Mid Century Home life -- The 50s

I grew up in the 1950's. Anyone who had a job could afford to buy a house. Anyone, even the guy pumping gas at the gas station could afford to buy a house. Now not even two paychecks can afford to buy a house.

It now takes 2 people working full time to stay permanently in debt.

I envy that generation. They worked hard, but had something to show for it at the end of the day. Now we work ourselves to the ground and can't even afford rent or food, much less own a home. So many of us have 2 or more jobs and still struggle.

Crazy to think how much simpler it was to have a home built back then

In those days, one paycheck could support a family.

I love how the neighbors come over to play cards and they're wearing shirts and ties.

I was born in 1953. My parents had a house built in 1956 for $11,400. 25 yr. mortgage @ 4% interest - $99.00/mo. Those were some good times.

I miss neighborhood grocery stores, it was more intimate and knew everyone. Now we have big box stores that are cold, distant, and alone.

I’ve fallen in the 1950’s side of YouTube and I can’t get out😂

They had one paycheck, a family of 6, and were able to build their own house. I can’t even afford a studio apartment with my salary

I remember this era— yes, most families lived on one paycheck, but we also lived quite frugally. Our houses had one bathroom, one telephone, one TV set. No air conditioning, no dish washer, no clothes dryer. Most kids shared their bedroom with a sibling or two. Stay-at-home Moms often did not have a car. There was no cable bill— and depending on where you lived, the number of TV stations your antenna received could be limited. We lived in the NY metro area, so we had 7 stations—which was a lot!. Kids only got new toys on their birthdays and Christmas— except for little things that could be purchased with one’s allowance money. I would get 25 cents every other week (when my Dad got paid). That might buy a ball and jacks plus a box of candy, or I could pool my allowance with my sister’s and we could get paper dolls. And yes, our mothers all told us to “go out and play”. We were expected to play outdoors every day unless it was raining or a blizzard.

This was very nostalgic. I grew up in the 60s and early 70s. I have very fond memories growing up as a kid. We never stayed indoors. Playing sports in the morning, having lunch, going to the local community pool, walking back two and a half miles hungry as ever. After we ate dinner, we played more sports and came in when the street lights were on. No wonder why we were so thin and fit. School was great, no drama we all got along.

Do you remember your parents telling you to be home when the streetlights came on? During summer break my friends and I would try to finish our chores as fast as we could so we could jump on our bikes and go about being kids. If one of us had too many chores that day, the rest of us would pitch in and help so we could all jump on our bikes and go about being kids. It was common for my friends and I to wind up 15 miles from home at age 12. Six of us got horribly lost one afternoon in a neighboring town. We finally swallowed our pride, went to the police station, and begged the officer to not tell our parents (out of sheer embarrassment). The officer called his brother who came by a few minutes later with a dump truck. We loaded our bikes in the back and jumped in with them. He brought us back to our neighborhood and made sure we all knew where we were. We made him promise (like 12 year old boys do) to not tell our parents. What a great memory! 12 yrs old riding in the back of a dump truck for 20 miles and none of our parents ever found out. I told my Dad about it during lunch when I was about 40. He knew all about it. The Policeman, Policeman's brother, and all six of our parents never said a word to any of us about it. The Policeman told my Dad that we were terribly embarrassed for getting lost and wanted to keep it secret. Isn't that cool?

I think if you went back in time and told them what the world would be like in 2019, they’d be horrified.

I wish we could still live I a time like this. Simple, innocent and happy.

I grew up in the 70s and 80s. I saw my friends every single day after school and of course on weekends. Adults let us kids play outside unsupervised. We’d bike a mile or two away and get into what at that time was considered “trouble” lol (I.e. walking on the railroad tracks, jumping into the lake). I was never too big on video games though and mostly stopped playing as I got into my teens. When alone I mostly listened to music and read books. But what I really miss about my teens in the late 80s was listening with a friend to an entire music album on vinyl or cassette from beginning to end and talking about it.

I can't imagine people in the 2090's looking back at the 2020's feeling nostalgic.

always damn love those old narrarators their voice makes me calm 😂 Edit: wow thanks for the likes yall🤙🏽🖤

I was born in 1956 and this brings back many memories. My dad would bring home fish n chips every Friday after his work at the factory would end. It was always a treat. Saturday morning my mom, dad and me would go grocery shopping. They would drop me off at the magazine rack and I would read Archie comics etc. while they shopped. It was so much fun. Those were the days.

I was born in the early thirties, and this is pretty accurate for the time covered. I actually went to this Intermediate School in 1945 and 1946. It was a wonderful time to be young. My Dad worked for Ford, and this is the neighborhood where I grew up….the far East Side of Detroit, almost to the city border. I enjoyed seeing all this again. i feel so sorry for later generations who have never known the relative security of a more innocent time. Money was tight, but we were used to doing without because of the Depression and the War. Good times!