' raising retirement age to 70 ', page-76

"Very few of you seem to appreciate that this EASY world you live in was not always so."

it's only "EASY" if you live beyond your means. Our parents didn't, so they found it easy to make ends meet, and I don't recall any hardships ... plenty of food on the table (our table, not a restaurant or fast food take-away), two weeks camping holiday per year - they even bought their first TV in 1979. Luxury!

We were similar. All our furniture was given or lent apart from a $600 Amart lounge and a 12" TV until we had paid off our house (ah, we might have bought a cot ...) and apart from lashing out on a new 4WD (courtesy of a MAN FIF fund) all our cars have been old ones maintained by me.