Things in life you’re glad you got through before it got harder

Did you, and what else?

I didn’t and won’t manage all these unfortunately but some people must have had a harder time than others in some aspects depending on timing.

Bought a house in the 90s

Went to school before social media

Went to uni before it got stupidly expensive

Did uni before or after the pandemic

Found a partner before online dating

Started a career while your privilege still counted for something

Traveled and worked in the EU before we left

Bought a house in the countryside before the pandemic

Had a final salary pension

Had 25 years of healthy retirement that you didn’t pay for

Moved to Spain before the Brexit vote. Left the world of work with a degree of sanity left. Had 10 years of riding out here before the body began to cry enough.

Did all my stupid stuff before camera phones were a thing.

Went to Glastonbury when it was still a hippy festival for weirdos

Went to loads of gigs before ticketmaster ever existed

Spent 3 years living in Europe before 90 days was a thing

Got married before expensive weddings were normal

Got driving license when it was 3 lessons and off to a test which could be booked and taken in a week

Bought a car for peanuts and insured it for less at 17

Lots for me.

I’ll say bringing up my kids before the phone tablet thing got to where it is now.

Bunking off work for a couple of years in my 20s to do some cool stuff. So glad i did. The financial penalty hasn’t been huge and i think about things i did every day

Taking the kids to the Isles of Scilly. Great holidays. But some how the whole thing dug my daughter out of a hole created by chronic fatigue. The last photo is if her meeting us on the quay pint in hand, tattoo of the island on her arm. She was  working 2 jobs on the island. 3 years before she wasn’t really leave her room

Had 25 years of healthy retirement that you didn’t pay for

Not sure what you mean by this?

I passed my test after about 10 lessons at 19 in the early eighties Each lesson was £5. My first insurance premium was £350 which is the equivalent of about £1000 now, so not peanuts but less than currently I guess

Ampthill I’m Really really glad to see that photo of your daughter outside the Turk’s Head  and that she has made progress with CFS- I’m still on my own road with this.

Definitely driving, but not sure I need the ability of driving a 7.5t truck with a trailer part.

got through all idiotic stuff in my late teens, a bit of drugs ( weed ) and fair bit of promiscuity, and a enforced holiday locked away at Her majesty’s pleasure.

i then chose the correct path ( i think). and have lead a quiet peaceful contented life since then.

if i had chose the other path,my life would for sure have been far tougher.

I’m 57, my 18yo daughter has just started college. My brother in law is 52, his daughter is 4 years old. I couldn’t imaging having the energy required to have a child at that stage in my 50s.

Had 25 years of healthy retirement that you didn’t pay for

Not sure what you mean by this?

Paid relatively low income taxes and NI, because there was lots in your generation and few pensioners to support. Now receiving relatively generous state pension paid for by current workers, and good healthcare ensuring enjoyment of it for many years. Compare to current workers who are paying relatively a lot but will retire later and receive relatively little.

Yep judging by the profile of many here (based on the members survey) there’s going to be lots of things we have had the privilege of, and grateful for, it’s all relative though, is ours (ie born 1962-1976) the most advantaged for our health, finances, opportunity, etc?

Probably…

These haven’t got harder have they, just you’re glad you did them when you did

Taking the kids to the Isles of Scilly

got through all idiotic stuff in my late teens, a bit of drugs ( weed ) and fair bit of promiscuity, and a enforced holiday locked away at Her majesty’s pleasure.

I’m 57, my 18yo daughter has just started college. My brother in law is 52, his daughter is 4 years old. I couldn’t imaging having the energy required to have a child at that stage in my 50s.

Attending a rave/warehouse party and going to the after parties that go on until Monday morning and being at Uni, able to sleep until Tuesday. I can’t even stomach the idea of the loud music anymore, let alone the drugs.

I’m glad I grew up though, there’s a yearning on occasion to do it again, but no. Nice beer, nice food and talking bollocks is where it’s at these days. And then having a three year old using me as a trampoline in the afternoon…

Things in life you’re glad you got through before it got harder

What I mean by this, is that the world changed and made certain things harder.

Not because certain things are harder when you’re older, as they always have and and always will be.

Sending dick picks is much easier these days. So there’s that as a counterbalance.

Started a career while your privilege still counted for something

Your privilege still makes a difference.

i dont really see that things have got harder.

you make your life harder easy by your choices.

if you make a bad choice shit happens because of your choice. not because life is harder.

i dont really see that things have got harder.

Ratio of the price of a house vs salary for one.

Ratio of the price of a house vs salary for one.

This so much.  My flat bought in 1992 was 2.5 times my salary.  Now it would be 8 times the salary for the same job

I so feel for those who are starting out in life now.  Even rentals are ridiculously expensive.  The flat at the time would have rented for 30% of monthly take home.  Now it would be 60%

Housing for young folk is simply ridiculous in cost

i dont really see that things have got harder.
Ratio of the price of a house vs salary for one.

i paid 17% interest on my 1st housein the late 80’s which was half my wage.

Your privilege still makes a difference.

Fair, but a lot less than it used to, which I accept is a greater good if not for the individual who’s lost it.

Take the 1962-76 birth year range someone posted. When looking for higher education or an entry into a career job, they’d have been up against pretty much only local native men. Now everyone in the country and half the world can find out about it and is eligible to apply.

Now everyone in the country and half the world can find out about it and is eligible to apply.

Doesn’t that actually make it easier for most people?  more opportunities to find out about jobs?

Generation X, glad about that.

Doesn’t that actually make it easier for most people?  more opportunities to find out about jobs?

The find out bit does, but the wider eligibility affects chances.

Did uni before fees/loans

Worked ski seasons in France, no 90 day problems, no qualifications

Bought first house for 4 x annual salary in the late 90s, sold for 50% more after 2 years.

Final salary pension, although changes have reduced the generosity of the scheme over the years.

Bought house in the country 2011.

Getting on for a full house I think. My kids are 17 and 15, and especially housing and EU travel will be much harder for them.

i dont really see that things have got harder.

you make your life harder easy by your choices.

if you make a bad choice shit happens because of your choice. not because life is harder.

We’re talking about specific things and those posted have undoubtedly become harder.

About things overall, that’s another question and a difficult call. There’s technology, better healthcare etc. on the other side of the scale.

Beat Bowel Cancer without any Chemo/Radio therapy… BIG win!

i paid 17% interest on my 1st housein the late 80’s which was half my wage.

4.75% interest rate on the mortgage on my new house, and the monthly payment is 60% of my wage!!!

Fortunately my GF earns a decent wage and contributes equally too…

But it does highlight just how significantly house prices have risen far more than wages have in the same period of time!

Did uni before fees/loans

I was the very first year that paid tuition fees, and my god did we protest against that £1k a year charge levied upon us!!!

Kinda pales into insignificance now…

Conceived and raised children.

Now receiving relatively generous state pension paid for by current workers,

Our state pension is pathetic compared to most european countries and often has to be topped up with benefits

Taking the kids to the Isles of Scilly

I realised after i posted that i may have missed the intention of the thread.

But in some ways it did get harder. Just after we first time booked the cool camping book came out and we were on the number one campsite for the UK. We got the kids into it while they were younger and easier to lead and it was easy to make friends. We couldn’t have started my daughter going once she was ill

But i think the thread should cover doing things while you are young when it’s easier. Easier on your body. Before mortgage and family commitments Madge it harder. Well made it harder for me. You don’t have to have a family and a mortgage

My brother in law is 52, his daughter is 4 years old. I couldn’t imaging having the energy required to have a child at that stage in my 50s.

58 and my daughter and 3 y/o grandson live with us. I am incredibly privileged to have the relationship I have with my grandson and energy is not an issue.

I’m glad I worked out how to build bikes up before you needed to have some sort of advanced degree to work out what combination of headset/bb/wheel spacing you might need.

Now receiving relatively generous state pension paid for by current workers,

Our state pension is pathetic compared to most european countries and often has to be topped up with benefits

I know. I was using the world relatively to mean relative to the stuff I mentioned in my post.

My singlespeed phase.

Things in life you’re glad you got through before it got harder

Simple things in life for me.

1. For once in my life I own my own car. i.e. I paid £5k for it 17 years ago.  (in the far east it would probably take me a life time) It is also the most expensive thing I bought in my life.

2. I think I found the best stainless steel frying pan in my life (bought it at a discount).  It is French brand Mauviel 1830, not cheap.  Will save up to buy two more.  Been searching for the “holy grail” of stainless steel frying pan for many years but found this to be the best.

3. I have managed to perfect my fried rice but making good proper chips like my father is still a long way from success.  Hopefully, I will get it right once I have the expensive frying pans. LOL!

4.  As for the rest of the things in my life, there are still many things I wish to achieve but it is getting harder as I aged and no longer young full of energy.  Body has taken a lot of punishment and injuries. (used to work very long hour)

No going to think too much about them now but just keep moving forward.

1. Hung out with aliens before humanity acknowledged the existence of intelligent life from other parts of the galaxy and beyond.
2. Utilised time travel before people realised time isn’t linear.
3. A lot of unhealthy snacks, including beer when it was value for money.
4. classified shit.

I left school long before social media, bought my first car in the early 80’s, cost me £50, bought my house in the 90’s, cost me £29k. Flew to America in the early 90’s, cost me nothing. (Won as a prize on a Simon Bates Radio One show). My current car is the second most expensive thing I’ve bought after my house.

Bought my flat in ’05, after years of house price inflation that I was hoping fruitlessly to turn into deflation – my heartfelt sympathies for anyone trying to get onto the ladder after that, it just went insane. 🙁

I’m kinda glad I got through the more awkward years of my life without the ability to leave a permanent record online of it.

i paid 17% interest on my 1st housein the late 80’s which was half my wage.

For about 5 minutes perhaps. I’m sure it was worrying but it was brief and was nothing like paying half your salary in rent, every month with no end in sight and no chance of saving a deposit or getting a sufficient mortgage.