22 Things That Were Once 'Normal' But Now Considered a Luxury

MarkFelt Published 11/26/2023 in feels

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.

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1.
Not being expected to be reachable 24/7.
2.
Owning the software you purchased.
3.
New furniture made out of real wood.
4.
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.
5.
Not having to provide your email address for every single thing you do.
6.
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.
7.
Paying no more than 30% of your income in rent.
8.
Concert Ticket prices.
9.
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.
11.
Getting things repaired instead of buying new ones.
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.
13.
Retirement plan built-in to your job. Or being able to retire in general.
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.
15.
Not having to check out and bag your own groceries / products at stores like Walmart.
16.
Single-income families being able to buy a home.
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.
18.
Going out on the weekends and being able to afford it.
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.
20.
Calling a company and getting a person on the other end of the phone.
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 crazy my kids may be living with me till they're 30.

1.
Not being expected to be reachable 24/7.
2.
Owning the software you purchased.
3.
New furniture made out of real wood.
4.
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.
5.
Not having to provide your email address for every single thing you do.
6.
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.
7.
Paying no more than 30% of your income in rent.
8.
Concert Ticket prices.
9.
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.
11.
Getting things repaired instead of buying new ones.
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.
13.
Retirement plan built-in to your job. Or being able to retire in general.
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.
15.
Not having to check out and bag your own groceries / products at stores like Walmart.
16.
Single-income families being able to buy a home.
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.
18.
Going out on the weekends and being able to afford it.
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.
20.
Calling a company and getting a person on the other end of the phone.
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 crazy my kids may be living with me till they're 30.