General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWhen you first started out as a young adult, when was it and what did things cost?
1993: Farmington, ME
first apartment: $350/mo (heat included)
Gas: I'll have to ask the family chauffeur
Groceries: don't have a number, but not $200/wk for two!
Of course, we made less. I think I got $50/day subbing. And my last summer job was $4.50/hr.
ElderGreenKid just got his first apt for $1500/mo. He's still paying off tens of thousands in student loans. As is family tradition, newest adult commandeers one of the family cars. Got our old Forrester. 
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
I got my first "real" job paying just under $6000 a year. I can't remember what my rent was. I bought a brand new 1974 Toyota Corolla for about $2500. I finally bought a starter home in 1977 for $37,500. My then father in law thought I was nuts. Interest rate was a nifty 11%. No, that's not a typo. They later went up to 14%.
Rural area where my rent was $100 a month for a 2 bedroom duplex on a teacher’s salary of $7000.
sinkingfeeling
(57,832 posts)First apartment $87.50 including utilities
Brand new Camaro less than $3000
Gasoline $.27 a gallon
Ground beef $.59 a pound
Campbell's soups 5 for $1
I made around $300 a month as a keypunch operator
comradebillyboy
(10,955 posts)back in 1965. In the fall of 1966 I enrolled for 19 credit hours at the University of New Mexico, tuition and fees were a grand total of $113. I was shocked to find my text books cost more than my tuition.
NotASurfer
(2,369 posts)That was a long time ago. Also I tended to write things down instead of paying attention to them, harder to screw up the checkbook balance or miss a payment that way
I'm a bad source for that stuff. I *think* maybe a bottle of Coke was 25 cents if you wanted a cold one out of the vending machine
fierywoman
(8,594 posts)$5/# and people were threatening to stop drinking coffee.
Torchlight
(6,820 posts)From what I gather, that's not an option anymore, even living with family.
I may be off: first job, Six Flags Over TX one summer ('82 I think) and I was bagging about 3.25 an hour.
Gas in 82 & 83 when I got my first car was hovering around a buck a gallon or so.
First apartment alone in 91, and think I was paying about $350 a month for a one-bedroom in a swanky north Dallas neighborhood.
Sigh. Just realized I'm more saddened by the passage of time than I am by the increase in prices!
Torchlight
(6,820 posts)Panther Hall in Fort Worth. 1982. $12.00 ticket
Not that I was a fan, a jr. in high school I was a Springsteen-The Police-ZZ Top kinda guy, but Lisa Nolastname was into the Ramones, Sex Pistols, and the Clash. So of course we made a compromise: we went to the concert she wanted to go to, and I got to tell my friends I took Lisa to a Ramones concert.
Boomerproud
(9,291 posts)When I moved into my first apartment groceries were about 35.00 a week.
MarineCombatEngineer
(18,060 posts)Enlisted in the Marine Corps, after basic training and training how to operate heavy equipment, was deployed to Vietnam, so housing was free as was food, that is if you want to call C-Rats food, uniforms, footwear, etc., had to buy my own civvies, but it was cheap.
Cigs were 35 cents a pack inside US territory, but once outside US waters, cigs were 12 cents a pack on board a Navy ship.
On base housing was dirt cheap at the time, can't remember the actual cost, but it was cheap, of course, my pay wasn't all that much at the time, but it was affordable.
Also, when I got home from Vietnam, I bought a brand new 1966 Chevelle Super Sport for about $2800.00,
Try finding one these days for that price.
Charlie Chapulin
(387 posts)Minimum wage was $2.30
$25 bought four full bags of groceries.
Rent a house - $300 and up. Easy split with roommates.
I don’t remember gas over a buck quite yet. That came pretty quick after, tho.
We could go ski in Taos from Santa Fe and get a $10 ticket, $10 for food and beer and kick $5 for gas. $25!
Zoomie1986
(1,213 posts)It was 2.90/hr in 1979 when I was working after school for mad money.
$25 didn't buy four bags of groceries that I knew of. It was more like $40-50 to get that much food. I know, because one of my 'chores' was buying groceries for the family during the week while my parents were at work. When I was old enough to drive, my mom decided that I could pick up food mid-week. With three teenagers at home, 2 of them boys, and only one refrigerator, we always ran out of bread, dairy, meat, juice and fruit by mid-week. It became my job to replenish all that, along with anything we ran out of, or that my mom may have forgotten on her Saturday run.
I walked out with four bags in the trolley on a regular basis, and I'd always spent a good deal more than $25. Believe me, I tried everything I could to get it that low, because every dime I didn't spend of the $75 cash she gave me for groceries went in the pocket of yours truly, as my reward for taking on the responsibility. So it was in my interests, shall we say, to spend as little as possible. Not once did I go under $35. Way too often, I couldn't get the bill under $50. And most of the time, I went out of the store with 4-5 bags of stuff. Granted, I was buying meat on most trips, and that can really rack up the bill.
But even when I didn't have meat on the list, the total was higher than $25.
Ocelot II
(130,516 posts)Bought a used Toyota Corolla for $1,000(?). I was making $325/mo., clerical work. Swanson's pot pies, which I ate a lot of, were $.25 apiece.
Bucky
(55,334 posts)I remember complaining when a pint of beer at the bar became a dollar a pint in the 90s. I was shocked, shocked!
Ocelot II
(130,516 posts)FalloutShelter
(14,462 posts)Four bedroom split on 1/2 acre cul-de-sac.
Built in 1962… not bougie.
$57k
CoopersDad
(3,329 posts)
Bucky
(55,334 posts)1986: Houston, TX
1st apartment: $275/month
Gas: ~$12/month (water was a little bit more, electric bill ranged $30-40)
Groceries: ...some times me and the girlfriend combined our nickels and quarters and could fill up a shopping cart for under $20
My first professional job in 1990 paid $22,000 before taxes. I was freshly divorced and was able to afford two one-bedroom apartments for both me and my ex. I was poor AF, but I was able to make it work.
Niagara
(11,849 posts)First and second apartment were $350/ mo. I believe all utilities were included.
Gasoline: A little over $1.00 a gallon.
Groceries: I don't exactly remember. My diet then (or the way I ate), is much different compared to now. I don't consume an abundance of cheap carbohydrates, cane sugar, flour, or soft drinks. Today, I consume plant based sugar and almond flour which is more expensive compared to regular cane sugar and regular flour. I also don't consume 3 meals a day either like I use to because I don't need to.
I remember having a manufacturing job and for myself health insurance provided by my employer was $50 week. Once I started a family, it was about $75 a week.
My full coverage car insurance was $100 a month and once I had a baby, it went down to $50 a month for full coverage.
My most expensive apartment rental in the late 90's came in at $564 a month with only water and garbage included. The reason why I obtained this apartment was to see if I could pay this amount every month since I wanted a house. After about 6 months of living there, I went to apply for a (FmHA) house loan. I eventually purchased a house that was about $57K and my payments were around $520 a month.
Oh, and baby formula manufacturers weren't price gouging, nor was baby formula locked up in case inside the grocery stores. Luckily, I see that baby formula is still covered by the W.I.C. program.
maveric
(17,044 posts)Two bedroom, third floor tenement apt. $125.00 a month. Gas was 50 cents a gallon.
Groceries were cheap. Twenty buck a week for that.
arlyellowdog
(1,430 posts)My college was free with a NJ state scholarship to Rutgers. HOWEVER, I could not attend the main campus because it was boys only. I went to nursing school at Rutgers/Newark and met my future husband a who had Ruth Bader Ginsberg all 3 years of law school. Lots of taking over of buildings and riots. Quite the time. I think they made a movie about it.
Ping Tung
(4,370 posts)
One bedroom apartment in Portland OR about 350 a month. Now the cheapest studio you can find is almost three times that.
Tuition UW Madison 535 and change for a semester, was able to get a Pell grant and student loans. Made 3.20 an hour at Burger King and 4 at a work/study job. Don't recall what dorms cost then.
First apartment with a roommate was 200 ish a month. (ETA: Each of us paid 200, so 400 a month)
GPV
(73,393 posts)
WarGamer
(18,613 posts)
Rent for 2 bedroom house with fenced yard, $66/ mo
Car payment on 66 Datsun $33/mo
Gas, 25 cents per gal, bread 25 cents/loaf, hamburger 25 cents per pound.
Made $325 per month as a Medical Assistant
Felt like I was rich!
Rent for a nice 1 bedroom apartment was $125/mo.
Gas was 25 cents/gallon at a full service station where they pumped it and cleaned my windshield.
Our nice used car cost us $200 cash.
Groceries for 2 (including steaks, pork chops, etc.) ran about $25/wk.
A ***kick-ass*** custom component stereo system cost me $500, and was the most expensive thing I owned, as well as my prize possession. (I still have the Pioneer turntable and it still works.)
BluesRunTheGame
(1,964 posts)Worked a summer job. Saved maybe 300 bucks. Bought a bus ticket for 26 bucks. Stuffed an old frame pack with everything I thought I’d need and moved to Boulder, Colorado.
Rented a place on the the best street in town with 2 other guys for 150 dollars a month. That’s 50 bucks apiece. Worked through a temp agency and the county casual labor board for jobs that paid 4 - 6 dollars an hour when I needed money. Groceries cost next to nothing. Most days I didn’t have to work at all.
I bought and read the local newspaper every now and then. Checked the help wanted adds till a job showed up that I was qualified for. Was paid 7 bucks an hour. That was pretty good money then relative to the cost of living.
Joined a credit union through work and borrowed money for a brand new truck. I seem to remember it costing 8 or 9 thousand dollars. Payments were cheap.
When I think back to those times I can’t believe how cheap and easy things were.
JustAnotherGen
(38,050 posts)Rochester NY 1996 - Had $12.5 K in student debt - but only made $25K A year at my "real job". Also had a $1400 loan from the University. My loans were unsubsidized so I worked during school to.pay those down.
Taught ballet part time and worked as a Specialist Make Up Artist Part Time as needed. Did some local modeling. Paid off the student loan and saved my quarterly bonuses.
At the beginning of my Senior Year my beetle died. My parents had a deal with us. Whatever we saved up they would match for a car when we graduated. I had $2800 and my dad met me on the half on a Geo Prizm - bare bones car. When I graduated he gave me my money back as a gift - plus interest.
Note - unsubsidized loans. That's what put Gen X in so much debt. There was no Sallie Mae for a lot us. So I had high incentive to get that thing paid off.
I paid 40K cash for my first condo almost 2.5 years later. At that point I'd moved to Global Crossing from York Snow .
Advantage - I lived in Rochester. Telecom Alley that was the predecessor to the boom and bust in 2001- it was one of the nerve centers.
Another Advantage - I've never had a car note. I'm on my forth car at 51. That one thing my parents did for me has always allowed me to pay cash for cars. Not paying interest saved me money. And I only lived in the condo for 6 months before I moved in with a boyfriend.
Even when I moved to NJ in 2006 and rented until 2013 - I didn't pay my rent. My renters of my condo paid my rent.
When your parents can give you that small gift and let you live at home for a few years to save and work and pay down your debt - it sets you up to "save" on interest for the rest of your life.
When we bought our home in NJ we had to fire a realtor because she didn't get it - we didn't want a McMansion. We wanted a historic home. She was trying to shove these ugly cookie cutter monstrosities down our throats.
That's why we travel.
And everything was crazy expensive, with absolute no way to plan for future costs because inflation was still off the charts.
I made $4/hr, $693/mo, $8320/yr. Before taxes. After taxes and health insurance, I brought home around $475/mo.
My studio apartment was $225/mo.
Phone and utilities ran around $50/mo, IIRC. Long distance calling was extra, and expensive. I can't even remember the rates anymore. Most of my family lived in long distance range, so I called home collect if it was important, but otherwise waited for them to call me so that I didn't go bankrupt.
Cable? Please. I couldn't afford that. Whatever it was, it was beyond my means.
Mom bought me a car when I turned 18 the year before. It wasn't a great car, but it was better than nothing. My brother would do oil changes for me because he liked everything cars. So all I had to pay with it was car insurance: $60/mo (I was 19, so very high premiums). And of course I had to pay for gas. IIRC, it was around 1.25/gallon. I was ever so thankful to have a fuel-efficient car that let me get by with spending around $8-10 a week to get to and from work. So around $35-45/mo for gas alone.
Average food bill, eating at home almost always, was around $75/mo. I went without a bunch of meals to save money.
Most months, I had about $25 left over. It went farther than now. But not all that far, I can assure you.
I had a second full-time job for a while, which meant more money coming in, (minimum wage was 3.35/hr) but no life whatsoever. When I got tired of having money but no life, I took a bunch of odd jobs for people I knew, or who heard through the grapevine that I was reliable as a house-sitter, dog walker, babysitter, that sort of thing. It didn't pay much, but it usually meant I could buy some lipstick, nail polish, a book or a record album that I couldn't otherwise.
I was lucky to have my family lend me a hand with housewares--dishes, pans, sheets, and etc. Mom kept me in most of my minor medical care needs (yay having an MD in the famiy!), clothes and shoes. I'd gotten a high-end stereo for my 14th birthday, so at least I had music to listen to. I nabbed the old TV that used to be in the den back home on my way out the door. It was one of those 'portable' numbers and weighed a ton, LOL. I watched the news most days, Dan Rather and the locals. The only prime time shows I watched were MASH and WKRP. Sometimes I'd catch old episodes of The Untouchables while waiting for WKRP and MASH. Other than that, I had better things to do with my life.
My other entertainment was pretty limited. I'd listen to music. I spent a bunch of time at the public library for books to read. I was never the type to date very much, but, shameful as this is to admit, I'd go out with guys sometimes not because I was interested in them, really, but for the free meal, a chance to see a movie, or to enjoy a night of dancing at a club (the drinking age was 18 then).
I don't think most kids now could afford even that threadbare existence, but I wouldn't know for sure.
GPV
(73,393 posts)pay down some student loans. His car is actually out second vehicle, but who knows how long he has til it gives up. He and gf are living together. She has a little car of her own, so while it would be a pain if our old car died, it wouldn't be catastrophic. But their rent for a one bedroom apartment is more than our mortgage on our 3br house.
Gallon gas: 0.63
I'm not actually sure about the rent. I split a decent two bedroom in Westwood, CA with a friend. I think we each paid under $175, but might have been a bit more or less.
According to this article, feeding a family of four for a week was about $80. As I recall it, groceries for one for a month was more like $100, but I'm not a very reliable source.
no_hypocrisy
(54,899 posts)Slice of pizza was 40 cents
Can of soda was 25 cents
Schwinn five-speed bicycle $110
Minimum wage was $1.75 hourly
Long distance public phone call (50 miles) was 20 cents for three minutes. Local call was 10 cents for 10 minutes.
At a local deli, I once got a huge roast turkey wing with some breast meat for 75 cents.
Gas was 35 cents a gallon.
Maybelline mascara was $1.