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^

@YouveGotNoBloodyIdea your username is very apt.

People just don't have £1000 lying around to get a coat. That's just impossible for so many people. I earn £1390 a month. Even a £140 coat is 10% of my monthly income. I cannot float an expensive coat.

A lot of people don't have the luxury of choosing the more expensive items.

True wealth would be: roof leaking? No worries, just buy a new house.

Aye, they certainly saw her coming!

I KNOW - That's the point, it's not just that the wealthy can afford to spend that amount on one item of clothing, it's that it's actually CHEAPER over a lifetime if you can buy quality, and if you take care of things - and if you don't care about what's in fashion. My coat has gone in and out of fashion over the 40yrs, it's quite retro now so probably back in again, but I'm at an age where I really don't care, it's warm, smart and well made.

I think that is @YouveGotNoBloodyIdea s point!

Life is cheaper when you are rich. You can afford to buy something that will last, so the cost per wear is cheaper.

This thread is full of people completely missing the point. Everyone fighting over the cost of watches 🤦‍♀️

They're making a point. You don't really think that people aren't aware that expensive watches are investment pieces, do you? Of course they know that.

^This
I grew up poor and have now reached the stage, it's a huge privilege to be able to do that. I don't take it for granted.

Can we get back to the price of ponies again? That was fun 🤩

Yes. I'd like to buy dd a new horse but the cheapest one I've found that will do what she wants is 30k.

So she's not getting a new horse 😂

Saying they've paid X amount on something trivial and thinking it's cheap and saying ' It's nothing ' When it would probably feed a family of 4 for a fortnight.

There's literally someone upthread saying they didn't realise you didn't have to pay CGT on profits made from the sale of watches !

ODFOD.

Strange comment. No chips here! Do you think I'm jealous of your volvo or something? Your original comment was peculiar, which is why I quoted it. Seriously, how many cars break down regularly once they hit 3 years old?

right. we're really lucky, that even though my husband is disabled and we rely on benefits as a result, his parents are pretty well off. they live in a beautiful farmhouse, and both have very generous private pensions (think his dad worked quite high up in BT back in the day)
and honestly, they've got us out of a lot of tight scrapes. when they upgrade cars, which they don't do as often as some, they always check if he needs a new car. most of our cars have been hand me downs from them. the most recent one, rather than him getting on finance, they paid for outright, and he pays them back a ridiculously small amount each month. birthdays and Christmas, they always ask if there's anything we need for the house. his last birthday, they bought us a new fridge (the first NEW fridge we've ever had!) as ours was on the way out, AND a £200 tesco gift card.
when we had to appeal his PIP, we were worse off by more than our rent every month. they stepped up and made up the difference so our rent was paid and we didn't lose our home.
I'm so grateful that we have them as a safety net and I know not everyone does. my parents are not well off, but even so, at that point they kept inviting us over for dinner and sending us home with leftovers to make sure we weren't struggling to eat.

not everyone has family that can step in and help like that. I'm very grateful that we do, because life can be pretty harsh

I had a dental emergency and was fortunate enough to be able to get immediate private treatment. The cost was painful but not as painful as the tooth. I was feeling sorry for myself when I caught myself on and realised how fortunate I am to be able to buy my way out of the agony. I’m from a poor background but sometimes have to remind myself not to take things for granted. We’re not wealthy by MN standards but that felt like being well off to me!

Ask yourself why suggesting, on MN, that never worrying about a car starting has got you defensive.

It’s hardly an emotional or upsetting comment. “Peculiar” to suggest having a new car is something wealthy person takes for granted? 3 people said thanks, and you get upset!
And YOU asked what car I had!

Maybe it’s you. Defo it’s you.

*Life is cheaper when you are rich. You can afford to buy something that will last, so the cost per wear is cheaper." The Same Vimes theory of boots?
But it doesn't hold up with clothes. I don't spend more than £90 on a dress, and wouldn't spend more than £150 on a coat. But I will wear that dress probably 50 times a year, for at least 5 years, and the coat every day in winter for even more years. The rich don't do that.

One thing that stands out for me is that "party bags" for going to a fashion show etc run into the thousands. The sheer waste of money once you get into the rich stratum seem unethical to me. But to the rich, my view is "the politics of envy".

We have neighbours who talk about “watching the pennies”.

They then chat over the garden wall about their three cruises coming up. They’re doing three because last year their daughter had a baby which meant cancelling a cruise that was planned. They then (sadly!) had to fall back on yet another Vegas trip. They took $4000 and were “very pleased” to come back with $800.

During these pathetic stories I’m on a ladder trying to cut the hedge. I’m always wondering whether to tell them about the saving I made on two-pack chickens at LIDL…

Best friend frequently complaining about the household income while using her parents credit cards and paying for numerous expensive activities for the children and parents also pay the groceries for them. And all while moaning about the heating bills for the £1m house they also bought her. FFS I would be in luxury.

how on earth did a box of veg become a humble brag? 😂

Going waaaay back to the beginning of the thread and how a £400 watch is not really expensive... This reminds me of an occasion when I visited a cousin living in Spain and we went out to lunch with a group of British expats of a particularly noxious variety (rude to the waiter, didn't want foreign muck food) and they spent the time talking about their forthcoming cruise holidays. One said she had to take her designer watch collection with her as she couldn't manage without it. At this I commented that I only had one watch and it had cost me $10 from Walmart (I live in the USA). She looked down her nose at me and said "I could tell you were the arty farty type." I thought that was hilarious.

My DD told me a story I will never forget about 2 very wealthy friends she knew from university - they gave a dinner party and when they woke up the next day just couldn't face the mountain of washing up..... so they threw everything away and just bought new 😮

'Peculiar' to suggest that you need a car less than 2 years old to avoid regular problems.

I'm not upset, just puzzled. But since your comments don't make sense, I'm giving up on this.

Perhaps they can afford the holidays because they're not shopping in Waitrose?

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