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Original poster

The casual things that wealthy people take for granted

991 replies

KaleQueen · 04/10/2024 21:31

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^

OP posts:
LouH5 · 04/10/2024 22:18

This is probably minor in comparison to some of the examples on here, but was recently with some friends and one had just been on a spa day with her mum, and she said “we should go on a girls day there soon, it was so gorgeous and really reasonable, only £350 each for the day including a treatment!”
And as someone who would never be able to afford to spend £350 on one day (no overnight stay or food inc!) in a spa, I couldn’t believe she thought that was “really reasonable!”

Treesinmygarden · 04/10/2024 22:18

Disappearedwife · 04/10/2024 21:43

Lots of peoples world £400 is cheap for a watch. It’s certainly not an expensive watch! Not one you’d bother putting on your house insurance 😂😂😂😂😂😂

Show quote history

I don't think £400 is cheap for a watch but in the scheme of things, it's at the cheaper end because watches cost well into the £ks.

I spent around £600+ 25 years ago on a Longines. I don't actually know where it is! I have a collection of Bering, Emporio Armani etc, which are perfectly reliable and which I like to match up to my outfit if only they didn't nearly all need batteries!

TheDogdidGood · 04/10/2024 22:18

Disappearedwife · 04/10/2024 21:34

Im not particularly wealthy but a £400 watch IS cheap.

An expensive watch is well into the thousands (£3k+). £400 is probably just a metal/plastic watch.

Next thing I’m going to hear is that £50 is an expensive hand bag 😂😂😂

Edited

Thats $800 in Oz! That’s more than my weekly wage! That’s not a cheap watch. My last watch was about $100 or so, and no, it isn’t plastic.

ThreeLocusts · 04/10/2024 22:19

Disappearedwife · 04/10/2024 21:36

My in laws moaned about the food being too rich and there being too much wine on their recent week long vineyard tour of Bordeaux. (£3k per person). They said they found all the eating and drinking draining and tiresome.

😂they sound delightful

Itsnotallaboutyoulikeyouthink · 04/10/2024 22:19

At work when the directors talk about their yachts like they are going to Butlin’s. And ya mere mortals have to stand thee listening to them like it’s at all relatable.

Josette77 · 04/10/2024 22:19

My partner grew up with no electricity occasionally and did homework by candle light, I lived in Ethiopia for a short time and still feel spoiled drinking tap water.

It's all pretty relative. I don't feel rich but teenage homeless me would smack me for saying that.

I own my condo, have extra money for clothes and books and fun, good food, once a month massage.

I feel wealthy every time I go to bath and body works and buy candles and soap.

Disappearedwife · 04/10/2024 22:20

Choosingbetweenthousandsofmediocresandwiches · 04/10/2024 22:16

Sorry, but a couple of dicks in this thread…no concept of normal life or the fact that just because it’s nothing to them, it’s a lot to other people.
I know a lot of people who would think £400 spent on a watch was a lot and and a real treat purchase. Even if you have money or are fairly comfortable, surely you’re aware of others positions, I feel sad for you if you’re not. Also, don’t forget, anyone can fall from grace and lose it all easily.

what I don’t get here is…
“Even if you don’t have money or are fairly uncomfortable, surely you’re aware of others positions’

i don’t have tons of money but I have access to a tv and the internet and I have awareness of the level of others wealth to the point that I don’t think £400 is expensive. I was watching that luxury hotel programme on bbc the other evening. Sure enough it cost thousands to stay there. I can’t afford that. But I’m not going to go around saying a travel lodge is expensive.

Cheeseandcrackers40 · 04/10/2024 22:22

My mum (with a straight face) complained that the large diamonds on her eternity ring dug in to her fingers when she was playing golf 😬😂

EleanorLucyG · 04/10/2024 22:23

In what world is £400 cheap for a watch?

Agree.

🤔Things I've bought for £400 -

  1. An entire capsule wardrobe including underwear, shoes, coat and bag, to last for an entire year, across all seasons.

  2. A week's holiday for 2 people.

  3. One month's rent on a one bedroom flat.

  4. One years water rates.

  5. A (knackered but still running and MOT'd for a year) car.

  6. A pony.

  7. A mouth full of fillings.

  8. A new laptop.

  9. Christmas gifts for all the family.

  10. A new sofa, fridge and TV (yes all from the same £400, thank you Argos).

There's no way I'd ever spend £400 on a watch. That's madness to me.

Disappearedwife · 04/10/2024 22:23

CorbyTrouserPress · 04/10/2024 22:18

Yeah, that was kinda my point ….

Show quote history

Your point wasn’t well made. A wealthy person couldn’t give a flying fuck what’s in the Argos catalogue so I don’t know why you quote the ratio of watches under and over a certain value

InSpainTheRain · 04/10/2024 22:23

Why does the 400 quid watch feature so much? Surely its all relative. I don't even have a watch, they are pointless if you have a phone.

Choosingbetweenthousandsofmediocresandwiches · 04/10/2024 22:24

@Disappearedwife Must be me then, I wouldn’t go and buy myself a £400 watch for example and consider that cheap.

Tootsurly · 04/10/2024 22:24

kolalumps · 04/10/2024 22:09

owning an island not as glamorous as it sounds.

Show quote history

I guess it depends on the island...

padampada · 04/10/2024 22:25

A banker friend said to me, 'I mean it's so tough for you teachers. You work so hard and take home...I dunno
...just £70k a year. Your profession are well overdue a payrise!

ThreeLocusts · 04/10/2024 22:25

EleanorLucyG · 04/10/2024 21:53

The person who said to me about job hunting, her debt and her last job:

"I mean, who can live on £50k a year?!"

As someone who has never earned more than minimum wage, I unfortunately temporarily lost my manners and rather rudely laughed in her face. Still, I think it was a bit of a wake up call for her.

👏👏👏

bringslight · 04/10/2024 22:25

The fact that accountability does not exist ( in eternal aspect )

Montydone · 04/10/2024 22:25

So this is a bit “off thread”, hope you don’t mind! I often dream about winning the lottery and what I would do, but I was thinking today that actually really I wonder if it would make me happier… isn’t there something about really wanting something and saving up or waiting until Christmas which makes it more meaningful to get? Like the child who has all the toys doesn’t really appreciate any of them… Isn’t there some evidence that the happiest people are not the ones who earn a lot (and consider £400 watches cheap); but those who earn enough that they can pay to replace broken white goods and enough that they are not worried about paying the rent and buying food for their kids…

Treesinmygarden · 04/10/2024 22:25

Femme2804 · 04/10/2024 22:05

I’m sorry £400 for watch its cheap. I cant afford rolex for watch but i got £1k-£2k watches. I’m not rich but comfortable and i bought £200 bra for one bra. I think the bra its expensive, because its just a bra.

my aunt its very wealthy, she married a middle east oil businessman and now live in mayfair. She casually ask me about my boys school “why dont you put them in private school? Its not expensive. You dont want to put them in state school, do you?”

Edited

I wouldn't spend that amount on a bra! I've found a comfortable style of Triumph bra, Amourette, and I buy them when they have a sale on because I think £60+ is too expensive!

I'm allergic to paying full price for anything if I can help it. It's become quite a fun challenge actually!

Treesinmygarden · 04/10/2024 22:25

Femme2804 · 04/10/2024 22:05

I’m sorry £400 for watch its cheap. I cant afford rolex for watch but i got £1k-£2k watches. I’m not rich but comfortable and i bought £200 bra for one bra. I think the bra its expensive, because its just a bra.

my aunt its very wealthy, she married a middle east oil businessman and now live in mayfair. She casually ask me about my boys school “why dont you put them in private school? Its not expensive. You dont want to put them in state school, do you?”

Edited

I wouldn't spend that amount on a bra! I've found a comfortable style of Triumph bra, Amourette, and I buy them when they have a sale on because I think £60+ is too expensive!

Blanketyre · 04/10/2024 22:25

EleanorLucyG · 04/10/2024 22:23

In what world is £400 cheap for a watch?

Agree.

🤔Things I've bought for £400 -

  1. An entire capsule wardrobe including underwear, shoes, coat and bag, to last for an entire year, across all seasons.

  2. A week's holiday for 2 people.

  3. One month's rent on a one bedroom flat.

  4. One years water rates.

  5. A (knackered but still running and MOT'd for a year) car.

  6. A pony.

  7. A mouth full of fillings.

  8. A new laptop.

  9. Christmas gifts for all the family.

  10. A new sofa, fridge and TV (yes all from the same £400, thank you Argos).

There's no way I'd ever spend £400 on a watch. That's madness to me.

You bought a pony for 400?

My friend has just bought a horse for her dd. It was £65k.

namechange678 · 04/10/2024 22:26

reesewithoutaspoon · 04/10/2024 22:11

I think what they take for granted is the ability to solve most problems with money.
Missed your flight. No worries just book another.
never worrying about bills.
Feeling a bit under the weather, just book a holiday.
Roof leaking. No worries get someone to fix it.
Its that freedom from worrying about how to deal with unexpected stuff. It happens on MN to a degree. Someone says they feel a bit down and are told to book a night away in a hotel and take a spa retreat. Thats hundreds of pounds that most people cant just don't have spare lying around. A lot of people are thrown into financial difficulty if their kids ruin their shoes or lose a blazer.

This. I'm a high earner. I'm not a massive spender as it doesn't feel comfortable/ necessary.

But - if the NHS is too slow, I know that I have the option to go private. If my car breaks down or my bike is nicked, there's no money stress. If I'm camping and the weather's awful I can book a last minute hotel. If I forget something when packing I can buy another out there. Having the option to spend your way out when things go wrong gives a whole layer of safety.

Namechanged1974 · 04/10/2024 22:26

A watch costing £4k in Argos or £40k from Rolex still tells the same time as a 4 quid one from the market.
Vulgar as fuck to think expensive watches are any different to that!

Blanketyre · 04/10/2024 22:26

(I bought a NF pony 8 years ago and he was 6k - can't imagine what you'd get for 400 quid!)

Frequency · 04/10/2024 22:27

My watch cost £65. I bought myself it as a birthday treat. It's secondhand. I think, new, it would have been around £180 when I bought it. I considered it a fairly luxurious treat (but worth it after the bastard dog ate my FitBit).

£400 is very expensive.

£40,000 - they saw you coming...

FortunataTagnips · 04/10/2024 22:27

Talking with a top paediatrician about the facilities for parents staying in his hospital.
“Oh, it’s really comfortable now,” he said. “They have leather seats that fold down into beds - you know, like the ones they have when you fly long haul in First Class”…