I tracked pretty much exactly the same , maybe a couple of years earlier on the
jump from middle to upper but pretty much spot on
What economic group did you grow up in?
- Thread starter willister
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I tracked pretty much exactly the same , maybe a couple of years earlier on the
jump from middle to upper but pretty much spot on
I'd say, looking back, we were middle class, although to me, at the time, we were quite poor.
We emigrated from England when I was 4. Dad originally worked at the Steel Works, but hated it & wanted out. He was offered a job at Waltons, but needed a car & he didn't have a license, so he lied, bought a crappy car & off he went. We rented a really crappy, run down miners cottage, and he travelled into the 'city' (Wollongong) each day.
Once both me & my sister were at school, Mum worked part time as a school clerical assistant. I was about 11 at that time. We eventually moved to a better mining cottage (it was still crap, but we had a flush toilet out the back instead of a dunny). They were officially squatters, as the land belonged to the mine, and when someone moved out, someone else just moved in & 'bought' the house from the previous owner at a silly price, as it was known that the mine could evict you at any time. At some stage the mines allowed the residents to purchase their properties, for a token of their worth, & they 'officially' owned them.
My parents spent every cent they earnt. Once they were on their feet, dad bought a new car every couple of years, and smokes, booze & holidays took up all they had.
We emigrated from England when I was 4. Dad originally worked at the Steel Works, but hated it & wanted out. He was offered a job at Waltons, but needed a car & he didn't have a license, so he lied, bought a crappy car & off he went. We rented a really crappy, run down miners cottage, and he travelled into the 'city' (Wollongong) each day.
Once both me & my sister were at school, Mum worked part time as a school clerical assistant. I was about 11 at that time. We eventually moved to a better mining cottage (it was still crap, but we had a flush toilet out the back instead of a dunny). They were officially squatters, as the land belonged to the mine, and when someone moved out, someone else just moved in & 'bought' the house from the previous owner at a silly price, as it was known that the mine could evict you at any time. At some stage the mines allowed the residents to purchase their properties, for a token of their worth, & they 'officially' owned them.
My parents spent every cent they earnt. Once they were on their feet, dad bought a new car every couple of years, and smokes, booze & holidays took up all they had.
I guess lower middle class. Educated but hippy following their dreams.
We lived much of our childhood under the poverty line but in a blue ribbon suburb. Later we would have been middle class I guess.
Dad was clueless with money. Mum was great at budgeting and saving but not investing. Dad viewed investing as immoral.
Now dad has died she is investing and doing really well.
We lived much of our childhood under the poverty line but in a blue ribbon suburb. Later we would have been middle class I guess.
Dad was clueless with money. Mum was great at budgeting and saving but not investing. Dad viewed investing as immoral.
Now dad has died she is investing and doing really well.
At Wonga??
Huh?
I grew up in Wombarra. It's on the escarpment and is a far suburb of Wollongong. A lot of the properties were on mine owned land. Everyone was technically squatting. There were some interesting people out that way, but strangely enough most of them seemed to be immigrants and worked for a living.
Huh?
I grew up in Wombarra. It's on the escarpment and is a far suburb of Wollongong. A lot of the properties were on mine owned land. Everyone was technically squatting. There were some interesting people out that way, but strangely enough most of them seemed to be immigrants and worked for a living.
Oh, okay.
I thought it might have been at Wongawilli, another village just out of the Gong. Just being a sticky beak 
FIRST YORKSHIREMAN:
You were lucky. We lived for three months in a paper bag in a septic tank. We used to have to get up at six in the morning, clean the paper bag, eat a crust of stale bread, go to work down t' mill, fourteen hours a day, week-in week-out, for sixpence a week, and when we got home our Dad would thrash us to sleep wi' his belt.
SECOND YORKSHIREMAN:
Luxury. We used to have to get out of the lake at six o'clock in the morning, clean the lake, eat a handful of 'ot gravel, work twenty hour day at mill for tuppence a month, come home, and Dad would thrash us to sleep with a broken bottle, if we were lucky!
THIRD YORKSHIREMAN:
Well, of course, we had it tough. We used to 'ave to get up out of shoebox at twelve o'clock at night and lick road clean wit' tongue. We had two bits of cold gravel, worked twenty-four hours a day at mill for sixpence every four years, and when we got home our Dad would slice us in two wit' bread knife.
FOURTH YORKSHIREMAN:
Right. I had to get up in the morning at ten o'clock at night half an hour before I went to bed, drink a cup of sulphuric acid, work twenty-nine hours a day down mill, and pay mill owner for permission to come to work, and when we got home, our Dad and our mother would kill us and dance about on our graves singing Hallelujah.
You were lucky. We lived for three months in a paper bag in a septic tank. We used to have to get up at six in the morning, clean the paper bag, eat a crust of stale bread, go to work down t' mill, fourteen hours a day, week-in week-out, for sixpence a week, and when we got home our Dad would thrash us to sleep wi' his belt.
SECOND YORKSHIREMAN:
Luxury. We used to have to get out of the lake at six o'clock in the morning, clean the lake, eat a handful of 'ot gravel, work twenty hour day at mill for tuppence a month, come home, and Dad would thrash us to sleep with a broken bottle, if we were lucky!
THIRD YORKSHIREMAN:
Well, of course, we had it tough. We used to 'ave to get up out of shoebox at twelve o'clock at night and lick road clean wit' tongue. We had two bits of cold gravel, worked twenty-four hours a day at mill for sixpence every four years, and when we got home our Dad would slice us in two wit' bread knife.
FOURTH YORKSHIREMAN:
Right. I had to get up in the morning at ten o'clock at night half an hour before I went to bed, drink a cup of sulphuric acid, work twenty-nine hours a day down mill, and pay mill owner for permission to come to work, and when we got home, our Dad and our mother would kill us and dance about on our graves singing Hallelujah.
Oh, okay.
Wongawilli is at the other end of the spectrum, but from what I've seen, the housing there was much better than the mining shacks I'm talking about.
i grew up in a completely normal economic group
obviosuly normal is very subjective, so id say middle class, I dont know what upper or lower middle class is
however, we always had food on the table, we went for an overseas holiday with the family every 5 years,
we bought a new car every 7 or so years, and it was a corolla or camry type of car
however, I wasnt allowed to have Nike shoes, or we ate at home a lot and going out was a special occasssion,
unlike many of todays kids we couldnt afford to try 8 sports at the same time, it was just one
my paretns saved like crazy, paid off the house they bought in an average area
I did dabble in a private school for a few years but essentially was told too expensive and transferred to a state school
expensive gadgets werer very rarely purhcased, and when they were it was a big deal, and I cherished it
I guess its midddle middle class
obviosuly normal is very subjective, so id say middle class, I dont know what upper or lower middle class is
however, we always had food on the table, we went for an overseas holiday with the family every 5 years,
we bought a new car every 7 or so years, and it was a corolla or camry type of car
however, I wasnt allowed to have Nike shoes, or we ate at home a lot and going out was a special occasssion,
unlike many of todays kids we couldnt afford to try 8 sports at the same time, it was just one
my paretns saved like crazy, paid off the house they bought in an average area
I did dabble in a private school for a few years but essentially was told too expensive and transferred to a state school
expensive gadgets werer very rarely purhcased, and when they were it was a big deal, and I cherished it
I guess its midddle middle class
Interesting to note how costs of things change over time.
I'd think these days with the craploads of stuff from China lower middle class would afford a few gadgets here and there.
Airfares are a lot cheaper these days than the late 80s/early 90s where there was scant competition nor budget airlines.
Cars are perhaps also a lot cheaper today (vs income) with brands like Hyundai, Kia etc.
absolutely!!! some of the stuff I look at the price tag and think OMFG that must be a typo.
eg I can buy some cheap chinese cables or electronic clock or some gadget for $1-$5 inc delivery from China, the average salary has shot up since I was a kid, so its like loose change!!!
incomes have gone up but imported cars seem to have come down a bit eg your hyundais etc.
bmws and mercs seem to have gone up along with CPI
phone calls overseas were like $2.50 per min to the USA, now they are virtually free,
however, we didnt have internet, mobile phone, tablet monthly charges
whitegoods seem to have not increased that much
however mobile phones for good ones are now $1000 each !!! along with tablets
I feel overall, that an average family who still needs those gadgets and expensive stuff is in a better financial position then when I was a kid
however try telling a person under 30 to not spend $200 a night every weekend going out to their favourtie restaruant
Lower middle class.
My dad worked at the Mitsubishi factory before it closed and my mother was a receptionist. Mitsubishi always paid fairly generously so my mum took a few years off work to be a stay at home mum raising 3 kids. We never went on an overseas holiday or anything but we lived in a decent area and I always got to play sports and hobbies that I was interested in. Went to public schools and always had food on the table so can't complain.
My dad worked at the Mitsubishi factory before it closed and my mother was a receptionist. Mitsubishi always paid fairly generously so my mum took a few years off work to be a stay at home mum raising 3 kids. We never went on an overseas holiday or anything but we lived in a decent area and I always got to play sports and hobbies that I was interested in. Went to public schools and always had food on the table so can't complain.
My parents started their married life with $50 and a caravan.
They are retired with an income of $100k pa from property.
If they sold up everything they'd probably have a couple of million.
Bloody hard workers my parents.
Only really started seeing a lot of success later on when they went harder into property, probably when I was late mid to late teens.
So I was never raised by high income parents while at home.
Parents have helped me a lot with getting into the property market. Now I'm running with it.
I think with the running start my parents have given me, if I'm not a millionaire by my 40th birthday then I've wasted the opportunities they've handed me.
Luckily I'm about 60% as hard a worker as my old man. Which means I work extremely hard. So I should be able to make a success of things.
They are retired with an income of $100k pa from property.
If they sold up everything they'd probably have a couple of million.
Bloody hard workers my parents.
Only really started seeing a lot of success later on when they went harder into property, probably when I was late mid to late teens.
So I was never raised by high income parents while at home.
Parents have helped me a lot with getting into the property market. Now I'm running with it.
I think with the running start my parents have given me, if I'm not a millionaire by my 40th birthday then I've wasted the opportunities they've handed me.
Luckily I'm about 60% as hard a worker as my old man. Which means I work extremely hard. So I should be able to make a success of things.
Don't tell them.
Then we can hear their hard luck stories of no housing affordability on ACA/7.30 Report/The Australian, etc.
I don't even think we were in the class system at the beginning of my life.
0-2 we lived in an unfinished hippy shack (proper roof but a few tarpaulin walls), no power, grew our own veggies, baked bread, bathed in the river (or showered using a bucket with holes), traded stuff with neighbours, etc. Hippy class.
2-5 we graduated to some proper houses (four solid walls) in Mullumbimby/Lismore while my mum studied to be a teacher, paid rent by selling weed. Still hippy class.
5+ Mum started working as a teacher and I grew up in a single parent, low income family. Mum was educated and well travelled, having lived and worked overseas for many years before having me. So that made us poor but lower middle class, I guess?
0-2 we lived in an unfinished hippy shack (proper roof but a few tarpaulin walls), no power, grew our own veggies, baked bread, bathed in the river (or showered using a bucket with holes), traded stuff with neighbours, etc. Hippy class.
2-5 we graduated to some proper houses (four solid walls) in Mullumbimby/Lismore while my mum studied to be a teacher, paid rent by selling weed. Still hippy class.
5+ Mum started working as a teacher and I grew up in a single parent, low income family. Mum was educated and well travelled, having lived and worked overseas for many years before having me. So that made us poor but lower middle class, I guess?
+1. Carbon copy.
Though my mum managed to convince a bank manager that a Single Parent Pension was deemed as regular income and secured a mortgage by fluke.
What used to be cheap:
- Utilities - especially water, I remember my dad use to "water" the concrete on hot days.
- Food. Days before the duopoly of Coles and Woolies.
- House/Rent
- Wages
Arguably it would be better off living
What used to be expensive:
- Electronics/Gadgets.
- Holidays/Flights.
4G Mobile phones can be purchased outright for $300-$400! Also bear in mind whilst back then there was no mobile/internet/data charges, phone bills were exxy, not as exxy as the mobile/data bills are today though.
It's arguably easier to live back then than today and move up a class. Most of the essentials today are much more expensive.
Under 30s eat out, travel and enjoy life like no tomorrow generally because the focus these days is different. Buying your dream house in your dream suburb is just that - a dream.
