There is more stuff, but it's also cheaper. It's possible that all of the "essential" stuff now costs less in percentage of income than all of what was considered essential then cost then.

There are actually very few goods and services that objectively increase your productivity or quality of life. Almost all of them were already mentioned in this thread. The rest are bought for social status or out of delusion.

Edit: I am only talking about things that are bought by general public. If you are rich, there are certainly worthwhile things to spend your money on, like travel.