We don't do that no more

[ghuns]

...It was a window unit, but the only small windows that opened were in the bedrooms - the kitchen and the living room (one room really) had only large, non-opening, "picture windows", so he had to cut a hole in the wall to mount the A/C...

My dad did that too. We had electric baseboard heat.

Bought a MASSIVE Kenmore window unit. Not sure I've ever seen a window big enough for that monster. Hacked a hole in the wall, wired a 220 outlet to feed that beast, and AC'd the whole freakin 1600 sq/ft house.

 

[rhino]

Back in the 1970s, my dad had our garage remodeled into a room and built a new garage in front of it. The contractors installed one of those big window units in a hole they made in the wall and an electric heater under it in the same wall. My dad wouldn't let us use either one of them because they cost too much to run!! Naturally, the A/C unit was running when he wasn't there to rage over it.

 

[DeadeyeChrista'sdad]

Milk delivered to your house and put in a milk box on the front porch.

I do recall that occurring at my brother's house in Denver less than ten years ago.

Of course, now it's more of a hipster thing...

My oldest turned 33 on the 9th. When she was a baby we lived on W Godman in Muncie. Dad was in college and hustling to pay the bills. We had a milk box on the front porch, and some fellow was trying heroically to revive the concept of home delivered milk, so we had milk and cottage cheese delivered to our front porch. It was nice.

Of interest, bottled milk is making a big comeback in the east, and the machine next to me at work spends about 1/3 of it's time making quart and pint milk bottles. To me, milk and soda pop (and beer) always taste better out of glass bottles.

 

[Bigtanker]

Couldn't watch your favorite TV show because the president was on all 3 channels!!

 

[rhino]

Couldn't watch your favorite TV show because the president was on all 3 channels!!

THREE channels??? Impressive!

 

[Gary119]

Shopping at the five and dime

Using the outhouse, no indoor bathroom

Sponge baths, no running water

Using the words gee and haw in a regular day

 

[Gary119]

The smell of the house when mom or grandma was canning

 

[Phase2]

... or baking.

 

[CindyE]

Having pull tabs on beer and soda cans. I remember being a kid and collecting all I could find and making chains with them hoping I didn't slice my finger open with them.

Did anyone else make chains with chewing gum wrappers? I remember doing that in school.

 

[actaeon277]

I look at people now, telling me how poor they are.
Their family has 3 cars, 5 TVs, a cell phone for everyone, a desktop PC, a laptop or 2, a couple tablets, etc.

I grew up we had ONE car, ONE TV, no cell phones, one house phone, no computers or tablets.
We played with bats, dirt, and toy guns.

 

[femurphy77]

Couldn't watch your favorite TV show because the president was on all 3 channels!!

THREE channels??? Impressive!

Yeah but you had to move the matchbook to a different spot every time you changed channels to get the tuner j-u-u-u-u-st right!

 

[Kutnupe14]

Boarding an airplane with a knife that had a blade 4" or less.

Before that, boarding a plane without anyone bothering you about what you might be carrying.

Lol, a knife? How about a open water bottle.

 

[rhino]

I look at people now, telling me how poor they are.
Their family has 3 cars, 5 TVs, a cell phone for everyone, a desktop PC, a laptop or 2, a couple tablets, etc.

I grew up we had ONE car, ONE TV, no cell phones, one house phone, no computers or tablets.
We played with bats, dirt, and toy guns.

That gets to me. I was never "poor" growing up, but some people who think they are poor today live in the lap of luxury compared to the way my family lived (and maybe the way I live today).e

If you have a newish 4WD pickup, a bass boat, a functioning satellite TV dish, etc., it's hard for me to accept that you're "poor," even if you have trouble finding enough money to pay for groceries. Poor is not the same thing as having questionable priorities and refusing to take responsibility for them.

 

[Kutnupe14]

I look at people now, telling me how poor they are.
Their family has 3 cars, 5 TVs, a cell phone for everyone, a desktop PC, a laptop or 2, a couple tablets, etc.

I grew up we had ONE car, ONE TV, no cell phones, one house phone, no computers or tablets.
We played with bats, dirt, and toy guns.

TV's a WAY cheaper now, than they were in the past... and I'm going assign that, growing up, laptops, cell phones, and tablets didn't exist. The height of wealth for me as a kid, was being able to afford Red Lobster, a "cellular" (wireless) home phone, and a car in HS. I didn't experience any of those.

 

[DCR]

Couldn't watch your favorite TV show because the president was on all 3 channels!!

While visiting my cousins back in the 50s, we were watching a baseball game on TV. When it was over one of my cousins said, "I hope there's some cartoons on next." I asked where was their TV guide. What's that? They had ONE channel and were happy to have it.

 

[MRockwell]

push-in cigarette lighters and ashtrays in cars

Holding a door open for a lady or elder

Four-way Stops

 

[Alamo]

My dad did that too. We had electric baseboard heat.

I remember when we switched from the oil heater to electric baseboard -- with separate thermostats in every room! Was quite the upgrade.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

I remember my Dad installing our very first air conditioner (but we had an oil furnace) in our 1950-era crackerbox house. It was a window unit, but the only small windows that opened were in the bedrooms - the kitchen and the living room (one room really) had only large, non-opening, "picture windows", so he had to cut a hole in the wall to mount the A/C. Which then jutted out onto the screen porch, so it was too noisy and hot to sit out there until evening, when it cooled down to 80 and my parents shut off the A/C to save money. To keep from having a big rusty puddle on the screened porch floor, dad plugged the drain pan hole, and it was my job to go out once an hour and drain the drain pan into a bucket.



And...drive-in theaters and clotheslines are nowhere near as ubiquitous as they once were.

Wow, we had an oil "boiler" (radiant floor heat), and also only one window AC unit in my sister's bedroom, since she had bad allergies and couldn't keep her windows open. Mom & Dad finally switched over to a gas furnace and central air after all us kids were moved out.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

Shopping at the five and dime

Using the outhouse, no indoor bathroom

Sponge baths, no running water

Using the words gee and haw in a regular day

Did you ever have a gee-haw whimmy diddle?? I did.

 

[HoughMade]

...Holding a door open for a lady or elder...

Did both today.