General Discussion

Bengus81

(9,491 posts)

53. Prices and the cost of living skyrocketed after the end of WWII

Tue Sep 30, 2025, 12:13 PM

Sep 30

But unions were strong as they've ever been and kept wages climbing even for those not in a union. My WWII vet dad bought a new home for us in 1959 that was around $19,000,two kids and my mom didn't work. He sold paint and managed a retail store for Sherwin-Williams and then PPG in 1965.

He had a new 1962 Falcon and later company cars. He also had this weird thing called health insurance provided by PPG and a PENSION that along with SS and Medicare let him and my mom a pretty comfortable life all the way to her and then his deaths.

Now......

Edit history

Please sign in to view edit histories.

Recommendations

0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

54 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

I was born in 1960. [View all] tecelote Sep 29 OP

Cable Television, The Internet, The loss of FLESH based social interactions as main social format. cayugafalls Sep 29 #1

Also, talk radio (after Reagan ended the fairness doctrine), and 9/11 (which yielded paranoia) n/t thesquanderer Sep 29 #21

Reagan did much more than that......... popsdenver Sep 29 #37

Yes. OP and 1st reply wer about economy and also safety/civility, I was talking about the latter. thesquanderer Sep 30 #48

The wrong direction indeed Cirsium Sep 29 #2

That's because you were in a union. llmart Sep 29 #24

Correct biophile Sep 29 #29

Union or not Cirsium Sep 29 #44

The unions today don't have the power that they used to have. llmart Sep 29 #46

We are losing Cirsium Sep 29 #47

I hired in at the car factory in 1972. $3.75/ hr. multigraincracker Sep 29 #32

Companies are a lot greedier than they used to be. LisaM Sep 29 #38

MBAs mess up everything. multigraincracker Sep 29 #45

Nixon resigning with the fallout being the establishment of the billionaire funded right-wing think tanks crud Sep 29 #3

Education should be a human right... BurnDoubt Sep 29 #4

Yes! tecelote Sep 29 #5

The UN Universal Declaration Of Human Rights, to which US is a signatory, niyad Sep 29 #27

Yeah... we got this. BurnDoubt Sep 29 #28

John Adam's capitalism is great. multigraincracker Sep 29 #34

I never had kids, but vote for every school mileage. multigraincracker Sep 29 #33

Yep! Yep! Yep! BurnDoubt Sep 29 #36

Started driving 1969 Typewitch Sep 29 #6

Reagan started our downward cycle and made it harder for us to get ahead kimbutgar Sep 29 #7

I'm with you. Costs are out of sight... Joinfortmill Sep 29 #8

July'59 whyzayker Sep 29 #9

I think capitalism might be at least a small amount of the problem. twodogsbarking Sep 29 #10

That's why they had to make Socialism a dirty word MadameButterfly Sep 29 #19

Piketty's Capital in the 21st Century: the rate of return on capital historically exceeds the rate of economic growth pat_k Sep 29 #43

Almost twice the population. phxjurist Sep 29 #11

The world population increase is scary as well... tecelote Sep 29 #13

Actually, population may be going down and it's a crisis MadameButterfly Sep 29 #20

In 85-89, I paid all tuition, books and fees at state college with a single, full time-summer job Torchlight Sep 29 #12

Amen to all. Evolve Dammit Sep 29 #14

Canada Maninacan Sep 29 #15

Yeah I was making two thirty five an hour and I was born in nineteen sixty Tribetime Sep 29 #16

same here Layzeebeaver Sep 29 #17

You have two years on me but I relate to everything you said. debsy Sep 29 #18

Consumerism llmart Sep 29 #25

I was born in 1961 and have never hitchhiked nor would I ever done that. OTH, my Dad often hitchhiked madinmaryland Sep 29 #22

Born in October '59 LittleGirl Sep 29 #23

I was born just a handful of years later misanthrope Sep 29 #26

Me too (born in 1960) pat_k Sep 29 #30

I was 13 years old in 1960 PCB66 Sep 29 #31

57 for me Nigrum Cattus Sep 29 #35

Me too Sparkly Sep 29 #42

I was born in 1962 BigmanPigman Sep 29 #39

I remember hitchking home every day from caddying in the late 60's and also hitchhiking to and c-rational Sep 29 #40

Not a problem Joe Nation Sep 29 #41

Can you provide statistics showing that slow Progressive dog Sep 30 #49

It all went south when that idiot 'rayguns' was elected wolfie001 Sep 30 #50

Nostalgia is fine, but... Deep State Witch Sep 30 #51

Yes that too. nt LittleGirl Sep 30 #52

Prices and the cost of living skyrocketed after the end of WWII Bengus81 Sep 30 #53

Sounds like a country music song. betsuni Sep 30 #54