AD&D Universe
Ed Scholz Notes to Players
Even fairly well off people are not in the greatest shape. The poor can not afford to eat meat, eggs, or rarely have enough clothes to cloth themselves before they ware out completely. Food producers can of course can be poor and have a larger chunk of luxuries (meat, fish and eggs for example) but even a poor farmer may chose to trade their eggs to gain access to needed supplies and pay rent and taxes.
Well off farmers and peasants can be expected to have meat and eggs once a week, and cheese once a month. Again, producers might eat like the rich since they produce their own food - thought this means their stored wealth (food converted to good or metal) goes down - thought often with poor markets it is just better to share and consume your own wealth.
Manufactured goods tend to be quite expensive, but basic inferior barter goods of the same function tend to be fairly easy to trade for assuming they get produced locally. Market goods tend to very expensive, thought better versions. A iron ax rather than one made with chipped and old iron or a copper head for example.
On the extreme end have peasants pulling their own plow (because they can not afford one,) going barefoot, and being very carful with their clothing. However, most communities share the commons; so while most would not own a ox they will share the ox for ploughing, and many of the tools of daily life.
Furthermore, professions where not valued the same as today. 20% of income today goes to food, back in the day 50% went to food (generally, people spend more on food the more they earn, in both time periods.) At certain times in Roman history their was no way for the poor to survive on their income. The Roman state provided subsides allowing the poor to live and buy food - in effect reverse taxation. The middle ages, unconcerned with running large cities and the labour pool that was needed for those cities, allowed the poor to die in large numbers - until a balance and much rural (and some would say-primitive life) was established.
http://edmunds-playersbook.blogspot.ca/
Ed Scholz Notes to Players
Even fairly well off people are not in the greatest shape. The poor can not afford to eat meat, eggs, or rarely have enough clothes to cloth themselves before they ware out completely. Food producers can of course can be poor and have a larger chunk of luxuries (meat, fish and eggs for example) but even a poor farmer may chose to trade their eggs to gain access to needed supplies and pay rent and taxes.
Well off farmers and peasants can be expected to have meat and eggs once a week, and cheese once a month. Again, producers might eat like the rich since they produce their own food - thought this means their stored wealth (food converted to good or metal) goes down - thought often with poor markets it is just better to share and consume your own wealth.
Manufactured goods tend to be quite expensive, but basic inferior barter goods of the same function tend to be fairly easy to trade for assuming they get produced locally. Market goods tend to very expensive, thought better versions. A iron ax rather than one made with chipped and old iron or a copper head for example.
On the extreme end have peasants pulling their own plow (because they can not afford one,) going barefoot, and being very carful with their clothing. However, most communities share the commons; so while most would not own a ox they will share the ox for ploughing, and many of the tools of daily life.
Furthermore, professions where not valued the same as today. 20% of income today goes to food, back in the day 50% went to food (generally, people spend more on food the more they earn, in both time periods.) At certain times in Roman history their was no way for the poor to survive on their income. The Roman state provided subsides allowing the poor to live and buy food - in effect reverse taxation. The middle ages, unconcerned with running large cities and the labour pool that was needed for those cities, allowed the poor to die in large numbers - until a balance and much rural (and some would say-primitive life) was established.
http://edmunds-playersbook.blogspot.ca/
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