It seems like we had double-digit interest rates for quite awhile, IIRC. I was not paying a mortgage then, but payments must have been awful.
I bought my first home in 1984 via a state-run first-time-homebuyer program at "only" 9.5% and I considered myself the king of the world for getting that rate.
The house was only $60K or so, which was not orders of magnitude greater than my salary at the time, so the payments didn't cripple me. I think my car payment was 14 or 15% as well.
Every time I see people begging and crying for cuts from current rates I just shake my head.