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[Joyce]

Oh that mortgage rate was horrendous. Our son was was little, I went back to work to make ends meet. We did what we had to. When we first married only new furniture was 2 easy chairs. Bed was an old one of my mum's. Carpets were also old ones. Cooker was an old gas one on legs. Washing was done by hand for a few months until we scraped enough together to buy a twin tub & a fridge. No cars though.

[CLKD]

I LOVED my twin tub !

[Taz2]

I remember the high interest rates too but I also remember that we only had to put down a tiny deposit and somehow we managed. Not sure about shared ownership. I think the eldest one's looked into it. Our prices are high here too - the cheapest starter home starts at around £120k for a sitting room kitchen bedroom and ensuite. Rents are high too.

Taz x 

[CLKD]

On Mainland Europe renting is the norm.

[Pennyfarthing]

I remember the high interest rates too but I also remember that we only had to put down a tiny deposit and somehow we managed. Not sure about shared ownership. I think the eldest one's looked into it. Our prices are high here too - the cheapest starter home starts at around £120k for a sitting room kitchen bedroom and ensuite. Rents are high too.

Taz x 

We also had no free nursery care ... We paid full whack for all that and child benefit was very stingy and there was no family credit etc. 

[Pennyfarthing]

Oh that mortgage rate was horrendous. Our son was was little, I went back to work to make ends meet. We did what we had to. When we first married only new furniture was 2 easy chairs. Bed was an old one of my mum's. Carpets were also old ones. Cooker was an old gas one on legs. Washing was done by hand for a few months until we scraped enough together to buy a twin tub & a fridge. No cars though.

We saved and saved to buy an automatic washing machine. Prior to that we used to go to a laundrette where local youths hung out and they used to throw condoms in the big tumble dryers! 

Everything we had was secondhand except a few kitchen basic wedding gifts.  We still have a few bits we bought secondhand nearly 40 years ago.  Every Xmas we get out a big turkey plate and that was one of them!

It's true that young people want all new now. My friend was driving everyone mad pleading poverty for her daughter and SIL who were setting up home. We had just had out kitchen refitted and the worktops Were in a neutral colour and no damage at all and they were huge. I said she could have them for free and after a week heard nothing and her mother said they weren't really what she wanted so they'd bought her all new ones.  We would have had anything regardless!

[CLKD]

In the 1950s/60s there were no play-groups or pre-school groups.  Mums stayed at home.  Mine was very isolated in a village miles from anywhere else  and the property was rented until Dad saved up enough to self-build.  It wasn't expected that everyone would be able to afford their own houses, that was where the Council came in - until MT decided that it was a 'good' idea to allow tenants to buy their houses   

[babyjane]

I used to load the baby in one end of the pram and the Napisan soaked nappies in a plastic sack at the other end and push them to the launderette.  We didn't have a washing machine until our second baby came along, just a spin dryer.

I used to work evening and weekend shifts when my husband was at home too.  We didn't know any different.

I feel sorry for young couples nowadays, the price of property and mortages means they have no choice but to both work to get by.

We lived on my husband's wages and it was tight but we managed by living within our means and if we couldn't afford it we waited until we could or went without.  It was just how it was.

Our first house cost £7,000.

[CLKD]

The 1st one we looked at was £8,000.  The 1 we bought was £17,000.  Amazes me!

[Pennyfarthing]

I used to load the baby in one end of the pram and the Napisan soaked nappies in a plastic sack at the other end and push them to the launderette.  We didn't have a washing machine until our second baby came along, just a spin dryer.

I used to work evening and weekend shifts when my husband was at home too.  We didn't know any different.

I feel sorry for young couples nowadays, the price of property and mortages means they have no choice but to both work to get by.

We lived on my husband's wages and it was tight but we managed by living within our means and if we couldn't afford it we waited until we could or went without.  It was just how it was.

Our first house cost £7,000.

And that's the nub of it Babyjane ... "Living within our means".   . For us that meant never going out socially, never having holidays (apart from camping a few  miles down the road) and buying everything we needed from jumble sales.  We had some wonderful bargains and the only time we bought new stuff was when we had Xmas or birthday money.

Now I see young mums all with mobile phones, highlighted hair, designer gear and taking holidays at centre parcs.  Even the girl who does my hair thinks nothing of going out with a group of young mums for afternoon tea at posh hotels and she says "it's only £25 a head!!!!!"   I don't know how they afford that, it must be in tick.

[babyjane]

Our grown up children's generation don't seem to get worried by debt and credit, although saying that our daughter and her husband have enough debt with the mortgage and their student loans so they tend to save up for a lot and are still decorating the house four years after moving in.  Our son and his wife decorated and furnished their whole house within 6 months.

We have always been quite wary of owing money, apart from the mortgage which is now paid off.  We never had even 50p left the day before pay day but we did put a bit aside each month and took the children to the south coast for a week each summer 

For 40 years of married life we have had just enough or not quite enough.  We are better off now than we have ever been but I think it has meant we are content.

[CLKD]

There are more places to 'go' as well as people generally being more mobile.  1 bus a week, 1 car per house-hold, cycling otherwise 

[Pennyfarthing]

Our grown up children's generation don't seem to get worried by debt and credit, although saying that our daughter and her husband have enough debt with the mortgage and their student loans so they tend to save up for a lot and are still decorating the house four years after moving in.  Our son and his wife decorated and furnished their whole house within 6 months.

We have always been quite wary of owing money, apart from the mortgage which is now paid off.  We never had even 50p left the day before pay day but we did put a bit aside each month and took the children to the south coast for a week each summer 

For 40 years of married life we have had just enough or not quite enough.  We are better off now than we have ever been but I think it has meant we are content.

Same here!  We're better off now than we ever were but my god we both worked hard for it. I used to be the first in the queue at the PO for child benefit on a Monday and Sunday teatime was whatever we had left in the cupboard! 

We could never afford a holiday abroad until we were 40 but since then have travelled a lot.  I spent the day shopping yesterday and only bought a pair of white trousers but it was nice knowing that I could have bought anything I liked.  When the kids were small there was never any money left over for me and every penny was accounted for.  The mortgage was the only thing we borrowed money for but there were many times we were tempted but never did.

[Taz2]

Have you helped your children out Pennyfarthing re home ownership? This is the thing that saddens me most about my own financial situation. I know that they reassure me that their childhood was great and that it doesn't matter that I can't give them a bit towards the deposit for their own homes - three children so three lots of deposit - but i still feel sad about it.

Taz x

[Ju Ju]

I remember the year I had to give up work following having my first child. We had done our homework and thought we could manage, but hadn't bargained on the taxman deciding we hadn't paid enough tax the year before. Suddenly our out goings were greater than our income. We had no one to turn to who could afford to help, so went to see the bank manager, who told us 'custom like ours they could do without!' I was angry, as we were being responsible and for all he knew, DH could have been a future chief constable. I heard rumours that he lost his job! We muddled through and we kept our home. We had holidays thanks to my in laws living in a beautiful place by the sea. My daughter will not be able to buy her own property, without our help, but other than that they now have more disposable income than we had, partly because they manage the money they do have very well. Children's clothes are cheaper, other than shoes, plus she is given a lot of second hand stuff. And it's gives me pleasure to buy them stuff and they are only to happy to let me have my fun!