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Moostache

(11,179 posts)

13. In 1975, my father worked in the steel industry, my mom stayed home with us kids...

Tue Mar 22, 2016, 09:27 AM

Mar 2016

The family lived an upper middle class lifestyle, including family dinners EVERY night, ANNUAL vacation trips to Florida (Disney World, Busch Gardens, Sea World, etc.) and a single income provided it all. In the late 1980's, my brother and I (and later my sister) all went to college and came out the other side with ZERO student debt...

Fast forward to 2015...

My wife and I both work nearly 55-60 hrs a week. Our combined income has less spending power than my father's income alone held in '75. Vacations are near impossible for time and cost. Our kids our going to have student debt the size of our first mortgage when they graduate and the cost of living continues to rise at a rate that pushes us closer to lower middle class status (whatever THAT means any more) than to the top.

The costs are one thing, and they are seriously out of alignment; but the distribution of wealth and concentration at the very top is another thing altogether. The top 0.01% own more than the bottom 50% combined (or worse) and that is fundamentally destabilizing for a representative republic, period. We must change that or very bad things are just over the horizon...

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Comparing the cost of living between 1975 and 2015: [View all] B Calm Mar 2016 OP

This is a chart worth several thousand words. Thanks. (nt) enough Mar 2016 #1

I can only imagine the difference in health care costs n/t zazen Mar 2016 #2

On the other hand... jomin41 Mar 2016 #3

see - eggs and millk are cheaper 6chars Mar 2016 #4

Milk does seem pretty cheap FrodosPet Mar 2016 #38

If you like added hormones, antibiotics, and other innovations cprise Mar 2016 #65

College is certainly out of line, but houses/cars are apples and oranges whatthehey Mar 2016 #5

furniture and appliances are rare purchases hfojvt Mar 2016 #37

Wish I could agree about appliances' being rare purchases. spooky3 Mar 2016 #53

Very true, My parents had a refrigerator for 30 years with no repairs needed. jg10003 Mar 2016 #55

We just replaced an 8-year-old refrigerator. phylny Mar 2016 #58

The Sub Zero won't last any longer awoke_in_2003 Mar 2016 #66

Sub Zero's are produced in Madison, Wisconsin - Why do people make stuff up when you have googles? snooper2 Mar 2016 #73

yup shanti Mar 2016 #61

They didn't include rent and that has certainly increased LisaM Mar 2016 #51

Exactly. My 75 car was nothing like even the cheapest available nowadays. Hoyt Mar 2016 #52

No, the larger houses are a liability, if anything cprise Mar 2016 #64

Many people buy larger homes as an investment and a way to Jim Beard Mar 2016 #70

But they are more expensive whatthehey Mar 2016 #76

Great! I'll have a bunch of eggs and a carton of milk with my movie ticket. Helen Borg Mar 2016 #6

still-- wages haven't kept up with the decline in the dollar over the past 40 years. Fast Walker 52 Mar 2016 #7

That is the point. With the wages we had in 75 we are paying jwirr Mar 2016 #30

It seems that most of the items that go into cost of living adjustments are lower but LiberalArkie Mar 2016 #8

the median income is down edhopper Mar 2016 #9

in many places, minimum wage is less than 8.25 an hour nt redruddyred Mar 2016 #10

The chart may be using a national average n/t Gormy Cuss Mar 2016 #14

i wonder how it would look had they charted for 2011 redruddyred Mar 2016 #15

Walmart starts at $9.00. former9thward Mar 2016 #75

out of the goodness of their cherubic corporate hearts of course! redruddyred Mar 2016 #77

Nothing to do with organized labor. former9thward Mar 2016 #78

you're delusional redruddyred Mar 2016 #79

Its clear you are just making stuff up. former9thward Mar 2016 #80

welcome to my ignore list, winner redruddyred Mar 2016 #81

If I recall, 1975 was in the middle of a bad inflationary period. tclambert Mar 2016 #11

The peak, actually. malthaussen Mar 2016 #20

? jtuck004 Mar 2016 #34

I was referencing a different graph. malthaussen Mar 2016 #35

One thing people need to know is that the way reagan dropped that was by neglecting people. jtuck004 Mar 2016 #39

Items not well defined Cryptoad Mar 2016 #12

Seriously. malthaussen Mar 2016 #21

I Had A Pinto Too ProfessorGAC Mar 2016 #36

house costs are going to vary anyway, depending on location hfojvt Mar 2016 #43

In 1975, my father worked in the steel industry, my mom stayed home with us kids... Moostache Mar 2016 #13

why even have kids at this point, i wonder, redruddyred Mar 2016 #17

It's the reason for the declining birth rates in the G8 countries. roamer65 Mar 2016 #59

what dyou think of The Billary's assertions that legalizing unauthorized immigrants redruddyred Mar 2016 #82

But I have another anecdote whatthehey Mar 2016 #18

Who claimed as much? LanternWaste Mar 2016 #25

I don't take your point... Moostache Mar 2016 #33

No. I'm implying, or rather explicitly stating, anecdotes are not data whatthehey Mar 2016 #41

Necessities: They're KILLING US. HughBeaumont Mar 2016 #16

Interesting that the chart uses 1975 as a baseline... malthaussen Mar 2016 #19

"Gripping hand" ftw. Ursus Rex Mar 2016 #24

Yeah, the evaluation is incomplete without insurance costs. malthaussen Mar 2016 #27

Stamps! look at stamps! The thing Congress likes to control with an iron fist, mountain grammy Mar 2016 #22

And that chart actually lies about stamps. malthaussen Mar 2016 #28

So what's your point, liberal? beastie boy Mar 2016 #23

And what was the price of internet, cell phones and cable in 1975 edhopper Mar 2016 #26

huh? CountAllVotes Mar 2016 #40

I meant there are cost that weren't there in 1975 edhopper Mar 2016 #50

Without child care costs and medical Csainvestor Mar 2016 #29

I know my son pays a little over $800 dollars a month for daycare for my granddaughter. B Calm Mar 2016 #47

What is really making a difference is commhnication costs - cell phone, cable tv, internet costs. zstat Mar 2016 #31

+1 Auggie Mar 2016 #42

We had an antenna (free tv) SoCalDem Mar 2016 #49

We live in a rural area and the only way we can watch TV now is on satellite. When TV stations went B Calm Mar 2016 #72

In 1977 Mendocino Mar 2016 #32

1975 was a time of pretty steep inflation. If your baseline was 1965, it'd be much worse Bucky Mar 2016 #44

So true! B Calm Mar 2016 #48

From the baseline of 1965, prices are generally about 10 times higher. roamer65 Mar 2016 #57

It depends on where you live. JDPriestly Mar 2016 #45

Message auto-removed Name removed Mar 2016 #46

Bureau of Labor Statistics - Consumer Price Index inflation calculator link jg10003 Mar 2016 #54

In 1976 I bought a brand new Ford F150 for $3,000.00. A new one today costs around $30,000.00 B Calm Mar 2016 #60

Yeah, and it was leaking oil from the rear crankshaft seal after 23K miles LOL snooper2 Mar 2016 #74

Never had any problems with that truck. B Calm Mar 2016 #83

Not if you limit it to the options available in 1972 (nt) Recursion Mar 2016 #69

Don't forget interest on saving accounts, 5% in 1971 with no fees. jg10003 Mar 2016 #56

CD paying 5% would be sweet. I'm retired and on a limited income. B Calm Mar 2016 #62

Wow, a new house is 25% cheaper now! mathematic Mar 2016 #63

Medical care!!! Utilities? nt slipslidingaway Mar 2016 #67

Ah, inflation trutherism Recursion Mar 2016 #68

It looks like that "median income" is median household income. surrealAmerican Mar 2016 #71