Everyone’s upbringing was different , as everyone’s life is totally unique. That being said, those of similar social circles can share some overarching experiences and themes in their upbringing that allow them to relate to each other later on.
That’s the phenomenon experienced in a Reddit thread where people who grew up poor were asked to share things they associate with wealth.
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For every answer, there were leagues of replies from other people who grew up poor saying they felt the same way.
Matchy matchy.
“Going to a store to pick out furniture. Like, actually buying NEW stuff, not just taking whatever you can find at thrift stores or garage sales. That seems so luxurious!”
“And not just buying new,” added another user, “But buying all new so everything matches. Now that’s wealth.”
Living comfortably.
“There’s a line from Nick in [ New Girl ] that describes being well off as ‘filling your gas tank up all the way rich.’ That was the rich I wanted to be. Comfortable.
“Also not having to do math in the grocery store to see what food you can buy. I hated that. I wanted to just go buy necessities like gas and food without worrying. Proud to say that now I usually fill my gas tank all the way and don’t do math when buying groceries.”
Cruisin’.
“Parents buying a car for your 16th birthday.”
This trope was such a cliché in media back in my childhood, and undoubtedly others’ childhoods too. It’s laughable how infrequently it actually happens, this was a gift for the truly well off!
Pearly whites.
“Regular doctor’s office visits or seeing a dentist at all for anything other than an emergency.”
The replies were filled with people who admitted to not having been to the dentist in years because the price is still too high for them. It’s a shame how many people lack that critical care because they can’t afford it.
A general estimate.
“Not knowing EXACTLY how much money you have at any given time.”
Outside of actually buying things, the way someone handles their money conceptually is usually a pretty good indicator for how much they have. The less they know, the less concerned they are about it.
A three course meal.
“Getting an appetizer and/or dessert at a restaurant in addition to an [entrée].”
“Also when people don’t worry about the price when selecting an [entrée]. I’m hardwired to select one of the cheapest ~3 options and I’m trying to unlearn this behavior now and just order whatever I want the most,” added another response.
Sweeter dreams.
“A new mattress.”
Someone who was able to buy a new mattress for the first time provided their insight, “Best money I spent. Really did research and bought an expensive one personally. King size. It’s easily one of the best things you can buy.”
Moving on up.
“Hiring moving men. Especially if they’re the ones who pack all your [expletive] for you, too. So many times, I would borrow a friend’s pickup (and buy my friend’s help with offers of pizza and beer) to move from one shitty place to another.
“For my most recent move, my wife and I packed everything, but hired professionals to load and unload it. I felt like a king.”
Ice cold comfort.
“Those fridges with the water dispenser on it.”
People elaborated on this to include fridges with ice makers and fridges with screens, all ranking high for appliances that make people seem rich. If it had more than one of those features? The owner must be loaded!
Travel destinations.
“Disneyland, vacations, I thought some kids in elementary were loaded since they always talk about Disneyland or their 8th trip to the Caribbean during their break. Me, I was just excited to go to a different Walmart outside of town.”
One or the other.
“Showing my age but having a shower in your house. Back in the day only people with money had showers, we all only had baths.”
“Funny, it’s reversed now,” noted one reply, “All the affordable places near me have tiny little 2′ by 2′ showers and the rich homes have clawfoot tubs.”
Hired housekeeping.
“Hiring people to either cook, clean, mow the grass or do snow removal in the winter.”
That still feels like a luxury to me! Growing up being used to doing chores like that means I’m equipped and willing to do them in my adult life. Hiring someone else to doesn’t even cross my mind!
A life of freshness.
“Fresh fruit and vegetables. Anything we ever got was frozen or from a can. Frozen and canned last longer too. People that openly had fruit bowls on their tables was the epitome of lavish for me as a kid.”
Wooden luxuries.
“As a kid, I always thought a deck on the back of the house meant that family was loaded. One of my basketball teammates lived in a house where everyone had their own room, it had a deck and had hallways. I thought they were rich as hell.”
Taking note.
“Indifference. I realized what real wealth meant in high school when we cleaned up trash from a creek and the rich kids wore their Polo shirts, Guess jeans, and Jordan’s because if they were trashed they simply would get new. The poor kids wore their grubby clothes they do labor in.
“Wealth is shown most acutely by indifference, nothing matters because money will fix it and there is plenty enough to fill black holes.”
College and beyond.
“I still remember the extreme jealousy I felt towards people whose parents were paying for their college. I had to join the military to get the same financial luxury. Ended up getting deployed to Iraq twice during and immediately after college.”
Sleeping easy.
“Knowing what a duvet cover is and owning one. I remember when my wife and I were newlyweds and she was telling me how we needed a duvet cover for our bed.
“I had no clue what a duvet cover was prior as I always though people just purchase sheets and/or the big ass blankets with the lion/tiger prints. Suffice to say, my mind was blown away.”
Are you sure about that?
“Being able to buy something you need without having to ask yourself how badly you need it.”
Many in the replies resonated with this sentiment, alongside the act of using things until they’re on their last legs before even thinking about replacing them.
Starting young.
“Having the crayons that have the sharpener built into the box.”
There were so many of these small childhood flexes that made the owners feel like the most luxurious kid in their grade! In retrospect, they’re all pretty silly, but they were so real at the time.
Summertime habits.
“Kids that went to summer camp. I got sent to long distant family and worked on family farm.”
This one is about perspective, really. As another user explained, “In my area the poor were getting send to camp, because their mother were working during summer break, while more comfortable one stayed at home with their stay at home mom during summer break.”
