Comments on: Fish & Chips, so much cheaper then

By: Inventory2

Inventory2 — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 20:34:47 +0000

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!!

By: Adolf Fiinkensein

Adolf Fiinkensein — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 18:08:28 +0000

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?

By: JC

JC — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 09:07:51 +0000

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%.

By: adamsmith1922

adamsmith1922 — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 08:12:28 +0000

Those really were the days

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

By: Inventory2

Inventory2 — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 07:32:35 +0000

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