My father worked shifts at a steel mill, too. When his truck's starter crapped, my mother, my brother and I pushed it down the street to bump-start it. We did it for a week until he had time off to replace it. (That was a '64 GMC, and turned out to be my first "car").
On Saturdays, we'd go shopping. Groceries, clothes, shoes, whatever we needed. I always chose a Matchbox or Hot Wheels car if I could buy anything.
I remember when:
- garbage was picked up by two men hanging off the back of a truck.
- sirens were mechanical devices, and sounded like an air-raid signal.
- the welding shop had a forge and a selection of anvils.
- radiators were made of copper and brass.
- firemen were hetero.
- cops had to be male and a minimum 5' 10''.
- people used their phones to TALK.
- Used oil was spread over gravel roads.
- scavenging at the landfill was encouraged.
- I saw a bathtub gel-coated in lime green metalflake.
- home movies were family films, on film.
- crack was only harmful to your mother's back.
- neighbors looked out for each other, not themselves.
- you couldn't get air conditioning or power steering in a truck, and you could walk beside it in low gear.
- the farmer's market actually had farmers.
- service industries provided service.
- people were adequately competent to hold their position.
- you phoned a business or office, and you spoke to somebody.
- gasoline had lead in it, and didn't smell like toxic waste.
- you could buy 5 gallons of aviation fuel if you had cash and a proper container.
- taking public transportation wasn't a survival expedition.