What things do you still use from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lots of stuff. I'm old, but I also like to buy quality stuff and use it forever (and I'm actually whatever the opposite of a hoarder is):

LL Bean down sleeping bag
Lots of kitchen stuff (pots and pans, good knives -- I use cast iron pans that belonged to my great grandmother)
Golf clubs
Maglite flashlight
Sorel boots
Fountain pens
Hairdryers (I even have a couple of small travel hair dryers, because back in the day, not all hotels provided them)
Leather Briefcase
Alarm clock (it's in the guest room now, I use my iPhone as a bedside clock)

I have lodge skillets from my inlaws. I don't think those things ever go bad.

[Anonymous]

Pyrex from my grandmother.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have the same laundry bags I took to college too! We have a cd clock radio that is our only cd player anymore that we still use. I have my sports walkman and my in laws found my husband's old walkman and the kids use them to listen to the radio or old cassette tapes. (I have my old "mix tapes" that I made by recording songs off the radio and you can hear the deejay talking at the beginning or ending over the notes of the song). I have my grandma's silver which is probably from the 60's and blankets she hand loomed which are also from the 60s, but I don't use those often. I have a Louis Vuitton epi leather bag that was a graduation gift in the 90s that I thought was too fancy to use for every day, so I rarely used it and it's still in great shape and I use it occasionally. I have a lot of jewelry from the 80s and 90s that was my mother's. My son has my Swatch Watch (it has no numbers or number markers, just hands, so it's a good challenge for him to tell time with it!) And I still wear the watch I received for my college graduation present every day.

Are those mix tapes local? DC area?

[Anonymous]

I drive a 1999 Subaru Forester. It has 208K miles and handles DC snow storms easily. We recently replaced the clutch and front axle (about $2K of parts and labor). I don't want a nice car on the streets of DC and I like not having a monthly car payment. On average I spend about $1K/year on maintenance.

We have a standard Mr Coffee Machine from the mid 1990s. This is our everyday coffee maker and makes a fantastic pot of drip coffee. My DW inherited it from her grandmother and then took it with her to college and moved it to various apartments in NYC and DC over the past 20 years. We have broken the glass carafe a few times and I keep buying replacements on eBay or Amazon for $20. The machine was made in the USA and will last forever. Apparently, the new Mr Coffee Machines that are $40 are made in China and have a 2-3 year life span before the electronic components die out. We will use this machine until it's dead.

[Anonymous]

My sister still has her 90210 dolls.

[Anonymous]

Pepper mill from 1970s
Sewing machine 1980s
Cookie press 1960s (inherited from grandmother)
Holiday decorations from multiple decades (going back to the 1950s, inherited)
Personalized ruler, 1980s
T-shirts from the 90s

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I drive a 1999 Subaru Forester. It has 208K miles and handles DC snow storms easily. We recently replaced the clutch and front axle (about $2K of parts and labor). I don't want a nice car on the streets of DC and I like not having a monthly car payment. On average I spend about $1K/year on maintenance.

We have a standard Mr Coffee Machine from the mid 1990s. This is our everyday coffee maker and makes a fantastic pot of drip coffee. My DW inherited it from her grandmother and then took it with her to college and moved it to various apartments in NYC and DC over the past 20 years. We have broken the glass carafe a few times and I keep buying replacements on eBay or Amazon for $20. The machine was made in the USA and will last forever. Apparently, the new Mr Coffee Machines that are $40 are made in China and have a 2-3 year life span before the electronic components die out. We will use this machine until it's dead.

My parents have replaced their carafes several times with ones from the thrift store. There all pretty much a standard size, and cost next to nothing there.

[Anonymous]

A bunch of stuff.

When my grandma's sister died, grandma got all her stuff. When my grandparents died, my parents got all their stuff. When my parents died, I got all their stuff.


I use grandma's corningware casserole dishes daily, and her old sewing stuff at least weekly. There is a needle threader in grandma's sewing stuff that says is was made in "W. Germany". I have a cedar chest that originally belonged to my great aunt. It still has the receipt in it. Purchased in 1934 for $64. I have a headboard that used to be my parents. I remember it from the 1960's when I was little. It is still in great shape. I have a lamp hanging on the wall that was in my childhood bedroom in the 1960's. I have a bunch of quilts made by my mom, grandma, great aunt. A lot of them are falling apart now.

I also have a colander that was my great great grandmas. Civil war time. Metal colanders hold up well!

[Anonymous]

I use my Toyota from the early 90s. Still runs fine.

[Anonymous]

This is fun. I am only going to list items that I actually acquired during the decades at issue and still use, rather than things from those periods that were passed down to me later - otherwise this would be too long. With that caveat, off the top of my head:

1970s: stuffed animals (enjoyed by my kids); Xmas ornaments including ones I made in nursery school and Sunday school

1980s: golf clubs and accessories; books; Xmas ornaments; knickknacks; T-shirt; earrings; flute; photo albums and framed photos; small dresser; ice skates and the tote bag they're stored in

1990s: CDs; a black turtleneck from Ann Taylor and satin pajamas from Victoria's Secret (their clothes were MUCH better quality); full-sized bed frame and mattress; piccolo; knickknacks; assorted kitchen items; books; bookcases; Xmas ornaments and other decorations; hot rollers and curling iron; sorority sweatshirts and T-shirts; jewelry; scarves; hair accessories; wastebasket; a lamp or two; several framed prints and posters; my college roommate’s hair dryer; basement coffee table and end tables (given to me for free at the time); photo albums and framed photos; some bedding; college laundry basket and bags; candlesticks; scented candles; long underwear; winter snowsuit; wooden chairs

[Anonymous]

I feel like this thread would be better if we eliminated the 1990s, except for possibly computerized technology (anyone still using their desktop Mac from the 90s can post!), and also eliminated all furniture and clothing. If we go to my kitchen, I have more stuff from the 90s than I do from the teens. And I think all my purses are from the '80s or earlier, because every new purse I buy just falls apart and then I'm back to my vintage stuff.

But I'll add I'm still regularly wearing my LL Bean snowboots from 1992.
And I still use the sleeping bags my parents bought in 1980 when I go camping with the kids.

[Anonymous]

My son still uses my old Boombox from the 80's.

Guest bedroom furniture was bought in the late 50's by my parents when they first got married.

Desk and chair in my son's room from the 70's.

Stainless steel pots and pans w/copper bottom from the 50's/60's that my parents gave me when I was first starting out in the early 90's.

[Anonymous]

Small coffee table that Mom bought Grandma in the 80's. I use as a side table so it doesn't get damaged.
Jar opener that is probably from the 60's that was Grandmas.
Small vase someone gave me at a flea market when I was a child (70's.)
I have a Ralph Lauren mens button down flannel shirt (I am a woman) that I bought for myself early 90's that I still bum around in.
A small corning wear (white with blue design) that was moms. She probably got when she was married in the 60's. Use it all the time. I line it with foil and it cleans up beautiful.

[Anonymous]

My dad still has a stereo with a turntable and 8 track. I know he still plays records. Not sure about the 8 track.

[Anonymous]

I use a Rolodex and a pasta pot set I’ve had since the 90s.