For the older ones amongst us, I have a newspaper from 15th February 1980,?

Question

it's a local one and jobs at the time where paying upto £4770 an annum. How the hell did you afford to live? teles were £500 and cookers were £200 and hifi's were £305. havent got house prices or car prices in there. Most people still rented from the council in those days!

Harvard junior what the hell you on about?

Answer 1

And you kids complain?

Try getting a paper from the 50's still telling of rationing, 10 years after WWII.

You are aware of World War 2?

Answer 2

No it wasn't as bad as that. The prices you quote are a bit disproportionate.Rents etc were much lower pro rata then and food was much cheaper than now.The tele Price of £500 would be for the most super big model of the time. The average TV would not have cost anything like this.Unfortunately the 80's saw raging inflation of up to 14% and wages had to be adjusted every couple of months to allow for this.One big difference was that credit cards were in their infancy and the average family didn't have huge debts to worry about. A bit of hire purchase perhaps but nothing too extreme. People tended to live within their means then and not want everything at once.OK here were a lot of council tenants but also there were many owner occupiers buying their houses on mortgages that went through the roof with inflation.Maggie Thatcher introduced the right to buy scheme whereby council tenants could buy their house for a heavily discounted price.In many cases the mortgage payments were less than the rent.The wages in 1980 were relative to the overall cost of living at the time. As regards your reference to oldies 1980 was only 27 years ago.You really need to find a paper from 1950 to start making comparisons.

Answer 3

"The good ole days" aren't necessarily the best. I retired from the U.S. Army in February 1980 and my net monthly paycheck was around $1,500, which included jump pay.

Today, a serviceman holding the same rank and grade, having over 20 years in service, that I held upon retirement is netting well above $3,000!

I still remember the gas lines of 1973-74--filling up our vehicles on odd or even days while stationed at Fort Bragg, NC. Gas prices were lower then just as many other tangible items were. Making a living then and now remains a difficult challenge.

Answer 4

I bought a flat for £13000 in central Brighton - my parents had to guarantee the mortgage. I did not have central heating; the first winter I taped newspaper over the windows for insulation. When times were at the most difficult I lived on porridge. I had a brilliant social life drinking soda water by the pint while my friends who still lived at home drank alcohol - but I was the one with the flat where everyone could crash if they missed the last bus or train. I lived in the centre of a town and never took a taxi or a bus if I could help it. I walked or cycled. I did not have a television - for about 7 years I didn't have a TV, I stopped wanting one! I had an old music centre, no washing machine but a small spin dryer. I'm pretty sure I was earning considerably less than £4000 pa.

Answer 5

Yes, in 1980 when I worked in a factory in Michigan. I was paid about $11 per hour and that was a very good job for the time and the city I was in. I was renting a house and the landlord offered to sell it to me for $12,500. Just for comparison sake, I just had a garage built last summer for $25,000.
Oh how things have changed

Answer 6

You don't by chance have one for the 10th of Feb. 1980 been looking for one for years. Where is the UK? By the way my Grandparents still rent from the council

Answer 7

Ah the good old days, I was married, own house and car. Now living on my own in a council flat, no car and working 60 hours a week on minimum wage and struggling to make ends meet!

Answer 8

Remember, on top of it all, in the 80s we still had MOT, VAT, road tax, TV Tax, etc. It wasn't easy! Many were on the dole. To the answerer above, petrol was also very high in the 80s. In the UK, petrol was still twice what it cost in the states.

I always seemed to have enough for a Carlsburg (8

Answer 9

The refrigerator tale jogs my memory of a woman I used to artwork with who continuously left her automobile unlocked in the hopes it may be stolen and he or she could desire to declare on the insurance. The day she went Christmas procuring and filled the boot with gives you she made particular it became into locked and particular adequate... it became into stolen.

Answer 10

No they didn't rent from the council. House prices were about £15-20K.