40+ Things Literally Everyone Used To Have In Their Home 30 Years Ago – And If You Still Do, It’s Time To Get With The Times
Do you own any goods that would be categorized as vintage today? You know, like those old-fashioned corded phones, box TVs, and potato mashers? If so, it’s time to get rid of such things and update your house to fit the twenty-first century. These things formerly served a purpose, but technology has since supplanted them with more contemporary alternatives that simplify life even further. Look at these over forty items that were common in households back then.
The Humble Cassette Tape
The cassette tape was essentially the only way to listen to your favorite band before compact discs but after LPs. CDs were developed in 1983, but it took some time before they were widely accessible.
The Humble Cassette Tape
Cassette tapes were the rage among many ’80s youth, and numerous mixtapes were created utilizing them. It’s safe to state that cassette tapes are no longer used. And let’s face it, nowadays it’s difficult to find a tape player.
Salad, Anyone?
The wooden bowl was a classic and was a common element at barbecues and dinner parties. It could hold anything from salads to chips. It would be difficult to find an individual from the 1980s who didn’t own one or two of these.
Salad, Anyone?
Although though these bowls are currently regarded as vintage, they may still be found at internet retailers like eBay and Etsy. One of these costs a lot of money right now, so you might be startled.
Grandma’s Favorite Casserole Dish
If you haven’t tried food prepared by one of these bad boys, you haven’t experienced a true casserole. These cornflower blue casserole dishes, which were produced in the late 1970s, were a standard in every kitchen.
Grandma’s Favorite Casserole Dish
If you’re lucky, you might find one of these, still in high demand and worth a big penny, tucked away in the back of your mother’s kitchen cabinet.
When Everyone Was a Gas Attendant
If you didn’t have a Fisher-Price car garage, did you even have a true childhood? Every child wanted one of these, and for many years they were the top item on Christmas wish lists.
When Everyone Was A Gas Attendant
Although the plastic has held up fairly well, we can only speculate as to how this toy might appear now given that the stickers have faded and peeled over time. Have you still have yours hidden away?
A Classic Box TV
In terms of utility and design, TV has advanced greatly. While plasma and smart Televisions are very popular right now, older TVs were large, had a box-like design, and took up a lot of room in your living room.
A Classic Box TV
It may be time to get rid of the box TV and adapt if you’re still watching your favorite programs on one of these outdated devices. Who can remember waiting for the screen to acclimate? That shouldn’t be necessary!
Plastic Lawn Chairs
Do you recall spending those sweltering summer days in a tacky plastic lawn chair beside the pool? They were a need during those lazy days in the 1980s, but they haven’t held up at all, and the chances of finding one in decent shape are fairly slim.
Plastic Lawn Chairs
In addition to leaving a beautiful imprint on your skin, the plastic or rubber got quite warm in the summer, which made them uncomfortable if you didn’t have a towel covering them.
Old-School Vanity Dressers
Back in the day, these vanity dressers were a mainstay of teenage girls’ bedrooms. Those were the places where a lot of new looks were experimented with, outfits were checked, and vibrant makeup was applied. So it’s safe to say that “less is more” did not apply during the 1970s and 1980s.
Old School Vanity Dressers
These and other large, hefty pieces of furniture were common in households all across the world. Given that so few people nowadays would voluntarily choose a vanity dresser, if you still have one of these, it is probably an inheritance that was passed down from one generation to the next.
Formica Kitchen Tables
In the 1980s, you were typically greeted by this Formica horror when you entered a kitchen. Because they are so simple to clean, these tables were particularly well-liked.
Formica Kitchen Tables
Yet Formica wasn’t designed to endure forever; with time, prolonged use would cause it to peel and discolor. If you still possess one of these, we’d wager our last dollar that it is beginning to show signs of wear.
The Baby Toy of Many Millennials
Everyone is now aware that a millennial is a person who was born in the 1980s. And this Fisher-Price activity center was THE toy for millennials. We’re confident that you played with one of them for hours, whether you were given one as a child or received it from an older sibling.
The Baby Toy Of Many Millennials
These days, toys of this nature are pricey, but they can still be found if you know where to search. If you were fortunate, your parents preserved yours so you could pass them on to your children. All we know is that despite their high price, they are worthwhile.
The Sunken Living Room Trend
When creating the sunken living room, architects and interior designers must have had a lot of ideas in mind. The 1960s and 1970s saw discos and house parties reach their peak of popularity, but the craze quickly faded away, leaving people with this architectural nightmare.
The Sunken Living Room Trend
Conversation pits, another name for sunk living rooms, were all the rage. Older homes may still have these, but the majority have probably been updated or modernized, and the sunken living room is hopefully no longer an option.
Linoleum Nightmare
Linoleum was the most popular type of flooring for homes all over the world, thus whoever invented it must have a rather posh lifestyle. Even though it’s very uncommon to find it in more contemporary homes, it’s still accessible.
Linoleum Nightmare
Linoleum is tacky and challenging to keep clean, so if your kitchen or bathroom still has it, you might want to get with the times and think about a little remodel.
A Light-Up Bathroom Vanity Mirror
Imagine having the option to change your vanity’s lighting to see how your makeup might seem at various times of the day. You might with the light-up bathroom vanity mirror, which was popular with women in its day.
A Light Up Bathroom Vanity Mirror
Yet, contemporary lighting alternatives have largely taken the place of vanity mirrors nowadays. If we’re being entirely honest, we don’t actually despise this one. While being fairly ugly, they were incredibly useful, especially in restrooms with poor lighting.
Those Tricky-To-Open Quik Tins
The simple twist-off tops of today are a long cry from these containers. Just to get the tin open, kids who wanted a glass of Nesquik had to play MacGyver. The amount of effort those tiny minds were willing to put in to open the tin must have been amusing to observe.
Those Tricky To Open Quik Tins
These tins are now almost entirely gone and are probably just kept for decoration in grandma’s kitchen, where they belong. It’s odd that the tin has Nestle Quik written on it rather than the brand’s new name, Nesquik. The good old days, aaaah!
CD Wallets
If not in a CD wallet, how else did you keep your CDs and DVDs? These made keeping your CDs and DVDs organized lot simpler, and it was impressive to pull out a wallet that was completely full.
CD Wallets
Although they have advanced significantly, CD wallets are still available today. Yet pulling things out isn’t seen as flexing, especially when they only include a percentage of the content available on Spotify or YouTube.
A Hand Mixer That Required Muscles
This was the simplest appliance to use to beat eggs and create cakes back in the days before electric beaters and mixers. With their help, baking became simple, and numerous cakes were produced.
A Hand Mixer That Required Muscles
We believe it’s safe to presume that some members of the elder generations still possess their hand mixer, even though they aren’t utilized anymore. Yet we also realize that it should be thrown away because it is probably starting to look a little worn out.
Before Electronic Banking
Nowadays, going onto an app on your phone is all it takes to check your bank balance. Nonetheless, having a bank book with a manually written balance was pretty usual back then.
Before Electronic Banking
Banking is simply one of the things that is now simpler because of internet banking and banking apps on your mobile phone. Things have changed unquestionably as technology has advanced. If you still have a bank book, throw it away because it is essentially out of date at this point.
An Old-School Peeler
Even though we are in the twenty-first century, peeling potatoes will never change. These peelers were used in kitchens all around the world to peel potatoes and other vegetables, and some still have this style.
An Old School Peeler
A decent potato peeler can help speed up the process, but to keep your instrument sharp and continue peeling flawlessly, remember to periodically sharpen or replace the blades.
Coffee, Anyone?
Coffee aficionados can now simply click a button to have their preferred brew ready. Yet older generations will recall the laborious process of making the ideal brew with one of these metal coffee presses.
Coffee, Anyone?
Some people still vouch for these pots, but we doubt they’ve held up very well after so many years of use. Better toss them out and spend the money on a quality coffee maker instead.
Mashed Potatoes for Dinner
Who doesn’t enjoy some good ol’ fashioned mashed potatoes for dinner, let’s be honest for a second? Some prefer the actual thing and would probably have possessed one of these at some point in their lives, even though many people purchase dry mashed potatoes.
Mashed Potatoes For Dinner
Though perhaps not the same one that granny possessed and passed down, they would still likely perform the job today. If your masher resembles this in any way, an upgrade might be necessary.
The Telefax
The telefax, which made interacting with customers and friends much simpler, was THE home office gadget of the 1990s. However, the fax machine is now obsolete and seen as old technology because of email and other instant messaging services.
The Telefax
Anyone who uses a telefax today is either a technophobe or simply enjoys clinging to old things. They cannot hardly be still in style today.
The Useless Moo Tin
One of the most worthless toys ever made, I think. But despite our opinions on the moo tin, it was a well-liked toy that delighted children in the 1980s and 1990s. The only function of the moo tin was to produce a mooing noise when it was flipped over.
The Useless Moo Tin
We can only hope that these were thrown away a long time ago and aren’t hidden in a disused toy box someplace, as we don’t want to hear that grating mooing noise again anytime soon.
The Woven Paper Plate Holder
Did you realize that many home improvement retailers still carry these? The woven paper plate holder is one of the most practical ideas to keep your paper plate steady at a picnic or BBQ, and it is still in use today.
The Woven Paper Plate Holder
It’s better to replace them when they start to show signs of wear because they have a tendency to fall apart over time. We can still recall the moments when we would pretend that they were caps by wearing them on our heads. Is that something only we did?
Forget Stepping on Lego…
Have you ever cursed the person who dropped a piece of Lego on the floor after stepping on it? A metal or plastic jumping jack was an even worse adversary of the doge for parents in the past.
Forget Stepping On Lego…
These little angled toys have been around for a long time, and you can still find them on websites for collectors or in more local toy stores. Just be careful to pick up every last one before walking barefoot about your house and to keep them all in a secure location.
The Confusion of Two Keys
Prior to the development of key fobs and central locking, cars were delivered with two keys: one to open the trunk and unlock the doors and the other to start the vehicle. There must have been a lot of misunderstanding and irritation brought on by this.
The Confusion Of Two Keys
It’s time for an upgrade if your vehicle still requires two keys, and soon! These days, nobody has the time to try to figure out which key unlocks what.
VHS Tapes for the Win
Children of the 1980s are well aware of VHS tapes and the significance of the proverb “be kind, rewind.” There was nothing worse than returning from the video store eager to see a movie only to discover that you still have to waste time rewinding it.
VHS Tapes For The Win
You’d be hard-pressed to locate a VHS tape or VHS player that still functions in this day and age, when streaming movies is the most widely used method of watching your favorite movie or television show.
The Crockpot: A Kitchen Must-Have
The crock pot was a kitchen essential that was used to prepare a variety of meals for hungry families, just like Formica tables and linoleum. Regrettably, air fryers and more advanced slow cookers have taken the place of the basic crockpot, which helped busy parents prepare the best meals for their families.
The Crockpot: A Kitchen Must Have
Become modern and throw away your outdated crockpot. Take your pick from the many healthier cooking tools and options that are available today.
The Must-Have Toy of the ’80s
The View-Master was one of THE toys that kids would push their parents for, so if you didn’t have one, you were definitely losing out. The View-Master slide selections were virtually limitless, ranging from zoo animal images to stills from your favorite animated television show or film.
The Must Have Toy Of The ’80s
Take yours out of the closet’s back and show your kids what you once thought was one of the coolest toys when you were a youngster, but don’t be surprised if all they do is laugh.
Mom’s Favorite Appliance
In the 1950s, the electric frying pan became a cultural icon. The majority of families had one, and it was used to prepare the tastiest dishes. Regrettably, the pan’s exterior quickly wore down, leaving it appearing rather tarnished and drab.
Mom’s Favorite Appliance
If you still have a favorite frying pan, it might be time to replace it with a modern one. While we doubt anyone would still use these!
Every Mom’s Miracle Cure
Everything from cuts and scrapes to serious wounds that likely required sutures were treated with mercurochrome. Amazingly, although having undergone considerable changes since it was initially developed in 1919, many parents still use it today.
Every Mom’s Miracle Cure
Have some in your first aid kit because it makes a great cure for most injuries. Please bear in mind that it leaves a vivid red mark on the skin, so use caution when applying and handling it.
Corded Telephones
Today, mobile phones are the most common mode of communication and have essentially taken over our life. Do you, however, recall corded phones? The need to huddle in a closet or whisper to the person on the other end of the line is a thing of the past.
Corded Telephones
Currently, the corded or landline phone is no longer needed because you may make and receive calls from practically everywhere. Even your elderly grandparents are likely current with technology and use a mobile phone. You might still locate one at your grandparents’ house.
The Best Way to Wake Up
Do you recall the digital alarm clock radios that turned on the radio for you automatically? Do you got one still? If so, you are one of the few people who still employs this antiquated technology.
The Best Way To Wake Up
Perhaps it’s time for an upgrade. Perhaps you could just set your alarm on your phone. However, the alarm clock radio is today regarded as a vintage item.
Film Reel Canisters
Someone from a younger generation who is asked what this is will struggle to understand as they scratch their heads in perplexity. This is a canister for photographic film that was used to hold and protect your roll of film until it was time to get your pictures developed.
Film Reel Canisters
Although they aren’t truly around anymore, these once served a variety of purposes, and you might still discover some in your grandmother’s sewing kit or your parents’ garage.
The Wooden Washboard
Have you ever had to wash by hand using a washboard made of wood? Of course you haven’t because cleaning your clothes and linen is now much simpler thanks to washing machines or laundromats.
The Wooden Washboard
Washboards are no longer useful in today’s society and are considered antiquated. But, they do make an excellent display piece and would look lovely in a cottage or house filled with other antiques.
The Bathroom Doll
Why does it seem that all the grandmothers in the world decided that every bathroom needed a frightening doll that concealed toilet paper? Going to the bathroom in the middle of the night was made terrifying by these dolls.
The Bathroom Doll
Do not place these in your bathroom, please. Instead of using them, put your toilet paper in a pretty basket or rack and leave the 1980s behind.
While We’re on the Subject of Creepy Things…
There is nothing more terrifying than a porcelain doll staring back at you with a blank gaze, and there is nothing you can say or do to change our minds. In the 1980s, porcelain dolls were a common addition to young girls’ homes, but they have all but vanished today.
While We’re On The Subject Of Creepy Things…
Do yourself a favor and watch the movie Annabelle if you still have one of these on a shelf or in a display cabinet. As soon as the credits start to roll, we can assure you that you will throw away the doll.
Crochet Mania
Did people in the 1970s and 1980s come pre-trained in crocheting? When you consider all the crocheted stuff in older homes, it would look that way. Almost anything could be crocheted, including blankets, doilies, bikinis, and clothing.
Crochet Mania
Get out your crocheted heirlooms and proudly exhibit them in your home since crocheted objects have just experienced a major comeback. Yet we’re not entirely clear why every color of wool that was available was used in one blanket.
The Manual Sieve
When your grandmother assigned you the crucial chore of sifting the flour, baking with her was always a delight. Naturally, in order to assure the finest flour for those delicious cookies, you would need to utilize this ancient metal sieve with a handle on one side that you had to turn.
The Manual Sieve
Regrettably, sieves like this are no longer produced, which may be for the best given how difficult it was to maintain this vintage cooking tool.
The Endless Empty Videotape Cases
Prior to the invention of DVDs, video tapes and the casings used to store the tapes were the norm. The casings never seemed to give up, and many homes were filled with empty cases while the tapes would eventually fray or wear thin.
The Endless Empty Videotape Cases
You can finally throw away your VCR player and tapes since, as we’ve previously indicated, it’s difficult to find either of those items nowadays. As a result, you can finally clean out the box we know you have hidden in your garage or attic.
Ice, Anyone?
You can never have too many ice cube trays because ice is still a common way to keep beverages cold. Yet we bet they don’t resemble this odd device in the least.
Ice, Anyone?
Yes, this is an ice cube tray; back in the 1980s, there was no other way to create the tiny ice cubes that kept your beverage chilled. Please dispose of this ugly and unclean tray and replace it with a couple plastic ones from the dollar shop.
Carpet Covers for Your Toilet
The pathogens that these rugs would harbor are something we don’t even want to consider. Yet tragically, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, they were a need for houses all across the world. Why on earth would you want to cover a toilet with a carpet when it has no purpose other than to look nice? ’
Carpet Covers For Your Toilet
Please refrain from using these. Not only are they unsightly, but they also likely contain more bodily fluids than your septic tank.
Before Satellite Was a Thing
Before smart Televisions, the only option was to tune your TV to the desired station. The unfortunate person who had to physically adjust their TV must have been very frustrated because there were no remote controls or auto-tuners.
Before Satellite Was A Thing
These TVs are no longer common. No one ever needs to go through the anguish and annoyance of tuning a TV, thanks to technology.
The Lock Box
In these lock boxes, children in the 1980s kept all kinds of strange and interesting items. Who knew what may be inside—diaries, jewelry, or messages from a girlfriend or boyfriend, for example.
The Lock Box
There is an app for online journals now that everything is digital, replacing the lock box. We bet your journal is in a box of memorabilia from your youth if you still have one. See what you cherished when you were young by digging it out. What might you uncover?
The Old-School Nutcracker
This initially has the appearance of a kind of manicure set, am I right? Actually, it’s a traditional nutcracker that’s used to crack open nuts. Back then, the long tools were essential for removing the nuts from their shells.
The Old School Nutcracker
This initially has the appearance of a kind of manicure set, am I right? Actually, it’s a traditional nutcracker that’s used to crack open nuts. Back then, the long tools were essential for removing the nuts from their shells.
It’s a, Um, Toaster!
Hopefully, many members of the younger generations won’t have to deal with the irritating process of using one of these appliances to make toast. You are gazing at an extremely antique toaster. Crazy, huh?
It’s A, Um, Toaster!
If you continue to use this, you might already be dead. We find it hard to believe that anyone would still prepare their breakfast with such outdated equipment today.
The Rolodex
This item is still widely used in many offices today and is not particularly rare. The Rolodex was a useful piece of office furniture that contained crucial contact information for customers, suppliers, and any other necessary contacts.
The Rolodex
Even though we haven’t seen them in a while, they’re still in demand, so keep an eye out for them for your home office. These took up a lot of room, but they were useful if you needed an address or phone number.