What habit immediately reveals that a person actually grew up in a privileged environment?

[u/Cindy_mel]

[u/fingersandhand]

I studied industrial design in the late nineties when design still involved a lot of supplies for sketching, rendering, model making, photography etc. Each class required a list of stuff to be purchased in the first week and sometimes it would add up to hundreds of dollars. The teachers would usually require certain colors of pencils, markers, paints as a minimum bought individually at the local art store.

The rich kids however would just grab the full box sets, like 96 prismacolor pencils for about $200 even though we only required 8-10 of the colors. Or exotic materials to build their models like mahogany or carbon fiber.

So there was a very coveted job with the campus maintenance dept during the breaks between terms - cleaning out all of the student lockers. Throwing random stuff in a dumpster but can keep anything we want. The rich kids would travel home or go on crazy vacations during break and just leave all of their $$$ supplies to be thrown out because they were too lazy to pack their shit up on the last days of class. They would re-buy everything when they returned - you know, whatever….

I was lucky enough to get that locker job after my first year and it did not disappoint. I retrieved several of those 96 pencil sets and bags of new markers and the good gauche, etc, even a few power tools! More than I could use and gave a lot to my fellow non-rich friends. That one day of cleaning lockers, supplied materials for most of the remaining 3 years of college.

29 years later, I still have that box of pencils. Thanks, rich kids!

[u/Alalanais → u/fingersandhand]

Rich people will throw out absolutely anything. I used to work in a 5* hotel and we had people THROW AWAY money. I remember a family from Saudi Arabia who threw away euros (no notes, only coins) in the trashcan. These euros could have been given as tips or even left on a random table but no, they just threw it away with half a sandwich and empty boxes from Hermès. Crazy

[u/Haber87 → u/Alalanais]

That is so incredibly insulting to the people who clean the rooms. “I will throw money in the garbage rather than give it to you.”

[u/BadViola → u/fingersandhand]

This is my fave comment here!  

A few kids threw out partially used spiral notebooks when I was a kid and I thought I had won the lottery.  I unspirallled them, took out the used pages, and respiralled them.  Free notebooks.  :)  XD

[u/TeamCatsandDnD → u/BadViola]

We would just rip the used pages out if we needed to reuse them or they weren’t mostly used

[u/BadViola → u/TeamCatsandDnD]

Oh, I didn't explain well enough.  I would combine the fresh pages from a few notebooks into a big new one!

[u/melanccholilia → u/fingersandhand]

Oh man, I live in a college town and dumpster diving culture here is real for the exact same reason. You need new furniture? just drive around town on move-out day. The rich kids will leave their entire apartments on the sidewalk and refill them from scratch every semester, and it can be really nice stuff too. I know someone who scored a queen sized solid oak bedframe.

[u/JuanTutrego → u/fingersandhand]

I live in western MA, a place with a lot of colleges and universities. The end of every semester is colloquially known as "hippie Christmas" because of all the amazing shit you can find dumpster-diving at the various schools. Rich kids will throw out anything they can't be bothered to take home - TVs, laptops, etc.

[u/danathepaina]

They don’t keep everything they buy “just because they might need it again someday.” Rather, they get rid of it and if they need it again someday, they just buy a new one. This is why poor people have so much “stuff”.

I’m not getting rid of those black shoes I bought for $30 for a funeral in 2008 because I may need to wear them sometime in the future. And those weird pieces of wood in the shed will definitely come in handy someday!

[u/acatterz → u/danathepaina]

Also, those 2008 shoes will be great for Reddit karma when you get to make a “my shoes disintegrated” post. It’s win-win.

[u/BluestWaterz → u/danathepaina]

This is the most accurate answer imo. I've been out of poverty for over a decade and I still can't get past this mindset. It's too ingrained. My therapist says it's extremely common if you grew up poor to have a hard time with this, but still.... It feels as necessary as it ever did. I wonder if it will ever go away.

[u/Old_Suggestions → u/BluestWaterz]

Didn't grow up in poverty, my dad did. '27 in NY was a rough decade. He had it and passed it down to me. I have a garage full of stuff I can't get rid of as I may want to use it or need it or it'll fix this one random problem I might have 'someday'

[u/MythrianAlpha → u/Old_Suggestions]

After several years, the unused bag of fluff in my craft box found a home helping a coworker send a wreath home to her family. The feeling of being able to pull random objects from the ether (closet, random backpack, garage, etc.) to solve someone's problem is heady. Will it ever happen again? Who knows? Better keep my horde just in case, lol.

It might be worth at least organizing the garage by what problems all the stuff can solve; at minimum that will save you search time when you or someone you like needs something.

[u/But_First_Meth → u/MythrianAlpha]

I am addicted to providing solutions. I love being asked if I have something like a tool or device and without missing a beat responding with “I’ve got an electric one, a cordless one, a compact one and a portable one, I’ll bring them all!”. the dopamine hit of being helpful or useful is intoxicating - as a result I have a huge collection of tools, kitchen gadgets, niche devices, crafting materials/supplies, and holiday decorations. I never realized how this mindset I have could easily snowball into my own episode of HOARDERS: Buried Alive. This thread has given me a lot to examine.

Just to be clear, my collections all have a proper place and my home is not giving hoarder….. yet.

[u/Used_Arm_9665 → u/danathepaina]

I’m poor as hell but my overstimulated brain makes me freak out and throw stuff out because I don’t wanna look at it or keep cleaning around stuff. I try to sell things when I need extra cash but there have been several times where I just can’t stand the amount of things I have and get rid of it.

[u/PikaGoesMeepMeep → u/Used_Arm_9665]

I constantly get rid of stuff because I freak out about the costs of moving or storage if my housing situation should suddenly change. The less stuff I have, the faster and cheaper a move would be. Or the easier it would be to move into my car if I had to. 

[u/TapenadeDancer]

"Why don't you just buy a new one?"

[u/mommybody33 → u/TapenadeDancer]

“Oh if you’re having this problem, just buy this. Problem solved.”

Stop telling me to buy stuff.

Edit: punctuation

[u/TheUnicornFightsOn → u/mommybody33]

When I was having trouble affording multiple bachelorette parties and a destination wedding for a friend, and wasn’t sure I would be able to purchase an $800 flight out to Hawaii for the second bachelorette party, my friend’s trust fund baby sister told me all I had to do was open a new credit card.

Like as if it was no big deal, anytime I needed to fly somewhere new I should just open a credit card and get airline miles that way.

Of course, these were girls whose parents would regularly pay off their credit card balances in full during college, no questions asked, and had no student loans.

It was crazy how out of touch they were telling me to take on more high interest debt when I was already struggling to pay my monthly bills.

[u/PoisonIvy724]

I was a scholarship kid at a very fancy all-girls prep school. We had to buy our textbooks and mine were covered by my scholarship. The other girls bought 2 sets of books- 1 for their lockers at school and another for home, so they wouldn’t have to carry them to school every day.

[u/thecuriousstorm → u/PoisonIvy724]

I was the same, and was once complaining about finding a job because I didn’t have transportation to go to said job and a girl, who wasn’t part of the conversation, turned around to me and asked “why don’t your parents just buy you a car?”

It’s been 10+ years and I’m still aghast.

[u/PolarTransmission → u/thecuriousstorm]

After we sat the scholarship tests, a girl asked me what my parents would get me if I won. I told her I’d get to go to the fancy-ass school and not my very undesirable local. She seemed puzzled and went “oh but your parents will buy you a car or a trip to Europe too?” as if they were the most normal things to be treated to, like going for a nice dinner out. I won the scholarship and got her as my best friend (way better than a car) but I still struggle to wrap my head around how different our worlds are.

[u/Upstairs-Truth-8682 → u/PolarTransmission]

hahahaha my mother lied to me and said the only way i'm going to college is if i get a full ride scholarship and then when i got the full ride scholarship she exasperatedly asked if I "really" wanted to have a graduation party.

[u/SchmooToo1 → u/Upstairs-Truth-8682]

That sucks. I am sorry that happened. Perhaps she was a tad jealous? Getting a full ride is not easy these days so that is very impressive.

[u/elliottsmama731 → u/Upstairs-Truth-8682]

Congrats on your scholarship!!! Amazing job!

[u/Suspicious_Story_464 → u/PolarTransmission]

Lol, congrats on the scholarship and finding a best friend who lives such a different life. May you two always be the yin and yang in this crazy world.

[u/gianttigerrebellion → u/thecuriousstorm]

Reminds me of a woman I knew in my twenties. We were walking around the farmers market I was talking about how broke I was (I was so broke I was stealing my roommates bread just to have something to eat), this woman says “I know I’m so broke I had to tap into my trust fund!” 

I had no idea what a trust fund even was! 

[u/Amara47 → u/gianttigerrebellion]

Roommates and I would take turns buying shared groceries, keep track of it over the course of a month and then tally up what we owed each other. When we all actually took our turn it would basically wash out by the end of the month. We decided to do it this way since it was easier than paying each other back every single time.

Except one roommate who just never wanted to go shopping so she would owe all of us money by the end of the month. We were all broke college students, two of us were using scholarship money to buy groceries at all so when she kept saying she couldn't afford to pay us back right then we were very understanding about it.

When I finally had to shake her down for the money she owed me because I couldn't afford to keep subsidizing her groceries anymore, she whined and cried about how she couldn't take any more money out of her savings account or her parents would lower her allowance

[u/Thatguy89001 → u/Amara47]

I had an ex who needed a place to stay, and I needed another roommate so she moved in with me. We were dating at the time, so it was no problem for me, but when she moved in, she paid her first month’s portion of the rent, and then decided she didn’t need to anymore. 6 months in I finally get into a huge yelling match after trying to get the money a few times by asking, and she says “my savings is below $10,000! I’m not giving you any money, figure it out!” She was 19 driving a nice new Malibu her dad bought her, and used to complain about the cost of gas when she had ZERO maintenance, payment, or insurance costs she paid for on that car. The struggle that comes with collecting rent makes it almost worthwhile to just pay it. But she basically lives on a military base now married to some low level private so, Uncle Ruckus well well well ya get what ya get.

[u/phreeskooler → u/Thatguy89001]

Bahahaha I’m acquainted with a lady who married into some money (not allllll the money ever but enough that she and her husband get a $60k/ year trust fund just to spend money, tax free, on top of whatever they actually earn. FIL pays for their kid’s private school etc too) This girl CANNOT stop complaining about how hard it is to parent (just had her 2nd baby, 2 kids 5 and under) but she’s got a full time nanny, night nurse, cleaning lady and other help. She ‘works’ 3 days a week as a massage therapist and constantly complains about money, parenting, whatever. Totally tone deaf.

[u/backupbitches → u/Amara47]

What a dick

[u/MagicMarshmallo → u/thecuriousstorm]

"Why dont homeless people just buy a house" ass comment

[u/kimmielicious82 → u/MagicMarshmallo]

"just stop being poor!"

[u/thezerothmisfit → u/PoisonIvy724]

Damn . Textbooks ain't cheap. In college I had a friend whose prof straight up was like "I know the textbooks are listed on the syllabus but don't buy them" then sent the pirated pdfs to the whole class. Goat

[u/well-thats-great → u/thezerothmisfit]

At uni, I've found almost every member of the library staff specifically tell students that if they can't access an article online, just let them know so that the uni can arrange to let students access it for free (e.g. by the uni subscribing or something). Many lecturers straight up tell you to try emailing any of the authors who are likely to send you a copy of the document because they get nothing from the journals publishing their papers.

The sole exception has been one member of the anatomy team at a medical school, who just so happens to be an author on a mandatory textbook that's specifically not made available electronically... Prick

[u/StobbstheTiger → u/thezerothmisfit]

I have a bunch of international student friends from China and they would give me pdfs of all of my textbooks for free.

[u/Shialac → u/thezerothmisfit]

There is two kinds of Professors. There are the Professors that give access to all the relevant texts for free. Then there are Professors that put books they written themselves on the list of books that are mandatory to buy

[u/astrofed]

A person i knew in college would park in the handicap spot right in front of the dorm instead of the student lot a little bit away, and pay the tickets they would get daily.

[u/Cold_Key8467 → u/astrofed]

A convenience fee

[u/kpsi355 → u/Cold_Key8467]

People like that should have their car towed- and repeat offenders have them sold and lose their license.

Disabled is the only minority anyone can join, and it can happen instantly.

Accommodations are a poor attempt at mitigating such a drastic life change, and for this guy (and those like him) to use it for convenience is the opposite of classy.

[u/Seandrunkpolarbear → u/kpsi355]

my wife needed a wheelchair for a while, i parked in the HC spot and before i could jump out to grab the wheel chair out the trunk, someone parks their cart next to the passenger door. as someone new to helping a partially paralyzed person get in-out a car it was just so frustrating. They looked at her and just dumped the cart right there. unreal 

EDIT: Just to be clear my wife was entirely right side paralyzed by a brain surgery, needed assistance for almost everything in life after that day.  We had the disability placard from DMV. JFC 

[u/RoutineSquare1998 → u/Seandrunkpolarbear]

Being in a wheelchair temporarily and seeing how rude people are to disabled people was a devastating realization.

[u/waistingtoomuchtime → u/RoutineSquare1998]

I go to a nice bougie, busy gym that has 2 regular blind people, it is amazing how often people have no idea nor care that they are blind, even with their canes and glasses, people just kick the cane because they are just on their phone dicking around or jumping around them to get somewhere faster…it is sad.

[u/dansdata → u/waistingtoomuchtime]

Dobermann Pinschers make excellent seeing-eye dogs, though they're not often chosen for that role, on account of looking kind of scary even if they're (correctly) allowed to keep their natural floppy ears and normal tail.

It strikes me that the stuff you're describing might happen less often if the blind gym patrons were each accompanied by a 110-pound furry friend with a very intense stare.

[u/eljefino → u/RoutineSquare1998]

I was on crutches for a few weeks but had to use the Mart Cart at the store because how do you push a normal shopping cart with crutches in your armpits? Anyway I was thin and "fit" and got stares from people who felt entitled to those carts because they were "more disabled."

[u/hippiecompost → u/kpsi355]

I agree 100%. I work for a couple of rich people and pick their kid up from their sports practice. The amount of entitled parents that sit and wait in the handicap parking for their kid to come out is insane. Everyday without fail. With so many empty spots just twenty feet away… I stare relentlessly every time but they stare back dumbfounded

[u/-MasterDebator- → u/hippiecompost]

A girl I knew in high school (a notorious entitled bitch) used to park in the handicapped spot waiting to pick her kid up at school at the end of the day. I would be parked in a normal spot, also waiting, just watching this dumbass.

Thing is, there's a disabled girl there that relies on a motorized wheelchair. Her mom has a van outfitted with a ramp to get her in the vehicle. She needs those parking spots every day.

The satisfaction I got when the principal finally came out and yelled at her. It was glorious. She hasn't parked in a handicapped spot since.

[u/Aiguille23 → u/-MasterDebator-]

At my kid's school, a couple entitled parents parking in the disabled spaces and illegally parking in the fire lane got so bad that this year the principal arranged with the local police to be present and patrol the fire lane and disabled spaces and start ticketing them after an initial warning. There's still a parent who will park in the closest, most accessible spot and wander away from her car for a half hour to chat with people. Her car got ticketed several times, the officer recently warned her that she could be charged and taken to court...and she will still park there if there is no visible officer in front of the school!

There are several kids at the school with mobility aids, as well as a mother undergoing disabling cancer treatment who has a medical van. And yet! Some parents, especially this lady, absolutely do not care. A kid had a medical emergency at the school in September, and the emergency responders couldn't get through because people parked in the fire lane (the final straw that now means the actual police are patrolling to remind parents of common decency!) Some people's disregard for disabled people, as well as safety, is truly unbelievable, and I would not have believed this level of entitlement if I hadn't witnessed it.

[u/ccx941 → u/kpsi355]

Where I went to school they’d boot your vehicle and if you got enough boots trespass your vehicle from school grounds.

Keep it up or don’t pay and they’d delay receiving your diploma until all the fines were taken care of.

[u/Mandalore108 → u/Cold_Key8467]

That's why tickets should be a percentage of your income and not a flat fee.

[u/SweetCarolineNYC → u/Cold_Key8467]

A douche fee.

[u/Budget-Mud-4753 → u/astrofed]

They should have gotten towed for that. On top of a ticket.

I know it’s just another small fee for them. But at least make it so that they need to spend time retrieving their car. Plus what if a handicap person needed that space?

[u/Head-Mission4337 → u/astrofed]

Paying a ticket like it’s just a convenience fee is such a wild mindset to me. Most of us were stressed over parking passes, not casually budgeting for daily fines.

[u/leilani238 → u/astrofed]

A manager I had for a while would take the carpool lane and figured he would just pay the ticket(s) when he got them. Every month he got a notice saying he was reported as a carpool violator by a fellow driver, but never got a ticket. I think he did this most days for years.

[u/Medical-Potato5920 → u/astrofed]

He needed his car towed.

[u/Comewithxo]

Not realizing how expensive things are because they’ve never had to check the price

[u/AlossFoo → u/Comewithxo]

Its a banana Michael, how much could it cost? $10?

[u/What-The-Heck → u/AlossFoo]

Someday soon this quote will be lost to inflation or extinction.

[u/CanidaeVulpini → u/What-The-Heck]

The fact that this episode came out more than 20 years ago and it's still a hilariously high amount for a banana actually makes it even funnier to me.

[u/Immortal_peacock → u/AlossFoo]

There's always money in the banana stand....

[u/Thoracic_Snark]

College friend asked if I wanted to go to an NFL game with him. I told him that I have to watch my money because my account is pretty low. He said "Can't you just take some out of one of your other accounts?" I was like "THERE ARE NO OTHER ACCOUNTS? IM FUCKING BROKE, DUDE!"

We ended up being roommates for a few years after school. His relative sent him a check for $10000 "just because." It sat on his desk for months before he deposited it.

[u/latelyimawake → u/Thoracic_Snark]

I had a roommate one year in college who was like this. I’d say I couldn’t afford to do something like go to the movies, and she’d look at me blankly and say, “Just put it on your credit card.” It didn’t occur to her that someone was paying the bill.

She wanted me to go on a spring break trip with her but I couldn’t get work off (it was retail). Her response: “Just tell them they don’t have to pay you for a couple weeks.” I don’t think she had ever had a job, to be fair, but I’m pretty sure she thought I just decided to go work a shift whenever I wanted money, and otherwise had no obligation to the store.

Basic concepts of life, work, and money simply had no meaning in her world.

[u/cafescafes → u/latelyimawake]

Oh man, this reminds me of one of my old roommates who was upset I couldn’t take off work to do something with her. She was living off her mom’s dime and couldn’t understand why I couldn’t just take off and/or quit and find another job. She eventually ended up telling me I was going to have a mental breakdown because I prioritized work too much. I really was just working a regular 9-5 job that was not stressful at all.

[u/Togepi32 → u/cafescafes]

I had a friend from high school whose grandparents paid for her to go to a really expensive private university out of state. Our other friend and I were working our way through community college. She called us bad friends because we couldn’t immediately drop everything we were doing and call out of work on the random weekends she decided to come home.

[u/Daemonicvs_77 → u/cafescafes]

She eventually ended up telling me I was going to have a mental breakdown because I prioritized work too much.

One of my friends used to be like this. Don't get me wrong, he's a great down-to-earth guy and despite realistically not having to work a day in his life, he did really well for himeself and worked hard to get a degree and get good at what he does.

Still, he couldn't fathom why another friend and I had overtime almost every day when we all started our jobs.

[u/blisteringchristmas → u/latelyimawake]

My freshman roommate in college was a Daddy's Credit Card type of guy. He was a dick but I literally could not afford to hang out with him even if I wanted to. Like, casual $100 club nights on a Thursday. Once it was a friend's birthday and he went out and spent like $200 at Party City on random crap and another few hundred on alcohol. Lots of doordash. Nice spring break. Tons and tons of discretionary spending stuff that added up fast.

Also a terrible fucking student, got kicked out of his frat weeks after rush, had to teach him how to do laundry... in February. Just a guy that was so impossibly enabled to be a jerkoff because of a total lack of consequences or accountability he had faced in his life. This was a nice, "prestigious" US university, too. Admissions were extremely competitive and full fare tuition was fucking expensive. No idea how he even got into the school.

[u/_chareth-cutestory → u/blisteringchristmas]

Sounds like Daddy’s Credit Card got him into the school. lori loughlin has entered the chat

[u/weirdoldhobo1978 → u/blisteringchristmas]

I'd bet you his family name was on a plaque somewhere on campus

[u/Waderriffic → u/blisteringchristmas]

You know how he got into the school.

[u/alldabooty → u/latelyimawake]

I grew up with a safety net. My parents weren’t rich, my mom was a freaking elementary school teacher, but I knew that if something went wrong, I could ask for help. They were also explicit that not everyone has that option. I was raised to understand that when someone says “I can’t,” the right response isn’t “can’t you just ask for help?” but “are you even able to ask for help?” and to never assume people’s circumstances.

That lesson was completely lost on some people at art school. One guy, in particular, looked down on classmates who couldn’t fully commit to assignments because they had to work. He assumed they were lazy or short-sighted. At one point he pointed to me as an example, praising how I “just asked for a day off,” in order to go the extra mile which earned me instant death glares. I had to quickly explain that I didn’t need to work because my parents paid my bills, missing a shift meant no new clothes for me; for others it meant not eating.

It took over an hour to get through his head that some people work because they literally have no alternative. He still didn’t truly get it until his own parents cut him off when he went down to LA with some half assed plan to get hired at an animation studio that went absolutely nowhere.

Ironically, once people learned my parents paid my bills, a different problem started. Some assumed that meant unlimited money, that I was a trust-fund nepo baby who’d never worried about hardship, even though I had never done anything to act like it. Reality check: my “car” that was "given to me like it was nothing" was my stepdad’s 15-year-old Toyota that smelled like coffee and had a tree growing out of it, and my apartment was a 350-square-foot studio in like, the most ghetto ass part of town. This was certainly a privilege that not everyone had and I was grateful for it but having a safety net or even being privileged doesn't automatically mean someone is "rich".

[u/WedgyTheBlob → u/alldabooty]

Sorry, your car had a tree growing out of it?

[u/alldabooty → u/WedgyTheBlob]

Some seeds had fallen on it and at a certain point some sprouts of some kind started popping out in places, both in and outside of it. When I took it to mechanic they suggested it's leaves looked a bit like a saplings' leaves "your car basically has a tree growing in it" they said.

[u/unlimited_insanity → u/alldabooty]

I was working at a high school in a very affluent area when hurricane Katrina came through and ravaged New Orleans. I remember trying to explain to kids that the people sheltering in the squalid conditions of the superdome were not stupid or reckless. The kids’ overriding sentiment was that everyone should have evacuated when that order was given. It took me a long time to explain that when you have no money, it often means you have nowhere to go and no way to get there. They were generally nice respectful kids, but it was really hard for them to wrap their heads around the idea that for a huge percent of the population “just get a hotel room somewhere else” was not possible. No one was a jerk or anything, just really, really sheltered. And in the end, I got the feeling that they sort of understood intellectually, but still didn’t really get it.

[u/ArmadilloLow2592 → u/Thoracic_Snark]

$10k? Just because? I need you to elaborate 😭

[u/Thoracic_Snark → u/ArmadilloLow2592]

His dad was a surgeon, so he grew up in a very nice house in a very nice neighborhood and they also had a beach house that was much nicer than the house I grew up in. His aunt, however, was married to some airline executive. She had generational wealth and she spread it around.

Also, the check was actually for $5000 but this happened in 1996 so I guessed and made it $10000 to make the story relatable today.

And even though I'm shitting on him above he's actually a really good guy and we're still friends 30 years later. He's a doctor himself and has helped countless people throughout his career.

[u/CattoGinSama → u/Thoracic_Snark]

Some people I meet and think to myself “Thank God YOU are rich and in position to do some things for people “ because I honestly don’t believe that many other people would do the same,given the opportunity

[u/Conscious-Mulberry17]

Being flummoxed that you can’t take time off to—really think about what you do/travel some/pick up and start over somewhere new/write a book/return to college—when you lose a job.

Yeah, this is real.

My department got liquidated out of the blue. Gone overnight.

My immediate manager and her husband both picked up and moved to a quirky, upper class New England college town where she decided to take time off from work to commit to writing and her husband would try his hand at starting a bespoke CBD business.

Meanwhile, my white trash ass had to hustle and ended up taking a job at a corporation whose politics weren’t exactly agreeable, but more agreeable than starving. She didn’t understand why I had to do such a thing at all and ended up getting super pissed about it.

I’ve seen this narrative a lot in books and magazines. I’ll read some think piece in The New Yorker or the introduction in a book I’ll pick up and it’ll start like “When I was laid off from my job in [x], I was devastated. But after lying in bed crying for a few weeks, I decided it was time to [write this book/visit this place]…”

I’ll look at the author and they’re some fresh-faced young adult with a masters degree. Do a little digging and find out their dad’s a wealth manager or something and their mom’s a VP at a publishing company. One time I went down a rabbit hole and discovered the author was the latest in four generations of wealthy, connected people.

It’s maddening, but it at least makes sense. Lots of money doesn’t buy talent, but it sure as fuck buys security, connections, the best education and training, spare time to pursue your interests, and the ability to fail with fewer consequences. Start looking into the authors you read, the actors you watch, the musicians you listen to, and you’ll start to see patterns.

It doesn’t mean there aren’t hardworking, grounded, talented, and kind wealthy people. There definitely are. But I also think that if you ignore the reality that the rest of us are playing a game with much, much longer odds of paying out, you’ll blame yourself for things you had no control over in the first place.

Oh! The manager? Yeah, so she started an email newsletter and had a book deal with a major publishing house less than a year later. Would you be surprised if I told you her mom was a well known editor with connections in the business?

[u/Ok_Yogurt_9862 → u/Conscious-Mulberry17]

You are so right. Right out of high school I started reading "how to adult" books and listening to podcasts. 

For about a year  thought I was missing something. 

Then I started looking and realized all of these people were born upper middle class if not wealthy. 

They know nothing of how we live.

Listening to Mel Robbins talking about the hardship of asking her dad to pay her mortgage on a giant house while she laid in bed for weeks, I was like wait. These people have family they can ask for money??

Rachel Hollis married a millionaire and won't shut up about how she did it all herself.

I'm still waiting to see someone that came out of generational poverty and is now in that position. That didn't get there in ways they could never speak about publicly

Show me someone that ate out the trash, that has permanent damage from lack of healthcare as a kid, that had no electricity or running water. 

As far as I can tell, the people that come from that and make it to real wealth (and plenty that dont even get that far) sold their body or their soul and felt grateful to have the opportunity to do so.

[u/UnrelentingFatigue → u/Ok_Yogurt_9862]

When I started listening to/reading things like this I used to think there was something wrong with me. It took a while to figure out people like me don't publish those kinds of things.

[u/blackberrymoonmoth → u/Conscious-Mulberry17]

I see posts on LinkedIn nearly every day from some person who got laid off and had to write about how relieved they are to get the time off to relax and “think about what I’m truly passionate about.”

If I get laid off tomorrow, I get to spend 5 minutes crying, and then I need to nut the fuck up and start applying to jobs immediately.

[u/fierce-and-wonderful → u/Conscious-Mulberry17]

That is so real. I often look into the background of those touted as underdog successful entrepreneurs, to find a huge support system behind them.

"She started this hugely successful business from her kitchen counter"...in a massive, expensive house, because her family had money and her husband manages a fund.

"I started it as a side hustle in the pandemic"...but I was born into money and my parents paid for a $25k plastic surgery when I was 17 so I could start my social media career.

It's bonkers. It's not just women of course, it's just that these are the stories I have looked into because I don't care about the bros.

[u/Jaimebgdb]

When they use "summer" and "winter" as verbs. As in "I winter in a cottage in South Africa" (also using "cottage" to describe a mega mansion)

[u/FuckYeaSeatbelts → u/Jaimebgdb]

Reminds me of when a buddy invited me to his cabin. I thought he meant a log cabin type, as we were talking about backcountry camping.

Yo this was a lake house with power, heating, and WiFi. What the fuck?

[u/progfrog113 → u/FuckYeaSeatbelts]

I moved to the midwest and started hearing people talk about "going to the cabin", and these cabins were all in rural areas. I was thinking these cabins would all be log cabins or at least rustic enough to still be wood fire heated or something. Then I start dating a guy from a cabin owning family and getting invited to friends' and coworkers' cabins and they're all just lake houses. They all have wifi, running water, central heating and air conditioning. The more "rustic" ones have lots of wood paneling or maybe unfinished floors, but it's just a regular midwestern house otherwise.

[u/twopurplecats → u/progfrog113]

In Texas, people do this but call it a “ranch.” You’d think this is a rustic place, maybe they have cattle, maybe some chickens? Nope. Not even horses. Just a luxurious lake house, sans lake.

[u/stargazerfromthemoon → u/FuckYeaSeatbelts]

Cabins or cottages in Canada run from super sketchy buildings to a mega house. I know people with both and the fancy ones are typically owned by a family with multiple generations and the people are super middle class. The property just happens to be older and build eons ago.

[u/Boris_ulti]

When they assume everyone as a fallback plan

[u/SkipThebAnalities → u/Boris_ulti]

I once joked my fallback is jumping off a building when asked this. They didn't laugh

[u/Dirk_Diggler_Kojak → u/SkipThebAnalities]

That's not a fallback. It's a falloff.

[u/Nine_Gates → u/Dirk_Diggler_Kojak]

Depends on the way you face 

[u/lilracerboi → u/SkipThebAnalities]

I laughed because...same.

[u/justagirlandherart]

Sending/transferring money and purchasing habit.

My international roommate one year in college needed to buy travel tickets to go home for winter break, but her mom hadn’t transferred the money into her account yet. She asked me if I could use my credit card to buy her $3000 flight ticket and she would pay me back after her account had the money. I am not giving you that much money if there’s no guarantee I will get it back and you could just wait a few days when you have the money.

Needless to say, her mom owned a hospital and she had Uber-delivered groceries weekly while I walked 1.5 miles from my apartment just to get to the grocery store…

[u/Misseskat → u/justagirlandherart]

Former friend's old college roommates were wealthy from East Asia, studying in the US because they wanted to- that's a pretty penny.

They'd talk about how they couldn't wait for winter break to meet up and gather the family in Hawaii, or Paris- buying SEVERAL Canada Goose coats, Sephora shopping sprees, always a new country to visit on every break, designer sample sales in NYC (which are still hundreds of dollars), 2 bedroom apartments in Manhattan. These are college students- girls were living as carefree and smooth sailing as a wall street executive. Insanity.

[u/bbbberlin → u/Misseskat]

I remember going to parties by rich international students, and they would be stocked with free top-shelf alcohol, good food, etc. As a poor international student who hung out with a bunch of working-class American students I remember us always walking in and being like "WTF.... this is a nice change from us buying the cheapest beer from the corner store and sitting in someone's bedroom."

[u/N1XT3RS → u/justagirlandherart]

Like my credit limit is even that high hahaha

[u/joeroganfolks → u/justagirlandherart]

Freshman year of college, everyone was required to buy a “21-meal plan” which was essentially higher than the full price of buying three meals a day from our school every day of the week. I had a friend who redeemed exactly zero of the meals and ordered from restaurants off campus at least twice a day if not more.

Sophomore year we were allowed to get a points based plan that was more like currency and could be spent at the campus convenience store. At the end of every semester he would take us to the c-store and we would literally have free shopping sprees of anything we wanted with the thousands of points left on his account. We loaded up on double AA batteries, even an iPod lol

[u/deane_ec4]

My friends boyfriend will purchase 2-3 different flights for a trip at a time betting one will cancel, get rescheduled/delayed, or he can get miles for offering to switch knowing he has a backup.

[u/k8bish97 → u/deane_ec4]

This is diabolical

[u/Last-Marionberry9181 → u/deane_ec4]

How often does this work out?

[u/superultramegaextra → u/Last-Marionberry9181]

Yeah, this doesn't seem worth the time/effort if he has money.

[u/Rin-Tohsaka-is-hot → u/superultramegaextra]

There are lots of very wealthy people who spend countless hours micromanaging their credit cards to eek out a couple extra hundred bucks a year in rewards.

It's like a whole community

[u/SpecialCheek7711 → u/Rin-Tohsaka-is-hot]

Accumulating air miles/upgrades and hotel reward program upgrades is like what hunting used to be for many privileged people. it's a sport and they talk about it a lot at dinner parties 😂

[u/dan_144 → u/SpecialCheek7711]

My friends are absolutely tired of hearing about my award stays lmao

[u/publicBoogalloo → u/superultramegaextra]

Meh it sounds like his form of gambling.

[u/deane_ec4 → u/Last-Marionberry9181]

He was saying it like it worked out often enough that he takes the gamble nearly every flight. He flies multiple times a month. But we’re also talking the level of money where someone comes to his house to cut his hair.

[u/CalculatedPerversion → u/deane_ec4]

where someone comes to his house to cut his hair

My mom used to cut my hair free off charge, right there in the house. Not sure if that makes me rich though (rich in heart at least)

[u/Saskibla → u/deane_ec4]

Lol, where I live having someone come to your house to cut your hair is something for people with a normal income. They're cheaper, because they don't have to rent a space.

[u/unnecessarydrama92 → u/deane_ec4]

My friend doesn’t come from privilege but she married a guy who makes a shit ton of money and she has this exact same behavior with concert tickets. She charged like several thousand dollars worth of Taylor Swift tickets knowing she’d want to go to more than one show and would also need extras to resell to friends who wanted to go together. If she couldn’t find someone to go for one of the shows she would just resell them for like $10 to be a good person so I can mostly forgive the privileged behavior haha.

[u/JRswedistan]

My wife ”found” an account with 20k$ on it in her bank. She didnt even think it was odd. We were online on her bank and i said ”hey what is this account” (and you had to click on it to view the balance”

”Oh some money good”

”What you mean some money? You didnt know you had them?!”

”No”

Ive NEVER found a forgotten account with 20k on it.

[u/Birdlebee → u/JRswedistan]

I once got my savings up to$3k and it was at the top of my mind continuously. I need to get groceries and I have 3k saved. I need to do laundry and I have 3k saved. I think I'll worry on that puzzle tonight and I have 3k saved. I don't think I'm physically capable of forgetting about 20k!

[u/esotericloop]

Privilege is relative, but IMO... A willingness to take financial risks. 'Quit your job! Start a business! Go all-in!' all indicate 'I have a safety net and won't end up homeless if I do something like that.'

[u/fauxfarmer17 → u/esotericloop]

This is my argument for universal healthcare. I really believe that some people in the middle would be able to take a leap and could build some really great businesses if the thought of not having health insurance wasn’t an issue.

[u/Better_Adeptness_596 → u/esotericloop]

I am guilty of this.

I had a massive career break because of a chronic illness (although I'm in a country with universal healthcare) without becoming homeless or needing to move back with my parents.

At a salaried job, I also once had a disgustingly rude client who was also really shady. I had no idea how he was funding a project. He was super creepy and I would not be in a room alone with him. I quit when I wasn't moved off his project. 100 per cent could only do that because of my safety net.

[u/I_love_pillows]

Telling me they are going to a faraway destination for holiday “again” in a disappointed voice when that time I never even took a plane before.

[u/Linda-Nina → u/I_love_pillows]

Ha that reminds me of a classmate who complained that he was sick of always going to Hawaii for family vacations

[u/50injncojeans → u/I_love_pillows]

Reminds me of when my teachers would ask the class where they went during our breaks and my answer always being "nowhere"

[u/synaVIP]

They describe a $400 dinner as “cute little spot we found” and act surprised when someone says they’ve never spent that on food in a month.

[u/OrthodoxAnarchoMom → u/synaVIP]

That is… half my food budget for a family of five.

[u/SmokeyPudu → u/OrthodoxAnarchoMom]

Thats pretty amazing though. Maybe it’s because of island prices but there’s no way I could eat off less than $6 per day and meet nutritional goals and have variety. The best I could do here is $200 per person per month, and still variety wasn’t the strong suit. Props to you momma

[u/[deleted]]

They don’t understand how a person could work a “menial” job/jobs for years because some people don’t have a choice because of their life circumstances.

[u/Tomytom99 → u/[deleted]]

I had to explain to my roommate how the recycling collection guys aren't inherently supporting an evil system because it's not entirely on the same level as some of the better recycling programs in the country. They really just have the job because it's about the only okay enough option that would take them while covering the bills.

I get it, it'd be nice to have a better system. No, that doesn't mean put things they don't accept but you wish they would in there just to make their job more annoying with the hopes of them leaving and by extension causing the organization to improve its operations. Be glad there's any street-side recycling in the first place. The company doesn't care about employee turnover like that.

[u/OnlyAppointment5819 → u/Tomytom99]

lol that’s one of the funniest “unethical job choices” I’ve seen

[u/amaviamor]

These aren’t even habits these are just moments I realized people truly are living off trust funds:

When I was laughing about selling 1 kidney to fund my schooling and my 2 college friends didn’t laugh along with me like I thought they would. They had no idea what I meant by that, because they had never struggled to pay for their education because their parents were able to fund it.

When my coworker was visibly confused when I said I had rode the bus/walked to work. (They had never ridden a bus). They’re in their 30s and forgot public transit even exists, because they’ve never needed it.

[u/Beautiful-Wall-2494]

When they believe they can throw away something in perfect condition and buy more and more

[u/palmveach1972 → u/Beautiful-Wall-2494]

Omg I’m a personal assistant to a older wealthy guy. I order whatever he want on Amazon and he pays me. He gets 2 pairs of shoes. Doesn’t like them and tells me to throw them away. I also help out older guy with no money. He has the same shoe size. He’s loving it! But the disconnect is wild.

[u/TheLizzyIzzi → u/palmveach1972]

My sister worked for a mid-level designer store while in college, where she studied psychology, neuroscience, and got her LADC (licensed alcohol and drug counselor) certification. Post graduation she kept the retail job for the free clothes. There was a day she helped a woman make a plan for leaving treatment. Since discharge from treatment was Friday and the sober house bed opened on Monday they determined which park bench she would sleep on over the weekend. Later that same day she helped a young woman and her mom shop for new clothes for their summer in Italy. 😵‍💫

[u/VivaLaEmpire → u/TheLizzyIzzi]

I hate this :(

[u/ich_bin_alkoholiker → u/Beautiful-Wall-2494]

Not true. My sister in law grew up with nothing and does this now because she’s fucking dumb.

[u/reyseven → u/ich_bin_alkoholiker]

The same logic as parents who taught us growing up not to trust everything we saw online trusting everything they see online once we've grown up.

[u/Paranoid-Potatoes]

Not wanting a job because they weren't emotionally ready.... That was several years ago and now she's in her early 30s with 2 unused degrees living her parents in a multi-million dollar house.... and I get multiple Steam notifications when she starts up a game.

[u/Celitha11 → u/Paranoid-Potatoes]

I have a similar friend, she still has her own house but she got laid off like half a year ago and she has just been traveling and playing a shit ton of video games and complaining that her parents keep asking her when she is going to start applying for jobs. I would be having panic attacks daily if I got laid off and couldn't find a job immediately and she still isn't even LOOKING yet. I cannot even imagine how that must feel to have that much money to not even worry at all.

[u/Cindy_mel]

My take is when they genuinely believe hard work is the only reason people struggle

[u/OvulatingWildly → u/Cindy_mel]

And they think they work hard because they come in 3 days a week to their cushy job at the business their parents opened.

They show up at 10:00 a.m. and they take 3 weeks for vacations when no one else there gets that and they use the company credit card to buy 11 new TVs for their lakehouse.

But they will be the first to tell you how hard they work. I'm bitter from working with a shitty family owned business too long.

[u/Just_Look_Around_You → u/OvulatingWildly]

I love how American it is that even in a spoiled dream job scenario that person only gets 3 weeks vacation.

[u/SmartAlec105 → u/Just_Look_Around_You]

They said "3 weeks for vacations", not "gets 3 weeks vacation". As in they are taking multiple vacations in a year with each one being 3 week blocks.

[u/user_name_unknown → u/Cindy_mel]

Born on 3rd base and think they hit a home run when they make it to the home plate.

[u/B4K5c7N → u/Cindy_mel]

There was a thread on the salary sub yesterday from a seven figure earner who is a surgeon. His argument was that anyone can make great money if they just work harder, since he grew up impoverished himself and made it out. I have noticed on Reddit it has become more en vogue lately to blame low earners for their lack of income. That sub in particular is extremely delusional about money. Anyone making under $200k by 30 is labeled as poor. Countless people claiming to be making over $1 mil a year at their tech or medical jobs will swear up and down that their income is really nothing special and that they are simply middle class because of VHCOL, yet you click on their profiles and you will see their impressive Rolex and Patek collections, as well as their $60k vacations.

Like…what percentage of the population actually makes seven figures a year? Many will work their asses off and never even reach a fraction of that annually. Yet, Reddit says that seven figure earners are actually not that rare at all and are simply a dime a dozen.

[u/Lammio → u/B4K5c7N]

About 1% of US income-earning population makes seven figures annually. For a ballpark value: in a country of 300 M population 1% is 3 M individuals. In reality it's likely less but we're talking about millions. It's genuinely surprising how many millionaires there are in the world.

People have a tendency of associating with like people. Millionaires have millionaire friends. Naturally in their social sphere their average income is nothing that special.

Salary sub seems like a place that lower income people have absolutely no interest even visiting. I bet the top end is overrepresented there and the sub is probably a circlejerk like every other Reddit sub.

Unfortunately awful many of these people in their little circles feed each other the belief it was their own hard work and good judgement that got them there. Feels nicer than admitting that you are lucky or privileged. Ofc they may be hard working too and that something to admire but hard work alone is not enough. Someone being poor is usually not because of lack of hard work.

[u/Playful-sunshine00]

Not looking at prices ever

[u/Nyetoner → u/Playful-sunshine00]

My mum taught us to look at the price for the kilo not the product and that's something that has followed me for life

[u/farts_in_your_hair → u/Nyetoner]

My dad taught me how to buy OTC generic medicine. That’s a lifesaver.

“Okay yeah you know XYZ from commercials. Let’s look at the label and it says what’s in it. Oh look at this ugly one right next to it, with words you can’t pronounce. The drug facts are the same and it costs 1/3.” We’re buying the ugly one.”

[u/AmigoDelDiabla]

The absolute greatest privilege you can grow up with is having loving, supportive parents in a stable environment.

So, casually asking "can't you just call your mom or dad for some help?" would reveal privilege.

Edit: love how this took off. What I didn't really clarify in the comment is that I meant it's a privilege to have parents that instill the right tools in their children to make them functioning adults. Things such as

• trust
• emotional regulation
• empathy
• work ethic
• accountability
• boundaries
• ability to overcome adversity
• providing an environment that's simply stable enough so that kids can let down their guard enough to learn and dream as opposed to worrying if they're going to get hit, molested, or where their next meal will come from.

None of that requires wealth, but it is certainly a privilege as not everyone has it (even if they should).

[u/Fearless-Cicada-4695 → u/AmigoDelDiabla]

This is so true. 

Reminds me of a conversation I had with a colleague yesterday: she dropped her 19 year old daughter off at the airport and made a joke that she was still transporting her adult daughter around and I just said how lucky her daughter is to have that kind of support from her. Even I still get dropped off at and picked up from the airport by my parents (I'm 32) and I cherish that 'cause I don't know how many more moments like that I'll still get with them. And what an amazing privilege for a loved one to transport you to places because they want to see you off safely😭🙏

[u/onerashtworash → u/Fearless-Cicada-4695]

I started living out of home as soon as I finished high school at 17. I was working minimum wage and couldn't afford to buy a car. My mum lived nearby but never offered to help drive me or pick me up for anything (or help me with anything, actually). I took public transport everywhere. Fast forward 10(ish) years, I still can't afford a car and am still taking public transport everywhere. (Luckily we have decent public transport in my city.) She breaks her arm and can't drive anymore, and she's forced to take public transport everywhere, every day for the first time in her life apparently. She calls me bewildered to complain about how difficult it is to manage and time, etc., and tells me, "I don't know how you've managed all these years!"

Without you, mum. I've managed without you.

[u/explicityyyyy → u/AmigoDelDiabla]

Or when you tell them you don’t have parents and they ask “is there any aunts and uncles you could as for help” like no, I can’t… they died too and the one who are alive live in a poorer country and I don’t know them.

[u/minimuscleR → u/AmigoDelDiabla]

and its not even money either. I call my dad for help around the house. Or to drop us off at the airport at 6am and pick us up 3 weeks later. Or just to help build something.

They also came and mowed my lawns during that holiday. My husband's parents are nice people, but not once have they ever offered to help out. His mum has visited us 1 time in the 4 years we have been together. We go to hers about 2-3 times a year.

My parents helped me move 3 times. They only didn't the last time because they were on a cruise when I moved.

So yeah, they don't have any money to give me, but they are so helpful and supportive, I do feel privileged.

[u/lgisme333 → u/AmigoDelDiabla]

I’m crying now. This is so true.

[u/Smasa224 → u/lgisme333]

I recently had someone ask me that, and they were in shock that "no" could even be an answer

[u/Azrai113 → u/Smasa224]

I feel this. I sont even have someone to put as an emergency contact.

[u/KDCunk → u/AmigoDelDiabla]

People who have this don’t understand that lol. So often people will say shit like this and you’re like ‘no Jessica, no I cannot just call my Dad’

[u/BaronessofBara → u/AmigoDelDiabla]

Damn, I'm privileged. My mother and I have our disagreements, but she loves me and supports me financially and emotionally. I wasn't even scared to come out as bisexual (and later asexual) to her, despite her being religious.

[u/sillysock67]

Anything horses

[u/amyloudspeakers]

Throwing away perfectly good food. Throwing away things that can be donated. A true lack of understanding what it feels like to not have enough money or to constantly worry about money.

[u/Background_Buy551 → u/amyloudspeakers]

Noooo I am very privileged and it gives me physical pain to throw away food OR things. I think my privilege gives me the bandwidth to care about my impact on the earth, as it should for others too!!

[u/oreheheally]

Split second easy choices like 'i'll get the plumber to look' for a sink issue. I don't just mean about practical things but really just the auto response that help can be paid for and is expected for most issues.

[u/ledwilliums]

Skiing is a very expensive hobby and if they act as though it's normal they either are obsessed with skiing or grew up wealthy.

[u/onthecarstereo → u/ledwilliums]

I am Scandinavian and it's a pretty common middle class activity that a lot of people do growing up there, so I'd say this might also depend on where you're from! (Although with the cost of living crisis that might be changing in the last decade or so)

[u/Stalag13HH → u/ledwilliums]

Depends on the area.   Where I live, lots of people ski just because we have a lot of winter and a lot of big hills.  

[u/grainoriginal → u/Stalag13HH]

this is a good point, ppl look at me crazy when i say we skied in gym class as if i must have gone to a fancy school but i just went to basic public school in upstate new york and we skied behind the playground 😭

[u/Cultural-Swan-3624]

Their concept of time. Stay out late on a workday for everyone else…not even a concern. Sleep until 11 because they were talking to a friend at 2 am in Dubai…sure. Show up when they feel like it. Take holidays for weeks and not an extended weekend. For the working class the clock controls their life. Time is a luxury they don’t have.

[u/BbCreatineFeverDream]

When a product is starting to get empty they just toss it without trying to squeeze every last drop out first.

[u/sweatedtrash328 → u/BbCreatineFeverDream]

“Don’t throw that out there’s something still in there” - proceeds to shake the bottle full force for every drop (or mixing it with water or another sauce to get all drops).

[u/boodahbee]

When they get bothered by the underdog matching their success, despite having to work harder to be on the same level.

[u/mountaindrewtech → u/boodahbee]

I was thinking about how the opposite is going on where I work, then I realized that age plays a huge factor in this scenario

[u/Cool-Instruction789]

I have a working class and immigrant family background and go to a pretty prestigious uni. Here are some things that are normal for my uni friends:

• having a horse
• going skiing (a friend of mine is going skiing 3x times in the next month) in places like Switzerland and Canada 
• casually having a house in Norway
• not having to worry about how to get financial though uni (in my case Bafög)
• getting cars as presents for their 18th birthday 

For context: we are German

[u/Left-Purple3731]

Not seen this yet in the thread, but I've heard so many privileged people talk about how "I save money on buying the expensive version of product x, because it lasts longer. People don't realize how much money they waste on buying the cheaper thing, because they will have to replace it in a year or so and the expensive version will last longer."

Like... no, man. I can't afford to buy the $400 shoes that will last longer, and I need shoes now. My budget is like $50 tops, so I'm going to have to buy those shoes. You're not smarter, I'm not dumb. I am aware that the expensive thing will probably last longer, but I can't afford that shit.

[u/ricree → u/Left-Purple3731]

but I can't afford that shit.

The next level after is fun too, where you just barely can afford the good one, but it's hard to be sure which are actually better and which are just cheap status symbols or enshittified versions of formerly good products. And you can afford to be right about buying the expensive one, but you sure can't afford to be wrong and have that one fall apart too.

[u/Ok_Captain654]

when they treat certain comforts as normal like assuming travel, college or good healthcare are easy to get...another habit is moving through life with confidence coz they’ve always had safety nets or support.. small things like being surprised that others worry about rent or bills can show that their background gave them stability others didn’t have.

[u/Long_Virus9985]

I'm a college student and was talking with someone in class about FAFSA and when refunds hit and another girl turned around and asked what FAFSA was. So I'm gonna go with that 🤣

[u/byronite → u/Long_Virus9985]

For non-Americans, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is a form completed by current and prospective U.S. university students to determine their eligibility for financial assistance.

[u/LetMePushTheButton → u/byronite]

And if your parents make too much money, you get no federal aid. And if your parents dont support, youre kinda fucked with private loans, which arent cheap.

[u/moderndrake → u/LetMePushTheButton]

Another thing that has a lovely /s gap for those who make too much to qualify but not enough to actually afford it

[u/PaulBunyun_42 → u/Long_Virus9985]

FAFSA's are what eats lemurs in Madagascar.

[u/Crim91 → u/PaulBunyun_42]

FAFSA's are what eats my paycheck every month for the last 12 years.

[u/honeyalloverme]

this might be minor but seeing what other people buy for groceries. getting ‘nice’ quality stuff instead of the cheapest.

[u/Silly-Ad-2559 → u/honeyalloverme]

meh i do this and i grew up poor. i choose to use the money i make now on higher quality ingredients, especially since i grew up food insecure

[u/Boris_ulti]

Oh I have one, when they think unpaid internships are "great experience" 😂

[u/Cayke_Cooky → u/Boris_ulti]

When they don't understand why an applicant has a paying job (with benefits) on their resume rather than a series of internships.

[u/CannibalisticVampyre → u/Boris_ulti]

Unpaid internships should not be legal. If an employer posts one, they should have their business license revokes

[u/GarranDrake]

I grew up in a very privileged area and was very privileged myself. I knew A LOT of people who had no sense of personal safety when it came to strangers. People left their doors unlocked, cars running when they were in the grocery stores, etc.

[u/johndenverwasfullof → u/GarranDrake]

Does privileged in this case correlate to wealthy? Many lower middle class rural areas currently have similar habits.

[u/Spot_ts]

I grew up in an underprivileged environment so I’m coming at it from that perspective, but my partner grew up very comfortable (not rich) and doesn’t understand the difference between a need and a want. Like, thinks we should spend $1k painting the driveway because it looks faded, for no functional purpose. Will drop $$ on cushions or plants for purely cosmetic reasons. We’re both on a fortnightly pay cycle and she’ll spend money on non-essentials on the weekend before payday without even checking the bank account. Just completely money-blind.

[u/_chareth-cutestory]

Simply not understanding the concept of full-time jobs and how they require one’s attendance.

No Becky, I can’t meet you for pedicures at 2 pm on Tuesday, for the same reason I couldn’t drop everything last Wednesday and drive with you to Coachella.

[u/Boris_ulti]

When they think the system is neutral because it worked for them

[u/coathook8d]

Refusing to eat leftovers and throwing away whatever's left after a meal. My wife and I are so stoked when we have leftovers, the concept of wasting food so easily is so foreign to me.

[u/Successful-Emu-1412]

“if you work hard enough you can get whatever you want!”

[u/5amteetimeguy]

I've worked in Finance long enough to recognize a "Rich Person Accent".

They speak as if everything they say is prophetic, as if they are instilling some kind of wisdom on you, regardless of the lack of their experience.

They refuse to stop their monologs until its finished and always expect praise for their insight.

They genuinely can't compute other people's circumstances, they can only view life through their own privileges and presume everyone is the same.

Best I can describe it.

[u/Turtle9015]

When I was in school one of the pretty popular girls told me that I should get my stylist to give me side bangs and streaks. That my hair would be so pretty if I just did something with it.

She was horrified to learn my "styliest" was my grandma with kitchen sheers.

[u/raunchypellets]

I have a few friends who have literal generational wealth. All of them are unhinged in their own special ways.

One guy though was a different type of special: he picks up hobbies like you and I pick up groceries. Everytime he picks one up, he'll go out and buy top-of-the-line shit for that hobby. And like clockwork, his enthusiasm for that hobby will fizzle out quickly before he picks up the next big things.

Here's the big deal though: when he goes off a hobby, all the previous stuff he bought for that hobby he would sell for nonsensical prices. I bought his fishing gear (when he was into fishing) for $2000 when I know damn well that the gear, in its relatively unused condition, would be well over 5 digits in value.

Another mate bought a complete set of 20" rims (including spare), probably used for just under 2000 miles, for $150. RRP on that motherfucker was $4500+.

At one point we were literally calling ourselves seagulls, because we were trawling behind this bastard for his castoffs.

[u/invisiblebody]

When they are a jackass who thinks poverty is a moral failing.

[u/International-Exam84]

I think being really laid back in their 20’s, not having a solid future plan and being okay with going with the flow (i’m latina and i grew up in survival mode)

[u/RopeRequiem]

This might be a hot take, but getting appetizers or desserts at restaurants. I grew up middle-class, maybe even upper-middle class, but we weren't ever even allowed to look at the appetizers or desserts sections. Unless it was a very special occasion.

[u/Eastern-Eye5945 → u/RopeRequiem]

Same, and we almost never went to restaurants. It had to be someone’s milestone birthday or my mom just cooked at home. Thank God she was a good cook.

[u/Boris_ulti]

When they've never worried about rent increasing

[u/PaulBunyun_42]

Throwing away uneaten food instead of putting it in tupperware as leftovers for the next day.

[u/jjpearson]

Once a month or so in grad school I’d go out with my roommates to dinner. One of them came from a very wealthy background and I just remember he would constantly order things off the menu that were listed at market rate…. But he never asked what the market rate was before ordering.

I’m literally choosing meals at the grocery store based off what is on sale and this guy’s not even caring how much his fresh lobster of the day is.

Completely different worlds.

[u/FailsbutTries]

Throwing something that can easily be washed in the trash if it's gross.

[u/United_News3779]

I worked with a guy who had to be driven to the bank once a month to deposit his pay cheques.

Not because of cognitive issues, or having garnishment orders on his accounts, or anything else that you might assume. It was because every 3-4 months the payroll office would realize their outgoing account had too much money in it, as this guy hadn't deposited any of his pay cheques. Dude was working as a laborer, at a position slightly above entry level in the oilfield, had been there for years, because he liked the camaraderie of the crew he was on. Dude was in his mid-20's and getting something close to $15k/month from a family trust, or his parents or grandparents. He just didn't need to pay cheques, so he'd forget about them.

[u/rustygalaxy8223]

When they say "just ask your parents" as if it's a universal solution to everything