ABSTRACT
This chapter about working-class families is inspired by the consumer-history approach in working-class history and in urban history. It presents a case study of the town of Drammen, the fifth largest town in Norway in 1900, illustrating how members of working-class families used their income in order to understand what kind of buying and spending was considered a luxury. It explores which consumer goods were considered commonly affordable and which goods were considered luxuries, which kinds of eating, drinking, and smoking habits were seen as luxuries by workers and what was regarded as luxurious in housing arrangements. It also asks whether hard-working families could pay for cultural activities, sports and entertainment when they had to spend nearly half their income on food. This study examines the portions of family incomes spent on food and what was left for other purposes, such as housing, transportation and leisure activities; in addition it explores the distinct gender differences in these purchases.
