I remember when...

The price of gas was less than 20 cents a gallon and stations had "wars" offering the best price in town. They also gave a piece of glassware with every fill up. And yes, the air was free for your tires, they checked your tires and oil and cleaned all your windows. The attendant was courteous and always said, "Come Again" and meant it. There were no self service pumps. Some gas stations gave trading stamps but so did the department and grocery stores. You could buy most anything with the stamps and they were a great value. You kept the stamps in books made just for that purpose and knew what you were saving up for and how soon you could go and buy your new treasure.

Sales clerks at stores worked on commission. They were there to find out what items you were shopping for and intent on making your purchase a pleasant experience. They didn't reek of perfume to make you want to hurry on away.

Certain items were rationed. Like toilet paper. People had to conserve in every way possible. You just were never wasteful. And toilet paper only came in single rolls. It was the Scott's and is still the same after all these years. Back when, there was always a one roll limit purchased at any one time by one person.

All telephone service was party lines except for businesses. Often, an entire neighborhood shared one phone.

The main form of long distance transportation for people was passenger trains. Folks complained of the rough ride and long agonizing hours spent but otherwise we'd not see Grandma Jones and Aunt Ruth as often.

Women's hose had a seam down the back. When none could be purchased, they drew a line down the back of their leg to give the appearance of wearing hose. Actually, it took a friend with a steady hand to do that. At the best, a garter belt was used and they did not come with panties. 

Ladies did their own manicures and pedicures, they maintained their own hairstyles and when they needed a new hat, they took apart all the old ones to make a new masterpiece. Net veils were the in thing. 

You repaired your own television from tubes for sale at the local grocery store. They had a tester and all parts necessary to make it easy. When television was new, there was only a few hours of programming every evening. With the advent of Lassie, Fury and Rin Tin Tin, children hurried home from school to watch in the afternoon. There were no Saturday morning shows. Sure the picture was tiny and the cabinet huge, the images were only in black and white and it really did take about 5 minutes for it to warm up. But you were so glad to have it. 

Gym uniforms were cool. You washed up your own supply and ironed them nice and fresh since they were cotton and you wouldn't be caught dead in a wrinkled uniform. 

Mothers had to work at the local uniform factory because all the men were in the military service and needed them. There were no latch key children. The houses had the regular locks with the skeleton keys but no one locked their homes, it wasn't necessary. 

The going weekly allowance was 25 cents and you had to earn it or you got nothing.

You called your elders and teachers by Mr. or Mrs. and their last name. Any first name was much too informal. Grandparents were known as Grandma Jones or Grandpa Mangel. I didn't know my grandparents had first names until I was grown.

School lunches were what you could get when you could afford the 15 cents. They mostly consisted of macaroni and cheese but otherwise, you had to bring leftovers in a lunch box or paper bag. 

Laundry soap at the Laundromat was free. The washing machines were tubs with wringers so you could squeeze out the water. Drain the water and refill to rinse. I remember the time I caught my fingers in the wringer. I didn't do it again. But there were no dryers, you had to hang the clothes out on the line at home. You paid your money to the laundry attendant but you had to do all the work yourself.  There were no slots and nothing was automatic.

Every Saturday included a trip to the local public library to check out the limit of books. You would have a free supply of reading material for the next week. You never lost a book or kept one too long since you couldn't afford the expense. If you were a child, you didn't dare venture into the adult section but you weren't really sure why. You just knew that the librarian would give you a look to make you run back. And you never wanted her to tell you to be quiet. 

The family went out to a restaurant only on birthdays. It was a great extravagance and a real treat. Everyone dressed up and was on their best behavior. Cafeterias were the big thing just so you didn't have to leave the waitress a tip.

When you saved up to buy a car and paid cash. There were no banks offering financing with big interest charges. They paid good interest for savings so that was where you put money to save up for the big expenses.

Students minded the teacher. It was not cool to be a loudmouth. If you were sent to the principal's office, your parents were called and had to come take you home. If you flunked courses, you had to do the year over again.

When children would strive to make their parents proud of them and parents showed up at school functions with the camera to snap photos for the album. All parents were members of the PTA.

Soda machines didn't take money. They were just big cold water tubs with slots for moving your choice around to bring it out. It had a big heavy lid but you still had to take it to the clerk to pay for your glass bottle drink.

The indoor movie only cost 10 cents and included the world news before the cartoon and main feature. The drive-in charged 25 cents for a carload and they provided a great play ground for kids. They had a concession stand with popcorn and drinks but you were welcomed to bring in your own snacks.

The early drive in fast food places would give you 8 for a dollar small burgers and 4 for a dollar giant sized. They included lettuce, tomatoes, onions and pickles. The fries came with ketchup. When the first McDonald's came along, the burgers were 15 cents each but only had ketchup on the meat patty and a single pickle slice, and if you wanted ketchup for the fries, it was an extra 3 cents per pack. 

With the advent of canned veggies on the grocery store shelves, Sears offered an at home canning set up with metal cans and metal lids with a big gadget to secure them together. It was a flop and soon gone from the catalog. Glass jars and metal caps and rings are still around.

Phone numbers had a word prefix but that was after the era when you only had to dial 4 numbers for local calls. Then they added two, like ow for owen. Now, you must dial the area code just to call the next county and the charge is greater than calling another state. 

Metal ice cube trays were the only way to have ice cubes. They still freeze faster than the newfangled plastic ones but those levers could be boogers to let go of the ice. You usually had to run water over the tray to get the ice out. For a big gathering or long road trips, you went by the local ice house and bought a block. You used an ice pick to chip off what you needed. 

Air conditioning for even big buildings was a huge tower with water pouring down the sides. The air was pulled through the cool water and into the building. The smaller evaporative (swamp) coolers came later but if you were having humid weather, they did little good. 

Heating was done with radiators. They were clanky monstrosities that even when shut off would continue to produce heat into a hot room. All schools had these and you made sure you didn't sit near one. We could never figure out how they were fueled. No one was allowed in the basement.

Memograph machines with their smelly purple ink. It was indeed the only way to make cheap copies. They took a special stencil and the machine loaded ink just backwards to what you'd figure. If you made a mess, you got to clean it up by yourself.

If a boy wore taps on the bottom of their shoes, they were sent home from school to have them removed. 

Toy baby dolls were not yet mass produced. There were china and porcelain dolls for the rich kids while the rest played with paper dolls from the McCall's Magazine. They were a very thin paper to begin with and cardstock paper was unheard of in those days.  

Children belonged to gun clubs at their own schools. It was common to see a young person carrying a rifle on the school bus. The ammunition was kept at school and they practiced to be marksmen and knew all about safety. There were no shootings at school and no guns were ever concealed. They never threatened other children and never pointed a gun at another person.

When the selection of penny candy was vast and took half an hour to decide what you wanted to get with your nickel? There was no tax so you got to spend every penny.

You made popcorn in the big heavy pot and had to push it back and forth across the burner to keep it from burning?

The water bill was less than $3.00 a month and they encouraged customers to use plenty and grow a nice lawn and flower garden. A neighborhood boy would come around every few weeks and would mow both back and front yards for 50 cents. Before power mowers, there were only push mowers. Dad would be out every Saturday to mow after which, he would nap.

There were no throw away paper plates and cups. That was too wasteful. You gathered up the picnic dishes and took them home to wash, rinse, dry and put back into the shelves.

If you were dumb enough to take a stupid double dog dare and got in trouble, you had to take the punishment alone. You were expected to use common sense and to "know better."

No one was overweight because there wasn't enough food for second helpings or dessert. You ate what was on your plate and you were glad to get it.

If a man lost his job and was in debt, he was sent to the "debtors prison" never to be seen again. The wife was an outcast and the children went to orphanages. Some things are best gone and forgotten. I am not old enough to remember this one, but history tells on itself when you look close enough.