That’s All It Cost?

In 1952, the year I was born, a new car cost on average $1510. Is that all it cost? Yes! How do I know this? For my birthday, my daughter bought me a book called “Dad, I Want to Hear Your Story”. She knows I love nostalgia and that I would love completing a book like this. She was right! She added that it would be good to finish it because then she and her brother could look at it when I’m…dead! Oh, okay, I’ll get right on it!

The first section is all about my remembrance of biological items like family tree stuff. Then it gets into what my favorites were in pop culture at the time. Leave It to Beaver makes its first appearance! It asks about my teenage years and girlfriends of the time. Maybe I can get some of my high school classmates to edit this section! Up to this point in the book, I could answer all of the questions from memory.

Now I am googling 1952 to find facts about pop culture, politics, and the costs of products. At first I found it amazing how little I knew about 1952. Then I cut myself some slack by remembering that when 1952 ended I was only seven months old. How many infants today can tell you who won the Oscar!?

A loaf of bread cost $.12. A gallon of milk was $.83. A cup of coffee was $.15. A gallon of gas was $.18. I can remember in high school, gas being 29 cents a gallon. I would drive up to the pumps and order a dollar’s worth! Good times! I’m sure I will get to the part of the book when it talks about wages and salaries and all of these prices will make much more sense. I can remember working for Pfizer in 1974. At that time if you made $10,000 a year you were living the dream.

I don’t think I’ve ever heard of the top song of 1952, Blue Tango by Leroy Anderson. Spotify, here I come. An American in Paris won the Best Picture Oscar. Humphrey Bogart and Vivian Leigh were top actors. Harry Truman was president and, wow, does writing that make me feel old!?

I’m only a third into the book so I am sure there will be lots more fodder for future posts. The times you grew up in are so important to who you are as an adult. I think my youth in the 50s and 60s was the best possible time to grow up. But I am sure whatever your age now, you feel the same about your youth. If you are in your youth now, treasure this time. It goes by way too fast.

I will leave you with one more statistic. the average price of a newly built house in 1952 was……wait for it….. $7750! Yes, that’s all it cost.