Since when are Kinder Eggs 85p?

Seriously? I was in the co-op at lunchtime and there they were. Kinder Eggs. Eighty five whole pence.

They were never really good value chocolate wise, but at 40p or so you could sort of justify it for the toy. But this is just crazy. And then I started looking around and really thinking about things and how much they cost…

When did cans of Coke and Mars bars stop being about 30p??

I don’t like it.

It makes me feel old.

Like when I watch Friends and realise that even though they look and seem so grown-up, and live in New York and have proper jobs and wear nice clothes, they are all younger than me.

Or like when I first met Belle’s teacher and thought he was the work experience boy, and thought to myself ‘surely men that young can’t impart any useful knowledge to our children?’

Or like when I buy shoes and Bee says ‘you do realise don’t you that those are the brand middle-aged mums buy because they think they’re cool?’ and I don’t care because I think they’re comfy and good value and look cool.

You see what happened there???

Even though I know I’m doing it – trying to be cool and young and trendy – and even though I know I’m failing, I don’t care.

The not caring bit is actually quite liberating. The feeling old bit not so much.

The internet has the same effect on me. I’m not old enough to be scared of it, or to get in a flap about sending an email, or to feel the need to call the BT helpline every time my internet doesn’t work, but I am in awe of it.

Because I can remember when it wasn’t there.

*gasps from anyone under 20*

I grew up in a time where if you were meeting someone you just had to call beforehand and arrange a time, and then be there when you said you would. No texting when you change your mind. We lived in a house without a computer, let alone broadband or mobiles, or apps or social media. Social media?? It’s not even a thing is it? When I tell people I work in marketing and social media it feels silly, like a made up job.

I’m ranting now. I can hear it in my fingers as I type. My hands look angry and impatient, and, when I look more closely, slightly crepey.

Argh!

I encourage my hands to take deep breaths. (In my head obviously).

I try to think positively -yes I may be older, but that makes me wiser right? I think back to the previous sentence and feel doubtful. I curse the Kinder Eggs.

What makes you feel your age? Should I continue to dress like a child, and fight it all the way, or is it time to just accept it, take out a subscription to Good Housekeeping magazine, and grow old gracefully?

Follow:

25 Comments

  1. Arabella B
    7 December, 2011 / 4:36 pm

    They say when the policeman look young, you are old. Just remember that as an “oldie” you deserve respect and if you don’t get it, let them know they are not setting a good example. As for chocolate, I’m sure I remember Mars Bars being about six new pennies. They were enormous things I could never eat but I did used to buy 2oz of pretty much anything in the shop for two and a half pence…. which I thought was brilliant!

    • 8 December, 2011 / 10:06 am

      I thought my doctor looked young recently.

      *admits defeats and covers knees with blanket*

  2. 7 December, 2011 / 4:37 pm

    The fact that when I fill in forms on line for stuff and I have to put my date of birth in, I have to scroll down to get to the year I was born!

    Too many other s to quote here!

    Sally

    • 8 December, 2011 / 10:08 am

      Ooh yes, that’s a good one! I don’t like either when I have to tick a really old feeling age bracket, like 30-45. I want to be 18-29!

  3. 7 December, 2011 / 4:40 pm

    It’s bad enough that the cops are all so young…but I can remember £sd :-(

    • 8 December, 2011 / 10:09 am

      OK, well I’m not THAT old :-)

      I do remember half pennies though. And pound notes.

  4. Bonnie
    7 December, 2011 / 5:01 pm

    Being able to remember – the penny tray; paper memos instead of emails; telephone boxes with phones which had dials, and trying to get your money in before the pips went; taking ‘pop’ bottles back to the shop in return for money. Having to ask my son to do anything remotely technical. And knowing that in four years time I’m going to be bombarded by Saga. As for growing old gracefully – never!!

    • 8 December, 2011 / 10:11 am

      I was actually thinking about phone boxes the other day, as they seem to be a really powerful memory for me – the heavy door that you have to hold open a bit with your foot because you can’t get a buggy in but don’t want to leave a baby outside, the little metal shelf, the funny thick glass in the doors, the horrible smell of damp and wee… Ah, happy days!

  5. 7 December, 2011 / 7:25 pm

    yes I remember £ s d, and the maths that went with them. thought I avoided decimalisation as was in germany at the time using non british money anyway..
    we were commenting at the weekend how some of the young female doctors look like they were dressed to go to a Primary 7 school party.
    yes I remember putting 2p in a phone box. but dont understand with this modern phone system how I get 1 phone call a day for a wrong number (always same wrong number) that has a 0 where I have a 9.
    actually saw somebody the other day handing back a big pile of pop bottles.

    • 8 December, 2011 / 10:20 am

      I can remember taking bottles back! I also remember the football pools, and my Dad being the person who went door to door collecting them for a while :-)

  6. 7 December, 2011 / 9:55 pm

    I’m surprised you managed to finish the post, what with all the arthritis you must have in your fingers, Grandma.

    x

    • 8 December, 2011 / 10:21 am

      What? What’s that you say? *reaches for ear trumpet*

  7. 8 December, 2011 / 6:00 am

    How about going to a work meeting and you suddenly realise you could be the mother of half the people in the room. Yes, 85 p is a rip off. xx

    • 8 December, 2011 / 10:21 am

      Yes, that’s a bad one. Having a child who has actually FINISHED COMPULSORY EDUCATION FOREVER has a similar effect.

  8. Slummy 'in a relationship' daddy
    8 December, 2011 / 9:09 am

    I feel old because I just bought the whole of my new outfit for the office Christmas party from M&S. This was because it was the only menswear store I could find that didn’t expect me to dress as a member of the Specials who had gone on an extreme diet. Not that I am overweight. I am just over 30 and have a waist size larger than 28 and skinny jeans would make me look ridiculous!

    I remember when I was a child that if I wanted to catch up with a friend I had to physically walk to their house (usually a walk in the order of a couple of miles), knock on their door and make small talk with a parent, only to discover that my friend was out with other friends who were located another couple of miles away. Off I trudged. To glean the same information now only requires the gentle modulation of a thumb. Is it surprising that you see so many fat, lazy, socially retarded children these days?

    It just occurred to me that I watched a documentary on the history of trams last night and found it interesting. I need to book myself into a Swiss clinic. Actually, I’ll wait till after the party, because I look hot in the new threads…

    • 8 December, 2011 / 10:55 am

      Haha! The history of trams! By ‘just over 30’ do you mean 73?

  9. 8 December, 2011 / 9:52 am

    I honestly think other people’s stereotypical notions of what it means to be getting older is utter b*******. I’m 31 and by no means ever does that make me feel or thankfully, look old. I’ll feel the same at 42 (JLo, Jennifer Aniston anyone) and 52 (Madonna) etc. I look after myself, will shop in Topshop till I drop (OK with a little more money than I had at 16) but still rocking it and refuse to change/adapt/only shop in M&S to make other people feel better. You look fabulous darling, now go cheer yourself up with a Kinder Egg a bottle of bolly and a Givenchy dress.

    • 8 December, 2011 / 10:34 am

      I DO like TopShop, although I’m sure they make the sizes deliberately small to make me feel fat…

      I love the Kinder Egg/Bolly/nice dress combo though – that sounds awesome :-)

  10. 8 December, 2011 / 11:08 am

    I’m still trying to come to terms with a small bag of Revels being 60p :)

    • 8 December, 2011 / 3:11 pm

      I know! And I’m sure you get less too – it only feels like there are about eight in a bag.

      And Monster Munch – I’m sure I didn’t used to be even able to fit one of those in my mouth!

  11. actuallymummy
    8 December, 2011 / 2:52 pm

    Ha! I remember when I went round Australia for 6 months before mobile phones were invented (yes, I’m really old, ok?). My mother must have had kittens!!

    • 8 December, 2011 / 3:13 pm

      I didn’t have a mobile phone until I was in my 20s, AND it had an aerial! You can’t imagine it now as a parent can you? In a way though it must have actually been quite liberating, as you wouldn’t be always expecting a text or a call, you could let go a bit maybe?

  12. 8 December, 2011 / 4:40 pm

    I remember we were the first in the family and my friends group to get… A PC that has a CD-Rom! Before that I remember the old BBC puters that required REAL FLOPPY DISKS and they were huge (or least huge to an 8 year old). And I remember the days of VHS! I’m 25 years old but remember Internet not being in households and when we finally did get it all we had was dial-up. Remember the sound of a dial-up modem? Oh I do so very much.

    • 9 December, 2011 / 4:04 pm

      I do indeed remember that sound! I also remember my Grandad having a betamax recorder and a TV with a sliding wooden door :-)

  13. 11 December, 2011 / 4:29 pm

    You can get 3 Kinder Eggs for a £1 in Iceland and Lidls at the moment, but even that is pricey in my opinion!
    I remember Mojo halfpenny sweeties lol, and the old computers that had the “floppy” dics drives built into the screens!

    Oh, and I will always prefer Vinyl records to CD’s!

    So that makes me as “old” at heart as you dear! xx

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.