Are Thing Really More Expensive???

[sakigt]

Re: Are Thing Really More Expensive???

The "modest" 27 inch screen of today was the "luxury" of yesterday. VCRs used to cost hundreds of dollars now people on this board think a DVD player isnt THAT big of a splurge. Im not sure todays expensive gadgets are any different than that of yesterday.

I think the things that have made us more efficient (machines, technology) have also turned the middle class into the lower class. I remember hearing supermarket cashiers could buy a house and raise a family on their pay!

Additionally, with globalization comes increased competition of foreign markets. Increased competition means lower prices for consumers, but lower fixed costs, like salaries.

[disneysteve]

Re: Are Thing Really More Expensive???

VCRs used to cost hundreds of dollars now people on this board think a DVD player isnt THAT big of a splurge.

Our DVD player was $35 at Wal-Mart. So no, I don't consider that to be a big splurge.

I remember hearing supermarket cashiers could buy a house and raise a family on their pay!

My uncle worked as a cashier at Acme supermarket for a few decades. Yes, they had a house, a car, took vacations each year, etc. That was in the 60s, 70s and early 80s.

[bjl584]

Re: Are Thing Really More Expensive???

I'm only 28, but I know that things are more expensive today than they were in the past. However, people made less then too. My Grandfather made 21 cents an hour when he started working for the railroads after WWII. Of course, you could do all of your weekly shopping at the grocery store for $1. A lot of what people complain about as being more expensive is often a result of our lifestyles today. In the 50's there was no cable tv, internet, cellphones, Ipods, etc...... People got their entertainment by going outside and playing not by playing video games. Playing outside is free. Video games are $50 a piece. I guess that the consequense of living in a technologically advanced society are high expenses. My ancestors grew up on a farm. They had no money and made no money. But they were happy. We just live in a different world today, with different priorities, and different ways of looking at things. Different things are valued, different things are deemed to be important and/or necessary to maintain our lifestyle. Today, materialism and consumption often override things that were once commonplace in the world. Things like family, or appreciating the little things, or being happy with what you had and not wanting more and more. Those are just my thoughts on the matter.

[Ima saver]

Re: Are Thing Really More Expensive???

Actually, the first VCR we looked at cost $1200, we bought one when they came down to $400. It cost $120 to repair it. Now, we throw them away!
I worked for 33 cents an hour at my first job when I was 12. Yes, a cashier could raise a family. My mother got her first job after my father died. She made about $25 a week, working 6 days a week. She had to support 3 people on that. that was about 1956!
You could not do all your weekly shopping for $1. Steak was $1 a pound, hamburger 3 pounds for $1. Bread was 2 loaves for 25 cents.
When I first got married, I budgeted $12 a week for groceries, I made $1 an hour.