For people who grew up in a world of wealth and privilege, there are certain luxuries in life that might be taken for granted. Redditor karasantos7 asked, “What’s a rich people thing that rich people don’t know is a rich people thing?” Here’s what people said.
1.
“I dated a guy whose folks were wealthy. At one point, we were all riding around on his dad’s speedboat on the lake, where they had their million-something second home. We passed a big house that was somewhat bigger than the big house his dad and step-mom owned. His step-mom sighed softly and said, ‘I wonder how the other half lives. It must be nice.'”
2.
“They have that way of planning with others by assuming everyone can take leave from work at any point without much notice.”
3.
“Something Harrison Ford said decades ago sticks with me: Money buys time. You can hire anything from a lawn service to a nanny to a chef, so you only do things you enjoy and hire others to do the stuff you don’t.”
4.
“I always told myself when I was younger that I would know when I ‘made’ it when I could fill up my car without caring about how much it costs. Filling up was an unobtainable luxury until my mid to late 20s.”
5.
“Back in college, a girl I had met from Europe was telling me about her home, and she casually mentioned the maid like it was a normal thing. I asked her about it, and she said everyone back home has a maid.”
6.
“Unpaid internships. So many people have no idea what a luxury it is to gain valuable experience and contacts in your chosen field while in college. I could never afford an unpaid internship because I had to earn money to pay for my tuition, rent, and food. So while some of my classmates worked unpaid at law firms, I delivered pizzas and worked on a moving truck.”
7.
“Having a nanny. When a rich woman has a baby, the talk is ‘Who is your nanny?’ not ‘Did you find a daycare with decent hours that doesn’t suck away your whole paycheck?'”
8.
“Their social networks. For example: ‘My son just graduated college with a degree in blah blah, and my good golf buddy owns a blah blah firm. I’ll ask if he has a summer internship opening.'”
9.
“My aunt’s family was very well off. Her husband had a blue-collar background. The first time he saw her was the summer after his junior year of college when he was part of a crew doing lawn work at her parents’ house. They ‘dated’ very briefly, but they had nothing in common…”
10.
“Rich people understand that they have more money; they do not understand that they also have far, far fewer consequences if, for any reason, their money runs out or falls short.”
11.
“They’re constantly going on vacation. I had a friend who was much better off than I am, and he was surprised when I explained to him that I hadn’t been on vacation since I went to Disneyland when I was like 12.”
12.
“I find most of the rich people I meet are aware of their monetary advantages, but they often still underestimate the compounding effects that access to all kinds of experiences and opportunities has had on them. Not that they don’t appreciate them, but they’re not fully aware of the scope of the advantages.”
13.
“I am by no means ‘rich’ like a millionaire or anything like that, but I have a decent job that pays well. I have worked minimum wage jobs and worked myself up through the years to be quite comfortable…”
15.
“I was shocked when hearing about a young couple’s trip to Europe and how they had to pass on their first choice flat because they needed more space for the nanny. They bring the nanny on the trip to care for the child while they do all the fun stuff. When I heard that, legit thought I might switch careers and become a nanny.”
16.
“My company introduced ‘unlimited PTO’ (aka a tool to deny workers’ vacations) a few years back with some blurb about a higher-up who thought it was a wonderful idea because a year ago he had a chance to go on a $99k (my estimate) 5-week safari in Tanzania, but the poor sap only had three weeks’ vacation available and had to make compromises to go… Yeah. I’m sure that happens to factory workers, secretaries, and junior engineers ALL THE TIME, and we can all totally relate!”
17.
“People who hire others for household tasks like laundry, housekeeping, grocery shopping, cooking, and yard work often assume everyone does the same. This might explain why they think you should work longer hours and have little time off. For us everyday folks, just managing housework can feel like having another job.”
18.
“When I told my boss that my wife was pregnant, she told me how we should go on a trip before the baby comes. She started talking about how much she enjoyed her recent trip to Hawaii. I’m just sitting there like she’s back in school, she’s cutting hours at work, and we have to care for a baby soon. I’m not made of money, so we can’t all just go to Hawaii on a whim.”
19.
“They have refrigerators that look like cabinets.”
20.
“My rich buddy asked me if I had a personal assistant. I do well, but I’m not rich. My budget has no room to pay a person an entire annual salary to look after my errands. He has two assistants.”
21.
“Friendships! When you move in wealthy circles, maintaining a circle of friendships is much easier. They have the time, energy, and money to prioritize trips away together. They can meet their girlfriends for dinners because they can access childcare and don’t have to be up at 5 a.m. five to seven days a week…”
23.
“Spontaneity. They can randomly decide to do things without much planning, knowing that money will not be an issue. This applies from random fancy dinners to major trips out of the country.”
What is something wealthy people do or enjoy that they might not even notice is a “rich person thing”? Tell us in the comments or in this anonymous form.
Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
