Awesome post, itsahoot!
Our parents knew what they could afford and what they couldn’t. The same with me. My first job was 19cents an hour on a 20 hour part-time week. I made it stretch.
When I broke a thumb playing basketball, we didn’t go to the hospital. We went to old doc Brown’s office. He xrayed it there, prepped it there, removed a bone chip there, and billed it there. It was the goodly sum of 90 bucks, but dad paid it straight up.
That’s how they held health care costs down. My Dad, the doc, and one clerk.
Actually we used a lot of turpentine with kerosene filling in when we were short of turpentine. Grandad used it on everything.
I would hate to see the world backup that far, but at least it would be a place that I would recognize. Millions died of the flu an other simple diseases that we never see anymore, but they are just taking a little break, and soon will be back with a fury, I fear.
I have hunted many a rabbit and squirrel, and have at one time or another eaten about any animal that walked or flew, but now I prefer to get my meat wrapped and cut, gone all soft in my old age.