Growing up in Louisa – Pocket Change!
Weekly feature . . . by Mike Coburn
I chose to write about this idea when looking at the contrasts between my current spending habits and the experiences I remembered from when I was growing up. In some ways those years have passed too quickly, but when comparing life-style, the olden days seem to have occurred with another guy in another century. Hmmmm. Like many readers, I was born during the war years. I still have my ration-book that was issued in my name when I was but a toddler. Of course, I couldn’t personally buy anything, so it was totally under the control of my mother at the time. She saved the remaining coupons for me to have when I became of age. In a way these were my first souvenirs.
Even though I was quite young, I was already listening in on the adult conversations spoken near me. I knew that some precious commodities were not to be easily had, but as a child I didn’t really miss what I knew nothing about. The strained economic environment was to last longer than the war, or even the later ‘police-action’ in Korea. I’m sure that rationing did finally stop at war’s end. Our cupboards were no longer totally empty. Nonetheless, our family income had dwindled, too, so we still didn’t have a lot. To try and hang on my Granny, and maybe Aunt Shirley, sold original family home on Water Street. Grannie moved to the Clay Street house I would call home until graduation. For a short time, Shirley, George, Julia, mom and me lived in the Louisa Inn. Then they gave up and moved in with Granny on Clay Street.
As I grew older, perhaps still a pre-teen, some folks would occasionally gift me with a few coins now and again. Once or twice I got lucky and was given paper money inside a birthday card or some other way. Whether a birthday or a visiting relative, it was a kindness undeserved when they pressed my palm with a little something. I remember feeling almost breathless, even shy about opening my hand to see the domination. I would maintain the clenched fist until I was alone. That self-imposed element of wondering gave great value to the gift regardless of the amount. I was most grateful, and very well-pleased.
As a teen, I found that I could earn money by helping with grass cutting, bush trimming, taking pop bottles back to the store for deposit fees, or by finding other little opportunities. There were times that the money earned would cover the Saturday Matinee at the Garden Theater, or buy a bottle of pop at the service station or grocery. In any case, I quickly learned life’s lesson about the propensity of money to disappear faster than it was got.
In those formative years I would never have any significant amount of cash, but I came to have a growing list of ‘wants’ that would insure that no savings would be possible. I was an airman in the Air Force before I received anything that smacked of real wages, but even that was so small that there was little to no discretionary funds left after payday. There was just enough to take care of dry cleaning, haircuts, and shaving cream. They grew over time as I was promoted.
As mentioned, I did find a few jobs in my growing up years, such as a short-term as a paper-boy in Detroit, or delivering calendars for Young Funeral Home, or clearing a family cemetery. The allowance that was sent me by my mother was a real help for a young guy with growing social needs. The pocket change would pay for movies, an occasional ice cream cone, a couple of milkshakes at Ed Lands, a weekly pack of cigarettes, (I smoked during high school) a bottle of pop every week or so, and some skating out at Pannell’s rink. You can see that I didn’t have big demands and pocket change went a long way because prices were cheap.
As a kid I didn’t have a lot of needs, in part because I didn’t have high expectations. I didn’t spend a lot of time ‘window shopping’ so I wasn’t exposed to fashion or consumerism until later in life. Most everyone I knew was pretty much in the same boat and struggled to make ends meet. No one I knew took trips to New York to see a play, or to the Caribbean to bask in the sun. A cruise meant a trip around town in a friend’s car looking for girls. For part of this time we didn’t even have a TV! Our primary needs in those days were food, clothing, and shelter. We occasionally needed a doctor’s treatment, or something a little nicer to wear, or to gradually replace our under-sized or well-worn wardrobe.
In those days a treat was a treat. An ice cream float with ginger ale would come along once or twice in a year’s time. I remember just one or two trips to Huntington to eat out that was very special. Once it was at Bailey’s Cafeteria, and the other at Shoney’s Big Boy. Someone else picked up the check. I’m sure the one or two trips to Dreamland, or Camden Park cost something, but again I didn’t have to pay those fees. The rest of the time we’d just find some friends and play at whatever was available. It didn’t cost to play ‘choose up’ football, basketball, or baseball. There was no fee for playing hopscotch, jacks, or for jumping rope. Tag didn’t cost, nor did dodge-ball. Our bikes didn’t use gas, require registration, or need new carburetors. Even if I had a bit of change, after the newness wore off, I didn’t need to carry it in my pocket. The old cigar box in my room was bank enough and a lot easier to rob.
While writing this article I did a little research on the net. Please understand you may see a difference on some of these to what you experienced because these are national figures that I simply copied from several indexes without bothering to look for any supporting documentation. Still, the figures seemed to show that income has improved favorably compared to low-dollar consumables, but have fallen behind the housing and automotive markets. Those two have increased disproportionately to income. Milk, Bread and even gasoline appears to be a bargain. Who would have guessed?
I think the pack of cigarettes was a quarter and drinks and candy bars were a dime. The milkshake may have been as much as fifty cents, which was about what a skating session cost. I think the movie was around a quarter and popcorn was a dime. By today’s standards those prices were mere pocket change, indeed.
Nonetheless, I remember how hard money was to come by. I still bend over to pick up pennies when I see laying on the ground. Many today wouldn’t even bend over for a dime or quarter, I suppose, but I see those as gifts from Heaven that may be of good use, later down the road. I learned to turn off lights when I left a room, and to reuse containers. The brown paper bags we got from the grocery back in the day are still useful today. Old clothes and diapers become rags that could be washed and used again. No paper towels for me, except in my art studio where the paper works better. ‘Waste not, want not’ is a saying that developed out of the great depression, or was it Ben Franklin’s ‘Poor Richard’ that coined that?
I remember hearing about WWII metal drives, balls of saved twine and aluminum foil, and used clothing. Sure we were just finishing up World War II, but our folks had also just gone through the Great Depression, too. We learned to fix things when they were broken, and to share our resources. In some ways rural areas suffered most from lack of jobs and income, but compared to the urban areas we were still lucky. Farmers had food and the means to grow or raise more. They could hunt and fish, too, and were good at it. Those hoards that lined up at the big city soup kitchens were glad to have watered down stews, or a hunk of bread. Many were willing to work for food, but there was little to do and few that weren’t in the same fix.
As a kid it was rare for me to have to buy my own clothing, food, or pay for utilities or anything, as such. The small allowance ($3 a week) and an occasional job was enough. With considerable strain or luck my mother paid for my school annual, my class ring (long lost), and the occasional class trip. She bought my bike, my baseball mitt, and paid for my train and bus trips to Michigan and back. The little money I had was ‘pocket change’ and in the day, that was enough, thank you.
Today I still don’t carry much money, but I have plastic to pay for that lunch or a rare trip to the store. I find it useful for buying ‘on-line’ and a lot less troublesome, too. I noticed last week that I had a hand-full of quarters and dimes in my pocket that weighed several pounds. I must have collected them over weeks if not months. I guess it was change from small purchases at a drive-through window. It was time to put them in the jar so they could be wrapped and deposited in our account. With plastic taking over I think there will be an end for that phenomenon called, “pocket change.”
