What Is Cheaper Today Than 30/40 Years Ago?

[barry1010]

I remember when phone calls were so expensive you could buy locks for your landline phone.  It was also common for folk to have a money box next to the phone for when the neighbours' used it.  Party lines meant cheaper line rental. 

Now I pay £4 a month for unlimited calls and enough data. 

Chicken used to be a treat now it seems to be as cheap as chicks. 

[davebro3]

Transistor radios - In my teens I bought a small Perdio battery transistor. I think it was £15 - about 2 weeks pay!

[ToraToraTora]

most white goods, electronics etc are now far cheaper in real terms that they ever where.

[barry1010]

Yes! Radios of all kinds were expensive and many rented their tvs, putting shillings in the meter.  Very annoying when the screen went blank just as the film had reached a critical bit

[237SJ]

Flights (even with the tax which wasn't there years ago)

[barry1010]

What about new petrol/diesel cars? Are they cheaper in real terms? 

[barry1010]

I hadn't thought of flights.  

[newmodarmy]

Pocket calculators are cheaper now than the first one I bought in 1974

[ferlew]

Tights.
I bought my first pair for 19/11d.
You can now buy them for under £1 - so in real terms much cheaper.

[Old_Geezer]

Life ?

[barry1010]

No wonder my sisters darned their tights all those years ago

[douglas9401]

Talk.

[barry1010]

Talk has always been cheap.  

[bhg481]

We bought our first cell-phone in the late 80s and calls cost 50p/minute.

[barry1010]

I remember those days, can you remember how much you paid for the phone, bhg?

[bhg481]

barry - No, althugh it wouldn't have cost an arm and a leg. We only got it because my wife had a 15 mile commute down the M4 every day and it seemed a wise precaution in case of breakdown. Ironically the only breakdown we had occurred where there was no phone signal (poor coverage in those days). We walked half a mile to a friend's house and used their phone and then went back to the car to wait for the breakdown service. Just for curiosity I tried the phone again, this time standing at the back of the car, not the front, and there was a full signal.

[barry1010]

Always the way, things work great until you really need them

[barry1010]

Thinking about it, I am sure your phone would have been very expensive in 1989.