It depends where you're talking about. In America, things were okay on the mainland.
Life was hard and money was tight.
Chingeeensumadre
Portia Faces Life.
a daily life of a jewish girl in poland 1942
JADASHEYA
That could be nylon
He collects typewriters
Cars were fairly common at this point. In Germany they were working hard on the Volkswagon, or 'people's car'. There are lots of great sites about the 1940s. It won't be too difficult to look up some more about this era.
Women in the 1940s and 1950s set their hair in pin curls (with bobby pins) or in foam or hard rollers. This produced full curls, often brushed carefully to roll under around the face.
The Hard Life was created in 1961.
The Hard Life has 157 pages.
Pretty much the same but we have more lights and stuff and the internet :)