Your Childhood deprivation

tin bath in front of the fire or wash down in the sink, outside toilet, no electric light except in the livingroom etc but at least we managed a holiday at Blind Man Barker's holiday camp at Redcar.
 
I think a lot of what has changed during my life is that consumerism has taken over our lives.
We werent poor but we got our moneys worth out of everything.
We had an annual holiday to Scarborough, we always had a new(ish) car, mom made home cooked food each tea time, we got nice treats at christmas time and we were the first family on the estate to get a home computer. (BBC Model B)

Conversely we never had the expensive football boots (I have 2 brothers), I always got my older brothers clothes and footwear. I once wanted a 'Fila' shellsuit - so mom MADE me one!! 😅 much to the amusement of my mates. I wanted an Orvile cuddly plushy - so mom MADE me one for Christmas when I was about 7.
Our monthly shop at ASDA had to last us the month. If we ran out of anything we just went without.

So, we were reasonable comfortable but very frugal. Compare that to today and it just feels like we are all a lot more frivolous with our spending. If there are no crisps and treats in the house for my kids, I'll go out and get them some. I'll grab a milkshake or a bottle of coke for them if I'm in the local shop etc.
If they want a new playstation game, middlesbrough shirt, Euro 24 official football etc, we'll try our upmost best to get those things for them for; but for their birthdays or christmas.

I've never experienced poverty but we've been through really tough times when I've been out of work. Really tough.

We could never afford Sky TV either btw. Probably cant now but I still watch it ;)
 
Asking the ice-cream man if he had any broken wafers*.
And sea-coal.

* Really, it's time I stopped doing that.
 
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We were never well off when we were kids, in fact at times it was like living on a set of game of thrones, but for some bizarre reason, we were all very happy 😃
 
Glover_elbow said:
Surely not having sky is a sign your truely middle class
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Indeed. The middle class snobs mocked houses with a Sky dish as a sign of the unwashed lower orders. As if the council house it was bolted onto wasn't sign enough.
Sunak's parents would never have been so vulgar as to have a Sky dish like the common people did.
 
In truth the bloke couldn't win but is not having sky really the best he could come up with! His parents were immigrants who were a GP and a pharmacist, its laudable that they worked hard to send him to a good school but there's no need to make out he didn't have a privileged upbringing and ever went without. So reminiscent of Theresa May going wild running through a cornfield - they come from a completely different world to us "common people" (C) Jarvis Cocker
 
My mam was poor and didn't know how to work the system and my dad refused to pay maintenance, despite being well paid engineer in Saudi.
I lived of hand me downs occasionally. we have treats, like getting taken from Brotton to Ayresome Park when I was a young kid by either my older brother or my older sister. They were magical experiences, I'm sure over the years I have been to probably the biggest matches under Jack Charlton but was too young to fully understand, I just remember the crowds, the atmosphere and the trouble, before the 78 world cup we had a friendly against Super Ally's Tartan army and loads of jocks came down for it, I realised then Boro had an evil element, with lots of menacing skins hanging around AP they really stood out to.my young eyes.
I was in the same boat possession wise as most people who lived near us, but my family was just a bit worse off. But living in the sticks can be great for kids, we had the woods, the sea and if we were willing to hike a bit we could be on the moors, it was always fun but we did get in trouble a lot.
 
We werent poor, but parents were very careful with money.

I wanted for a birthday a Boro football top, so mum knitted me one. lovely gesture, but I could never wear it when out with friends.
 
exeterboro said:
But living in the sticks can be great for kids, we had the woods, the sea and if we were willing to hike a bit we could be on the moors, it was always fun but we did get in trouble a lot.
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It was great, one big playground.
Christmas time we used to sledge down a steep hill on animal feed sacks, no need for expensive plastic ones.
If you didnt have the 10p bus fare walk the 3 miles to school or 2 and bit miles into town, keeps you fit.
 
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