22 Things That Were 'Normal' 20 Years Ago But are Considered a Luxury Now
Let's take a walk down memory lane... well for those of us born before the last new millennium that is. It felt like simpler times before the internet and social media took over when we spent time with our families and when products and stuff you bought were actually worth the price you paid for it.
The world is always changing and as time goes on, prices go up, society changes, and the little things become luxuries. Nowadays it seems like everything is rushed and manufactured in the cheapest way possible using subpart materials along the way.
1.
Household products that didn't break within the first few years of use. My grandma had the same fridge from 1993 for a good while before deciding to switch to a newer, bigger one 2 years ago, yes, it broke within those 2 years; my mom's wedding cookware is still going strong 25 years later, but whenever she needs new pans they start flaking Teflon into the food within a few months.
2.
Farmer's markets. You used to be able to go down and get fruit and vegetables cheaper than the grocery store. Now it seems like they charge 3x more than stores do.
8.
A yearly family vacation out of the area lasting 4-10 days. I remember going on road trips regularly and even flying once or twice as a kid. Now that I have kids there's no way I can afford a week-long trip to the Badlands, Grand Canyon, Disney/Universal Studios etc. The best I can do is a day trip to the Dells maybe once a year.
10.
I remember as a kid, where I live they would allow people to just visit an area of the airport from where they could see the runway and flights take off - they didn’t have to pay anything for it - people would spend hours just looking at flights take off and land.
12.
Your Privacy. Personal privacy used to be implicit - it was just there, you didn't have to think about it. Now it's explicit, you have to seek it out and take steps to ensure it remains in force.
14.
Games that were released as completed, didn't require the internet, no pass or subscriptions required, didn't have DLC and add-ons, and especially didn't have microtransactions.
17.
Quality fabric / materials in clothing. I still have clothes from 10+ years ago, but all this new stuff rips, fades, or loses its shape so quickly these days.
19.
Pork Belly, Brisket, and other 'less desirable' cuts of meats. These used to be considered a bad cut of meat that was disposed of or given to the poor for dirt-cheap prices. Then rich people realized that the poor made it delicious, which then caused prices to skyrocket.
21.
Going to the doctor. I’m 28 but even when I was a kid you could go to the doctor when you were sick or hurt. Now I won’t go to the doctor unless I’m dead.
22.
Leaving your parent's house at 18 / after high school. Now with prices so damn crazy my kids may be living with me till they're 30.
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