Former Poor People Who Became Rich Are Sharing Surprising Things They Learned About The Top 1%

Things that happen in our childhoods obviously affect us as adults, including how we grew up — poor, middle class, or rich. A Redditor recently asked , "Redditors who grew up in poverty and are now rich, what's the biggest shock about rich people you learned?" the answers really surprised me. Here is what some shared:

1. "More like the lower-middle class to upper-middle class, but it blew my mind when I realized many people I know now frequently pay to have their house cleaned and grew up thinking that the cleaners being over was just a routine part of life. I was probably in my late 20s, and this was the first time I ever paid someone to clean. It is the same with moving, painting, house maintenance, etc. I'm at a place where it makes more sense to save my time and pay for many of those things, but anytime I talk to my mom and mention it, she assumes it's something I'm doing myself because it would never have occurred to her to spend money on that and for most of her life she couldn't afford it. It's a pretty interesting divide between the middle-class strata."

2. "That rich people can afford to do things that save them money. Better health insurance and car insurance with lower deductibles. Higher quality food that keeps them healthy. Gym membership prevents future health incidences. Prompt car maintenance to avoid big repair costs down the line. Higher education for better-paying jobs — the list goes on and on."

— u/BothNotice7035

3. "The freedom it provides. Freedom to not spend hours mowing their lawn, laundry, cleaning their car, grocery shopping. Freedom to eat healthy, freedom to prioritize exercise — it's an endless list. Those who don't enjoy this freedom sacrifice our few hours on earth performing these mundane tasks."

— u/ndnman

4. "I'm not rich by any stretch of the imagination, and it might not shock others — but going on vacation. When I was a kid, we just stayed home every summer. I never went anywhere and generally stayed within the same 200km radius of where I live. We didn't have a lot of money. Now, I go on vacation twice a year, and I've been all over the world. 17-year-old me would be in awe."

5. "The richer you are, the more free stuff you get. Your account balances are so big that maintenance and overdraft fees are waived, and you occasionally get large bonuses simply for transferring some of your money from one account to another. Companies eager to do business with you provide free samples or even trips to their exotic locales."

— u/Gorf_the_Magnificent

6. "Shock is a strong word, but I didn't realize the social safety net rich people have. Growing up poor, we lived absolutely paycheck to paycheck (more accurately, we lived borrowing against future paychecks), and it felt like we were never far from homelessness. One job loss and one prolonged serious illness, and we would not have been able to pay the rent and would have been evicted. All of my parents' family and friends were similarly struggling, so if we needed help, they would not have had much to give."

"Now, as adults with more money than my parents could have imagined, we not only have substantial personal savings but also know many people who could help us if things got bad. If worst came to worst, we have multiple friends with vacation properties that they barely use that we could move into. Not that I think it will ever come to that, but life is dramatically different, never having to worry financially about a job loss, illness, or unexpected car expenses."

— u/ColdFIREBaker

7. "Rich people eat a different meal for every meal and throw out leftovers. Growing up, my mom would make a giant pot of tomato sauce, and we ate it until it was gone. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner."

8. "We were poor when we had our first children (twins). We went through the process and had two healthy boys. A few years later, I had a stable job with medical insurance when we had our third child. Everything was nicer. They didn't push us out of the hospital so fast. All the basic care was the same, but I was shocked at how much better we were treated with insurance."

— u/willworkforjokes

9. "I grew up pretty poor, and my wife is insanely rich. In my house, if your car breaks down, you fix it or take it to a mechanic. In her house, they would buy a new car. This dawned on me when our washing machine broke. I ordered the part on Amazon and an hour later saw she had ordered a new washer from Lowe’s. She’s gotten better, but her first impulse is just to buy a new one of whatever is broken."

10. "How often they talk about money. I once dated a very wealthy woman and hung out with some of her friends. People just chat about their savings and investments. 'Oh, I have a million over here. I made a few hundred grand on this upswing,' etc. Poor people don't talk about money because they don't have any; if they get some, they don't want anyone to know."

11. "Penniless immigrant as a child, multimillionaire in my 40s. Nothing about it has 'shocked' me. Having more free time to pursue interests and the freedom to do what I want when I want was expected. I do notice that I am much more mindful of how I treat the people I meet and that life has sort of 'slowed down' for me to the degree that I can be more introspective and put more effort into being a nicer person. As opposed to running around head down trying to make my way out of poverty in my 20s."

— u/ihasanemail

12. "You can buy your way out of even the smallest problems when you have money."

— u/229-northstar

13. "My husband grew up extremely poor. I grew up upper middle class and helped him upgrade to that lifestyle. The biggest shock for him is food. Diets are completely different."

14. "I grew up below the poverty line, and my mom kicked me out when I was 17. I moved in with my boyfriend and his family, who were upper-middle-class. It was definitely a shock. I remember his mom telling me to add food and drinks that I like to the grocery list. I was shocked. Just put what I want on there? They got me whatever I put on that list! It was so bizarre to my little teenage self."

— u/ImAPersonNow

15. And finally, "Time is more valuable than their money. So they will spend what they have to spend to preserve their time. I worked at a quiet airport with many private jets. On this particular day, some passengers showed up during bad weather. Their arrival time and the weather caused their ferry to be canceled. The only other option was to take another ferry about an hour away. They landed at 3:30, and the ferry in the next state over left at 5:00."

"The husband looked at me and said, 'Can you take us to the ferry?' I responded, 'Unfortunately, no, that would be too far of a trip for us.' He responded, 'How would you like to make $200?' I said I'll grab the keys to the crew car. I got him to the ferry 15 minutes early, and he put another $100 in the cup holder, totaling my amount to $300 for a 50-minute ride. He could have easily gotten a hotel room, stayed the night, and waited for the ferry the next morning. But this is how many of the wealthy are — they want what they want now."

— u/Nikonshooter35

Is there anything you could add to the conversation here? If so, share it with me in the comments below!