showing your age...

**Kfamr** · 05-10-2009, 11:26 AM

Oh man, it scares me to think if prices have inflated this high since you lot were my age, how high will they be another 20-30 years from now? Scary.

My parents were telling me when they went to buy their first home (some 25+ years ago) it cost them $27,000ish. They were freaking out wondering how they were to afford it. Now, all the houses I look at under $100,000 are run down and need a ton of work, can't get a loan on them, etc.

**Willow Oak** · 05-10-2009, 11:33 AM

Originally Posted by Kfamr

Oh man, it scares me to think if prices have inflated this high since you lot were my age, how high will they be another 20-30 years from now? Scary.

My parents were telling me when they went to buy their first home (some 25+ years ago) it cost them $27,000ish. They were freaking out wondering how they were to afford it. Now, all the houses I look at under $100,000 are run down and need a ton of work, can't get a loan on them, etc.

The first new house we loved in -- brand new in a brand new subdivision: $14,000.

**Medusa** · 05-10-2009, 01:36 PM

Originally Posted by Willow Oak

The first new house we loved in -- brand new in a brand new subdivision: $14,000.

I remember my brother-in-law from my first marriage telling me that they paid $11,000 for their first home and I thought "I'll never be able to afford my own home at those prices!"

**pomtzu** · 05-10-2009, 11:40 AM

I remember the first house I lived in as a kid - it was a bungalow style - 2 bedroom with a full basement - nothing fancy, yet nice - and my parents bought it in the 30's for around $3,000. They sold that and bought a brand new 3 bedroom rancher in the mid 50's, and paid around $11,000 for it. Today, you can't even buy a little travel trailer to take camping for that price.

**kokopup** · 05-10-2009, 11:44 AM

I'm a sheltered southerner and I don't remember the Black Cow. We had A&W as a chain that was popular back then. They had a great Root Beer float. Maybe it was called a "Black Cow" I can't remember.

Pomtzu, I do have a few fond memories of New England. I loved the grilled Hot Dog that had the flat buns and the "Awful Awful" sold at Newport Creamery.

**pomtzu** · 05-10-2009, 11:57 AM

Originally Posted by kokopup

Pomtzu, I do have a few fond memories of New England. I loved the grilled Hot Dog that had the flat buns and the "Awful Awful" sold at Newport Creamery.

Ah yes - Newport Creamery - the hangout after the Friday or Saturday night date!
I miss Rocky Point and the clam cakes and chowder at the shore dinner hall. I have the original recipe for their clam cakes, and I've made them a few times. They're awesome.

**Grace** · 05-11-2009, 03:20 PM

Originally Posted by pomtzu

Ah yes - Newport Creamery - the hangout after the Friday or Saturday night date!
I miss Rocky Point and the clam cakes and chowder at the shore dinner hall. I have the original recipe for their clam cakes, and I've made them a few times. They're awesome.

Have you seen the movie about Rocky Point - You Have To Be This Tall? I saw it when I visited my brother in East Greenwich a few years ago. Boy, the memories it brought back. It's available on DVD now.

**lvpets2002** · 05-11-2009, 03:55 PM

You all know of those Bigg Fat Pickles that are $1.00 to $2.00 now == Well I can remember them at a .05 cents.. And on for another .05 cents you could have 5 pieces of candy.. It was called penny candy.. Also I can remember BirthControl Pills at .75 cents for a whole month.. Thought it was hwy robbery when they was $1.25 a month pack.. Hey this is all fun..

**pomtzu** · 05-12-2009, 07:46 AM

Originally Posted by Grace

Have you seen the movie about Rocky Point - You Have To Be This Tall? I saw it when I visited my brother in East Greenwich a few years ago. Boy, the memories it brought back. It's available on DVD now.

Thanks for that info. I definitely will send for it.

**mruffruff** · 05-12-2009, 09:06 AM

I remember, too. Maybe too much!

We had an outhouse when I was about 7. It got real cold in the upper Michigan winters and smelly in the summer, so we didn't spend much time out there. Baths were Saturday night in the kitchen. Mom hauled the water from the pump next door on a wagon and heated it on the wood stove.

My brother & I were sent out to scour the edge of the roadway to collect bottles to turn in at the nearby store so the parents could afford cigarettes.

Dad had a shop where he fiddled with electronics. We had an oscilloscope to watch before there was a TV station in our area. Later, he repaired other people's TVs and finally got one of our own. All of the programs looked like they were being done in snowstorms.

We didn't have a phone for a long time. When we finally got one, it was a party line. We only had three numbers, no exchange.

Mom & Dad built the house I grew up in. The neighbors brought their dray horses over and pulled the logs from the woods so they could be stripped and slotted to fit. I remember using a two handled knife to strip the bark off the pine trees. Lard was the only thing that got the sap off your hands.

The big city of Marquette was 5 miles away. The school bus stopped right in front so I didn't have to walk "uphill both ways". Mom spoiled me in the winter by putting my socks on before I got out of bed because the wood stove wasn't hot yet. And she made me Coco-Wheats (chocolate flavored farina) in a glass so I could drink it before school. I still have a box of Coco-Wheats in my cupboard but I don't think they sell them anymore.

It was a good life, although I didn't realize it then. It certainly made me appreciate running water and central heat

**Willow Oak** · 05-12-2009, 09:20 AM

Originally Posted by mruffruff

We had an outhouse when I was about 7. It got real cold in the upper Michigan winters and smelly in the summer, so we didn't spend much time out there.

I caught the tail end of the outhouse era. I've often wondered how folks in the upper regions got along during that time -- especially in the dead of winter.

I know that when I was very young there was not even an outhouse in some cases. We would go to a country church. There was a pump in front of the church if you needed a drink of water; and a path behind the church if you needed to ...

Originally Posted by mruffruff

Dad had a shop where he fiddled with electronics. We had an oscilloscope to watch before there was a TV station in our area. Later, he repaired other people's TVs and finally got one of our own. All of the programs looked like they were being done in snowstorms.

I recall the man coming over and changing out the tubes in the TV. Then later on you could go to 7-11 and test your tubes there or buy new ones.