When you grow up with limited money, you look back and realize that the seemingly big things back then—ones that you always considered a luxury—are relatively small now. But that’s not how it felt then!

It just goes to show how much you can stretch a dollar. In one Reddit thread, people who grew up poor share the top things that they always considered a luxury. Here are the most shocking answers.

1. A Soft Drink

   “My Mom had 7 children in 10 years, 1950-1960. I remember having a whole bottle (those smallish glass ones that came out of the machine for 10cents) of soft drink to myself instead of sharing 1 bottle between all 7 of us. I was perhaps 5 years old. I still remember this as the best thing ever.”

2. A Bed

   “Slept on an old futon for about 10 years as a kid. I could feel the metal bars through the mattress. My sister had a double sized bed however. I only got to sleep in a double sized bed once I moved out of my parents place.”

3. A Hot Shower

   “Cold showers were always available, but when you scraped enough cash to get some diesel fuel and get the burner to kick on long enough to have a hot shower man, absolutely nothing better.”

4. Going Places During School Vacation

   “The kids would be all like ‘what!? you’ve never been to xyz amusement park!?’ No, Trisha. My family doesn’t even have a car.’ Which is another luxury to me.”

5. Staying at Someone’s House Who Wasn’t Poor

   “Like a relative or friend. Their house was also so clean, beautiful, pictures on the wall, knick knacks on the counter, and carpet you could play on because it was clean.”

6. Heat

   “Being allowed to turn on the heat during the winter, and also being able to hire a professional to fix broken appliances, plumbing, etc.”

7. Help on Homework

   “Parents can’t do that if they always work 3rd shift. My projects were always notably [worse] than everyone else’s and it’s not like the teachers cared about how much effort I put into them.”

8. New Clothes

   “I grew up pretty poor (no TV, no toys, but had a Sears catalog). My dad got in a serious accident when I was in 4th grade and almost lost his life. He won a small settlement from the community college he was working at and I was able to buy new clothes for the first time in my life. Before this all I ever had were hand me downs from my cousin and donation clothes from the church. Most were worn to the point of having patches on the knees.”

9. Going to the Movies

   “I saw a grand total of, like, three movies at the theater when I was in high school. My classmates would be discussing movies that had just come out and I never knew what to contribute to the conversation because I had not seen them yet. Finally started seeing movies at the theater when I started earning my own money.”

10. Having Breakfast

    “It’s gotten to the point where I can’t eat in the morning because my body is so used to waiting.”

11. Privacy

    “I literally got a door to my bedroom for Christmas one year. It probably still was the best gift I ever received.”

12. A New Winter Coat

    “I don’t remember having a new winter coat until I was probably 14 or 15, they had always been hand-me-downs from my cousins. They were usually at least ten years old by the time I got them and the stuffing would be all clumped up.”

13. Air Conditioning

    “Sometimes we had a jacked up old window unit that would cool down my parents room on the hottest of summer nights and we would sleep in sleeping bags on their floor. Sometimes it was broke. Sometimes it just wasn’t hot enough to justify running it. Never during the day though, that’s what the library was for.”

14. Going Out to Eat

    “We got to eat out five times a year, for everyone’s birthdays. I chose Pizza Hut for the endless dessert bar.”

15. Brand-Name Cereal

    “Every time I saw Reeses puffs on top of the fridge, I knew tomorrow was gonna be a good day.”