The casual things that wealthy people take for granted

[KaleQueen]

Inspired by a thread that’s gone totally off topic….where someone suggested a £400 watch was cheap.

What’s the most casual (even accidental) brag you’ve ever heard a wealthy person say?

I can start as I know someone who celebrated a big birthday recently and is an absolutely lovely person but during their party (in the wonderful house) they said “oh! Here comes the string quartet. I had completely forgotten about them!”

^www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/5174898-to-feel-slightly-suspicious-of-dp?page=35&reply=138771616^

My mother, who complains that losing their winter fuel allowance means they will starve this winter.

"Oh well [car dealership] owes me £300, but I just can't be bothered to drive out there, they need my card to do it."

🤦🏼‍♀️

The garage is probably a ten minute drive, she's retired and has literally all the time in the world

I was once having dinner at the invite of a close friend. Because of the sector she works in, she has some SUPER posh mates.

One of the women was telling me a colleague at work, who she doesn't like, had just had a baby.

Needing to keep up appearances, while at the same time demonstrating her disapproval of her as a person, she sent her a load of baby clothes in white cashmere.

She loudly exclaimed over dinner 'I MEAN, WHAT DOESN'T SCREAM DISDAIN MORE THAN SENDING WHITE CASHMERE FOR A BABY!'.

I mean, what the actual fuck?! I was gobsmacked.

Some years back there was a web chat planned with some posh woman who wanted to tell us all how to be more environmentally friendly. The advice she had previously given included travelling by train to the second home instead of driving, and keeping geese.
Needless to say MNers ripped her to shreds beforehand, we were told off for bullying and the webchat was cancelled.

Dh is into watches. Not the flashy, diamond encrusted monstrosities that posters seem to have in mind. It's all about the craftsmanship and the materials used. He doesn't own many and nothing that would stand out as being expensive. They are an own for life type thing.

Almost certainly that's true. A cheaper watch is more likely to break or not be worth mending. That's one of the privileges of being wealthy/comfortable enough to afford things that are better quality - you don't need to keep spending out to replace them. See the Sam Vimes's Theory of Boots

Your point was very clear to everyone apart from @Disappearedwife

I’m more wealthy than I realise, I am healthy and happy, as are my family. Everything else really is just stuff and life can change in an instant and no amount of wealth can change that.

Struggling with this one. Wondering how much your monthly expenses are as it’s pretty dire being unable to socialise with two professional wages?

You've typed this a lot more succinctly than I could!

I think a lot of people on this thread genuinely don't realise that a watch that costs thousands isn't about telling the time, it's generally a good investment.

Your hysterical laughter about the stupid poor people not releasing how cheap 400 quid is, is really annoying. Are you 12?

Its everything, i was brought up in abject poverty, i'm quite well off now, i forget what a struggle life is for many people but it doesn't take much to remember it.

Everything the better off do is something the poor cannot do without significant struggle and/or worry, so my bills are all DD, for a poorer person, each will need planning around or debt or go without.

Its why we have the WFA cut, people at the top, having zero idea that for many people, this loss of £200 is huge and will have consequence.

Another thing that wealthy people sometimes can't fathom is people who are "poor, but proud", who flatly refuse to take gifts from somebody with money. I thought this only happened in fiction, such as Perks in the Railway Children, but I met somebody at university who rejected birthday presents because he couldn't "repay" them; and if we communally bought a birthday card for somebody else, the cost had to be divided to exact pence.

I think everyone realises that.

If you can buy a watch that is an investment piece rather than to tell the time, then you are wealthy/comfortable. That is the OP's point.

your friends do sound insensitive. Have you tried saying you’d love to come but your max budget is say £30 and you need to stick to it or can’t come?

My aunt buys Opera tickets and often will just miss it- cause she doesn't fancy it, I didn't think much of it until she told me how much the tickets were
Please try and persuade her to contact a music school or local singing teacher if she decides not to go. I'm sure there are plenty of impoverished students who would absolutely love that go.

Re the watch. I bet if you could draw a graph of all watch sales in a year divided into 10 pounds increments you would find 400 for a watch is outside the norm.

£400 pound watch is cheap!
Peak MN!

I don't think I've ever spent more than 30 and now don't bother at all as I have my phone. The fact that some people spend thousands isn't very relevant.

I would spend £50 on a handbag now, but there were times in my life when that would have been expensive too!

Sounds like she decides last minute...
What a life !

This is a good one. I have more money now than I ever used to, and yes if the house feels chilled I will put the heating in for an hour so I can sit and watch TV in just one jumper and a blanket. That’s wealth to me!

ordering food because I can’t decide, then not eating it? That makes me feel sick

They clearly don't, there's numerous people on this thread saying 'anyone who spends 20k on a watch is insane' and 'my £50 watch keeps time perfectly, not sure what a £20k one would do better' etc etc.

I remember briefly working for a kitchen company in the West End in my early 20s, renovating the (several) kitchens at a huge property overlooking Ascot Racecourse. A minor part needed replacing, so being most junior I was sent by taxi with said part. When I got there the installation boss guy said 'I honestly don't know why they bother replacing the kitchens because the last ones were never used, he sent his chap over from (rice overseas location where they lived 75% of the time) and he took a look and said 'no, this won't do at all, it'll have to all come out he now wants x, y, z instead' They were REAL GOLD plated taps too!

I was staggered! No wonder said kitchen co could afford such swanky West End showrooms!

He probably bid more at auction than he meant to or bid on the wrong lot. I expect he turned it round within the business.

I do know someone who did actually buy the wrong house... he visited 2 houses on the same road - 69 and 96 which were similar prices but different layouts. He loved 69 but got mixed up when he put in the offer and ended up with 96. However he wasn't wealthy just disorganised

Yes, these aren't good friends.

On the other hand, I have a friend who wants to just come to a cafe and just drink tap water and then sit in the street drinking (not actually legal where we live) and I would rather pay for her than do that.

Some people I'd met at a conference probably could mention something I said. I was talking about something that had happened on my estate. It was only later that I realised they'd thought I actually had An Estate, like a country estate. My family wasn't well off when I was growing up and I actually meant my pretty rough housing estate!

When you haven’t planned properly and you run out of things like washing powder, coffee, toiletries and oil all in the same week!

I think wealthy people think you can feed a family of 4 for £30 a week, which you probably could but they forget about the toiletries, cleaning products, new clothes/shoes etc which all need to be included in the monthly budget.
Its not just about the food shopping.