A lot of things we barely think twice about buying today were once serious luxuries. Televisions, cameras, spices, and even everyday foods could cost far more than the average person could easily afford. New technology, mass production, and easier transportation eventually brought many of those prices way down. Here are 30 things that went from expensive purchases to surprisingly cheap ones.
Watches
Keeping extremely precise time was once a problem important enough for the British government to put a huge reward behind solving it. John Harrison’s marine clocks helped sailors calculate longitude, while a basic digital watch today can keep remarkably accurate time for very little money. Something that once represented cutting-edge engineering eventually became an everyday accessory.
Ice
Before refrigerators and freezers, getting ice in warm weather was an actual logistical operation. Blocks had to be harvested in cold places, stored and shipped elsewhere, creating an entire ice trade. Now most households can make a tray of it without giving the cost a second thought.
Aluminum
It is hard to picture a soda can as a luxury object, but aluminum was once considered a precious metal. The Washington Monument was even topped with aluminum at a time when producing the metal was far more difficult. Cheaper refining methods eventually turned it into one of the most ordinary materials around us.
Paint Brushes
A good brush once depended on natural animal hair, which made producing one more costly. Synthetic fibers gave manufacturers a much cheaper alternative and made basic brushes accessible to almost anyone. Natural sable and other specialty brushes still exist, but you no longer need one just to paint something.
Amethyst
For centuries, amethyst belonged in much more prestigious company than its modern price might suggest. It was counted among the major precious gemstones until large deposits were discovered in South America in the 19th century.
Oranges
An orange in a Christmas stocking sounds almost comically modest now, but that was once a genuine treat. Imported tropical and subtropical fruits could be expensive and difficult to obtain, particularly for families living far from where they grew. Modern transportation and food distribution have made oranges an ordinary supermarket purchase.
Bananas
Bananas have undergone a similar transformation as oranges. People in the source recalled generations for whom getting one was unusual enough to be remembered as a special occasion, including one story of two bananas being given as a birthday present. Today they are among the most familiar fruits in grocery stores.
Sugar
There was a time when sugar was valuable enough to be tied to enormous global trading networks. Producing it and transporting it across long distances kept it beyond the reach of many ordinary people. Mass production eventually turned sugar into something cheap enough to appear in practically every pantry.
Pineapples
Pineapples were once much harder and more expensive to get, especially far from the places where they were grown. That scarcity helped turn them into a symbol of wealth and hospitality. Today, they’re a routine supermarket fruit that costs only a few dollars.
Calculators
Calculators were once expensive pieces of new technology rather than something every student carried around. Early basic models could cost hundreds of dollars despite doing little more than addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Now you can buy one for a few dollars, assuming you even need one when there’s already a calculator on your phone.
Digital Cameras
Early digital cameras were expensive despite producing images that would look terrible by today’s standards. As sensors and electronics became cheaper, image quality improved while prices came down. Now even a basic smartphone has a camera that would have seemed remarkable a few decades ago.
GPS Navigation
Getting turn-by-turn satellite navigation in your car once meant buying a dedicated GPS unit. Those devices could cost hundreds of dollars and required separate map updates. Today Google Maps, Apple Maps, and similar services put GPS navigation on almost any smartphone for free.
Encyclopedias
A complete encyclopedia set could be a major household purchase. Families bought dozens of heavy volumes to have a reference library sitting at home, and updated editions meant buying new books. Most of that information can now be found online within seconds.
Music
Building a large music collection used to mean buying every album individually on vinyl, cassette, or CD. Even digital downloads initially kept the idea of paying for individual songs alive. Streaming subscriptions now provide access to millions of tracks for roughly the old price of a single album each month.
Books
Books had to be copied by hand before the printing press, making each volume the product of enormous amounts of labor. Owning a substantial collection was therefore something few ordinary people could manage. Mass printing eventually turned books into everyday objects that can cost less than lunch.
Mirrors
Large, clear mirrors were once difficult and expensive to manufacture. Wealthy households displayed them partly because owning a good one could itself be a sign of status. Modern manufacturing makes full-length mirrors cheap enough to sell in discount stores.
Porcelain
European collectors once paid enormous amounts for genuine Chinese porcelain. For centuries, European manufacturers couldn’t figure out exactly how to reproduce the hard, delicate material themselves. Modern ceramics production has turned porcelain dishes into something you can find at practically any home-goods store.
Recorded Video
Making your own video used to require a dedicated camera, tapes, batteries, and other equipment. Editing it meant buying even more hardware or gaining access to professional facilities. A cheap smartphone now handles recording, editing, and sharing in one device.
International Messaging
Sending a message overseas once meant paying postage or steep telecommunications charges and potentially waiting days or weeks for a reply. Even early mobile texting could carry per-message fees. Messaging apps now let people send text, photos, voice notes, and videos around the world for virtually nothing.
Scanners
Turning a physical document into a digital file once required specialized hardware that could be fairly expensive. Standalone scanners became cheaper over time before being built directly into inexpensive home printers. Now a phone camera can handle many of the jobs that once required one.
Weather Forecasts
Detailed weather information once depended on newspapers, radio, television, or specialized services. Getting precise forecasts for another city wasn’t necessarily something an ordinary person could do instantly. A free weather app now provides hourly forecasts, radar, maps, and alerts for locations around the world.
Color TVs
A color TV could take a serious bite out of a family’s budget when the technology was new. Prices gradually fell as color sets became standard and manufacturers produced them on a much larger scale. Now basic TVs cost surprisingly little considering their size and picture quality.
Personal Computers
Buying a home computer was once a major financial decision. Early machines offered tiny amounts of memory and processing power while still costing substantial sums. Far more capable laptops can now be found at entry-level prices.
USB Flash Drives
Portable digital storage used to be something worth carefully keeping track of. Early flash drives offered a tiny amount of space for a relatively high price, while capacity increased rapidly over the following decades. Today a drive holding hundreds of gigabytes can cost just a few bucks.
Answering Machines
Missing a phone call used to create an entire market for another piece of electronics. Families bought answering machines, blank tapes, and sometimes separate accessories just to record messages. Voicemail eventually made the standalone machine unnecessary.
Walkie-Talkies
Portable two-way radios once belonged mainly to professionals, hobbyists, and people willing to spend money on specialized equipment. Consumer versions eventually became cheap enough to sell as children’s toys.
Luggage
Strong travel trunks were once substantial purchases built to survive years of use. Synthetic fabrics, plastics, and large-scale manufacturing made lightweight suitcases much cheaper. A rolling carry-on can now cost less than many of the things packed inside it.
Headphones
Personal headphones started as specialized audio equipment rather than an accessory people owned several pairs of. Mass-produced speakers and electronics eventually pushed basic models into the single-digit price range. Some airlines and businesses even hand them out.
Cellphones
Early mobile phones could cost thousands of dollars and were mostly used by people who could justify the expense. They got smaller and cheaper as cellular networks expanded. Basic phones can now be bought for a tiny fraction of those early prices.
Light Bulbs
Electric lighting itself began as an expensive new technology. Mass production eventually made bulbs cheap enough to replace without a second thought. Modern LEDs also last dramatically longer than the incandescent bulbs people once changed regularly.
