Generation X Feels Hard Done By.

A feature on today's Womans Hour. "Are the women of "Generation X" right to see the Baby Boomers as the luckiest generation ever? Are they resentful of them spending their children’s inheritances like there’s no tomorrow whilst leaving others to deal with the long term ramifications of the credit crunch?" One young woman in the interview was a bad example. Her 'plummy' accent and moaning made me want to put pen to paper. As I was born in 1943 I just fall short of being a Baby Boomer but I feel qualified to comment. I really don't think Generation X have any idea about the hardships we put up with. Would they really like to return to those days? I got married in 1962. When we set up home everything was make do and mend. Furniture came from junk shops, the fashion at the time was to paint it all white. Curtains and soft furnishings were home made. My best friend was my sewing machine. No washing machine for me just a stove top boiler. After that I acquired an electric Burco boiler. My first washing machine was a single tub with a separate spin dryer. Then it was a twin tub and after that it was an automatic. We always bought second hand. I had my first child in 1963, I used terry nappies as there were no disposables. He wore handmade baby clothes, traditional layette with nighties. Babygrows appeared soon after but I couldn't afford them. One way nappy liners appeared around the same time, I couldn't afford those either. At first we rented but in 1965 we bought our first house, it was £3250,00. We were required to put 1/3rd down as deposit and be interviewed by the bank manager to see if we were suitable. The monthly repayments were £16.11s. 9d, a whole weeks wages. As a 'forces' wife I had a marriage allotment book which I encashed on Thursdays. By the following Weds I was often short of food. The butcher would sell me slightly 'suspect' meat on the cheap. After a soaking in vinegar water it would be a lot more palatable. Sell by dates? In those days we had nothing like that, we just used our common sense and noses. We didn't have central heating and sometimes the clothes in the wardrobe had green mould growing on them. The solid fuel burning kitchen boiler supplied hot water to an upstairs tank, it was a bugger to light and didn't always stay in. I chopped wood into kindling and fashioned 'twists' out of newspaper. Our first 'Big' purchase was a freezer bought on hire purchase. Getting credit was quite difficult. We spent ages mulling over potential problems. Like the cost of the electricity to run it and that having so much food at our disposal would mean that we'd spend more because we'd eat more. The TV was an old 405 line B/W model. Then it was 625 lines. We didn't have colour TV for ages as the licence was more expensive. When we did eventually get one it was second hand. We didn't have a car, my other half acquired an old Triumph motor bike which cost the grand sum of £2. It was in pieces so with a friends help it was rebuilt. Shopping was done in the local co-op. Purchases were packed in a cardboard box and delivered later by the van. The pram was big and came in very useful for carting potatoes and vegetables around. I swapped childrens clothes with neighbours. I cashed in some premium bonds so I could afford to buy childrens coats. I did cleaning jobs for money, I took in sewing, I cut people's hair then I did market research. I'd turn my hand to almost anything to earn money. Holidays? Don't be silly. We just had days out or went to the beach. Unmarried mothers left the community to stay in a mother and baby unit. They were often forced to give their babies up for adoption. My Sister in Law got pregnant by a trainee African doctor. As soon as he found out she was pregnant he disappeared like 'mist in the sunshine'. She was very brave and insisted on keeping the child. As a footnote I am proud that both my children are very independent.