From times past

I rarely mail letters these days.  I pay most bills online and for property taxes, which can't be paid online, I go in person to pay.  A debit card works wonders for saving time.  And with texting and e-mail, nobody sends letters anymore.  Until this morning, I could not tell you the current cost of a postage stamp.

So I walked into the post office, handed the clerk two envelopes, each weighing less than an ounce.  "That will be $1.36."

That took me by surprise.  "How much is a stamp these days?" I asked.

"Sixty-eight cents"  Then she added, "They will soon be 73 cents"

I can remember when it cost three cents to mail a letter. . . and there was one style to choose from.

When I was in college, gas was 25 cents a gallon.  Even years later, when I was married with twin toddlers, I could buy a week's worth of groceries for less than $50.

The first house my husband and I bought back in the 70's - a nice suburban home in a nice neighborhood - was $48,000.  That kind of money wouldn't buy a run down house in a bad neighborhood today.

And I was fortunate to be a stay-at-home mom during my sons' childhood.  How many stay-at-home moms are out there today???