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whatthehey

(3,660 posts)

18. But I have another anecdote

Tue Mar 22, 2016, 09:35 AM

Mar 2016

My dad never made more than $10 an hour all his working life, and in 75 was working long night shifts in a dead end job. We lived in a 800 sq ft place with no central heat and no air. We ate cheap mass produced food and I don't remember a vacation that wasn't a school trip.

Fast forward to 2015 and I'm making comfortably into 6 figures in a nice middle class house with 4 more rental properties owned outright, an aspirational car and all the leisure spending I desire (which admittedly other than being a peripatetic bar trivia maven is not much).

Why does yours say more about cost of living than mine?

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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