21 Everyday Struggles That Wealthy People Just Don't Understand
Do you remember this iconic Arrested Development quote-turned-meme? It's a tale as old as time; People with lots of money have no idea what real life is actually like for most people.
So when Reddit user u/gotwire posted, "What is something that poor people do that rich people are oblivious to?" on the r/AskReddit subreddit, it's no surprise that it received over 5,000 responses.
Here are 21 realities of everyday life that rich people are wholly oblivious to:
1."Waiting for everything. Waiting for the bus to arrive, because it’s always late. Taking longer to travel farther to the cheaper store. Waiting at the laundromat for your clothes to finish."
"Not only that, but the frequency of these waits is also higher because you don’t have a car or money to buy things in bulk or transport large amounts of clothing. It is time-consuming AF."
2."Calculating the items in your cart before going to checkout."
"The feeling of panic when something doesn’t ring up for what it said on the price tag."
3.And similarly, "Checking your bank account balance in the checkout line."
4."When buying anything or paying a bill, I automatically convert it to how many hours of work it took to pay for it."
5."I make or turn down plans based on the cost of restaurants/activities/cover."
"Rich people seem to confuse not having money to do something with not wanting to waste money on something.
No, it's not that I don't want to order pizza because I'm stingy. I literally don't have the money."
6."Choosing to put up with pain and not going to the doctor because you can't afford the bill."
"Taking less than your prescribed dosage of meds to try to ration them and save money.
Once, I had no money, and I had to go to the urgent care to get some stitches removed, but remembering the $20 copay, I opted to just take them out myself."
7."Adding potatoes to meals not because they belong in a recipe, but because they're very filling and can stretch the meal to more portions."
8."I just don’t travel. The number of people amazed when I say I haven’t flown on a plane blows my mind. People do not realize how much money/privilege it takes to travel at all, let alone every year."
9."Deciding which bill(s) to ignore because there is no money."
"One of the most relatable things about Malcolm in the Middle is when Lois looked at bills and decided which one could roll over and affect them the least."
"Pull all the money out of your checking account and put it into your savings account so a certain bill doesn't go through, and you can pay other bills."
"My mother would 'forget' to sign the check. Back in the day (late '80s/early '90s), the utility companies would send it back and waive the late fee."
10."People who don't keep fast food napkins in the glove box to use as tissues are in a totally different tax bracket."
11."Cutting open the toothpaste to scrape out every last bit."
12."Keeping living quarters at 55 degrees all winter."
13."I know what gas costs at several stations on my regular route, so I always pay the least."
14."Paying excessive overdraft fees."
15."I'll say I already ate, just so I can join my friends when they go out and feel normal for a minute, without making things awkward."
16."Shopping at different groceries for different items because they are cheaper elsewhere."
"As a kid, it was always an adventure of 'Which kid could find something for the lowest price?'
For what it's worth, I never for a second thought we struggled with money. My parents made sure my brother and I never knew. They're true superheroes."
17."That whole 'we all have the same 24 hours' thing angers me every time I hear it. Rich people have a whole support network of other people who do their busy work for them."
"Mr. Richy Business doesn't have to make his own bed, cook his meals, or clean his laundry/house/everything. He has a team that does all that for him. We little people have to do all that for ourselves and still make it in time to clock in.
And then we're too exhausted to do anything with the sliver of time we have left."
18."Adding water to the last bit of dish soap to make it last longer."
19."Driving with an engine light on."
20."We sell our blood for money."
21.And finally, "How much poor people truly despise rich people, even the ones who suck up to them and play nice."
What do you think? Did these ring true to you? Were there any that this list was missing?
Let me know in the comments!
Note: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
