When the Bear Super Kodiak came out in 1967 and it was $99.95? (A lot of money then).
The 1959 Bear Kodiak was $59.50? (OK, I'll give you that for one now, if it is nice shape).
The "New St. Charles Hunting Quiver" cost $12.50? (I won't even go there).
The Bear Master Glove cost $2.25? ( I wonder how many of these they sold).
Bear Razorheads were $3.75.........a dozen! (How could anyone even afford to hunt at these prices!).
The Red Wing Hunter bow was $54.95? (Good bow for the money).
Forgewood Hunter arrows were $12.95 a dozen? (Some do not even know what I'm talking about here, but good arrows).
True Shape Natural Barred 5" Shield cut feathers were $4.00 a hundred, dyed feathers were $4.25.(Get outahere! Who would pay that?).
Bitzenburger fletchers were $23.00?
Ben Pearson Deadheads were $7.00 a dozen. (Now they want $7 each!)
And my favorite, the new...the latest...the greatest.....The Baker Tree Stand! What a work of art! A lot of attorneys are rich now because of this invention. I remember hunting the Whitetail rut in November in Monongahela National Forest in WV years ago. The third evening we were there it started to rain, then sleet, then snow. To get up and down with this thing you had to hug the tree. The tree I was in was covered with solid ice by the time it was dark. What a hoot! It would have killed me at my age today, but I only have the scars to show my bravery.
I could go on and on, but I'm sure some of there others can add to the list
I remember my Baker very well. I had the one with the climber. One afternoon, I was just about 20 feet up, and the bottom slipped off my feet. It sounded like a bumper jack as it ratcheted its way clear down to the bottom of the tree. There I hung, on a shagbark hickory(it was the only good bad tree on that trail)dangling and wondering why I ever took up bowhunting to begin with. :help:
What a depressing post. Especially since I paid $15 for my first Blitzenbuger - which still works just fine. I must be older than dirt. My first 100 POC shafts were about $20 shipped from either Rose City or ACME. The first 1000 I split with a friend were just over $100. I was getting in shape for elk season, but now I feel like I'd better go rest.
I also remember when I brought home 127.38 per week, and thought I was in high cotton! My first job...and man I thought I was THE KING, BABY!
I can say that I too have fallen while using the Baker stand. One of my many humorous moments from my first season hunting at age 12. Luckily it broke my fall when it stopped about 4 feet up the tree. I just got rid of two of them when I cleaned out the garage.
My first climbing tree stand was a kit that you had to put together using your own piece of wood. I don't remember the name but it had a flexible steel band that went around the tree.
The climber consister of just a long seatbelt strap that looped around the tree.
My dad had a Baker climbing stand. I think we still have it at the cabin.
man all this falling out of trees.helloooooo!!! keep ya feet on the ground. if we were ment to be in trees god would have given us wings. same goes for flying. :biglaugh:
wolfman.
I rememember getting out of the Army and landing my first job...$250 a week. I remember clearly my Uncle Jack saying, "Well heck, you don't need anymore than that"....
Just found some of my old Archery Licenses. 1979 Mi Non-Res Bow and Arrow Deer License $20.00, 1980 WV non-res bow license $15.00 1981 Pa non-res 62.50
LOL yep remember Bakers well. One day on an out of state trip to Wisconsin, I relaxed and stepped back on the stand, free fell for about 10 feet before I put my weight back on the front which stopped it like an emergency brake and about threw me out ha ha of course we didn't wear safety belts in those days.
I also remember going to the US Nationals Archery Tournament in Franklin Ohio in 1978 (met Fred Bear there) and there was a stack of maybe 50 brand new Bear recurves in their boxes, take your pick $25..and I only bought ONE..DOH!
At my first job(cashier in a restaurant) I made $1.25 an hour...that's $50.00 GROSS for a 40 hour week ha ha and I celebrated by buying my first brand new motorcycle which cost $380...on payments LOL
Now I ain't as old as Mickey, but I remember landing my first job with benefits...9k a year! Whoop! Now I can support my family.
I still have a climber out in the garage made like those Bakers...I think it's a knockoff, though. Not sure why I haven't tossed it, that thing is a one way ticket to the emergency room.
... and one day when a gas war in our little one-horse, but two station town put gas at $0.18 per gal for a day. It was 1967, I was 10, and EVERYONE knew gas was supposed to be $0.25!!
Oh, how times have changed-
Daryl
1 dz Bear Cedar arrows WITH 1 dz Razorheads..$12
Browning Nomad 60" Bow....$69.95
Tiger Stripe Viet Nam Camo....$24 pants&Jacket
Sweetland Forgewood Battleshafts....$24 dz
Herters Centerback Backquiver....$17.95
I could go on forever....those good ol days....
last one....Staghorn Recurve...$75....
I used the inflation calculator someone posted for the first two. Below are the buying power the cost had in the time converted to todays money.
1967 Bear Super Kodiak 623.34
1959 Bear Kodiak 425.90
Like Kev, I too was stuck sitting on the climber and the platform was at the bottom of the tree.
My buddy sat laughing on the ground. He was scared of hieghts and was always amazed as I usually set up very high,,, 30 to 35 feet and more if the hill is steep and the only good tree is on the downside of the hill!
Anyways, he say's "Now what are you going to do?" I stand up on the seat, turn around, bear hug the tree, kick the seat loose from the tree and did a fireman slide down the tree. All this quicker than he could get up off of the ground. It was a dumb and dangerous stunt, but he never made fun of me using a tree stand again!
I pulled out of a gas station once refusing to pay $1.00 for a gallon of gas. I also swore I'd never pay more than $1500 for a new motorcycle or more than $5000 for a new car. (My last motorcycle was almost $10,000 and sticker on my last truck was $36,000 GADS!!!! but I only paid $30,000 for it ha ha)You can see I really stuck to my guns.
Oh and to keep it trad bowhunting related I remember when my dad sold custom longbows for $10.00 each.
For MI Bowhunter,
I believe that was a TSC kit. Had one of those also. Worked pretty good, and not too expensive, about $38 at the time I had mine. Brings back more old memories.
LOL How Old Are You Mickey?... :knothead: :bigsmyl:
I copied the Baker, my rendition weighed 21 pounds-and i used to hike in every morning and out every evening i could.
I remember my first few hunts, if i dropped something i could jump out and climb back in it-not too confident.
Big Ron I have you by a couple of decades plus a couple of months ..or to put it another way I had been out of high schoool for a couple of years when you were born :goldtooth:
:saywhat:
Sure wish it was like that now... :notworthy:
I remember those prices, and I remember they seemed pretty expensive back then. Everything is relative. Matter of fact, some things nowadays are actually cheaper, comparatively speaking. Oh yeah....My first job paid $1.25 per hour as well.
The lowest I remember gas being for our fishing trips was 69 cents a gallon and a candy bar for 25 cents. Just a kid then....
Herter's Model Perfection recurve - $37.50. My son shoots that one now, good old bow!
Cheeseburger, fries (not the frozen kind), a Pepsi (12 oz. bottle when that was the big one) and two Tootsie rolls = $1.00 at Pete and Shorty's tavern. That was my usual lunch during high school. We had open campus then and many went home for lunch...and mom was there to cook it! I lived in the country, so I just walked downtown to the tavern.
.22 short = $.25
.22 long = $.30
.22 long rifle = $.35 a box
Ruger 10-22 = $56.00
Brand new Ford Maverick $1999.00...and I couldn't afford one :( .
Hogs = $18/100 pounds...which is why I couldn't afford the Maverick.
Getting a raise TO $1.25 per hour.
A 3 cent stamp was 3 cents instead of 41.
A nickel candy bar was bigger than a 25 cent one. I don't know what they cost now because I haven't bought one in years.
But as George said, it's all relative. I make a lot more now, but it goes away faster.
I can remeber my brother and I taking back a 6 pack of Pepsi bottles for the refund and having enough to buy a gallon of gas for our 3hp outboard motor. Also just recently I received a Ruger 10-22 in the original box,all the paper work,including the warranty card,that has yet to be filled out. The gun was purchased mail order from JC Pennys for $56.75 according to the box!-1Longbow
1999 for a ford Maverick...Your lucky you couldn't afford it. LOL Sorry I'm a pontiac guy. Dad bought his 1965 GTO in 1967 for around $1700 He sold it when he and my mom got married. The one we bought a few years back was nearly 15 times that price and then we put mor in it to make it right.
Growing up I can remember two gas stations having price wars for gas. I remember them getting well under a dolar a gallon. When that all ended it was just over a dollar. Stayed that way or close for years. Now it could gow up and down 50-75 cent in a day or two.
On the other hand I remember VCR's comming out and costing 500+ for a pretty basic one. Now the ones with all the bells and wistles is under 100. The replacement (DVDs) didn't take long t come down in price. How about computers Used to be an 8" floppy drive could cost upwards of 10,000. Yep 10,000. Now hardly anyone remembers 8" or 5" or 3.5" floppies.
As far as traditional archery goes my first bow was a Polar II compound (not realy traditional) I shot with fingers (went down hill from there) I can remember dad bringing that home for my for my birthday. I was so excited and learned to shoot a bow with it. Never had any real nice equipment becuase we didn't have alot of money but I can remember taking my first shot at a deer (a buck) I was sure I got him. Instead it was a small twig that deflected my shot into the ground. I can see it like it was yesterday. Still have that bow probably always will.
yep, I remember those prices. Wish I had bought a $1000 worth of the Forgewoods back then. First Car 1968 Ford Mustang, $1300. Wish I had that thing now too.Could fill that car up for less than $5.
Danny
I remember when I was a 2XL and Lord I miss those days.
Wow! some a you guys are really old! My first job paid a whopping $2 an hour. ;)
Our neighbour across the street bought a volkswagon beetle when he got married in 1973 for R1200 , R1200= $600. He still has it and is retired, they tried to steal it the other day but he had it chained to a tree! Funny thing is you can get completely reconditioned ones now for R15000 ($2000) in todays money. Imagine driving a car for thiry three years and being able to sell it for the same price of a replacement? Good deal that car, it buzzes around like a sewingmachine, starts first time too!
chrisg
Danny I wish I had bought $1000 worth of Microsoft :biglaugh:
I remember buying 100 POC shafts spined the same and +- 2 GRAINS on weight for $50. 1000 left wing ground and cut wild turkey feathers for $45 (gave them away by the handfuls cause I was sure I'd never use up 1000 feathers ha ha)a pack of 6 Bear Razorheads for $2.
In 1967 a new Volkswagon Beetle was $1899, a Ford Mustang $2400 and in 1979 I remember telling a neighbor who bought a new Chev pick up for $3900 he was nuts.
Our first TV was of course black and white was in a cabinet about 5 feet tall and maybe 4 feet wide and had a 9" screen. My mom's cousin was the first people we knew who got a color Tv. We went over on a Sunday night to watch it and the first show we saw in color was Bonanza, When that map caught on fire in color we were in awe. Of course we begged dad to get one but they were too expensive. We didn't have air conditioning ( and then it was window units) until I was 17.
Ferret,
My cousin was the janitor when Microsoft only had 7 employees including him. When they needed money they asked him to buy some stock in the company and he did. Well....you can guess what that tured into...He is rolling in it now and could buy more bows that all of us combined.
-Charlie
Dang Charlie that's awesome. I rememebr a few years back they said if you had invested $10,000 in Microsoft in 1968 or something, you'd be worth like 100 million today. Of course who had $10,000 in 1968?
I remember gawking at the racks of recurves that lined the wall of Bart's Sports World. I had my hundred dollars and a notion to get that Deliverance set-up that Burt had. I didn't know the difference between a Bear Super K and Kellog's Special K.
I remember trying to get the salesman to sell me a manly 50 pound or up bow, and being steered to a what I thought was a wimpy 40X. I remember wondering why some of the bows were a gaudy green, and some were almost six feet long. Then when I was getting ready to buy, I remember the shock of having to fork out more money for a string and arrows and field points. I was shocked that the aluminum arrows cost so much, and settled for a manly brown Super Grizzly. I remember that the salesman put on my string and installed a brass nock point for free. Wow, a free nock point!
Then I looked at my set-up, priced the gloves, arm guards, and targets, and set off to find a nice dirt clod. I knew that the pointy end goes on the front, and the nock goes into the string under the nock point, and everything else was trial and error.
But one day that summer I also remember the feeling of robinhooding one of my priceless arrows and shattering the nock. It was the second arrow I shot that day, and I felt like a Zen master archer. (These were the days of "snatch the pebble from my hand.")
Ferret,
Yeah, the ex-janitor(my cousin) now owns several companies. Being an employee, he bought his Microsoft stock while it was still private. The luck some people have...I wonder if he can buy a computer for prices like they had in the 70's?
-Charlie
Quote...How about computers Used to be an 8" floppy drive could cost upwards of 10,000. Yep 10,000. Now hardly anyone remembers 8" or 5" or 3.5" floppies.[/QB]
My first computer didn't have a mouse, hard drive or a floppy drive. I had to buy an optional cassette tape drive.
There was no internet.
My first year at college, they were just replacing the punch card machines with PC's that actually had 5.25" floppy drives.
yes, I'm kind of a computer geek.
My first trad experience was shooting a red fiberglass Bear recurve into bales of hay in our back yard. Even though I spent the next 20 years shooting wheel bows, I still have that old red fibergalss Bear recurve. Funny how some things come full circle.
Baker treestands....
It was almost dark when the doe walked up behind me. I was 20 ft up in my new Baker. I turned slowly and took the shot, couldn't tell where my arrow went but heard the unmistakable thump of arrow striking a deer.
The light was fading fast so I started down the tree in a hurry to track my deer. Some how I raised the seat climber without first setting the foot climber securely and down the tree I went. About 6ft off the ground the seat climber caught but the foot climber kept going and my arms that were at my side during the ascent were forced over my head as my momentum stripped me through the seat climber. When the foot climber hit the base of the tree I was pitched backward, the foot straps held me to the stand and the back of my head hit the ground like a sledge hammer.
Lying on the ground I didn't have any feeling in my arms and couldn't move any part of them including my fingers. I lay there for about 30 minutes debating what to do next when I felt a tingle in one of my fingers. This tingle expanded up my arms and the feeling and ability to move my arms slowly came back.
Now that I could move my next thoughts were to start tracking my deer. I walked to where I thought I hit the deer and found my arrow, clean and embedded in a rotten stump, didn't hit any deer only a stump.
I kept the Baker for a while and threw it away to keep anyone else from falling prey to it's unsafe nature. I knew my concience would bother me if I sold it to someone and they were injured while using it.
My first job was busing tables and washing dishes for 35 cents an hour and tips from taking up room service at the Gatlinburg Motor Inn(the hotel next to the Sky Lift) in Gatlinburg Tn. We were supposed to get a portion of the waitresses tips but most of them lied about what they took in in during their shift. I lived on my own above Parton's Grocery in an $8 a week rooming house 60 miles from home. I was 16 years old, out of school for the summer, the year was 1964. This type of self sufficiency was expected of kids of my generation and prepared us to face life. Sadly this necessary component of life preparation is overlooked by today's parents.
I still have my first pay stub from the army in 67, $65 for a months pay.
The Baker strikes again!
We built a new house three years ago and moved. I still had the Baker but ended up throwing it away instead of moving it. I had thought about putting it in a tree and waiting to see if someone stole it. That would have put the end to one thief, but I thought better of it.
Goose
When I was seven years old, I wanted the fishing rod and reel for sale in the tackle shop window. It cost 15/6. That's old English money that equates to 77p in today's money, and $1.55 in your money. I used to get 2/6 pocket money each week so you can imagine how long it took me to save up for it. I gave both the rod and reel away to my neighbor's boy just last year...forty years later. Similar thing would cost about £20 $40) today.
I really have to chime in here..... Old guys live in the past..... so here is some of mine
My first really good bow was in 1966. A bear Super Kodiak. Don't remember what I paid for it but gas in NJ was 23 cents/gal.
1966 GTO tri-power with 20K on it was $1500 from a friend of my Moms. Like Mickey, the last vehicle I bought (Suburban) was $30+K. That is more than double what my folks paid for a house in 1961 and it was a hell of a house.
I was a bit different in the job situation cause of playing in a rock band.... made a good bit of mone from 1965-67. Kept me in arrows, bullets guns, bows and, oh yea.... girls.
Somebody said they remembered when they brought home $127.00/week in pay? My wife cleaned out our strong box a while back and she had all of my old pay stubs in there. My W-2 from that year was $2,288.00! I hunted for meat and ate everything I hunted. I really used to like squirrle but now I'm not sure how often I'd want to eat it. Do I miss those days? Nah! I like being my age and enjoy remembering the old stuff.
My cousin also has an original Bear Northwoods backquiver from the late 60's...Paid a whopping $25 back then. Problem is...he won't sell it to me!!!
My first Catquiver was under $25...1970....
You guys had it good. The first "bow" I ever shot was a crossbow.
I remember working for a $1 an hr....
And when I was high school gas was around .29 a gallon for ever.
We always told them to fill it up and gave them $5.00 abn almost always got change back, They actual came out to get the money, put the gas in for ya and washed the winshield....
Now ya got to pump it yourself and then take them the money, Go figure....
Saw my first color TV when I was in the 6th grade, Watched the Flintstones at a girl friends house....
Those where the days....
gas was 30 cents a gallon when I was 16 and got my first car, which I paid for working in a restaurant about 35 hours a week and going to high school full time. I made way more in tips than I did in payroll check.
I also cut lawns for a living during the mornings in the summer. 5 bucks a yard and man that was big money in the 60's.
You could buy nickel hamburgers at McDonalds in southern California..and a nickel got you a soda, or a big paper bag full of penny candy.
At a buck an hour pay, though, most of the items that we are saying were cheap were actually just as dear to buy then, as now...its just relative.
At a mere 40 years of age, I can't compete with some of the posts on this thread but I do remember dreaming of the day that I would be able to afford my own Baker climbing stand!
That day fortunately never came but I do remember building my own hang on stands out of rebar, if you can believe that. Dad had a welder and some scraps, add a chain and I was in business. Some idiot actually stole one of those stands....... the rest are still right where I put them some 25 years ago.
I also remember my first bow, a white glass Wilson bros Black Widow handed down from Dad. Wish I still had it but the top limb finally gave up the ghost.
Great thread
I was at a small archery shop that a local has in his attic, he showed me a dozen forgewood arrows that he has in a box. Three of them had brand new Hilbre(i think) broad heads on them, he said they had compressed shafts. I also owned a baker slimjim climber that my boss at the time sold me, because he climbed a cherry tree with it and it slid down to the ground, leaving a pile of bark at the bottom of the tree. He said he would never trust it again.
I paid $99 for my Kittredge Signature one piece recurve, $12.95 for 6 Zwickey Eskimos and $24 for one doz Sweetland Forgewood Battleshafts, full dipped in Sky Blue with white feathers.
My first Pearson Deadheads were $6.95 and my Pearson fully dipped yellow practice arrows were
$7.95 per dz...with field Points!
We had great catalogs back then that were totally traditional to choose our gear from...Kittredge Bow Hut, Anderson Archery, Robin Hood Archery, Herters and in my area, the local, small sporting good shops were all Ma & Pa. They all carried Cedar arrows and some aluminum....all under $10. They stocked either Bear, Browning, Colt or Pearson recurves.
Most bows were all under $80...except for a few top of the line Bear bows. Imagine paying $2.95 for a leather shooting glove from Bear Archery? A doz Mercury speed nocks for .99 cents? A Black Hawk tapering tool for $3.95? Premium Cedar shafts and arrows from Acme and M.J. Log....
Good thread here.......
I remember when aluminum arrows were bright silver, no camo. we would put nurses white shoe polish on the shafts to dall them down for hunting, then wipe them off for the range so they were nice and shiny. Hilbre broadheads were a big thing. (By the way no screw ins, just glue ons)
The best pair of sneakers you could buy were Converse (Chuck Taylor) All Stars $9.99 and boy you had to save, parents just could not see paying all that money for a pair of sneakers.
I remember green Gamegetters, Autumn Orange XX75`s, and when Bear Razorheads started being made of crappy stainless. When the truck wouldn`t start it was probably because the choke was stuck.
And "made in China" was something we didn`t see on almost EVERYTHING.
I remember when we would take a trip "up-north"
just so I could bowhunt. (thanks mom and dad)
I`m only 41, but I do remember when having a recurve in your hands was nothing unusual.
I remember when the law was passed when you could kill a deer with a bow and one with a gun, instead of one for the year.
Treebark camo.(That was cool) Bowhunting October Whitetails was brand new. (Still cool)
I also remember when almost EVERYONE was like the people on this site.
Bonebuster
I also remember when almost EVERYONE was like the people on this site.
That is my favorite. :bigsmyl: :clapper:
Dang thats a long ways back. My first job paid $1.65 an hour. I remember paying .19 cents a gallon filling my motorcyle for less than a Buck. First Bowhunting liscense cost $1.oo, when I was twelve, still have it somewhere. First car a 63' Chevy II cost me $300 in 1971. Dozen custom made ceadr arrows with Bear Razorhead for about $15. Wish I had the hunting knowledge back then! :D
Man ya'll are old!
I remember when I could fill my Honda Trail 70 up for 64cents and comb the bayous and shoot turtles all day.
I remember buying my first real hunting bow the day i got my driver's license, Bear Grizley II..The owner let me take a practice shot at a bag stuffed with socks down a wall in the boot dept. Missed the bag and shot a pair of size 12 Herman Survivors gum boots. He made me buy them too. Damn boots still don't fit.
This hasn't been all that long ago but in the early 90s Bowhunter Warehouse would would have a sale on last years Martin Hunter recurves, $90 each. I bought several as did my friends. Mine are long gone but my friend still has all of his in different poundages.
I have to add I was a bow snob at that time with my custom Bighorn as my primary bow. I never told anyone that my $90 Martin Hunter was a much better shooting bow than the Bighorn.
I remember when hitting the high beams involved your left foot....
QuoteOriginally posted by Jeff Strubberg:
I remember when hitting the high bemas involved your left foot....
And everyone waved when you met them on the road.
I remember working for $1 hr, nobody locked their houses, everyone left the keys in their cars, we had party-line telephone, I was 7 when we got our first TV-black and white and as big as a refrigerator,gas was $.27 as a normal price, round steak was $.36/lb a coke was a nickel. A model 12 Winchester was $69
We Had no sales tax, very little excise tax, Loan interest rates were around 2%, and most wives stayed home and reared their children.
Divorce was rare, unwed mothers were Extremely rare, welfare was looked down upon.
Sorry, I guess I got off of archery.
I remember the high beam button on the floor too and the starter button as well...first "car" was a 51 Chevy truck with a 6 volt system.Paid 200 bucks for it...
Paid 20 bucks for my first serious bow a Bear Tigercat,50#...and I still have it :)
Wish I'd kept that truck too... :(
Back to hunting anyway, I remember gun racks in the back of every pickup at the local high school and school closing during the first week of gun season and hay season every year.
Good stuff. Good stuff today too, we just have to look a little harder for it.
I used to send for archery catalogs with penny ($.01)) post cards!
To this day I remember how excited I would get when the new Herter's catalog came in the mail when I was a kid. I also remember when my total order from them would be less than a dollar for an assortment of hooks, sinkers and lures. Everything in the catalog was advertised as "World Famous or Professional", how could a kid go wrong with this stuff.
The 1st set of a dozen cedars arrows I built cost me $7 including field points.
Heres a scan of a page from Archery Magazine 1960 I'll put a clickable thumnail here. Hope you can read it.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v295/whoffman1955/temp/th_old001.jpg) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v295/whoffman1955/temp/old001.jpg)
I can remember when we had a "Milk Box" outside the back door. The Watkin's man and the Fuller Brush salesmen would come by. We all had .22rifles and/or shotguns in the back window of the pick-up. Stopped on the way to school and after school to hunt a little. I think there probably was a class or two that inadvertantly got skipped to go hunting. Making hay and Deer hunting were acceptable excuses for missing school. Still remember my Grandmothers phone number out at the farm, two longs and a short!
LD
OK, I'll join as my first Bear laminated glass bow was in '63 or '64. Never could afford the higher-end models back then.
I used a Baker knock-off stand (Big Buck) for years. Twice it fell off my feet and clattered to the ground. I used a climbing strap, just let it go, shimmied down and shimmied back up with it. Finally got rid of it last year. But I did at least always have a climbing strap looped over my wrists. 56 years old, I still use it (though with a climbing harness attached + a Summit Prussik knot thing, too).
Jobs? My first one paid $1.08/hour. My fondest memory regarding the relationship between work + income was in Albuquerque. I was an apprentice painter on a large crew. I eventually replaced Carlitos, who was the only lazy one on the crew. I was making $2.25 an hour, paying child support, paying rent, and basically starving while working my tail off. I finally got up the courage to ask my boss, Pablo, for a raise to somewhere near the $3.50+ Carlitos was making. He said "Well, you are doing a good job. Tell you what, I'll give you 10 cents an hour more now, and if it works out, 5 cents on top of that in six months." After taxes, that bought me about one six pack of beer a week and a sack of potatoes. Good thing potatoes were cheap, one week that's all I ate, every meal.
I finally moved back to MI and after much work found my first "good job": $525 a month!! I was so happy to have work I didn't even ask what I was being paid, found out with the first paycheck.
But I'm not sure times have changed, just the prices. Ask guys making minimum wage now, probably seems about the same.