[oldE]

Having many children:
Gaijin made a good point. Another couple are:
Infant mortality. Those graveyards of even 80 yeaqrs ago have what we would consider a shocking number of children and infants dead from scarlet fever, diptheria and influenza.
If they lived, they helped out on the farm and became the family's social safety net.

Clothes represented a greater proportion of a family income in days gone by. Those clothes a person had had to be well made if they were to last. Yes, the wealthy could afford 'finery'.

The rich also had a greater incidence of lifestyle desease such as gout. Then as now, inactivity and diet could lead to medical problems.
Yes, processed foods are readily available and relatively cheap. On the other hand, if one does not mind a 'boring diet', you don't have to pay more for good food. Be prepared, however to prepare and cook a lot of it yourself. That in itself is a skill lost in many households.

Les