Let’s talk about what our parents and grandparents had that we’re now desperately trying to recreate with apps and subscription services. Back when life wasn’t hidden behind a paywall and “having it all” didn’t require a six-figure salary.
1. Affordable Housing
Back then, you could buy a decent house on a standard salary without sacrificing your entire future to the mortgage gods. We’re talking three bedrooms, actual yard space, and monthly payments that didn’t eat up 60% of your income. Your average teacher or factory worker could walk into a bank, plunk down a reasonable down payment (think 5-10% instead of today’s “just sell a kidney”), and walk out with keys to their own place. Neighborhoods used to be built for families, not investors.
2. Pension Plans
Pensions were the original “set it and forget it” plan, except the company did all the setting and forgetting while you just showed up and did your job. None of this “become an amateur day trader or die poor” pressure we’re all dealing with now. Companies actually felt responsible for making sure their employees didn’t end up eating cat food in their golden years. You worked your years, and in return, you got a guaranteed monthly check until you kicked the bucket—no watching the stock market like a hawk, no panic attacks every time the economy hiccups.
3. Job Security
Back in the day, “company loyalty” wasn’t just some buzzword HR tossed around during team-building exercises—you could actually plan your life around your job because companies didn’t treat employees like disposable coffee filters. People started in the mailroom and retired as managers, all at the same company, without having to “pivot careers” every time the wind changed direction. Training was on the company’s dime, promotions were based on experience and merit rather than who had the best “personal brand,” and “networking” meant having lunch with your coworkers, not maintaining five social media profiles and a newsletter.
4. True Disconnection
Remember when “unavailable” was actually a thing? Before phones became permanent appendages, people could legitimately disappear after work hours without starting a search party. No Slack notifications interrupting your kid’s soccer game, no emails marked “urgent” at 11 PM on a Saturday, no expectation that you’d respond to work messages while on vacation. Weekends were actual breaks instead of just remote work days with slightly more Netflix. The only “digital detox” was called “going home,” and “work-life balance” wasn’t a buzzword because work knew its place—at work.
5. Real Dating
Dating used to happen in the wild—at work, through friends, at social events where people looked up from their phones occasionally. No swiping through carefully curated profiles, no decoding emoji responses, no ghosting because there were actual social consequences to being a jerk. First dates weren’t preceded by weeks of text-message screening and Google background checks. You met somewhere, talked face-to-face, and figured out if you clicked without worrying about whether their Instagram aesthetic matched their photos.
6. Single-Income Households
There was a time when one salary could actually support a whole family—and not just for tech bros and corporate lawyers. A regular job could cover a mortgage, car payments, and groceries, and still leave enough for a yearly vacation somewhere besides your cousin’s couch. The really wild part? This wasn’t just for the upper class—blue-collar workers, teachers, and office workers could all manage it. Benefits covered the whole family, saving for college was possible without a second mortgage, and “side hustle” wasn’t part of everyone’s vocabulary.
7. Free College Education
State schools were actually funded by the state, and the scariest thing about graduation was finding a job, not figuring out how to pay back six figures of debt. Summer jobs could actually cover tuition, textbooks didn’t cost more than a monthly car payment, and “student loan forgiveness” wasn’t the hottest political topic of the generation. Community college was practically free, and graduating didn’t require a 30-year payment plan.
8. Work-Life Balance
Before every phone became a portable office, people actually left work at work. There was no expectation to answer emails during dinner, update spreadsheets from your kid’s recital, or join Zoom calls during your vacation. “After hours” meant exactly that—you were done, offline, unreachable for anything less than a genuine emergency. Weekends weren’t just weekdays with slightly more casual clothes and a laptop on the couch. The only thing you brought home from the office was maybe a pen you accidentally pocketed.
9. Neighborhood Communities
People used to know their neighbors beyond their Amazon delivery habits and wifi network names. Block parties weren’t just nostalgic movie scenes—they were regular occurrences where people actually talked to each other without needing an app to facilitate it. Kids played outside without scheduled “playdates,” parents watched out for everyone’s children, and borrowing a cup of sugar wasn’t just a sitcom plot device.
10. Fully Staffed Service
Remember when stores had more employees than self-checkout machines? Service wasn’t just an AI chatbot with pre-programmed responses or a QR code leading to an FAQ page. Stores had actual experts who knew their products, could answer questions without checking a database, and solved problems without escalating to a supervisor. Customer service meant talking to humans who had the power to make decisions, department stores had staff in every section, and you didn’t need a phone app just to find out where things were located.
11. Privacy
Before every click, purchase, and conversation became marketable data, privacy wasn’t just a premium upgrade option. Your shopping habits weren’t tracked, analyzed, and sold to the highest bidder. Phone calls were just phone calls, not opportunities for targeted ads. Social gatherings weren’t content opportunities, and “sharing” meant showing actual photos to real people in your living room. You could have embarrassing moments that didn’t live forever on the internet, and your teenage fashion choices weren’t archived for eternity.
12. Public Spaces
Public spaces were actually public, not corporate-sponsored “community zones” where you needed to buy something to justify sitting down. Libraries were quiet sanctuaries without attached coffee shops, parks didn’t have naming rights, and town squares weren’t owned by development companies. You could exist in a space without being expected to consume something, and benches were for sitting, not for preventing homeless people from resting.
13. Reasonable Expectations
Success didn’t require being a CEO-entrepreneur-influencer-content-creator by age 25. Having a steady job, paying your bills, and maybe saving a little was considered “doing well.” You didn’t need a personal brand, a side hustle, or a viral moment to be respected. Career paths were straightforward, and “growth” didn’t mean constantly reinventing yourself to stay employable. Living a normal life wasn’t considered settling.
14. Reliable News Sources
News used to focus on informing rather than enraging. Journalists were trusted professionals who verified facts before publishing, not content creators racing to get the most clicks. Local news covered actual local issues, not repackaged national outrage. You could watch the evening news without your blood pressure skyrocketing, and “breaking news” meant something important had happened, not that a celebrity had changed their hairstyle.
15. Affordable Entertainment
Entertainment didn’t require a dozen streaming subscriptions and premium upgrades to enjoy. Concert tickets were priced for fans, not scalpers. Movie theaters sold snacks that didn’t cost more than the ticket itself, and local music venues weren’t all converted into luxury condos. You could have a night out without taking out a loan, and “free time” didn’t mean choosing which subscription service to cancel this month to afford another one.
