They Found Their Dad’s Budget From 1989 And Thought It’d Be A Snapshot Of Simpler Times. Instead, People Are Shocked By The Numbers
A Reddit user shared their late father’s monthly household expenses in a post on r/MiddleClassFinance that included a photo of a handwritten budget on graph paper, dated June 11, 1989. The budget seemed like a harmless bit of nostalgia at first, until people actually looked at the numbers.
A Lifestyle That Didn’t Scream Middle Class
The total monthly expenses came to $3,870 in 1989, which, when adjusted for inflation, is roughly $10,300 in today’s dollars. For many Redditors, this wasn’t a look at modest living. “That’s a $10,000/month budget in today’s dollars. Looks pretty close to modern living, except no wage growth,” one commenter said. Another added, “Your dad was loaded.”
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The biggest shock came from the $1,500 monthly mortgage payment. In 1989, that amount would have been considered steep even in higher-cost areas. “My parents’ mortgage on a 2,000 sq ft 4b 1.6bath 1/4 acre was $480/in 1979 through 2003,” one person said. Another pointed out that they “paid 120 a month in 1989 for a Gardener. They were living large.”
The original poster eventually revealed the family lived in a new four-bedroom house in La Verne, California, just east of Los Angeles. Their dad worked as a tax accountant and the home cost $175,000 when purchased in 1986. “And yeah, we almost never ate out, but my mom did the grocery shopping and never looked at prices,” they wrote.
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Not Just The Mortgage
While the housing costs drew the most attention, many commenters couldn’t believe how much the family spent on food: $600 a month. One person joked, “Was he eating caviar daily?” while another wrote, “I spend $500/month on groceries for a family of four in a [very high cost of living] area, in today’s dollars, and we eat fine!”
Other eyebrow-raising line items included $120 for a gardener, $30 for a timeshare, $100 on gifts, and $300 labeled “Kids Stuff.” There was even a $20 subscription to the Los Angeles Times. The post led many to conclude this wasn’t just a typical middle-class household. “This isn’t middle class finance,” one person said. “This is 1% finance.”
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More Than Just Numbers
For some, the post stirred up emotions beyond economic analysis. Several people recognized the writing style and paper as something their own dads had used. One person shared, “Seeing that made me feel nostalgic for my dad.”
There was also a medical expense listed: $30 for “Insulin, etc.” The original poster explained, “Yeah, he was type 1 diabetic since age 8. Sadly passed away from it at 59.”
While the Reddit thread started as a peek into the past, it ended up highlighting how far removed that lifestyle feels for many families today. As one commenter put it, “Me today couldn’t afford your life back then.”
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