Adults Who Were Once Poor Are Revealing The "Rich People" Habits They Wish They Could Do When They Were Younger
If you grew up in a household that struggled financially, there are most likely certain things that you viewed as "luxuries" because you may not have had access to them. Well, this Reddit thread asked those who were poor when they were younger: "What did you consider a luxury?"
The thread has over 20k comments of people sharing their experiences growing up poor. Here is what some of the comments read:
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
1."Going places during school vacation. The kids would be all like, 'What!? You’ve never been to XYZ amusement park!?' No, Trisha. My family doesn’t even have a car,' which is another luxury to me."
2."Being allowed to turn on the heat during the winter. Also, being able to hire a professional to fix broken appliances, plumbing, etc."
3."Staying at someone's house who wasn't poor, like a relative or friend. Their house was also so clean and beautiful, with pictures on the wall, knick-knacks on the counter, and carpet you could play on because it was clean. I spent my entire teenage years hiding where I lived."
4."New clothes. I grew up pretty poor (no TV, no toys, but I had a Sears catalog). My dad got in a serious accident when I was in 4th grade and almost lost his life. He won a small settlement from the community college he was working at, and I could buy new clothes for the first time. Before this, all I ever had were hand-me-downs from my cousin and clothes donated by the church. Most were worn to the point of having patches on the knees. The worst part about getting new clothes for the first time is I felt terrible the whole time picking out new clothes because I always felt like a financial burden to my parents. I remember going to Miller’s Outpost and picking out typical '80s clothes (OP, TnC, etc.). It’s funny how growing up poor affects my everyday choices, for better or worse. I’ll never outgrow some of the feelings I had as a poor kid, and I feel for any kid who has to endure a childhood of poverty. It will affect them and their choices for the rest of their life."
5."Going out to eat at a restaurant."
"And the big fancy restaurant was something like Red Lobster or Olive Garden. You got all dressed up and everything."
6."I don’t know if anyone can relate, but in about 3rd, maybe 4th grade, my twin brother and I had a music class where we were both required to buy a recorder. (Like a plastic flute thing.) Well, my mom said we didn’t have the money, so my twin brother and I tore the whole house up in search of $6 for two recorders. We brought a Ziploc bag full of change, pennies, nickels, dimes, etc. I think the teacher felt sorry for us cause she paid for our recorders when the rest of the students left the room. She gave us the Ziploc bag back. Thank you, Mrs. Albrecht."
7."Until the age of 12, I thought you weren’t allowed to buy things that weren’t on sale. My mom only bought things when they were on sale, and/or she had a coupon, so I thought that the 'non-sale' items weren’t being sold."
8."I grew up pretty poor in Arkansas in a trailer. I literally got a door to my bedroom for Christmas one year. It probably still was the best gift I ever received."
9."Growing up, my brothers and I were allowed to pick out a box of 'fancy cereal' for our birthday."
10."A new winter coat. I don’t remember having a new winter coat until I was probably 14 or 15. They had always been hand-me-downs from my cousins. They were usually at least ten years old by the time I got them, and the stuffing would be all clumped up."
11."Renting a movie from Blockbuster the first weekend of every month. My brother and I got to pick any movie we wanted as long as it wasn’t rated R. On really special nights, we even got a 2-liter bottle of Sprite for the family to share."
12."I remember in 8th grade, on my birthday at school, one of my teachers asked me what gifts I had received. He asked in front of the whole class. I excitedly shared that I would be getting contact lenses. My parents let me choose one thing that I wanted, and I desperately wanted to stop wearing the broken glasses I had, which I usually didn’t wear. One of the boys in class made a comment, 'Contacts aren’t a present.' And my teacher had to explain to him, again, in front of everyone, that they were too expensive for some families not to be a luxury. After that experience, I worked two and three jobs in high school to buy myself and my brothers the things we needed. The first thing I bought with my money from my first job as a hostess at a diner was a queen size bed because my twin mattress was about 20 years old. And at 15, I was having back problems and issues with rusted springs poking me."
13."Actual pajamas were a big one. I always slept in hand-me-down T-shirts. Being able to order a drink when you eat out is another one."
14."An upstairs. As a kid, I remember hearing a friend say they were too lazy to run downstairs for something and thinking, 'I’d kill to be able to run downstairs.'"
15."Lunchables. My parents never knew why we wanted to get those for our school field trips. I remember being extremely jealous when kids pulled them out during those trips, especially the pizza ones."
16."New school 'things.' Things like a new bag or pencils were massive because you don't grow out of them. My mum was choosing to spend her free money to buy me a new bag. I think it only happened in my first year of secondary school and then halfway through, but it was so nice to have something clean and new to use. I remember crying at about eight that all my friend's moms would give them chocolates or sweets after school for the walk home, and we never got anything. We had a Snickers the next day, and I was so shocked. I still remember that day so clearly. My mum was so happy."
17."Falling asleep and having just the right temperature. Finally having air conditioning and heating after so many years without. It feels like absolute luxury."
Is there anything that you viewed as a luxury growing up? If so, share it with me in the comments below!
