1960s Costs

[bykerlads]

I recall that telegrams were often sent to be read out as greetings at the wedding receptions.
The ideal telegram sent good wishes and was amusing, very slightly naughty but always acceptable to a family audience!

[Guy Etchells]

Cheers, Guy. Would you know about private phone lines at all? I appreciate that info, now I can prove my daughter wrong.

According to Hansard the yearly rental fee was £2
See  http://www.rootschat.com/links/01ele/

Incidentally in the 1960s people still sent many letters in unsealed envelopes this enabled the letter to be sent for two and a half pence (the same as a postcard) rather than three pence for a sealed letter.

In those days there were 12 pence to the shilling and 20 shillings to the pound.
Giving 240 pence to the pound rather than today's 100 (new) pence to the pound.
(In case your daughter has not been taught about pounds, shillings and pence)

A typical weekly wage before tax was £10 in the early to mid 1960s
Cheers
Guy

PS I have just re-read the Hansard page and it seems I miss-read it at first the £2 was additional to the cost of the party line.

[stevie922]

 

According to http://www.retrowow.co.uk in 1966 it cost £10 to have a phone installed and you rented the actual telephone

.

Thank you. I grew up with a party line, and then lived in the 1960s (a father of two children) on a party line. I remember they were increasingly irritating. We paid nothing, the guy fitted our phone for free. I remember renting the telephone for 3/- a week.

[stevie922]

According to Hansard the yearly rental fee was £2

Awesome, thanks for that info!

A typical weekly wage before tax was £10 in the early to mid 1960s

I was fully aware, I was working in 1960 aged 18 years.

[stevie922]

I have only ever seen wedding invitations sent or arrive in the post. The only telegrams involved were the congratulatory ones sent by those who couldn't make it. Usually read out by the best man.

Oh, I remember it. I was married in August of 1961, but instead we ran out of time (my wife was 4 months pregnant at the time) so I just wrote letters to everyone.

In 1966 the cost of a trunk call (i.e long distance) was 1 shilling to 4 shilling per three minutes, depending on the distance.

Heavens above, I never realized they were that much! That's why our phone bill was a lot.

In those days there were 12 pence to the shilling and 20 shillings to the pound.
Giving 240 pence to the pound rather than today's 100 (new) pence to the pound.
(In case your daughter has not been taught about pounds, shillings and pence)

She is fully aware, she was born in December of 1961.

A typical weekly wage before tax was £10 in the early to mid 1960s

I used to earn £21 a week before tax in the 1960s.

Overall, many thanks to you all!
Steven.

[LizzieW]

Wages depended where you lived and how old you were.  When I started working in Old Trafford, Manchester aged 17 I earned £3.3s per week and I remember how exited we were when we earned enough to pay tax    We were taught shorthand, typing, bookkeeping etc. so I guess in a way with having such low wages we were paying for our tuition fees, especially as for the first 3 months we were in a classroom all day.

In 1962 in Derbyshire my husband earned £7 per week, he used to give it to me and I used to divided it up and put appropriate amounts in jam jars for the electricity and gas bills.  Thank goodness I don't have to do that any more.

[fifer1947]

Wages depended where you lived and how old you were.  When I started working in Old Trafford, Manchester aged 17 I earned £3.3s per week and I remember how exited we were when we earned enough to pay tax    We were taught shorthand, typing, bookkeeping etc. so I guess in a way with having such low wages we were paying for our tuition fees, especially as for the first 3 months we were in a classroom all day.

In 1962 in Derbyshire my husband earned £7 per week, he used to give it to me and I used to divided it up and put appropriate amounts in jam jars for the electricity and gas bills.  Thank goodness I don't have to do that any more.

That's nearer what I remember LizzieW I got £2 11/6d "live in" & "all found"  in 1963

[John915]

Good evening,

Just watched flog it earlier, one lady was selling a couple of ugly vases. She said her husband let her spend any left over holiday money and she bought them for about £10 or just under in the 60s. Her husband must have had some wage, when I enlisted in 1966 I was getting about £12 a week.

I remember the surprise my mother had. She said I was earning twice my fathers wage as a cowman. We used to go on camping holidays and mum had just dads wage packet in her purse plus a little extra if we had had a lodger in.

John915