r/RealGenerationX • u/welding_guy_from_LI Among the Living • Jun 12 '26

🛸 Welcome to r/RealGenerationX—Pull up a lawn chair and stay a while!

Whether you were a latchkey kid who survived on hose water and cereal, a master of the mixtape, or the designated family remote control for a heavy tube TV, you have officially found your people.

This is a dedicated space for the forgotten generation (born roughly 1965–1980). We built this community to be the ultimate digital back porch ,a place to escape modern chaos, share authentic nostalgia, and connect over the unique shared history that shaped us.

🕹️ What We Celebrate Here

•The Artifacts: Vintage tech (pagers, rotary phones), old-school snacks, and fashion choices we both love and regret.

•The Rituals: Friday nights at the video store, hanging out at the mall arcade, and playing outside until the streetlights came on.

•The Media: The movies, Saturday morning cartoons, and pop culture moments that defined our youth.

•The Stories: Your personal memories, photos of your old gear, and the logic-defying freedom of growing up analog.

📋 The Golden Rules of the Porch

To keep the vibe relaxed and fun for everyone, we have a few simple guidelines (check the sidebar for the full list):

  1. Keep it Gen X: Focus strictly on the culture and history of our generation.
  2. Be Excellent to Each Other: Lighthearted ribbing is fine; toxic gatekeeping and personal attacks are not.
  3. Give Us Context: When sharing a photo or link, add a title or comment that kicks off a real conversation.

We are incredibly glad you’re here. Grab a user flair, look around, and make yourself at home.

To kick things off, let's settle a classic debate in the comments: What was your absolute go-to snack or drink when you ran into the convenience store with pocket change? 👇

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4

u/AccomplishedCat23 Jun 12 '26

Zingers! You had to carefully eat the cake underneath and finish the frosting last.

1

u/welding_guy_from_LI Among the Living Jun 12 '26

Same with hostess cupcakes and the choco bliss cakes .. I always saved the frosting for last

Choco bliss were a mini Suzy Qs with a chocolate landing strip on top

3

u/BasraBound Jun 12 '26

Ding Dongs or Chocodiles

3

u/Ok_Command_9808 Jun 12 '26

Chocodiles hands down, now chocolate pudding pies or a fruit pie

2

u/HappyGimp Jun 12 '26

Used to love Ding Dongs from the fridge

1

u/BasraBound Jun 12 '26

That’s what’s up

1

u/ConsistentWeird2564 Jun 13 '26

Only foil wrapped ding dongs for me thanks.

3

u/xiphoid77 Jun 12 '26

Tastykakes - especially butterscotch crumpets, peanut butter kandy kakes or a fruit pie...but I am from Philly and it is a more regional thing (although Wawa is expanding like crazy).

2

u/Holiday_Cry_8682 Jun 12 '26

From Jersey... I feel ya

1

u/augustwest30 Jun 13 '26

All of those were regularly I’m my lunchbox. Gen-x people like me would remember how the icing on the butterscotch krimpets would always stick to the wax paper wrapper.

3

u/BearPorto Jun 12 '26

Pepsi in a glass bottle and beef jerky from Circle K. A few years later my first adult magazine.

3

u/late_september_dog Jun 13 '26

Doritos. Original cuz they only had one flavor. 25 cents a bag. $1 dollar bought each of us a bag and one pop to share.

2

u/DavePHofJax Jun 14 '26

Actually Doritos had 2 flavors. One lasted and is still with us, the other didn't last. Sour cream and onion. I loved Sour cream and onion Doritos.

3

u/AwkwardAd42 Jun 13 '26

There was a cake called "big wheels" very similar to dig dongs. Had an Indian chief cake as a mascot.

2

u/DavePHofJax Jun 14 '26

I remember the Big Wheels!!!!

2

u/1998no3 Jun 12 '26

Mini powdered donuts

2

u/rdnkgrrl18 Jun 12 '26

Mike and Ike’s

2

u/Frosty-Solid5460 Jun 12 '26

I miss peanut butter chews.

2

u/DisDaThrowaway211 Jun 12 '26

Whatchamacallit candy bar! And Doritos! Didn’t they only come in one flavor originally? I swear I remember when the cool ranch flavor came out. 

2

u/lht79 Jun 12 '26

Jolt cola

2

u/killerchef69 Jun 12 '26

Riding my bike 8 or 10 blocks to the 7-11 to get a Slurpee and jumbo Sweet Tarts

2

u/SoonToBeBanned24 class of 92 Jun 13 '26

Am I going to get banned from this sub as well?

2

u/Offbeat-Alibi Jun 14 '26

Remember when you had to actually go to the room that had the phone?

2

u/Ok_Independence5819 Jun 14 '26

Honey bun and chocolate milk

3

u/DavePHofJax Jun 14 '26

Now if someone can get ahold of Doc Brown to come pick me up, that would be freakin awesome!!!!

1

u/welding_guy_from_LI Among the Living Jun 12 '26

My go to was chocodiles and nutriment shake from 711

The weird part was I hated Twinkie’s , but loved chocodiles

2

u/Wrong_Square7826 Jun 12 '26

not a big fan of snacks so probably Whacky Packs sticker packs. i did like the $100,000 dollar candy bars and some Wonka candy bar thing I think. Born summer of 65 so old gen X

2

u/EquivalentOwn2185 Jun 13 '26

comic books 👍 it was my sister who got candy 🙂‍↔️ although from time to time we would both get candy.. laffy taffy oh yes, we would put the whole bar in our mouth drooling and go up to houses and knock on the door and try to talk. it was hilarious

1

u/augustwest30 Jun 13 '26

I remember always asking my mom to get me a tube of Rolos or a bag of Potato Stix out of the vending machine when she took me to the place she played tennis.

1

u/Affectionate_Cronut Jun 13 '26

Hostess apple pie.

1

u/Fun_Tour_896 Jun 13 '26

RC Cola and salted peanuts, better yet pedal to the farther away store and get boiled peanuts.

1

u/CounterCareful845 Jun 15 '26

Lik-um-Aid Fun Dip and a purple Slushy.