The role of new expenses in the American economy

[donttread]

I often refer to the 50's through mid 70's where a couple could marry straight out of high school, own a home and raise a family on one income with no investment of time or money in college. Obviously our economy is not nearly what it used to be.
But there is another factor which is seldom discussed, the advent of serious entertainment expenses our parents simply didn't have .
Pay TV, TV's in every room, Pay car radio, IN cost, Computers for each family member, game machines for each child and young adult, high end sports and outdoor gear , dining out or ordering in half the time, cell phones. The list goes on .
I would dare say the average family of four could easily spend thousands per year to purchase and hundreds per month in fees for stuff our parents didn't have to worry about. Given the high cost of child care , is this where our second earners income really goes.? Maybe simple yet effective hobby equipment and just going outdoors weren't so bad after all.

[donttread]

Another way to phrase this is: How many of our second earners work to pay baby sitters, taxes, dining out bills , electronic entertainment and high end hobby gear? Expenses which were either less or non-existent during the boom years.

[Peter1469]

A traditional family has a hard time in our economy. I mean a couple with children.

Now a childless professional couple where both work - they are set.

A lot of the problem is the hyper consumerism. There is a lot that can be cut out of most people's budgets if they thought about it.

Around here the cost of day care is obscene. Few wives make enough money to warrant that expense- especially if you have 2 or more kids in day care.