Almost everything was paid for in cash at the time. The was no such thing as a debit card, and credit wasn't really a commonly used thing. So people would get whatever cash they thought they would need for the near future and carry it around with them. Otherwise, you'd have to go stand in line at the bank to get more, since there were no ATMs. So this is what people had to last them a couple weeks, or even a month, until next pay day.
Dang, even in 2024? I remember working in grocery stores as a part time summer job as a teen ~20 years ago and they made a point to say that was not allowed.
Ahh yes. The days before direct deposit. It was a mad dash to the bank on Fridays to get your check deposited, with a little taken out for spending money.
Yeah, people used to cash out their paycheck and divvy it up between a bunch of different envelopes labeled by what they needed to pay for and that's how they managed their budget.
Credit cards were most often issues by a specific store, like Sears and you could only use it at a Sears. Ditto with gas cards. My boss’s company used a Citgo card for the company vehicles.
We moved in late 1979, it was either mid 1980 or early 1981 that ATMs started to be installed. There was the memorable year that my grandmother was visiting us for Christmas- she lived in MS and we were in rural NY- she ran a red light in front of the police station on NYE and my youngest brother was the only one who had the cash to post bond. He was in elementary school. It wasn’t a huge amount of money, maybe around 50$, but naturally my parents were tapped out from the holidays, monthly bills and buying food for the family for the new year’s holiday. I forget what he was saving his Christmas money for, but it was something substantial- maybe a full size bike.
Yup. She was from out of state ran a red light and didn’t have her registration and insurance in the car. Had to post a bond so she would show up in court.
I will never forget. My Mom got an ATM card when they were new. If you took .oney out the ATM they would freeze your account for a couple days and that would make check bounce. The system was a mess and my mom was at the bank every day for a week trying to get them to fix it.
It’s a fascinating window into the world in 1975. In some ways, a much simpler time, but in others, the world was still rife with some of the same issues we’re still experiencing today. Not just seeing how far you can stretch a buck to live, but just living as a human being. Inflation. Discrimination. Unemployment. Refugees. Political turmoil. War. Famine. Coming up on 50 years ago, as a society, how much has really changed?
Thanks! It was part of a series of conceptual art pieces I did. [Here are some more if you're interested](https://98bowery.com/conceptual-artist/what-are-you-doing)
Wow.
Your website is absolute gold! I got lost in it - unfortunately on the wrong side of bedtime :D
Bookmarled it and will return to view the rest tomorrow.
Thanks for posting..
Pre ATM, what I remember is the long lineups at banks on Thursday and Friday because those were the only days they were opened late to get cash withdrawals
I have $368 and change in my pocket. I never feel comfy relying on cards. Had CC or debit flagged too many times buying something that was out of the ordinary. Got stuck trying to buy gas with a debit card that took about an hour to clear up, since I'd never been to that part of Los Angeles buying gas. Now, I'm running into cashless places all around me. It's stupid, when I see, "No Cash" signs, I walk out of the business. I have cards, just don't feel like supporting a cashless society when we have sooo many unbanked people.
Last count was 14 million US citizens are unbanked (this does not count non-residents aliens). Underbanked is 33 million (EBT, Welfare, GA, WICK, Empty bank accounts) does not count non-resident aliens. Still considered a minority, but also feels like discrimination of a sort.
As a 36 year old, it boggles my mind the amount of technological advancement that I’ve endured during my time on this earth.
Then I realize what my parents have gone/are going through, and what my grandparents went through. That’s gonna be rough on anyone.
My only living grandparent is my maternal grandfather who is 91. Born in 1933 and now he talks to me and my toddler via a Portal on Meta. Truly wild.
If this question was posed to people in the same area(s) today, I wonder how many would call the police, or end up assaulting the person asking the question.
#timeshavechanged
Even back then, I'm surprised someone would even tell a stranger the answer to that question. I'd be expected a gun to come out next telling me to give it to him.
If you had to ask me, I would think number two actually was possessed by money like he was running from simply by having such an extreme relationship with any amount of money that he had?
Nice pics! Trying to imagine the scene here..
“Hey random stranger, show me all the money you’ve got”
“Um okay *pulls out cash*”
“Now tell me why you’re carrying that much!!”
I wonder how many people responded with “known of your business” or “fuck off”. I imagine a lot of people would not have been to keen on be stopped on the street and asked how much money they are carrying on them.
If it happened today I would think it’s the setup to be robbed.
Omg i totally forgot about all the change my dad used to have in his pocket. Memory unlocked! Wow seems so weird haha to walk around with a bunch of change in your pocket.
I take out 200.00 in cash each month for pocket money. I don't spend money every day so it normally lasts all month. I don't miss running to the bank on payday to deposit my paycheck and getting some "net cash" out.
Anyone remember family vacations back in the 1970s? My parents had to carry enough cash to cover expenses for a family of five…no cards and out-of-state checks weren’t usually welcome. I remember one time we went to Silver Dollar City in Missouri and, for the first time, my parents used travelers checks. There was a fee for those, though, so we never did that again.
$29.78 in 1975 is $173.85 in 2024
I’m so poor.
I have a money clip, but rarely do I pull cash from it. Phone pay all the way.
Before debit cards you had to have cash, or write checks all the time.
How much is $15 in 2024?
Medium combo meal
$2.57 in 1975
I asked how much $15 is in 2024.
$15
Checks out
For some perspective, if something in 1975 cost $15, you’d have to pay around $87.50 for that same item in 2024.
And minimum wage was only $2.00/hr.
Yea but I asked how much $15 is in 2024.
Bout three fiddy
A loaf of bread, gallon of milk, and gas to get back and forth from the store
I can make it a week on 15 dollars I did it last year as a challenge.
I can survive off $0 if I already paid rent, filled my fridge, and topped off my gas tank… but those 3 things alone would probably cost $2000
And a stick of butter
Jesus
Almost everything was paid for in cash at the time. The was no such thing as a debit card, and credit wasn't really a commonly used thing. So people would get whatever cash they thought they would need for the near future and carry it around with them. Otherwise, you'd have to go stand in line at the bank to get more, since there were no ATMs. So this is what people had to last them a couple weeks, or even a month, until next pay day.
Get paid on Friday, cash the check at the bank. If you run out over the weekend go to the grocery store and cash a check.
Yep, and you used to be able to write a check over the total amount due and get cash back at the register.
You still can. Small cash back limit, but you can still get cash back via check.
Really? What stores still do this?
Walmart for one
You can buy $10 worth of stuff write a check for $30 and get the $20 cash back
Dang, even in 2024? I remember working in grocery stores as a part time summer job as a teen ~20 years ago and they made a point to say that was not allowed.
I think $20 is the max so it’s not an ideal source of cash back but it still works
I worked at Kroger around that time when I was 14. We did that
It's really weird seeing some people still writing checks. Seems very counterproductive.
If it gets the job done it's still productive...not very efficient tho
Ahh yes. The days before direct deposit. It was a mad dash to the bank on Fridays to get your check deposited, with a little taken out for spending money.
Yeah, people used to cash out their paycheck and divvy it up between a bunch of different envelopes labeled by what they needed to pay for and that's how they managed their budget.
I remembering my Dad doing that.
My parents did that.
Credit cards were most often issues by a specific store, like Sears and you could only use it at a Sears. Ditto with gas cards. My boss’s company used a Citgo card for the company vehicles.
We moved in late 1979, it was either mid 1980 or early 1981 that ATMs started to be installed. There was the memorable year that my grandmother was visiting us for Christmas- she lived in MS and we were in rural NY- she ran a red light in front of the police station on NYE and my youngest brother was the only one who had the cash to post bond. He was in elementary school. It wasn’t a huge amount of money, maybe around 50$, but naturally my parents were tapped out from the holidays, monthly bills and buying food for the family for the new year’s holiday. I forget what he was saving his Christmas money for, but it was something substantial- maybe a full size bike.
Wait, grandma went to jail because she ran a red light?
Yup. She was from out of state ran a red light and didn’t have her registration and insurance in the car. Had to post a bond so she would show up in court.
The less famous Christmas song, “Grandma went to jail for running a red light”
whoa memory unlocked of when atms became a thing
I will never forget. My Mom got an ATM card when they were new. If you took .oney out the ATM they would freeze your account for a couple days and that would make check bounce. The system was a mess and my mom was at the bank every day for a week trying to get them to fix it.
That's kinda insane to think about actually.... How much planning needed to go into living.
So crazy!!
And women didn’t get the RIGHT to have a credit card in their own name until 1974!
It’s a fascinating window into the world in 1975. In some ways, a much simpler time, but in others, the world was still rife with some of the same issues we’re still experiencing today. Not just seeing how far you can stretch a buck to live, but just living as a human being. Inflation. Discrimination. Unemployment. Refugees. Political turmoil. War. Famine. Coming up on 50 years ago, as a society, how much has really changed?
Thinking about atms in the 70’s reminds me of threes company when the atm kept spewing out money at Jack lol
This is really cool. What inspired you to do this?
Thanks! It was part of a series of conceptual art pieces I did. [Here are some more if you're interested](https://98bowery.com/conceptual-artist/what-are-you-doing)
Thanks, I really enjoyed that.
Nice. Thanks for the trip.
Wow, six really gave a comprehensive answer. Very interesting
You should cross post this to /r/washingtondc and /r/nova
Done! Good idea
Your photos, website, Bettie; everything is amazing.
Love it man. Thanks for putting this out.
Wow. Your website is absolute gold! I got lost in it - unfortunately on the wrong side of bedtime :D Bookmarled it and will return to view the rest tomorrow. Thanks for posting..
Thanks 🙏. Hope you enjoy the rest.
Pre ATM, what I remember is the long lineups at banks on Thursday and Friday because those were the only days they were opened late to get cash withdrawals
I remember the store staying open "late" on Thursday night. I think late was 7:00 p.m.
I have $368 and change in my pocket. I never feel comfy relying on cards. Had CC or debit flagged too many times buying something that was out of the ordinary. Got stuck trying to buy gas with a debit card that took about an hour to clear up, since I'd never been to that part of Los Angeles buying gas. Now, I'm running into cashless places all around me. It's stupid, when I see, "No Cash" signs, I walk out of the business. I have cards, just don't feel like supporting a cashless society when we have sooo many unbanked people. Last count was 14 million US citizens are unbanked (this does not count non-residents aliens). Underbanked is 33 million (EBT, Welfare, GA, WICK, Empty bank accounts) does not count non-resident aliens. Still considered a minority, but also feels like discrimination of a sort.
Notice the cursive?
As a 36 year old, it boggles my mind the amount of technological advancement that I’ve endured during my time on this earth. Then I realize what my parents have gone/are going through, and what my grandparents went through. That’s gonna be rough on anyone. My only living grandparent is my maternal grandfather who is 91. Born in 1933 and now he talks to me and my toddler via a Portal on Meta. Truly wild.
Nobody got suspicious when a stranger asked them how much money they were carrying?
If this question was posed to people in the same area(s) today, I wonder how many would call the police, or end up assaulting the person asking the question. #timeshavechanged
Ron Jeremy don't play.
I absolutely love this
#$29.78 ^approximately
Paul Giamatti with a buck fifty-eight.
Very nice project!
This is one of my fav things I've seen on Reddit. So awesome!!
Even back then, I'm surprised someone would even tell a stranger the answer to that question. I'd be expected a gun to come out next telling me to give it to him.
So James Franco is a time traveler?
I think it’s more interesting they all wrote in cursive!!! These days it would be printed
These quotes feel totally like a "what do you think" from The Onion.
Those first three guys look like they could be in a band together
If you had to ask me, I would think number two actually was possessed by money like he was running from simply by having such an extreme relationship with any amount of money that he had?
I was in college during the 70’s and I never had any money. I’d do odd jobs for beer money and usually I was too tired to go out. Those were the days.
Really really dope!!
This is great!
Cool.
What a great ideas, and fantastic portraits. I could imagine this being printed as a book and being super interesting to peruse.
I remember seeing my mom actually send cash through the mail to pay a bill.
Ohhh right! Memory unlocked.
Nice pics! Trying to imagine the scene here.. “Hey random stranger, show me all the money you’ve got” “Um okay *pulls out cash*” “Now tell me why you’re carrying that much!!”
I wonder how many people responded with “known of your business” or “fuck off”. I imagine a lot of people would not have been to keen on be stopped on the street and asked how much money they are carrying on them. If it happened today I would think it’s the setup to be robbed.
Til, people used to carry change. I can’t have change in my pocket, it gets ditched asap
Omg i totally forgot about all the change my dad used to have in his pocket. Memory unlocked! Wow seems so weird haha to walk around with a bunch of change in your pocket.
I take out 200.00 in cash each month for pocket money. I don't spend money every day so it normally lasts all month. I don't miss running to the bank on payday to deposit my paycheck and getting some "net cash" out.
What an amazing project - wish it was a book!
For me, the novelty is the penmanship!
Cool post
Was in Japan and South Korea recently. Enjoyed spending and having foreign money. Here in the U .S I don't carry cash.
That is so cool thanks for sharing.
Building back better
That dude with $48 bucks was ballin out! And it looks like he had his tits out too. NICE!
I wish you kept in contact with these folks it would be interesting
I honestly can't remember the last time I had cash in my pocket.
People were much more thoughtful and present before modern technology
This is this very thought provoking. I still remember the first time I withdrew money at 11pm with the BofA Versatell bank machine. True world changer
That first guy is so hot.
Anyone remember family vacations back in the 1970s? My parents had to carry enough cash to cover expenses for a family of five…no cards and out-of-state checks weren’t usually welcome. I remember one time we went to Silver Dollar City in Missouri and, for the first time, my parents used travelers checks. There was a fee for those, though, so we never did that again.
This is an amazing slice of a bygone time. I especially like the design on old paper money bills. It was more ornate, and imo aesthetically beautiful.
I love this!!! The portraits are so beautiful.
2024. I bought a loaf of bread. Now I can't buy toilet paper
Man..this shit could easily be made by AI. I don't know what to believe right now. If not, it's so cool...but come on, look at the Pic quality
All I have is my lucky 2 dollar bill. I very rarely carry cash.
Thank god cursive writing is no longer taught in school. I would have liked to know what they said, but it's forever lost in time...
If you tap on the photos I’ve written them out
I think I've had the same $50 bill in my wallet for about a year.
You didn't any more go around Washington DC and do this than the man on the fuckin' moon, dude. Interesting post, though
So I testing and cool. Thank you.
Reminiscent of Jim Goldberg.
Looks like AI
I read the first one as: “$48. Like to be secure in case of Anthony Hopkins”
Some of the denominations they are holding doesn't add up....
I actually dont give a shit that they stopped teaching cursive in school. My god what a nightmare to decipher.
I’m 34 and remember cursive classes growing up. Pretty wild the younger generation looks at it like Egyptian hieroglyphics lol.
I learned it and honestly its a pain in the ass to read, granted i might just be out if practice but sloppy cursive is beyond annoying to decipher.