Is it realistic back in 1970 that Mike was able to support a stay-at-home wife, six kids, and a housekeeper on an architect's salary?
shareI think it is possible. Mike was a very good and successful architect. I would imagine he was making what amounts to over $150.000 in today's money.
God created the domestic cat so that humans could know what it's like to caress the tiger
Maybe they were living off of the residuals from the laundry soap commercial.
shareArchitects make good money. And everything was cheaper back then.
shareYou don't realize that the nation's economy was still based on a one-income salary. There weren't that many married women in the workforce at that time.
Al - Alicia
An - Andrew
Jo - Joseph
Be - Benjamin
Inflation adjusted, the biggest economic difference was housing. Housing was much more affordable to everyone across the board back then compared to today.
share[deleted]
It is possible, considering the times. The kids (gasp!) shared rooms! Imagine that? He didn't need an 8 bedroom home so every kid could have their own bedroom (plus the master and maid's bedrooms) Kids did share bedrooms at one time and manage to grow up with no permanent damage at all! Today, each kid would have to have their own bedroom, their own computer, A TV with video game system in their room, etc. They would never help and do chores, too fragile these days.
shareThat's a good point. It was only a 3-bedroom house with two bathrooms, (assuming the one behind the stairs is a bathroom), and an ensuite.
The maid's quarters, where Alice slept, is a very small room in every house I've been to which had it.
I am guessing that even though they were never shown, there were more bathrooms.I am sure there must have been one in the master bedroom. And Alice, surely had her own, but her room seemed to be off the kitchen. Yes, the door behind the stairs is supposed to be a bathroom. In a Very Brady Christmas, The two grandsons asked where the bathroom was, Peter sent them to the den on purpose, because his girlfriend wanted to know what it was like to have a big family.Then, Cindy told them it was the other door.
shareThere are 3 instances that I can think of where it was indicated that Mike and Carol had their own bathroom:
1. Unknown episode name - Mike comes out from the wall behind their bed brushing his teeth, and IIRC, he has a small towel over his shoulder as well.
2. In the "exact words" episode, Carol tells Greg that Mike is taking a shower.
3. In "Getting Greg's Goat," Greg follows the goat into the bathroom and comes out with the shower curtain wrapped around him as he flails about comically Carol screams something like, "That's my good shower curtain!!"
It is possible, considering the times. The kids (gasp!) shared rooms! Imagine that?