My wife got a dollar in the mail today from some donation solicitor. She and I reminisced back to our childhoods and thought what a treasure this would have been then.
The movie theater charged 15 cents for the main attraction. My mother would give me a quarter, and with it, I could pay for the movie, a bag of popcorn (5 cents) and a candy bar (5 cents). The dollar would have given me entrance to (6) movies+ a dime left over! Today, I don’t think one could get the bag of popcorn for a Buck, or a candy bar.
My wife gave me the dollar…
It's true. A dollar won't buy much these days. Pulled into a Sonic and asked for a cup of ice. It was .90 cents. Gave the girl $1.25.
My grandpa told me a story one time. When he was a little kid, his dad went away to log inn Upper Michigan and northern Wis. He left a dollar for his wife incase she needed it. When he came back in the spring time, she still had the dollar. This would have been between 1911 and 1915 or so.
When I got to be a teenager, my great grandmother pulled me aside and gave me an 1883 Morgan silver dollar.
She told me that as long as I have that, I'd never be broke.
I still have it. She was right.
Used to keep a silver dollar in my wallet. Like for the song, you know. Not gonna let them catch me.
Lost it a long time ago. No idea if I spent it or not.
Dollar wouldn't get one very far to avoid prosecution nowadays!
It may not be much but it’s still better than a sharp stick in the eye. 😊
When I got to be a teenager, my great grandmother pulled me aside and gave me an 1883 Morgan silver dollar.
She told me that as long as I have that, I'd never be broke.
I still have it. She was right.
I have a few $100's stored in my wallet for "emergencies". Sometimes I'm not sure that's enough to keep me from being broke, given the costs of today.
My grandpa told me a story one time. When he was a little kid, his dad went away to log inn Upper Michigan and northern Wis. He left a dollar for his wife incase she needed it. When he came back in the spring time, she still had the dollar. This would have been between 1911 and 1915 or so.
1911 dollar equals about $32 now.
My Dad, born in 1900, used to tell how excited he was as a young man to move up in wages and earn a dollar a day.
I remember sanding cars in a body & fender shop for $1. an hour when I was 13 years old, and that was a LOT of money for a kid back then. (1965)
Virgil B.
When my Father returned from Korea he brought back two $2 bills and two packs of Luck Strike smokes. I have carried one of those $2 bills in my wallet since I was 15 or so. I think my brother has the other one and the smokes.
As a kid, I noticed that whenever someone would ask Dad how he was doing, he'd reply, "Got a dollar in my pocket & a tailwind." For a pilot, I s'pose that's as good as it gets.
At his funeral, my siblings & I tucked a crisp $1 bill into his jacket pocket for his journey onward.
I sure miss that guy.
FC
When I was a kid, a dollar would have bought me three comic books. What are they now, $3-$5 apiece?
My Dad was a trucker and the Union rep for the company. He had a horrible boss. Dad told him that he he ever caught him away from the terminal, he would whip his ass. He kept a crisp 100 dollar bill in the toe of his boot for bond money. He was a man of his word. The guy soon transferred to another terminal in another state. We used to attend a Saturday matinee at the Paramount Theater in Greenville Mississippi. Entrance fee was 6 RC bottle caps. We didn’t have the money but would fill up the drink machines at the DX filling station down the street. We would empty the canister below the bottle opener and get our bottle caps. BTW, crimped bottle caps make a wicked arrowhead. I also carried around $2 bills for luck and give them to the grandkids. Hard to find nowadays. Great fun to pass one at Mickey D’s. Get the cashiers and managers all worked up. Think you passing counterfeit money.
When someone pays at my Son’s restaurant with one of those Susan B. Anthony or Sacajawea dollar coins, he gives them to me. I have near 2000 of the dang things saved from over the past 15 years.
$5 is the new $1
$100 is the new $20
$5 is the new $1
$100 is the new $20
Bidenomics right there!!!
When I first saw a 20$v gold coin, I thought it was small.
$5 is the new $1
$100 is the new $20
Bidenomics right there!!!
True but it started a long time ago
One of you entrepreneurs could do pretty good doing a hustle in Zimbabwe...362 ZD to 1 USD.
When I got to be a teenager, my great grandmother pulled me aside and gave me an 1883 Morgan silver dollar.
She told me that as long as I have that, I'd never be broke.
I still have it. She was right.
What's that 1883 Morgan worth today?
I think I see more coins on the streets than I use to. In the past people would throw out pennies. Now they are throwing out nickels and dimes also
Surefire7: I will add an Amen to your posting - a "dollar" sure ain't what it used to be!
Sad that.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy
Sad. A dollar won't even buy you one 100th of a BJ today.
Save up...
I got you beat. Someone sent me a $2 bill. NASA maybe? LOL
Sad. A dollar won't even buy you one 100th of a BJ today.
Save up...
Wouldn’t you need a cock first?
I remember sanding cars in a body & fender shop for $1. an hour when I was 13 years old, and that was a LOT of money for a kid back then. (1965)
Virgil B.
I was making 1.85 an hour as a busboy in '65. And that was union scale.
Yes, I remember when a dollar would buy a lot more. I also remember earning less than a dollar an hour as a laborer when I was a teenager.
I’ll take todays economics.
An 1883 Morgan Silver Dollar in average condition is worth $25 or the current price for an ounce of silver.
I collect them, but am starting to give them away to my kids and grandkids
The US Mint just came out with a 2023 Silver Proof of the Morgan Silver Dollar, $80 from the mint.
I bought 3 to give my kids one this Christmas along with two old Morgans, 1878, and 1921.
1878 was the first Morgan struck, the 1921 was the last.
I worked at my dad's gas station in the early 60's, $1 and hour out of the till, $5 bucks back then would cover a date, movie and burgers.
$1 would buy 2.5 gal. of gas and a pack of cig's.
My kids don't believe me when I say I could get a small fountain Coke, a small bag of chips, and a piece of candy for a quarter. For another 50 cents, I could get a hotdog with sauce and onions. If I was going to splurge, I'd spend a whole dollar and get a cheeseburger with everything, a large chips and a large Coke. I was raised in a town sort of like Mayberry RFD with 2 small, old fashioned drug stores with fountains.
An 1883 Morgan Silver Dollar in average condition is worth $25 or the current price for an ounce of silver.
I collect them, but am starting to give them away to my kids and grandkids
The US Mint just came out with a 2023 Silver Proof of the Morgan Silver Dollar, $80 from the mint.
I bought 3 to give my kids one this Christmas along with two old Morgans, 1878, and 1921.
1878 was the first Morgan struck, the 1921 was the last.
I worked at my dad's gas station in the early 60's, $1 and hour out of the till, $5 bucks back then would cover a date, movie and burgers.
$1 would buy 2.5 gal. of gas and a pack of cig's.
I remember my Dad said he worked at his Uncle’s gas station as a mechanic the year I was born in 1960. Said he made $1 per hour.
He got a big raise when he started driving a truck 2 years later. $1.65 per hour. 🤪
I worked for his Uncle at the same gas station at aged 14 after school, in 1974. Made $2.00 per hour. 😬
Made enough to buy my first truck, a 57 Chevy for either $200 or $250. Can’t remember which. Had to buy a another transmission for it at the wrecking yard to get it going. $25. And I think it was $20 for the clutch. Bought new tires, and a 8 track stereo for it too. 🤠
When I was young, we had a family friend of my grandparents that used to be a policeman. He would show me how to box, hit first, and taught street smarts. He was a devout catholic and would be in church all the times when the doors were open. He was just a great man. Anyways, he would give dimes away for when you did good things...kind of like people are referencing the dollar.
Anyways, he would say, save those dimes, they are valuable. They were all silver...so kind of neat.
He had no family, they had all since passed. Everything he had, he gave away...a silver dime at a time to me and my siblings through the years, groceries for my grandparents when he'd stop in for meals and to watch Packers games, and the rest to the church. Like I said, he was a great man, he lived a long life, contributed to his family and others, and took a stand for right in the streets with his badge and club and 38 special. He really liked the 38 special.
I never heard that man complain about self problems. He was very vocal about the 'crooks in Washington' though.
Anyways, this thread got me reflecting so I thought I'd share.
If every member on here would send me a dollar, I would actually have a little money!