I remember when ....

and a farthing would buy you a handful of sweets.

Although I remember farthings, I don't remember actually buying anything for a farthing.
I do remember getting sweets for a ha'penny though

We had a little sweet shop based in the last of our row of tiny cottages, (six in all, built in what was then the outskirts of Catford, London) The lady there laid out her selection in the window, and pushed the cat off when necessary. The sweets were very small as were our hands. My mum had a large collection of brand new 'robin' farthings which she gave to the rag and bone man in about 1950. Probably worth a fortune now.

We could have bought our house in Tooting - mid terrace, outside loo, no bath - for £7500 but my (ex)husband wouldn't as he thought a mortgage was a mill stone (so was marriage which explains the divorce lol). We kept chickens in the back garden until the foxes from the local cemetery killed them! The kids played football and cricket in the street and the neighbours were family - we used to be able to rent houses at a decent rent and so families didn't have to move miles away. And this was the 60's & 70's - feels like another world now ;)

I remember my parents 'upsizing' to a terraced house in Brighton that cost the magnificent sum of £3,000! Must have been late 1950s or even early 60s (we moved a lot!).
Now, my daughter and SIL with 2 babies are paying £1,000 a month rent in Crawley, and trying to save for a preposterous mortgage deposit in order to get a mortgage from lenders who don't want to lend to anyone!
How will they ever afford their own home?
Perhaps we're moving away from a home-owning society to a more European model where renting is considered the norm? Trouble is, rents are ridiculously high due to huge demand.
All I know is, I'm glad I'm not a youngster in this day and age .
Our generation really did have the best of everything!