yah, that generation growing up never had much at all and like my Dad born in 1932 and growing up very poor 10 kids in Minot ND old farm, then going into Korean War in 1950's a few years coming to WI for a job am sure was tough. They learned to live without all throughout their lives. I surprised my Dad with a cell phone in his 60's under my plan, and that was a shock. He surprisingly caught on how to use it and got it for him to take with on car trips anywhere in case the old 1986 caprice clunked out to call someone. My mistake, he called me near daily on that thing nothing to say, just calling me to make sure the darn cell phone worked....
He drank beer a LOT, a lot meaning anywhere from 3-8 beers every single day, along with a few shots of brandy near daily. I wonder how much he would have saved (being rich) if not for the daily beer drinking?
I still remember every week going to Woodmans grocery store with a 24 (or was it 30) pack of schlitz cardboard box glass bottles then returning them every week empty for some type of return credit. Came to a shock when in his early 70's, he quit drinking cold turkey and started drinking pop instead. He said the taste did not agree with him anymore, darn near fell to the floor in disbelief. That is when he lost a TON of weight mainly in his beer gut nearly all gone.
That generation also never believed in credit cards always paying CASH for everything. Worried me when Mom went weekly grocery shopping with my Dad with 200 bucks cash in an envelope paying cash for everything. Been instances where flashing CASH around got followed by someone to a nearby house by me and the old couple got robbed and shot dead. Heck, my grandparents never even had indoor plumbing until the 70's in their house and never even had a phone EVER in their house even well into the early 1990's before passing soon after.
One thing my parents taught me (and grandparents when very young) is to learn to live without. If you cannot afford to pay cash for anything, do NOT buy it period. I'm probably one of the most frugal (some say stingy) person there is when spending money foolishly, just does not happen too often. If it is NOT a good deal, I very very rarely buy it even to this day. Heck, went grocery shopping tonight and had good deals. Bill was little over 100 bucks but by the time all my discounts came off at pic n save my ending bill was little over 70 bucks, saving over 30 bucks off full retail pricing. I had to get an employee there maning the checkouts to get approval and override since had 38 items on sale saving too much money I guess
