Fish & Chips, so much cheaper then

2009 July 10
tags: , , , , , ,
by adamsmith1922

My good friend and fellow blogger, Inventory2 at Keeping Stock, reminds us that 42 years ago NZ introduced decimal currency.

Adam was still in UK at that time. Fortunately we had some years to go before this new system was foisted upon us.

Adam enjoyed Inv2’s post. However, could you really feed a family on fish & chips for under a dollar 42 years ago!

from → Humour, Social Commentary

5 Responses
  1. 2009 July 11
    Adolf Fiinkensein permalink

    Yes, a dosen bluff oysters and chips for 15c – 1969

    A Tip Top Topsy icecream was 5c and a pound of bananas was 10c.

    Oh yeah, a packet of ten Capstain plain was 15c. Would be $6 today.

    I worked on a dairy farm for 37c per hour and keep.

    Were oysters legal tender today, that would equate with $60 per hour plus board and lodgings. Mt starting salary in NZ as a graduate would have been $2,200 with no perks. I started in Australia on $,4000 plus a fully maintained new six cylinder car available for private use. What’s changed?

    • 2009 July 11
      Inventory2 permalink

      Phew, I’m glad my memory isn’t failing! My first school holiday job was at the old Woolworths chain-store in Palmy, and I was on the princely sum of 40 cents an hour. Then there was a 10% General Wage Order, and I got rich – my earnings suddenly rose from $16 per week to $17.60! Luxury!!

  2. 2009 July 10
    JC permalink

    Well, in the mid 70s mum and I could have two steaks, our two little girls some chips and a meat patty, plus two traffic lights for them and a beer for us for under $10 at the Horseshoe pub in Masterton.

    I suppose the best you could do now would be about $80-100, and funnily enough this $100 is very close to the relationship between meal and salary in each era.. about 0.2%.

    JC

  3. 2009 July 10
    Inventory2 permalink

    Indeed you could Adam – 10 fish @ 8 cents ea plus two scoops of chips @ 8 cents ea – the family fed for 96 cents!

    • 2009 July 10
      adamsmith1922 permalink

      Those really were the days

      Now I know why my father-in-law skited about oysters ‘cheap as chips’

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