungry, so I ordered onion rings to add to the combo of burger, fries and soft drink. Along with our 13% tax, it came to almost $15. Shocked was I.
So, yes, while this nephew is beginning to feel old, imagine how old I feel because ...
Did you get that?!!
Of course, a coke would have added another 10-15¢. Shocking, I know. We did without anyway but often bought one after school.
This brings to mind the time when Sue and I went grocery shopping early in our marriage in 1969. For some reason the price of bread, whatever it was at the time, got me thinking of how I used to pay 20¢ a few years previously.
So, I did a little inflation calculation in my head and told Sue that we'd someday be paying more than $1 for a loaf. She didn't believe me. Now, the bread that I typically buy can cost $3.99, which is really $4 doncha know.
More items are coming to mind as I roll on this topic. A different friend and I went to a greasy spoon on rare occasions in the 50s. A burger there was 15¢.
A favourite and relatively inexpensive lunch or dinner out for Sue and me has been Swiss Chalet where they serve rotisserie chicken. Last week, lunch cost almost $40 and that was on a special. Although I can't remember the exact amount, I think dinner for 2 cost not much more than $6 in 1970.
Of course, this makes me feel really ancient because to kids today it would seem like that must have been 200 years ago. I used to feel that when my father would tell me how he would get a made-to-measure suit at Tip Top Tailors for $10 in the 1920s.
Going back to the original Facebook comment, one of my nephews commenters said that she now paid $5 for bottled water. I hope it's one heckuva big bottle, for except in rare circumstances, like you're out and thirsty, I think buying bottled water is just nuts.
This brings to mind the time when Sue and I went grocery shopping early in our marriage in 1969. For some reason the price of bread, whatever it was at the time, got me thinking of how I used to pay 20¢ a few years previously.
So, I did a little inflation calculation in my head and told Sue that we'd someday be paying more than $1 for a loaf. She didn't believe me. Now, the bread that I typically buy can cost $3.99, which is really $4 doncha know.
More items are coming to mind as I roll on this topic. A different friend and I went to a greasy spoon on rare occasions in the 50s. A burger there was 15¢.
A favourite and relatively inexpensive lunch or dinner out for Sue and me has been Swiss Chalet where they serve rotisserie chicken. Last week, lunch cost almost $40 and that was on a special. Although I can't remember the exact amount, I think dinner for 2 cost not much more than $6 in 1970.
Of course, this makes me feel really ancient because to kids today it would seem like that must have been 200 years ago. I used to feel that when my father would tell me how he would get a made-to-measure suit at Tip Top Tailors for $10 in the 1920s.
Going back to the original Facebook comment, one of my nephews commenters said that she now paid $5 for bottled water. I hope it's one heckuva big bottle, for except in rare circumstances, like you're out and thirsty, I think buying bottled water is just nuts.
1963-64 Artic Circle drive in, Bend Oregon, a burger was 19 cents, a shake was a quarter. Two burgers and a shake served as dinner on a Friday night for a teenager for less than a buck.
ReplyDeleteGas was 19 cents a gallon. Less than 3 bucks to fill my 61 impala SS. My mileage was maybe 15 mpg.
Those were the days, my friend
We thought they'd never end......but they did.
My brother and I rarely had money to buy lunch as kids. When we got older, quarters were a real treat for cheezies and a drink.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on the water. We pay for water in our homes and businesses. Why do we buy bottled? Such a waste of money and need for recycling when you can bring some from home in a fancy container. That's how I see it anyway!
the hubs and i talk about the price of bottled water all the time. the reason - because everyone complains about the price of a gallon of gas - in our view, gas is a bargain when you think about it as compared to water, which is often not pure as it is advertised to be!!
ReplyDeletewhen i was in high school, we could get a gallon of gas for 50 cents and get drunk on a quart of beer for 50 cents as well. of course we did not drive after we drank the beer ;)
and i remember cheese on a burger was 5 cents extra, so we didn't get it, couldn't afford it. when i take my nieces out to eat, they order the most expensive item on the menu!!!
now i am really off track!!
Oh that last comment of yours: buying bottled water is just nuts! Completely Agree with you. The water that comes out of the tap is proven (in most European countries anyway) to be as good or better than bottled water! And paying five dollars for a bottle? I just think rip-off for something that costs a few cents out of a tap!
ReplyDeleteYou old fart, you! :-)
ReplyDeleteI often think that, as well. Why are we buying so much water and bottling it...
I do remember when MacDonald's hamburgers came to the town next door and we could get a hamburger for 35 cents. It was not huge, but it was good.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget that wages have gone up quite a bit since the 1950s!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI agree completely on the comment about bottled water, John, and also about the rising cost of fast food and dining out in general. Growing up, my parents rarely ate out so while I'm sure the prices were so much lower, I have no comparison. Meals were eaten at home, which sounds a bit antiquated these days.
ReplyDelete