People share 10 common things from 50 years ago that only rich people can afford in today's time

Livelihood is too expensive.

Once upon a time, visiting Disneyland without your entire family at least once a month was the norm. Similarly, watching a sport in the stadium or attending a concert of your favorite band was possible for people from single-income households. Even average families in the West owned their lake houses where the entire family would enjoy their summer vacation. These are the tales of yesteryears. These were achievable dreams about 50 years ago for a simple salaryman. Thinking about affording these luxuries will make the current generation feel financially insecure. So, u/Dash_Weh_Dat asked the Reddit community, "What was affordable 50 years ago that now only the rich can buy?" We have listed some of the best answers from the community, which most of us can resonate with.

1. Cost of education

"Technically, education is free in the US, but only kindergarten through 12th grade. And the quality of that education varies wildly by city, much less by state. Also, in general, it is sub-par when compared to most other developed countries. Higher education, like universities and colleges, tends to be unaffordable for the vast majority of Americans as they are not free unless you score a sweet sports deal or some sort of scholarship(s). In many places in the US, there are Technical Schools (sometimes known as Trade Schools or Community Colleges) that are typically more affordable but the caveat is that many employers will choose applicants who recognize the alma mater over ones that they don't. Name recognition often doesn't mean better education, either, but good luck telling most corporate recruiters that." u/FreelancerTex

2. Buying ivory

"Ivory was never cheap - three ivory billiard balls cost roughly $1200 in today's dollars in 1870. Ivory was always a luxury material and mentioned in the same breath as gold, etc." -u/Empath_. "Actually, the market for ivory has completely collapsed because it is extremely illegal to sell or ship it internationally, even if it's very old. Ivory antiques have become almost worthless because it has become so impossible to sell. My father has a collection of miniature paintings from the Napoleonic era, they are all painted on ivory - he can no longer trade or sell them at auction, and it will be very difficult to find someone locally interested in purchasing such a collection for the old auction price. I think he plans to donate them to the V&A to see if he can get some sort of tax write-off." u/stone_opera

3. Ski trips

"I recently read about that which is what made me write this post about American ski resorts. At a place like Vail, the company owns ski schools, on-mountain restaurants, and even hotels (not all though). I heard in many European places, these things are separate, which increases competition in the resort." u/jeanjellybean13. "Honestly, don't love the corporate takeover of ski resorts, but it has, in many ways, made it more affordable than ever. I paid 350 dollars for a 7-day regional pass so that is good for a bunch of mountains. That's 50 dollars a day to ski at mountains that cost upwards of 150 for a single-day pass." u/Winzip115

4. Owning a house

"I had a coworker at my last job renting and being a moron talking crap about the houses, I would link him. $100k sub homes that were between 750-950 square feet in decent neighborhoods and the houses were in great shape just not many want a starter home like that. I tried to tell him that with what we made, he would save half his living expenses by buying it per month and it's bigger than his apartment. A lot of people just make poor choices when they have more options and are stuck in how they are because of it. Having to fill up his truck 1 1/2 times a week is more than I spend on my car expenses per year." u/Doogiemoon. "I have a 2-hour commute to save hundreds of thousands on my house. 300k in the boonies or 800k near the city. Another option is getting a 750ft² home, but I have a family of 7, so it's not realistic. I just wanna live close to work, man." u/Pole_Smokin_Bandit

5. Visiting Disneyland

"Not even 10 full years ago, I was able to argue that Disneyland was affordable for the value you get. Sure it was like $100 a day, but if you went for three days the price of the tickets went down, often the Disneyland Hotel would be like 50% off to be like a normal hotel cost (and if not lucky walkable hotels were $100 a day too) and while the food was expensive it was on par with any other amusement park while generally being a higher quality. My wife and I just looked last night and three days of the park tickets would cost $800 alone, not including the fact that Fast Pass (Genie+) would be about $25 each day if we don't want to deal with the awful lines Genie+ created and the Disneyland Hotel is at a firm $500 a night with absolutely no sales or deals to ever be seen again. Disneyland was a place I absolutely could justify going to, even living across the country. I don't think I can anymore." u/SteveRudzinski

6. Vintage comic books

"I'd imagine just collecting comics is out of reach for a lot of kids now. I walked into a comic shop to kill some time and the regular run monthly comics were selling for $7." u/golden_rhino. "That's exactly why so many comic book stores today have all the Funko Pops, tchotchkes and trading card games on prominent display while the actual comic books get a dusty corner in the back. For all the Marvel and DC movies have done to popularize those IPs, it's done zilch with regards to increasing circulation of the publications themselves. The majority of people now just wait for the trade paperbacks of the stories they want to read, while actual comic collectors are mostly interested in the limited run and variant covers than actually reading them." u/spmahn.

7. Expensive fast food

"My coworker is an older guy who worked as a chef most of his life. He told me wings used to be like any other bar food. He used to make chicken wings and they sold for 12 cents per wing. I even remember one place that sold them on Wednesdays for 25 cents a wing. I went there last year and asked the bartender if they still did that and she laughed at me and said that we've never sold them for that cheap. What's worse is buying them from the supermarket is also expensive, $25 for a pack and they're not even processed. You have to cut the tips and slice the flats from the drum yourself and you're not even saving much money cooking them yourself, not to mention that some still have a couple of feathers attached, it doesn't bother me, but it's like come on for this price you'd think they could put a little effort in." u/thatguy2535

8. Tickets for events

"I dug out a ticket stub to a Weezer show from '97 (Pinkerton tour, around the height of their popularity)... $28 for floor tickets, fees included. I just bought tickets to see them in May (Blue Album reply, definitely not at the height of their popularity)...$120 for nosebleed seats + $45 fees. I'm paying 490% more to see them play the same songs I heard them play 27 years ago, for worse seats." u/fulthrottlejazzhands. "Tours used to be used to promote an album. Now, albums are used to promote tours. If you want to support your favorite bands, buy merch and vinyl, or if they're on a site like Band Camp, buy it there. And of course tickets to concerts." u/fkingidk.

9. Lake houses or summer houses

"A summer house. I know many families that have an old house on a lake they go to in the summers. It's been passed down for a couple of generations. Nobody in the current generation could afford one, but somehow a family with a single income bought it 50 years ago and the man's wife and kids would spend the whole summer there and he would go up on weekends." u/spidereater. "In some countries, everyone has a summer house. Now...here's some uplifting news. If we play our cards right and don't vote for people giving tax breaks to billionaires (you know who that is), the real estate market may also be about to undergo some changes. People are fed up with housing and living costs in America. We are sick of Blackwater and Erik Prince-style corporate influences buying up whole cities so no one can afford to compete. Know who is screwing you over and vote accordingly." u/Boopy7.

10. Automobiles

"A 2024 Civic LX is about $24,000 and honestly, on a modern car, you're saving a crazy amount of money in gas and maintenance compared to 50 years ago." u/TiaXhosa. "Also, cars 50 years ago had no standards. My dad's car in 1970 had no heating nor power windscreen wipers. ( He told me how much fun it was when it rained and he had to hand crank the wipers with all the windows cracked to stop the steaming up." u/symonty. "Most cars last at least twice as long and require a lot less maintenance than they did then, so honestly that’s not that bad. The luxury of buying a new car is out of reach for most people, but a used one can be had for half the price and last for many years." u/therealpilgrim.