The way it was back then

[SilvrT]

Because food stamps are something entirely different. Food stamps are something that the government gives out to folks who are under the poverty level or something like that. S&H Greenstamps were give to you by merchants and when you got enough of them to fill the books, you traded them in for merchandise.

 

Another type were Gold Bond stamps. Pretty much the same as the Green Stamps. They were pretty popular where I was raised in Texas but I don't know if it was a nationwide thing or not.

 

Again... another USA thing (by literal name); however....

 

Do you remember the stamps some grocery stores used to give out (think it was Dominion/A&P) that you would put in a booklet or on a card? Same sort of thing.

 

The above were not handed out by the government of Canada but couldn't they also be referred to as "Food Stamps"?? ... I don't know if they were actually called that or had some other specific name. Anyway, that's what I was referring to.

 

The Canadian Government welfare system, at one time, used to give out "food vouchers" that you could take to the store to redeem for food, etc but that was quite a long time ago.

[Sailor]

Yep, remember them all. We had the first tv in the area. People would come over to watch it. My bed time was 8:00, 9:00 on weekends. I was continually hauled out of bed because I was the only one who could tune in all three stations.

A few more....Wood fired stove. Saturday night bath when the water was heated in pots on the stove then poured into the galvanized washtub. Outhouse. Big celebration when we finally got a tin shower (cold water only) and a flush toilet. They were both out on the back porch so in the winter showers were very short and you sat on the toilet seat with your pants on first to warm it up so you didn't freeze to it.

[Bubber]

24! "DIRT IS GOOD!"

 

I remember pasteing in the S&H stamps and even going with mom to the redemption center with bags of the books of the stamps. LOL I remember being with my mother fondly and what a fine women and mother she was!

 

Thanks for making me cry!

With tears of joy remembering her and the stuff we did together when I was just a little boy. God I miss her. But I always have my memories. I have to go and remember for a while now and beside I got something in my eyes.

[Freebird]

Again... another USA thing (by literal name); however....

 

 

 

The above were not handed out by the government of Canada but couldn't they also be referred to as "Food Stamps"?? ... I don't know if they were actually called that or had some other specific name. Anyway, that's what I was referring to.

 

The Canadian Government welfare system, at one time, used to give out "food vouchers" that you could take to the store to redeem for food, etc but that was quite a long time ago.

 

No no no....they were not food stamps. They had nothing to do with food. They were given out by SOME grocery stores but also gas stations and other types of businesses. When the books got full, you did NOT trade them for groceries but for other merchandise. Everything from kitchen appliances to toys to sporting goods.....they had an entire catalog that you could shop from to spend the stamps that you had accumulated.

[Pic]

I remember when my Dad got my Mom her fisrt Dryer. He came home with 2 metal poles with a T at the top with 4 holes in it. We buried them deep in the ground and ran 4 wires between them. Took down the rope between the trees. She could hang clothes, sheets and towels all at one time. She was very happy.

[Freebird]

Now as for the toilets. I don't remember us ever having an outhouse but I sure remember using one when I went to visit my grandparents. I even remember that they had a two holer at one time.

 

I also never remember us not have a television but it was a black and white and a very snowy picture most of the time. The first people in the neighborhood who got a color TV were the Bufords about three houses up the road. It used to be very exciting to go to their house and watch a football game in color. WOW...the grass was VERY green. Now the Bufords had more money than many in our neighborhood. Mr. Buford owned an insurance agency in our small town. He had three children who was about our same age. Some of you footballs fans have probably heard of the youngest son. He was about 3 or 4 years younger than me but ended up playing pro football. He was a punter I think and played for the Chicago Bears. His name was Maury Buford.

 

I do remember the first time we got an air conditioner and standing in front of it with a big grin. It sure felt good after coming in from the Texas heat. I was probably about 10 years old or so at the time. Before that, we had the old water coolers...or what some called swamp coolers. When the filters got dirty the entire house ended up smelling like dead fish.

 

You know what.....those were good days. They really were. Much simpler times.

[SilvrT]

No no no....they were not food stamps. They had nothing to do with food. They were given out by SOME grocery stores but also gas stations and other types of businesses. When the books got full, you did NOT trade them for groceries but for other merchandise. Everything from kitchen appliances to toys to sporting goods.....they had an entire catalog that you could shop from to spend the stamps that you had accumulated.

 

ahhhhhhh... takes me a while... but I got it now LOL

[Bubber]

You know what.....those were good days. They really were. Much simpler times.

 

 

You ain't just-a-kidding Boss!

[wes0778]

Before we had a TV with a picture on a screen we had an Philco radio that showed pictures in your mind. I remember running in after school and tuning in to "The Lone Ranger" program! Back then the way the radio programs were you could "see" the picture by closing your eyes and LISTENING!

BTW 25, yup older than dirt!!!

[jburrell]

25

I remember no TV

Then 9 in Black n white

My Grandparents color TV in about 63! Red/green blue in every picture.

The TEST screen and the one that came on with the American flag at end of night

Rode around in a Packard with a friend. Man they were rich.

Nickel coke

Penny candy

25cent movies I remember Victoria TX has 2 theatres downtown and on Sat I could spend a whole dollar going to double feature westerns at both including popcorn and coke.

Coke bottle machine in garage..made us popular.

bikes with baseball cards flapping at the spokes.

and finally

 

19cent a gallon gas as late at 1968.

 

My how times change.

 

 

Short story

about 15 years ago I graduated from tech school ( second or third career)

I was working manufacturing microprocessors in the worlds most advanced manufacturing plant with things like Electron Microsopes adn Plasma Etchers that cost millions each

Anyway I worked with a lot of younger people and one night starting work one of these 20 somethings was complaining about not enough channels on TV to watch. I replied that when I was younger we only had 3 channels and they went off at 10:30 during the week and midnight on Saturdays and was B/W only. He thought about that a few minutes and said

 

"Well I can remember when the Berlin Wall came down"

ME and another gentleman laughed out loud and the young guy said "WHAT" to which we both replied

 

"We saw it go up"

Things are always changing

 

one really old fart!

jb

[camos]

I remember running in after school and tuning in to "The Lone Ranger" program! Back then the way the radio programs were you could "see" the picture by closing your eyes and LISTENING!

Listened to the Lone Ranger at 7pm on a crystal radio I built. When it was over I had to do my homework then go to bed.

[XV1100SE]

Started looking up old tv shows... came across this site. You can search by decade (menu on left side).

http://www.crazyabouttv.com/

[Handyman]

Our phone number was three shorts and a long. We didnt have a washer. We went to town to the laundrymat. There were eight washers. When Mom got the tub loaded, the old owner would kick start the washer, the damned washers smoked so bad every one went and stood outside until they finished washing. Couldn't see anything inside and it burned your eyes. He had a small can of gas he poured in and it would use it up and die. The carbs would leak the gas on through on the floor if he filled the tank. Then she would take the laundry home and hang it out on the line.

[Sailor]

Hey! that was our ring. Three shorts and a long. We had 7 people on the party line. Later we got an actual phone number it was 345T. now our number is 7 digits, and we are only 15 miles away.

[saddlebum]

I remember all of them and S&H green stamps were not just in the US. They were not called green stamps but I remember my Mom filling up speacial books with them and using them for grocery discounts. I also remember a screen overlay that was supposed to make your B&W tv seem like a color tv. Speaking of which the 1st color tv's had a lot of green faces. How about going to the candy store and filling a little brown bag with candy for 3 cents of course it seemed like a big bag when you were 8 yrs old.

Edited June 25, 2011 by saddlebum

[mbrood]

Black licorice was 2 for a penny and red was a penny each... WIth a nickel I got 4 black for my brother and I and 2 red for my sister because she loved it. I remember walking with my mom to the corner grocer so I could help carry stuff (yeah, right!) and Wonderbread offered a TINY loaf of bread for a nickel... just perfect for my sister and her tea party setup...

 

She got a bulb heated kitchen stove and my brother and I drooled over the chocolate cake that we KNEW was going to come out so hot, fresh and mouth-watering... well, to say it wasn't is taking it easy and to say it was TINY is an understatement, but SHE cooked it and we ALL enjoyed it.

 

Learned to drive on an old (even then) Massey Furgusson tractor out in the back fields... had to climb down off the seat, mash the clutch in, haul that TALL shifter to the next position, let that clutch out and jump back up into the seat so I could see. If it hadn't run out of gas I would still be riding, with a smile from ear to ear. Grandpa was sad to put the Ole Blue (his plow horse) out to pasture but the tractor did so much more and that left Ole Blue to us kids so the three of us could ride him to the creek for swimmin'.

 

Grandma always had a limp, finally found out it was caused on her wedding... seems she was riding on the back of her pa's buckboard and it hit a rock and bounced her out, onto her back. I was five before I found out that there were actually people who DIDN'T live and work on a farm... what wonders!

 

Times were slower and life seemed fuller.

[Handyman]

My uncle got the first TV in our family. The case was huge, but the screen was about the size of a 19" maybe. You could just barely make out the picture through the snow. He would go outside about every 30 minutes and adjust the antena.Everyone set and watched and raved about how clear it was.

Our next door neighbor bought one of the first color TV's. He had a TV store,and the only program in color was Bonanza on Sunday night. I went over and watched it every Sunday. Everthing was green, same color as the trees.

What A HOOT,Don't get me started.

[Black Owl]

As any old harness Bull knows

PF Flyers were

Project Felony Flyers.....

[SilvrT]

only program in color was Bonanza on Sunday night. I went over and watched it every Sunday. Everthing was green

 

Ironically, the star's name was Lorne GREEN !

[oldgoat]

i recall our first tv was round screen. you got up to change the chanels. you would have to whack it sometimes to get sound and stop if from rolling.

my dad used to fix old tvs the tube type ones. i recall one day standing over him and watching him replace them tubes it was a old tv not working for like 2 years well he touched the back of the picture tube and got knocked on his butt. he latter found out there was a tool to discharge them picture tubes as they can hold a charge in them for a few years even after they sat not working that long. i laughed my butt off after i saw he was ok.

[hig4s]

Movie stars kissed with their mouths shut. At least, they did in the movies.

There were no movie ratings because all movies were responsibly produced for

everyone to enjoy viewing, without profanity or violence or most anything

offensive.

 

Movie codes, while not the rating system we have today, have been around since 1930. Movies were not produced responsibly, they were censored.

[FuzzyRSTD]

13 - Not telling my age of 47.

 

Thanks for the thread. Yes the kids need to know and understand this.

 

What about the little square things with the fishing line wrapped around it and a red - white bobber and a gold hook. I would walk for a mile to buy one of these at a little mercantile and go fishing in the creek. So much better than the string from a midland sack and a bobby pen for a hook. I remember one of my home made stringers braking and all my fish getting away, a full stringer too. I can still see them fish swimming away.

 

How about a tobacco stick with a bailing twine tied around one end to make a stick horse to ride all day.

 

How about the Sears & Roebuck catalog used in the outhouse. Then when we got regular toilet paper an old coffee can to keep it in so that the mice would not make a nest out of it.

 

How about gathering eggs and ringing the head off a chicken to pluck for supper.

 

How about the aluminum dipper in the water bucket. On cold winter nights it would freeze the top of the water in the bucket inside the house. You had to wiggle the dipper to brake the ice, but Haaaaa that good tasting well water from deep with in the bottom so cold and clear and sweet.

 

How about that old metal fan that you just had to see what happen when you stuck a stick in the fan fins while running, and talked into it to change your voice.

 

Fuzzy

Edited June 26, 2011 by FuzzyRSTD
remembered something

[saddlebum]

i recall our first tv was round screen. you got up to change the chanels. you would have to whack it sometimes to get sound and stop if from rolling.

my dad used to fix old tvs the tube type ones. i recall one day standing over him and watching him replace them tubes it was a old tv not working for like 2 years well he touched the back of the picture tube and got knocked on his butt. he latter found out there was a tool to discharge them picture tubes as they can hold a charge in them for a few years even after they sat not working that long. i laughed my butt off after i saw he was ok.

Ours had a remote channel changer. My dad would tell one of us to get up and change the channel:178:

[Yammer Dan]

Ours had a remote channel changer. My dad would tell one of us to get up and change the channel:178:

 

 

 

Or go turn the antenna.....