I can see both Jem's points of view and Grumblewagons too. It would be interesting to be able to do a poll of some sort and see which group was in the minority - families doing quite nicely, or families struggling ?
I wonder how many struggling families have actually sat down and worked out their incomings and outgoings properly, on paper.
And don't forget, when it was mostly only the husband that worked, there weren't folks wanting all the expensive technology in their homes that some families consider a "must have" now. How many would have had holidays abroad, cruises, 2 or 3 cars in the family, computers, flat screen telly's, dishwashers, expensive furniture, posh clothes, even food itself was different. Of course wages were a lot less, but so were people's "needs".
I wonder how many couples live beyond their means simply because they like to keep up appearances as well?

I can think of two words to explain what has happened - Avarice and Attitude! Not everyone, admittedly, but many.

My generation saved for a deposit on house, lived in simple rented accommodation or with in laws while they did so. Having found the house - we then bought second hand furniture or welcomed donations of stuff from relatives until we could afford new. I can remember many a fun Saturday morning at the local auction house. We made things like curtains and clothes. We knitted and crocheted things for the babes when they arrived. We cooked proper food and we didn't have time to be bored because we had hobbies! New things were welcomed with a sense of achievement. We managed a 'household budget' because to be in debt was shameful.

Modern generation ( again, not all!) don't want second hand stuff - they want to start out where their parents left off. They don't want to wait until they have saved the money - they want it all now. They want designer/fashion clothes not home made. They want instant meals that they can just throw in a microwave during the ads on TV. They want those disgusting disposable nappys so they can dump the babes with a childminder and go back to earning money to buy more designer clothes and giant plasma TVs. They have no hobbies or interests. They use credit cards like confetti ! They don't worry about debts because 'the social' will sort it out for them.

I see lots of young mums on the buses - in the shops - in the city centre - and the one thing that strikes me more than anything is - they have no joy of life about them - and that is so sad!

We married in 1967 and things were very tight financially for years. I'd been married five years and had two children before I got my first washing machine. Bliss! What we did have was job security, so we could save and plan and know things would get easier. I wouldn't swap those early years for anything because looking back I think struggling together forged a very strong marriage.

my Daughter had no choice, she had to keep working when she married