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What era or region of living are you talking about?
I don't know anyone who was an average person who worked an average job and lived comfortably while supporting their family. Average employment has always meant barely making ends meet for many - often the hard work of both spouses was necessary to make ends meet without beig able to afford luxuries. And they definitely weren't making enough to live comfortably and to take an actual vacation.
I grew up in Dearborn, Michigan home of the Ford Motor Company. Most of the men on my street either worked for Fords or for suppliers for auto companies. They had nice houses built after the war, could buy a new care every five or six years, feed and clothe their families (which had a lot more kids then than families today), could have wives stay at home and live on one income and even educate their kids in private schools - at least the Catholic families did.
These were all men who worked in manufacturing jobs and wore work clothes, left with metal lunch boxes in the dark in the morning and came home dirty in the evening.
Every summer we went on vacation to a camping village called Camp Dearborn and lived in army barracks type tents for a week or two and thought we were on the French Riveria since they had two lakes and even a swimming pool. My father could have four kids and do this and live in dignity because he was a union member in a union shop.