Vintage Things That Have Disappeared In Your Lifetime?

[LostInTyme]

I used a slide rule for fifty years, even after electronic calculators came into being. Slide rules never needed batteries. And, blue prints stripped being blue around 1970. About the same time, project drawings started showing up being drawn by large format printers.

 

[Harp]

I used a slide rule for fifty years, even after electronic calculators came into being. Slide rules never needed batteries..

My personal slide rule acquaintance occurred at the US Army Field Artillery School at Ft Sill, Oklahoma,
since the military still used the million sticks it had on hand and had no intention of tossing these for more costly
Texas Industry do-dad gizmos. I always regretted the pocket calculator upgrade later in college as the sticks were
far more pro than con, and, of course, batteries absolutely not included.

 

[Zombie_61]

I can't remember if it was junior high/middle school or high school, but at some point a requirement to pass math class was to show proficiency in using a slide rule. I can't say I've used one since so I don't remember how, but I remember thinking at the time how fast and efficient they are.

 

[Edward]

I remember not being allowed to use a calculator at school until we got into trigonometry (I think). I still out of habit do a lot of maths on paper because I often find it simply quicker and easier than firing up the calculator on the phone or laptop. (Not owned a separate calculator since I was at school, I think.)

 

[Turnip]

Similar here, though I still got a simple calculator on my desk.

But I rarely use it, if necessary I’m faster with Excel what I got open whole day at work anyway.

 

[LostInTyme]

"Day old bread" My Mom would send me to the bakery to buy day old bread at half the price of fresh bread. I think, now, that the day old bread may have been more than one day old when I bought it, but it was all we could afford.

 

[Edward Reed]

a check book and cash. at least for me....
I use my iPhone and apps to pay online or use my debit card. some bills get autodrafted out of my bank account. I haven't carried cash on me in years. I occasionally find loose change or a dollar bill on the ground but it goes into a bowl and stays. even the parking meters (that I rarely ever need to use) now accept debit cards I sometimes see elderly people at a grocery store using a checkbook and I think "how quaint"

Dr. Gillian Taylor : Don't tell me you don't use money in the 23rd Century.
Kirk : Well, we don't.

 

[tonyb]

"Day old bread" My Mom would send me to the bakery to buy day old bread at half the price of fresh bread. I think, now, that the day old bread may have been more than one day old when I bought it, but it was all we could afford.

My “regular” supermarkets have rolling racks on which clearance bakery items are found. Prices are generally half that of the fresher stuff. Large bakeries have small stores (maybe half the size of a typical 7-Eleven) to clear out surplus product while it’s still fit for human consumption. Lotsa calories can be had cheap. For people on tight budgets, it’s hard to beat.

But yes, it’s been a while since I heard mention of “day-old bread.” It was common when I was a kid, though, leastwise in the districts where I lived.

 

[LizzieMaine]

We have a "day old bread" outlet store in town here -- it's not in the gentrified section, but those who use it know where to find it. It's a real treat when the expired fruit pies show up.

A couple of the theatre kids used to work second jobs at a now-defunct donut shop -- not a franchise, a real neighborhood donuttery -- and every Saturday they'd bring me a greasy brown paper bag full of culls, broken pieces, and day-olds. Ambrosia.

 

[Zombie_61]

a check book and cash. at least for me....
I use my iPhone and apps to pay online or use my debit card. some bills get autodrafted out of my bank account. I haven't carried cash on me in years. I occasionally find loose change or a dollar bill on the ground but it goes into a bowl and stays. even the parking meters (that I rarely ever need to use) now accept debit cards I sometimes see elderly people at a grocery store using a checkbook and I think "how quaint" ...

In December a local crackhead decided to run a red light and t-bone my 14-year-old truck at approximately 40 mph. When I finally got the check for a replacement vehicle I took it to our bank, but was concerned because my wife currently has a health issue that is preventing her from being able to sign her name. And, since the truck was registered in both of our names, both names appeared on the check as well. I was concerned about my wife not being able to endorse the check, but the kind folks at the bank just looked at me like I was the doddering old fool who doesn't know how the modern world works. A woman who works at our branch whose business card describes her as a "Personal Banker" took me off to the side and explained that all of the financial institutions all over the world are so interconnected these days that they can verify whether or not the check is valid faster than they can verify any signature. I still endorsed it, of course.

And, yeah, since all of this pandemic stuff started I've rarely used cash. Most places don't even ask me for the PIN when I use my debit card, which has been a little unsettling for me but I suppose it's a brave new world.

 

[Harp]

^^^I flash plastic so often I sometimes omit paper currency weeks on end, just seems more convenient.
Got cussed by a panhandler downtown last week when I responded with a $2 tip-all the cash I had
in my pocket clip-cheapskate ba***rd that I apparently is.

 

[Edward Reed]

In December a local crackhead decided to run a red light and t-bone my 14-year-old truck at approximately 40 mph. When I finally got the check for a replacement vehicle I took it to our bank, but was concerned because my wife currently has a health issue that is preventing her from being able to sign her name. And, since the truck was registered in both of our names, both names appeared on the check as well. I was concerned about my wife not being able to endorse the check, but the kind folks at the bank just looked at me like I was the doddering old fool who doesn't know how the modern world works. A woman who works at our branch whose business card describes her as a "Personal Banker" took me off to the side and explained that all of the financial institutions all over the world are so interconnected these days that they can verify whether or not the check is valid faster than they can verify any signature. I still endorsed it, of course.

And, yeah, since all of this pandemic stuff started I've rarely used cash. Most places don't even ask me for the PIN when I use my debit card, which has been a little unsettling for me but I suppose it's a brave new world.

yes, it seems almost devil-may-care with the debit and smartphone app paying. I suppose if one wanted to challenge the charges the banks are covered and insured and willing to listen and take care of things. today's world has changed so much in that regard.
I had a somewhat similar experience in that I lost my wallet last year and cancelled all my cards and filed a police report. but with no debit card to use I needed cash to get a few things at the store and fill up the car as it was going to be a few days before I got my replacement debit card although I think I could have gone to the bank and got a temporary card... anyway I didn't even have any kind of payment app on my phone at the time so I went to the bank and wrote a check made out to "cash", which is what you did back in the day. The teller looked at me like I crawled out from under a rock or emerged from a decades long coma... he explained to me all I had to do was tell him my name and put my finger on the pad and he would hand me whatever cash I needed. lol! he said "there's no need to waste a check" so I told him I still had the first check book from 6 years ago because I never have to write checks! lol! I had no idea that sort of thing had changed as I hadn't been inside a bank or at a teller machine in probably 5 or 6 years!

 

[Edward Reed]

now occasionally I receive a check and I do love my bank app where I can endorse it and take a picture of the front and back and it gets deposited to my account... another reason to not have to actually drive to a bank even if I get a check made out to me! very convenient. my last job the owner refused to offer direct deposit and continued to issue paychecks and of course would wait until the last minute of Thursday 5pm to give them to us. pissed him off bad when he watched me sign it, snap a pic and instantly deposit it without even leaving the building! I totally bypassed his ignorance on direct deposit by just doing it myself! old grump! lol!

 

[LizzieMaine]

I still write checks out of necessity -- I can't use those "autopay" bank account things because I never know exactly when I'm going to have enough money in my account to cover any given obligiation. So I send them checks when I've got the money to cover it, and throw away all the bill inserts they send me begging me to sign up for Auto Bill Pay. Ain't gonna happen in this life, folks.

Further irritation comes with the fact that most of the websites they want me to use crash my computer with all their interactive-tracking-buggery. I'm not going to buy a new computer I can't afford just to use a website to pay a bill I can barely afford. They'll get a paper check and like it. And after my experience of having my debit card hacked by some guy in India last week, I'm not inclined to do anything that expands my use of such technologies.

 

[Edward Reed]

I still write checks out of necessity -- I can't use those "autopay" bank account things because I never know exactly when I'm going to have enough money in my account to cover any given obligiation. So I send them checks when I've got the money to cover it, and throw away all the bill inserts they send me begging me to sign up for Auto Bill Pay. Ain't gonna happen in this life, folks.

Further irritation comes with the fact that most of the websites they want me to use crash my computer with all their interactive-tracking-buggery. I'm not going to buy a new computer I can't afford just to use a website to pay a bill I can barely afford. They'll get a paper check and like it. And after my experience of having my debit card hacked by some guy in India last week, I'm not inclined to do anything that expands my use of such technologies.

I don't blame you there. I am always wondering when I'll be next. My oldest had their debit card hacked and $700 withdrawn. fortunately the bank could see how the transaction went down somehow and they credited his account immediately and issued a new card. pain in the butt and scary.
I only have a couple of small auto drafts (car insurance and my cell phone bill) that I know I can handle. otherwise I have the apps for my credit card, my rent and the electric bill. I can just open the app on my iPhone and make the payment once my paycheck is direct deposited. so I still manually manage most of my bills for the same reason.. to make sure my budget doesn't get messed up. Before my divorce 6 years ago I always still wrote a check out to the mortgage for the house! For some reason I just didn't want to pay that online. (heck I even have an app to pay and start the laundry machines in my apartment complex so I don't even need quarters! lol! its all bluetooth enabled. )

 

[Harp]

^^^I write checks, got dragged kicking and screaming to buy a cell phone when all the old Ma Bell
pay phones were unceremoniously ripped out of LaSalle Street Station in downtown Chicago.
Hacked by a Russian scam outfit once, had AVG security software installed cause Norton proved
junior varsity jazz. AVG expired, I foolishly let it go longer w/o replace, hit again by s devil virus but
this time Windows contacted me, the bug killed, eliminated, and another brand new super duper softee
installed. Now, Windows upgrades cannot get past the newbie to install updates. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot,

 

[belfastboy]

^^^I flash plastic so often I sometimes omit paper currency weeks on end, just seems more convenient.
Got cussed by a panhandler downtown last week when I responded with a $2 tip-all the cash I had
in my pocket clip-cheapskate ba***rd that I apparently is.

I still have my Covid $20 bill in my wallet......been there for at least this year. Everything for me is now Tap n Go. Fortunately my wife is a retired project manager and verifies each transaction at least every second day. She runs a tight ship!

 

[Harp]

^^^I know you married guys are kept on a tight leash..

 

[ChiTownScion]

My wife handles the bills here as well: SHE'S the MBA. Pays the bills electronically and nothing gets past her. ("You need organization in your life? Marry a nurse.")

I have a "fun fund" checking account where my allowance is deposited, and over the years it has grown to a respectable amount. I mainly use it for charitable donations, lodge dues (I prefer life memberships as I hate the idea of missing a notice.), and occasionally, a model railroad purchase.

Last year I bought a brass hybrid steam engine based upon a Pacific Northwest railroad prototype. (Since I moved here, I have to model a local railroad in addition to my usual Midwest roads--- right?) I'm preparing a passenger fleet to run with it. I also utilize the account for vacation options that are above and beyond the standard mundane stuff : a train trip on the Indian Pacific from Perth to Sydney is at the top of the list, if/ when the pandemic restrictions lift in Australia. All of that I pay for with a check.

 

[LostInTyme]

I use cash, checks, internet pay, PayPal, plastic. I am a Man For All Seasons.