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Posted on 10/7/25 at 7:27 am to CitizenK
quote:
$20k a year was good money in 1974 if you could find it. The labor market was crowded. Union insulator helpers made $5 per hour, and I thought that I had a summer job as a helper. I would have been "rich" with that kind of money in college
Also back then homes were much smaller. The house my dad bought was only 1200sf.
When my father retired from the Airforce in 1973. His first job was $11,000 a year. He was raising a family of 4 on that salary. My sister couldn't get a grant to go to Nicholls because the income didn't qualify and had to get a job and go to night school .
My dad got only half the amount he could have gotten for retirement so my mom would continue to get the check after he passed.
This post was edited on 10/7/25 at 7:29 am
Posted on 10/7/25 at 8:13 am to Sofaking2
Posted on 10/7/25 at 8:15 am to CitizenK
quote:
It was a miracle for a 1974 car to make 100,000 miles. Getting over 50,000 without any major repairs was quite lucky
It was also normal for most men to spend at least some time every week keeping the damned thing running so they could drive it to work the next week. I started driving in 1979 at 14 years of age and my first truck was a 1969 C10 (still have it). It was 10 years old, had about 100k miles on it and I had to work on the damned thing 3-4 hours a week to keep it running for the 3-4 hours I drove it a week. It would use a quart of oil between fill ups and water pumps, alternators, starters, master cylinders, none of it would last more than about 6 months. Thermostats? If you were smart you just took the damned thing out or you'd be running hot every 6 months or so. It sounds like it was a piece of shite....when I had it every adult male I knew would comment on how reliable it was compared to their pieces of shite....as bad as it was it as better than most. Cars are amazingly reliable today compared to the 70s and 80s. And far safer....and more efficient. That truck had a SB in it and a rochester 4 barrel carburetor - if it got 10 MPG it was a miracle. My current truck is 3500 GMC gas burner and it has 130k on it and other than headlights it has never have anything done to it and it gets just under 13 MPG....far better than that 1969 truck.
Posted on 10/7/25 at 8:19 am to Sofaking2
Now do minimum wage, not that people should strive to make min wage.
The housing numbers could be interpreted differently.
I bought my house in 2003 for 88k but I don't have anything super nice (3BR brick on 1.5 acre, 1500 sq feet, 50 yrs old then but in decent shape).
The housing numbers could be interpreted differently.
I bought my house in 2003 for 88k but I don't have anything super nice (3BR brick on 1.5 acre, 1500 sq feet, 50 yrs old then but in decent shape).
Posted on 10/7/25 at 8:54 am to NorthEndZone
A good illustration of why CPI doesn't really capture why the middle class is feeling such a pinch. Non-optional spending such as housing, education, food, medical has gone up, but it's balanced by cheaper consumer goods. Let them eat computer chips, I suppose. You have to keep in mind that CPI is a tool the fed uses to set interest rates, it doesn't reflect the actual inflation rate felt by your average consumer.
Posted on 10/7/25 at 8:54 am to YouKnowImRight
Nobody cares.
---clearly not true
---clearly not true
Posted on 10/7/25 at 9:00 am to nugget
quote:
What have the average home size and finishes done in this timeframe?
They've all improved obviously, even with older houses going into the dataset. I think a more interesting question is at what point do these "improvements" do more harm than good.
I didn't ask for 11 computers in my car, but if that's all that's offered suddenly I have to suck it up and pay big $$$ or ride a bike. It seems like the "cheap" options aren't there anymore so people either go into debt or forego it entirely
This post was edited on 10/7/25 at 9:01 am
Posted on 10/7/25 at 9:05 am to YouKnowImRight
quote:
Nobody cares.
Some do.
Just rode up to the camp on Lake Bistineau. Campers, RVs and boats for sale every 100 yards.
I've seen this cycle before, when people start selling their toys they are broke.
Posted on 10/7/25 at 11:09 am to Sofaking2
Did you really think the people who voted for the economic mess were in would admit it was easier back then?
Posted on 10/7/25 at 11:12 am to Sofaking2
Also do income
Posted on 10/7/25 at 3:51 pm to AwgustaDawg
quote:
And far safer.
I'm not so sure about safer. A collision at 30 MPH will total today's cars. A collision at 50 MPH didn't do that in the early 80's
As far as reliability, an uncle who was a partner in a Dodge dealership told me to buy the brands made in Canada instead of Michigan. Coronet was made in Canada back then. Also, a car assembled on a Monday or a Friday was more prone to be a lemon. QA/QC wasn't that standard then.
Best car I ever owned was a 1980 Oldsmobile Cutlass. Changing the oil at 10,000 miles it looked like it just came out of the can. It got 20 MPG with a 4.3 liter V8. It was void of all today's electronic gizmos, except power windows. Ex wife got it in our divorce and gave it to her brother when it needed fuel injector nozzles changed.
Now I did estimate and manage an environmental cleanup at a GM plant in St. Louis where the Corvette Stingrays were made for 2 decades. It had a zig zag ovalish test track for each car off the assembly line about a mile long, complete with berms to check suspension systems.
This post was edited on 10/7/25 at 3:58 pm
Posted on 10/7/25 at 3:54 pm to nugget
quote:
What have the average home size and finishes done in this timeframe?
I’ve never seen this retarded talking point more than here. Only on the OT do people think the standard of living shouldn’t increase over time. Truly moronic shite
Posted on 10/7/25 at 3:59 pm to JackieSonnier
quote:
Pft I’m not reading all that
Thanks for letting us know
Posted on 10/7/25 at 4:07 pm to nugget
This was the home of the biggest pop star on the planet in the 1970’s.
Posted on 10/7/25 at 4:07 pm to Mingo Was His NameO
quote:
I’ve never seen this retarded talking point more than here. Only on the OT do people think the standard of living shouldn’t increase over time. Truly moronic shite
It's a true statement though. I wonder what percentage of young married couples today would be ok with raising their family of 5 in a 1500 sq ft house and maybe 2 kids sharing a bedroom? That was a pretty common situation for the middle class, even when I was growing up.
I happen to agree with OP that inflation has been worse recently, and that young people today might end up being the first generation in the country that's worse off than their parents, but there is certainly some lifestyle bloat too.
Posted on 10/7/25 at 4:10 pm to fallguy_1978
quote:
I wonder what percentage of young married couples today would be ok with raising their family of 5 in a 1500 sq ft house and maybe 2 kids sharing a bedroom? That was a pretty common situation for the middle class, even when I was growing up.
While they were raised in a 2800 sq ft house just the generation before, often times with their mom not working? Probably not very many, which is totally reasonable.
Who wants to raise their kids worse off than themselves?
Posted on 10/7/25 at 4:18 pm to Sofaking2
You’re not wrong. But your reasoning is a little off (or just your explanation of it). Price and inflation is all relative. If the countries income had risen the same rate as inflation, then it wouldn’t matter. The rise of inflation only really matters compared against the rate of income growth. That is where you’re right. While people make more money today, inflation adjusted income is lower than that of the earlier years.
This chart shows more of the issue than just rising prices.
This chart shows more of the issue than just rising prices.
Posted on 10/7/25 at 4:20 pm to YouKnowImRight
quote:
Nobody cares.
I'd say everyone cares but they just won't do anything about it.
Posted on 10/7/25 at 4:22 pm to fallguy_1978
I think both statements can be correct.
I’m Gen X and did I have an easier time than the current generation? Probably so as entry level into housing and the cost of living are a lot tougher now.
However, did I have to do it in a smaller starting income and make sacrifices that kids today can’t fathom? Yes. I never dreamed of owning a house when I was single and even after married, my wife and I lived in an apartment with a 1hr commute for the first year of our marriage. The concept that young single people should be able to afford a nice house in town has never been a thing until now.
Also, everything I focused on from HS in was trying to find a career in as high a paying profession I could…not my passion or finding my true self. What was I good at I could make good money at.
My kids probably won’t have it as well, at least initially, because they’re not as laser focused on money as we were. Maybe because they grew up with it or maybe because the 80’s were all about being successful and that was drilled into our brain. Gordon Gecko was spot on.
I’m Gen X and did I have an easier time than the current generation? Probably so as entry level into housing and the cost of living are a lot tougher now.
However, did I have to do it in a smaller starting income and make sacrifices that kids today can’t fathom? Yes. I never dreamed of owning a house when I was single and even after married, my wife and I lived in an apartment with a 1hr commute for the first year of our marriage. The concept that young single people should be able to afford a nice house in town has never been a thing until now.
Also, everything I focused on from HS in was trying to find a career in as high a paying profession I could…not my passion or finding my true self. What was I good at I could make good money at.
My kids probably won’t have it as well, at least initially, because they’re not as laser focused on money as we were. Maybe because they grew up with it or maybe because the 80’s were all about being successful and that was drilled into our brain. Gordon Gecko was spot on.
This post was edited on 10/7/25 at 4:24 pm
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