You know you are getting old when...

[Mr Ponkerson]

Contract Killer said:

You forget to put a cup under the coffee machine.....

This was me 20 minutes ago 😞

[motco]

john2443 said:

motco said:

Stan the Bat said:

motco said:

Roofless Toothless said:

I can remember farthings, and what's more, being able to buy things with them at the sweet shop.

Black Jacks!

Were they the aniseed things ?

Liquorice I think

Liquorice, yep. With what would now probably be a non PC pic of a black boy on the wrapper.

4 for (an old) penny, or alternatively 4 fruit salads.

[Sticks.]

john2443 said:

Liquorice, yep. With what would now probably be a non PC pic of a black boy on the wrapper.

4 for (an old) penny, or alternatively 4 fruit salads.

Or Mojo's, which were similar. A Finger of Fudge was 3d c1968/9.

[glenrobbo]

Morningside said:

vixen1700 said:

john2443 said:

When the guy behind you at work is trying to explain £sd to the 30 somethings sitting near him - you understand perfectly but they are looking at him as though he's speaking Klingon!

To be fair I'm 52 and was five when decimilisation came in and haven't the foggiest apart from ten shillings being 50p.

Half Crown?

I'm 53 and remember buying a comic from the local shop and being given this strange (but shiny) money in return.

Anyone remember the bloody useless 1/2p?

I can remember the old silver thruppeny bits ( 3d )My Gran used to save them whenever she got one in her change, and would wrap a few in greaseproof paper and put them in the Christmas pudding mix before steaming it.
If you got one in your portion of Xmas pudd, it was considered lucky ( especially if you didn't break a tooth! )
As the supply of 3d bits dwindled, silver sixpences were brought into service for double the luck.

I'm not quite old enough to remember groats ( 4d ) in general circulation, although I do recollect one or two of the huge old "Cartwheel" pennies lying around in elderly relatives houses.

Coinage of my youth:

Farthing =1/4d
Ha'penny = 1/2d
Penny = 1d
Thruppence = 3d
Sixpence = 6d ( a tanner )
Shilling = 1/- ( a bob )
Florin = 2/- ( a two bob bit )
Half Crown = 2/6d ( arfur dollar* )
Five Shillings = 5/- ( a five bob bit, or a dollar* )

Higher denominations were in paper banknotes:
( Brown ) Ten Shillings = 10/- ( Ten bob note )
( Green ) One pound = £1 ( a paarnd )
( White, huge, needed to be folded ) Five Pounds = £5 ( a fiver ) Rarely seen except in wealthier circles.
12 pence = 1 Shilling, 20 Shillings = 1 Pound

One Guinea = £1/1s or 21s. This was not a banknote denomination, but was a unit used at auctions or for things such as horses, vehicles or expensive goods. Also used in posh shops for prices of furniture, posh frocks or new-fangled home appliances etc.

My first weekly wage was £2 17s 6d ( approx £2.87 )

* The prevailing exchange rate at the time was roughly £1 to US$4
There were many US servicemen based in East Anglia.
"Got any gum, Chum!?" we would shout as they drove past us scruffy urchins.
Sweets were on ration at that time and very expensive.

Edited by glenrobbo on Monday 17th December 11:58

[NDA]

john2443 said:

Liquorice, yep. With what would now probably be a non PC pic of a black boy on the wrapper.

4 for (an old) penny, or alternatively 4 fruit salads.

I remember blackjacks and fruit salads being a 1/4 pence each.... was there a 3rd flavour around briefly? I seem to remember there was... blackcurrant maybe? Memory is very hazy.

[Cotty]

Morningside said:

Anyone remember the bloody useless 1/2p?

Yep remember them well but I was born in 1971. You used to be a able to buy individual sweets for 1/2p not useless if you had 10p

[anonymous-user]

Football crazy crisps.
2.5p

[colin_p]

An oddball one.

If you are 50 years old then the battle of Hastings was only 19 of your lifetimes ago.

If you are 60 then it was only 16.

[motco]

colin_p said:

An oddball one.

If you are 50 years old then the battle of Hastings was only 19 of your lifetimes to date ago.

If you are 60 then it was only 16.

Now I'm a little more comfortable...

[matrignano]

martyn850 said:

When you go the the barbers and they trim said ear hair....... and then your eyebrows

I was quite shocked when my barber trimmed my eyebrows, unprompted, and without even checking with me first.
I am now feeling incredibly self-conscious about my (admittedly bushy) brows...

[matrignano]

matrignano said:

I was quite shocked when my barber trimmed my eyebrows, unprompted, and without even checking with me first.
I am now feeling incredibly self-conscious about my (admittedly bushy) brows...

PS this was 1 or 2 years ago, so I would have been 34-35

[motco]

matrignano said:

matrignano said:

I was quite shocked when my barber trimmed my eyebrows, unprompted, and without even checking with me first.
I am now feeling incredibly self-conscious about my (admittedly bushy) brows...

PS this was 1 or 2 years ago, so I would have been 34-35

Up to Dennis Healey's standard?

[Sticks.]

matrignano said:

I was quite shocked when my barber trimmed my eyebrows, unprompted, and without even checking with me first.
I am now feeling incredibly self-conscious about my (admittedly bushy) brows...

That's how I know when I need a haircut, when I can't see properly. Haircuts don't seem to take as ling as they used to, and I only have to remember a number when I go now.

[glenrobbo]

colin_p said:

An oddball one.

If you are 50 years old then the battle of Hastings was only 19 of your lifetimes ago.

If you are 60 then it was only 16.

If you are 70, it's a mere 13.6

No, I wasn't there.

[98elise]

...you're having a discussion with a colleague about his wife and kids, during which he mentions he was born in the 90's.

Anyone born in the 90's should barely be our of short trousers let alone being married with kids!

[zarjaz1991]

98elise said:

...you're having a discussion with a colleague about his wife and kids, during which he mentions he was born in the 90's.

Anyone born in the 90's should barely be our of short trousers let alone being married with kids!

Oi!

[poing]

Sticks. said:

matrignano said:

I was quite shocked when my barber trimmed my eyebrows, unprompted, and without even checking with me first.
I am now feeling incredibly self-conscious about my (admittedly bushy) brows...

That's how I know when I need a haircut, when I can't see properly. Haircuts don't seem to take as ling as they used to, and I only have to remember a number when I go now.

I have noticed it seems to take them longer to do my eyebrows and ears than my head these days, still not a fan of that trying to set fire to my ears thing though. I am quite proud of having eyebrows that would make a teenage girl jealous.

[nonsequitur]

98elise said:

...you're having a discussion with a colleague about his wife and kids, during which he mentions he was born in the 90's.

Anyone born in the 90's should barely be our of short trousers let alone being married with kids!

My nan was born in the 90's.

[Rawwr]

I'm 39. Chronologically, The Battle of Britain is slightly closer to my birthday than the present is.

[227bhp]

...........When you don't care that you have red underpants.
I will never ever wear red trousers though.