Non-rich people on what made them feel "Rich"

[packman]

"Those fridges with the water dispenser on it."

."Being able to buy something you need without having to ask yourself how badly you need it."

."Scheduling regular doctor's office visits or seeing a dentist for anything other than an emergency."

."Eating pizza because you want to, not because it's $2."

"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.

."Having nice teeth that don't cause constant, debilitating pain."

"I'm showing my age here, but having a shower in your house. Back in the day, only people with money had showers. We all only had baths."

"Being able to get a new mattress."

More on people feeling " Rich"

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/ordering-appetizers-having-basketball-hoop-031602102.html

[Midnight Writer]

1. Being able to turn on the lights in your house at night without worrying about bill collectors

When I was a kid, my Mom raised four kids on her own while working full time plus.

We were not allowed to turn on the lights in the house at night because then the bill collectors would know we were home.

Bill collectors were like the boogieman to us.

[Piasladic]

8. and telephone calls

our lights hung from cable cords

[Xipe Totec]

2. Income Percentile Calculator for the United States

Useful tool for figuring out where your income stands relative to the rest of the US population.

https://dqydj.com/income-percentile-calculator/

[FM123]

3. I remember when my kids were real little and how much we struggled back then.

My kids are grown now and don't seem to remember what I remember - but this one line I read felt like I could have written it:

"That, and mom eating along with us normally instead of pretending that the crust is her favorite part and that's why she'd eat the crust we'd leave."

[Piasladic]

11. god yeah

Imagine a mom pretending not to be hungry so her kids could eat without guilt. Imagine growing up and understanding what happened. Your mom going hungry so you could eat.

[lapucelle]

4. Tipping well...

[Hekate]

10. Yes

[Hoyt]

5. Good article. House I lived in for first 6 months of my life did not have running water until a few

years later.

Don't wish that on anyone. I did have an uncle who still preferred the outhouse decades later.

[littlemissmartypants]

20. Ditto. Indoor plumbing was installed in 1971. I lived there for the first three years of my life. ❤

[Xipe Totec]

6. Feeding half the neighborhood

Coming home with six to twelve neighborhood friends in tow and having a place at the table for all of them.

Didn't matter that we all ate rice & beans, but that every one of them was fed.

[Xavier Breath]

7. Knowing your car will work.

My parents divorced and my Mom and I had little money. The cars we had were second hand, held together by rust and always seemed to be prone to breaking down. My mom's biggest fear was the car not working, or breaking down while we were out somewhere. Having a car that was in good repair, or even a new car, that was being rich to us.

[Aristus]

9. "Filling your gas tank all the way up to the top" rich.

I can remember as a working adult the very first time I was able to fill my gas tank to the top. I felt like I had arrived, and that I could finally stop worrying about money. The feeling was fleeting, since worrying about money is a very human thing to do.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

24. I remember just driving around with a few friends. We'd chip in for gas.

Back then, $5 would fill the tank with enough change left over for a pack of Camels.

My first real job, at a factory, I made so much money I couldn't imagine spending it all. That didn't last long: Uncle Sam and LBJ had other plans for this Bozo, off to basic training.

[Journeyman]

12. When I was 9, I found a $5 bill. It was so much money I didn't know what to do with it . . .

Even then, I realized I'd never be that rich ever again. And here I am, 60 years later, still convinced those were my glory days.

[LakeArenal]

13. Paying for a major car repair in cash.

[VarryOn]

14. First time I paid cash for a new car...

And not receiving a payment book.

[TygrBright]

15. Time. Having time to do things I want to do without feeling guilty...

...because I'm not "working".

wearily,
Bright

[justgamma]

16. I always said

with 4 kids that if I had enough towels to last all week, I'd be rich. Also My hubby , raised in a very poor family with 7 kids, refused to eat until we were all done eating.

[patphil]

17. Being able to buy things you want, not just the things you need.

[bucolic_frolic]

18. I look at one number

What's coming in every week. I'll never get there.

[Lars39]

19. Not having to buy retreads.

[Delmette2.0]

21. I remember the day when my son said...

"You mean I can drink all the milk I want?"

[littlemissmartypants]

22. Spacing out and almost crying over the meat counter.

Wanting to make homemade chili but not able to afford even the cheap hamburger. I just wanted some meat, beef to be exact, but I couldn't afford it. I can still see the image of the memory in my mind. I bought a can of tuna instead.

I lived mostly on potatoes. I made my own chips and salted them by shaking them around in a large paper grocery shopping bag.

Now, I can buy prime rib and I make double stuffed potatoes. Even though I don't buy it very often, I rarely linger at the meat counter at all. I get what I want and go without giving it a second thought.

[spooky3]

23. Being able to adopt a cat. Nt

[Bettie]

25. Being able to grocery shop without a calculator in hand

that's mine.

Oh, and being able to afford to get myself a coffee when I'm in town. (We're 40 minutes out of town)

[PatrickforB]

26. When I was a kid, I used to think having a pool table in the basement did the trick.

I eventually was able to get one, and soon found out that pool tables and other 'status' trappings really are kind of meaningless.

Nowadays, here in this capitalist utopia that is 'Murika, I'd like the luxury of being able to actually go get my teeth fixed, and feel comfortable with regular doctor visits - because, hey, we live in days of crummy, rationed healthcare with financially crippling copays.

[Whatthe_Firetruck]

27. Couldn't reply there so I'll do it here...

...women wearing all white, especially during their period without a care.

For the rest of us, particularly those with irregular periods, it just was not a thing. We also owned a fair number of black pants to wear 'just in case'.

[getagrip_already]

28. lol, I misread one of the lines and thought "now that IS rich"...

"Being able to get a new mattress."

I read mattress as mistress.

Very rich indeed.

[Delphinus]

29. Oh my ...

So many of these I identify with.