Comments made in the Year 1955!

[lvdkeyes]

That's only 55 years ago!


'I'll tell you one thing, if things
Keep going the way they are,
it's going to be impossible to
Buy a week's groceries for
$10.00.

'Have you seen the new cars
Coming out next year? It won't
Be long before $1, 000.00 will
Only buy a used one.

'If cigarettes keep going up in
Price, I'm going to quit. 20 cents
A pack is ridiculous.

'Did you hear the post office is
Thinking about charging 7 cents
Just to mail a letter

'If they raise the minimum wage
To $1.00, nobody will be able to
Hire outside help at the store.

'When I first started driving, who
Would have thought gas would
Someday cost 25 cents a gallon.
Guess we'd be better off leaving
The car in the garage.

'I'm afraid to send my kids to the
Movies any more Ever since they
Let Clark Gable get by with saying
DAMN in GONE WITH THE WIND,
It seems every new movie has
Either HELL or DAMN in it.

'I read the other day where some
Scientist thinks it's possible to put
A man on the moon by the end of
The century. They even have some
Fellows they call astronauts
Preparing for it down inTexas .

'Did you see where some baseball
Player just signed a contract for
$50,000 a year just to play ball?
It wouldn't surprise me if someday
They'll be making more than the
President.

'I never thought I'd see the day
All our kitchen appliances would
Be electric. They are even making
Electric typewriters now.

'It's too bad things are so tough
Nowadays. I see where a few
Married women are having to
Work to make ends meet.

'It won't be long before young
Couples are going to have to hire
Someone to watch their kids so
They can both work.

'I'm afraid the Volkswagen car
Is going to open the door to a
Whole lot of foreign business.

'Thank goodness I won't live to
See the day when the Government
Takes half our income in taxes. I
Sometimes wonder if we are
Electing the best people to
Government.

'The drive-in restaurant is
Convenient in nice weather,
But I seriously doubt they
Will ever catch on.

'There is no sense going on short
Trips anymore for a weekend, it
Costs nearly $2.00 a night to stay
In a hotel.

'No one can afford to be sick
Anymore, at $15.00 a day in
The hospital, it's too rich for
My blood.'

'If they think I'll pay 30 cents
For a hair cut, forget it.'

[Gaybutton]

I clearly remember my mother complaining that the price of steak in the grocery store had just gone up to 98 cents a pound. My father sent me, with his car, to wait close to two hours in a long line at the gas station the day before the price was scheduled to go up to 45 cents a gallon. Not too many years later I remember talking with my boss in the parking lot as we were about to go home for the day. The price of gasoline had just risen to 80 cents a gallon and he said, "I just don't know how we're going to be able to live with this." I replied, "You know what scares me? I don't think it will be very long before a dollar a gallon looks good."

I can also remember my father saying, "Do you know how much electricity costs now? I wish we kept the room air conditioners instead of converting to central air. Now I have to pay for air conditioning the whole house. That's just great! We'll have nice cool rooms nobody is in while I'm busy paying a fortune for it."

[lvdkeyes]

I moved from Chicago to San Antonio in 1989 and SA gas across from my apt. was 29 cents a gallon and I got a free car wash.

[Gaybutton]

I moved from Chicago to San Antonio in 1989 and SA gas across from my apt. was 29 cents a gallon and I got a free car wash.

Whatever happened to the sets of steak knives from the gas stations, the toasters from the banks, and Green Stamps?

[lvdkeyes]

Gone With the Wind.

[Jun]

Reminds me of Tony Capstick:

[thaiworthy]

Whatever happened to the sets of steak knives from the gas stations, the toasters from the banks, and Green Stamps?

I'm so poor that my bank gave me a toaster to take my business elsewhere!

[Bob]

The only "comments from 1955" that I actually can remember were some "always unfair" disciplinary comments (ok....screams) by my parents due to my misbehaving. Yea, yea, some things never change....

GB mentioned the price of gasoline and I have no clue what it was in 1955 (I was driving a bicycle then, perhaps one with playing cards flapping against the spokes in the wheels so my "Harley" would sound cool) but I remember gas in 1964 (or maybe 1965, I forget) being 22.9 cents a gallon then (I could fill the beat-up old Volkswagen - which only held 10 gallons - for $2.25 then). But, my record low price was 17.9 cents a gallon when I bought gas at some out-of-the-way gas station in northern New Mexico when I drove through there in 1967.

[Rogie]

1955 was a good year for . . .

collectors of American pennies

the penny that year has a rare variant, a double strike on the date

looks like it might look to you after a few too many beers

[fountainhall]

I can also remember my father saying, "Do you know how much electricity costs now? I wish we kept the room air conditioners instead of converting to central air. Now I have to pay for air conditioning the whole house. That's just great! We'll have nice cool rooms nobody is in while I'm busy paying a fortune for it."

I think we all heard our fathers say variations on that. We did not need air-conditioning, but central heating wound have been nice - something my father could not afford. He seemed paranoid about lights being left on, though.

Not sure about the USA, but I recall reading that inflation in the UK had risen by around 200% between the 1960s and the mid 2000s! In the early 1970s I was thinking about buying a nice, small 2-bedroom flat in one of the UK's large cities. The owner originally wanted £3,200, but after it had been surveyed he upped the price to £3,800. Too much for me. Now that flat is well over £100,000.