OK, remember in my last post how my son stuck me for 4 bucks? Well that caused quite a jog in the G-Mans memory bank.....
Fourth grade was a monumental year for young G-Boy. What made it so special, was that I got a raise in my allowance that year....From .10 cents to .25 cents! You might think that was a ridiculously small amount, but let me tell you that it was awesome. Almost every single candy bar was .05 cents. The only exception was the Zero Bar, man what a great value at .03 cents! They still sell it, but it cost the same as all the others. Pretzel Sticks in that tall clear recepticle thing, was 2 for a penny. A great cheap treat was also the salted pumpkin seeds. You could buy that small red box of them for .02 cents! A box of Cracker Jack was only a dime.
Every single Saturday for years was spent at the Burton Theater. One of the neighborhood parents would drop us off at Noon to stand in line for the box office to open. The admission was .75 cents, if you were lucky enough to get a Dollar, that left you with .25 cents to splurge on refreshments! Piece of cake...Because popcorn was a dime, a soft drink was a dime, and that left you with a nickel to buy a Slo-Poke sucker with, and trust me they earned their name of the " all day sucker". There were no fast food places back then, so everyone had their own special corner Diner to go to. There was a fantastic place right across the street from our elementary school called Cobb's Fine Foods. Every other Friday, if I did all my chores, my Mom would give me a dollar Bill for lunch. We did not have a cafeteria at our school , but we got an hour for lunch. Most kids lived within one mile from school so we usually went home to eat, but when you did get to eat out, what a treat! You could get a great burger for .25 cents, an order of fries for .25 cents, and Real Malt for .25 cents...So you could get 2 burgers, an order of fries, and a chocolate malt for a 1.02 with tax...Yeah baby!!!
When Mcdonalds did come into town, you would not believe what a sensation that caused....
Burgers were a dime, Big Macs were a quarter, Cheese Burgers were .15 cents, Real fries made from real potatoes were .15 cents, and their thick shakes were .25 cents each! You do the math.
There used to be a phenomenom called a gas war! Competing stations, that were full service mind you, would do crazy shit to earn your business. They would give away redeemable stamps that you filled up coupon books with, and when they were filled up, you could get tons of great items. They gave away Drinking glasses, Dinner plates, theater passes, you name it, they were screaming for your business. I remember gas selling for a low of 17.9 cents a gallon for regular. High test was 19.9 cents.
The first time I ever went to Florida for Spring-Break, we were really worried because of the first ever Arab Oil Embargo. It was in 74 or 75, I can't rightly recall, but there were huge lines wrapped around the corner at most stations because gas had shot up to .56 cents a gallon!!
Hell, I felt Damn lucky yesterday when I got .20 cents off on my Kroger Card, and filled up my tank for 2.19 a gallon!!!
I guess what I'm getting at, is that when Reese scammed me out of that 4 dollors last week on the shitty shit paper, he got me for 4 whole months allowance.....GGrrrrrrrrrr! PUNK!!!
Please enjoy whats left of your week-end. Peace.. The G-Man!!!
60 comments:
nowadays, people are willing to spend more money on anything, not always for quality, but lifestyle.
The Starbucks coffee below my office building is always packed with customer but not the local coffee shop opposite. Because if you bring clients to 'no name' coffee shop, means you've no style.
Oh man there you are, still whining about that rough tp. Be a man and do it the Indian way and you won't need any paper at all, and then you can keep the entire $5. next time!
:P
Now lookit here, your age is showin.....with these here prices! Nice walk down memory lane ....what a cheap date!
:P
Pink Ginger Hi!!
You are so pretty..
Thats exactly why my coffee of choice is Hot, Fresh, Delicious, Tim Hortons..Now THATS good to the last drop.....G xo
Suzay-Q baby I love you, Suzay-Q....
Even when you are in Michigan causing trouble.
I'm Cheap? You sleep in a tent in your back yard!
I do LOVE you comming here though...MISTRESS!
I was raised by a single mother. Therefore i didn't get and allowance. I had chores. I was part of the household and had to help. Period.
However, I did learn the value of a dollar and learned to earn money.
I collected pop bottles. Washed the neighbors cars. Shoveled snow. Cut lawns. Ironed clothes. Babysat. Lied about my age in order to get my first job. I was 14, said i was 16. After 2 month's they found out, but only after my mother showed up raising all kinds of hell. I think Squirrel unknowingly ratted me out. I used to have Squirrel cash my paychecks.
The worst money maker ever was the baby sitting. Cept for my nephew. i loved watching him. They kept me on even after I locked us out of the house. LOL
Manny, I collected pop bottles also...at .02 cents a piece!
I suddenly have the urge for a Candy Cane!!!
There are many good coffee out there compare to the branded one.
those 'latte, mocha, frapuccina'... ah.. all gimmicks, but it sounds cool, right?? everyone wants to be 'cool' huh !
Smart people like you will choose the real, good coffee to enjoy. :)
And smart bloggers will keep being nice to you, because you are so sweet!
Thanks Ginger.... xox
` Whoa. I didn't even have an allowance as a kid! Hey, I was wondering, how do you buy just one clear container of pretzel sticks if it's two for a penny?
Well then,is he a chip off the old block in knowing a scam when he creates a scam? Or am I a fish outta water here, lol.
gman..((((((((((HUGS)))))))))))))
g-man..gees I don't remember any of that stuff, you really are a blast from the past...LMAO
Nice walk down memory lane Galen, thanks for the memories.
tc
I have a candy cane for you.
Morning g.
what great memories, g-man. i just remember havng to write in a notebook what chores i had done each day for my mom check check when she got home. i got paid per job but only if i did them to mom's standards.
Sequin!!! Yay, your computers fixed..Damn I've missed you. And the allowance thing? Your still a kid! What the heck are you talkin about?
Cazzie, Hi sweetie!!
Well sometimes the apple don't fall far from the tree.. I'll be over today. See ya soon...G
Thanks Mona, You are sooo kind to the G-Man.
(((Big Hugs Back)))
TC, Yeah you are lots younger than me, how could you possibly know?
Whatch that nose bub...It's startin to grow..
OooooooH, I want Candy!!
Hi Trini, Oh so you were a contract worker as a kid?
You weren't on salary...
Big hugs to you Michelle!
g-man..I just said I couldn't
"remember." lol
Oh I get it...selective memory! Not senility?
g-man..yes Alex I'll take number one for $500.:)
Have a great day bud.
tc
Dayum! You are an old coot! But a nice one.
Your so kind Jenn..xoxxxxx
OK TC, the answer is
"BACTERIA"...
Alex...The Question is..
" what is the rear of a cafeteria called?"
lol, yes. it was all piecework. i thought i was rich when i got my first babysitting job and for one night got paid twice what i could get for a week of chores.
when i got my first job that required a W-2 i got $60 a week, i thoought i'd hit the jackpot and i was LIVID when i was told i had to pay room and board. i was 14 and mom expected me to pay her $5 a week. i had fits. lol.
I remember getting some form of allowance but it was not much. I had a paper route to make my money. I did not mind delivering the paper, I just hated collecting. Some people were impossible to collect from.
When I was a kid they had bazooka bubble gum at 2 for a penny and yes, penny candy. A quarter went a long ways. Gas back then, before I could drive, was 24.9 a gallon. I know because I bought gas for mowing. We rarely went to see a movie so it was always a real treat when we did. We also got to go to a drive in theater from time to time. What fun.
McDonald's was in town already but it was strange. It was like the original Dairy Queen in that you walked up to the window which they opened and took your order. Later they added an overhead so you did not get wet when ordering and eventually heaters to keep you warm. They only had a hamburger, cheese burgers, fries, soda and most likely shakes. There was no big mack, no quarter pounder with cheese, no chicken or fish sandwich. There were real "golden" arches that went from the ground, arched way up into the air, and then returned back to the ground. The "Billions and Billions sold" sign read 25 million sold (or something like that) and I remember seeing the number go up over many years.
To show you how cheap we were, a meal to me as a kid was going to Tops and buy some french fries. To that we added onions and mustard and ketchup and what ever else condiments they had that we could get our hands on to double the size of the fries.
Yep I remember some of this, some of it not so much. Boy 4 dollars would have seemed like a fortune back in those days but then no one in their right mind would have called $15,000 a year poverty either.
Thanks for the way back Mr Knowitall.
Nice to remember those far moments... I was going to theatre every Sunday with my young brother and cousins... for around the same price as you mention... Getting my ritual Cracker Jack caramel popcorn in the evening... and some chips and Zero chocolat for less than 1$...
But knowing that 1$ toilet paper rolls are still available amaze me... !!!! Did you check from what this what made of???
SeaRabbit
I know what you mean Trini about the Babysitting. I used to get 20 bucks for watching my uncles kids on New Years eve, but they had 7 kids.You got off lucky on the rent, I had to pay 7 dollors a week. Thanks sweetie xox
Barman, then you remember what a big deal Mickey D's was when it came to town!And I remember when the sign turned 1 Million..
The average GM shop worker only made 8,000 a year! A Corvette only cost 6 Grand in 1975...G
Searabbit, yeah the movie theater seems to always bring back good memories.You had Zero bars in Canada too eh?
There is actually 1 dollor toilet paper to this day and it is quite cheap. I'm so happy you stopped by Jo..((HUGS)) G
You were commenting as I was posting new.
You sound like Squirrel, harping on about how I now have 3 day weekends. It's funny how neither one of you talk about how i work 40+ hors in 4 days. Plebt!
I still luvya both though.
Manny you are a hard working woman, no one can deny that. I like having you around past 9pm on Sunday. And I like having you around here as well. And you've been around more than I have today...Good Girl!
xxoxx
I like multiple times.
Yes, you have been quite neglectful today.
tears*
btw, it's not 9 p.m. yet.
i go to the smaller coffee places if I have a choice and time, most days i can get a large flavored coffee with as much creamer as I want for $1.75 and it is right outside where I exit the train, one block from work. woohoo.
Quit talking in double entendres around here, we know what you mean by that multiple stuff..
( you can really do that?)
I been doin a little blogging today....Manny!
G-man...what is a shepherd's pie???
Jodi? what the hell are you doing up on a sunday Night? I kinda like it..
Stick around....G
Man, I am way down on the totem pole of commenters for this post...shitty shit paper!!
Mona...Let me tell you.
I cooked about 4 pounds of beef cut up into cubes on the stove for about an hour.
Then I added one large onion and some carrots.
I had about 1/2 of a french Bagguette that I had bought on thursday, and it was starting to dry.
So I cut that up and added it to the stew.
After about another hour the bread cubes had thickened the stew just perfect.
In another pot, I had boiled some potatos and then mashed them up after draining them.
So then I put the stew meat stuff on the bottom of a large baking dish, added a package of corn on top of that...Then spread the Mashed potatos over the top of everything evenly...
Bake in the oven for 45 minutes at 350 and serve!
You may substitute lamb instead of beef if you prefer, it's just as good. There you have it sweetie...Love ya....G xo
Yes but Wendy, you are at the top of my favorites baby. Hope you had a fun week-end, and didn't get too hammered.
( drunk I mean )...G
I myself never got an allowance. But I babysat starting at age 11 so I had money. I bought mostly gum. And stupid thing is I passed it all out in school each day! ah yes the .17.9 gas, those were the days and you didnt get out and pump your own gas either some one ran out to do it for you rain shine even blizzard. Our school had hot lunches. in elementry school it was .25 in high school it was .35. Milk came with your meal but if you wanted an extra it was a whole .10. Now my grandkids say if they want extra carton of milk its .25. and the cartons sem to get smaller and smaller. We didnt hit Mcdonalds when they first came out my parents were more the Dairy Queen people. and banana splits were .50. YUM. a bottle of coke was .5 and I always had extra money to have at least 3 while waiting for my parents to finish visiting my sister in the hopsital. They could only see her on Sundays so that was my treat for waiting for them for 3 or more hours.
Yeah Gabby, and it was Coke in a bottle, a glass bottle...the best!
Our pint cartons were .08 cents...1/2 pints were .04 cents..
Thanks sweetie...xox
when I was a kid ....
my great-grandmother complained because milk had gone up to $1.46/gal. We were complaining stamps had hit 20 cents, and my dad wouldn't buy me the $2/box cereal.
It's crazy out there, G.
DA
You know you mentioned gas prices. I really did not start driving until 1975. Shortly after that the prices hit, gasp, 50 cents plus a gallon. I decided there was no way I was going to pay that much and I would hunt and hunt for a station that was not charging so much. Now I only wish gas were so cheap.
What no stories of walking up hill five miles to school each day in snow three feet deep or anything? We all must be slipping.
Dark Angel, It is crazy out there, thanks for sharing those memories with us....xoxx
Hell Barman, .99 cents was only 2 Summers ago it seems like.
good morning g-man, it's snowing here again.errrrrrrrrr!
tc
Cripes. Shitty shit paper. With all of the money history you gave in this post, all I could concentrate on is the stupid toilet paper.
xoxo
oops, sorry, that was me...
when's Strumpie comin' back,
Mr. Brisket?
xo
Mornin TC, I know it sucks...That lying little groud hog bastard eh?
Hey BG, Hows that very tender ass of yours?
JJ, she's back. Go pay her a visit, but she still has jet lag I think.
I'm off to work now, and can only E-Mail till 8, but all are welcome to trash the place if they so wish....See Ya....G
But it's a 7,000 dollar tent, G-man!
oh hes gone? Cool, get out the good whiskey and the ....I think I need to get some fresh air..be right back.....
Today were gonna party like its 1999 in Gmans comment box!
Mistress!!!
You may do what you want in my absence. Because thats the kind of guy I am.
Don't be Mad about the Yurt jokes Susie,I know they are not cheap..
I used to get the Mother Earth News you know....
You are sooo cool baby....
Thanks for heckling me!
Oh man, hide the goodies, he's still here....
Gman..thanks...that is a perfect recipie...It sounded interesting...wonder why they call it shepherd's pie.I will try it out sometime. In our Indian cooking we use a lot of spices.hordes of red chillies and ginger garlic paste & coriander powder & tumeric powder and onions and cloves and nutmeg and cinnamon and cardomom pods and bayleaves and mace and white peppers and cooking oil; when we cook meat.& sometimes we also use poppy seeds and cashewnuts[powdered],ground coconut and lotus seeds and cox comb flowers to thicken the gravy.
G, yanno...I was just leisurely perusing your profile, while my paint sits comfortably in it's pan, unopened and I noticed you like to read anything edited or whatever by Hugh Hefner. anyHO.....I was wondering....didya know Hef does Pretty In Pink, a guide for men who like being.......pretty.
No...really. It's true. Hef's gone gay. I mean...it makes sense really if you think about it. He's done all the women. Been there seen that. What's left now but.....cute guys like you.
I sent him your HNT pic. Naw...don't thank me. It was nuthin, really.
Try paying $3.39 for a gallon of gas! That's what I paid just the other day. Oh man...do you remember the McDonald's commercials when they would say "change back from a dollar" Not so much anymore.
I remember the long lines for the gas. My mom hoping that there would be enough left over for her to get a couple of bucks worth. And then, when it went up to 75 cents a gallon! Whew! that was outrageous...
On occasion did we get an allowance. My mom struggled to make ends meet after my real dad died when I was ten. So we had to do our regular chores and no griping allowed. The big payoff treat was an ice cream cone at Dairy Queen and if we were REALLY good, we could get either the sprinkles or chocolate covered cone....yummy!
I would hate to be a kids now days...parents don't teach them any values. I know a few of them....like my niece and nephew. Oh how I wait for reality to hit them like a ton of bricks...
xoxoxo
Can you remember the 5 cent foil potato chip bags?
I just wrote a post on annoying anon commenters, do you have a opinion about this?
I didn't get an allowance :( Of course if I read books and wrote a report I got 3 dollars for each one. They weren't kiddie books either, they were adult books my mom helped me choose. Thanks to her I have read alot of things.
I am slowly coming back around...things should calm down this week and I will be able to blog again. Hope you are fabtabulous Gman!
good morning Galen [it is 5:03 am here]
Have a good night buddy.
tc
I never got an allowance but had to earn my keep as many have said here. By the age of 10, I was doing all the laundry.
I remember when I first started driving, gas went from $.98 to $1.00 a gallon. I couldn't imagine how I was going to pay for it.
My kids pay $1.75 for hot lunch now. I remember it being $.75. Not too bad.
Mona, I love Indian Cuisine. It's so flavorful and aromatic, and I've never tasted any thing that I did not like. The Shepherds Pie I think is more British than Irish, But it is a really good One dish meal!
Crabby, I think that I read somewhere that Hef has experianced all forms of sexuality. I know what that means eh?
I hope I don't get a call from L.A.....xoxx
Jillie, it is crazy what you guys pay for Gas in Cali. Plus you pay extra for all vehicles because of California Emmissions!
Hope you had a great week-end!!
Mona, your in bed now so good Night.
TC, See you in the Morning....
Hi Jenn, do you feel 100 pounds lighter? Congratulations!! You did great, now on to the next 50....xoxxxx
Tracy, I did visit you and left my opinion...
Thanks Baby
Miss Melodie!
I sure missed you..
How ya gonna keep em down in Bama...After they've seen NYC?
hey G man...I am not in bed..I am up & about since 4:45 in the morn...It is morning here...& I have already done my call work & wash & prayers and yoga and morning wash...getting ready to get breakfast ready...
& my son has become the first youngest student in India to attend and participate in a reaserch confrence in microbiology.So I am feeling very proud and happy :)
correction: morning walk
Mona Dear, that is a fantastic accomplishment for your family, Congratulations!
Thanks for sharing that with us...xo
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