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Re: Our high, high standard of living
By Meg | February 8, 2008
Last year, Philip Brewer wrote a really interesting article on Wise Bread called Our high, high standard of living. I want to share it with you because I’m still thinking about it months later.
Here’s the first paragraph:
In the 1950s and 1960s, a working man could support a family at a middle-class standard of living with just one income. It might surprise you to learn that one person working full-time, even at minimum wage, can still support a family of four at that standard of living. Nowadays we call that “living in poverty.”
He goes on to list things that many people went without back then that my generation takes for granted, such as air conditioning, cars, and eating out. Yet again, it’s clear that “poor” is relative.
Now I admit, I don’t know much about those decades. I’m a child of the 80s. I can just barely remember when we didn’t have cable t.v., the internet, and CDs. I can take a lot of things for granted including big color televisions, not having to use a typewriter, and NASA — not to mention those other things he mentioned.
Despite the rosy picture painted of those ’50s and ’60s by Hollywood and nostalgic members of other generations, the statistics paint another picture, one that makes me appreciate being a member of Generation Y.
But it does make me reconsider what I “need”. I can’t imagine living without air conditioning here in Florida, but supposedly one of our neighbors does. And it does make me appreciate what I have more. For example, our house may not be huge, but it is significantly larger than the median house size in 1970. And looking around at all the conveniences we have, like computers, online bill pay, microwaves, dishwashers, DVRs, DVDs, MP3s… well, it makes me feel pretty rich.
Tags: Food, Home & Garden, Impressions, Links, Saving Money, Spending Money
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February 8th, 2008 at 11:03 am
Well, my mom says that while they lived without AC as kids in Ohio, they were sometimes miserable in the summer.
February 9th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
Hi Mrs. Micah,
I’ve gone camping in the summer here in Florida and was that awful!
We’re going to try to keep the place somewhat warmer this summer, but we may need to get a dehumidifier. We let it get up to the mid to high 70s here recently when it was in the 80s. The temperature wasn’t bad, but the humidity was because we weren’t running the AC.
February 9th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
/For a picture of life pre-AC, read the beginning of To Kill A Mockingbird…
February 9th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
Welcome, Katie! I’m probably the last person who hasn’t read that book, but it’s on my list. Now I’ll have to pay close attention to that part!
February 10th, 2008 at 12:01 pm
I am extremely rich & lucky with what I have.
Sure, I’m in debt up to my eyeballs but… I still feel good
February 10th, 2008 at 8:32 pm
Thanks for the welcome. You can understand the attraction of sleeping porches, even in more northern parts of the US!
February 11th, 2008 at 1:43 am
I’m glad, FB! I feel that way, too — at least most of the time.
Sleeping porches do sound like a great idea, Katie!