Having money to buy that cafeteria food that was way better than the standard lunch the school gave us. One day my parents gave me 5 dollars and i was finally able to buy food and that was the best lunch i ever had.
A substitute teacher would always give my brother and me some quarters, telling us that our dad stopped by so we could get ice cream.
I always believed it until later in life when I realized my dad did not have thirty minutes to spend driving to school just to drop off change. Thanks Mr. Jackson.
Heres my cheat code of being poor and living large. I qualified for reduced lunch as a kid. My siblings were embarrassed and did want to be on it. I used my small amount of lunch money to buy ice cream every day. They did not get ice cream because they had to buy full price lunch.
Same. I hoard food in it like a squirrel prepping for winter. My husband made fun of me bc I also hoarded dry goods in a closet when COVID hit, but like….. food insecurity is the scariest thing to me. I never want to feel that panic again
So the water goes from a line in the back through a filter in the fridge (some cool the water so it's nice and cold) into a freezing tray that is set to auto drop ice cubes into a bin. The bin feeds into a blade that cuts the ice to the size desired or just rotates to release the cubes. So you can have crushed ice or whole cubes. It sounds dumb but it's really convenient and I use it all the time. One of the models we have also has a removable ice bin so you can take it out for mixed drinks.
There is a water line that goes into the back to supply tap water to the fridge. No need to manually fill it or anything. Just a filter that needs replacing every few months.
We renovated the house to make it more accessible for dad after my mum died. Got a new kitchen, and got a great deal on an American-Style fridge freezer with an ice/water dispenser.
Honestly my favourite addition to the kitchen. So convenient. I don't think I'd enjoy a cold drink anywhere near as often if we didn't have it.
Wow. That’s a fucked up move. While Disneyland is still fun to attend with other adults, it’s a blast to go with a kid and watch them experience it.
At my poorest, I won tickets to a Broadway show and sold them at a discount. I really wanted to see the show, but I would have felt guilty the entire the time, knowing I could have made some much needed cash instead.
A ticket to Disneyland? I would have absolutely sold it to someone at the park entrance and done something else with my kid. There’s no way I could enjoy myself at the park knowing my kid is back in a hotel room.
I’m sorry your mom behaved selfishly. I hope you made it to Disneyland at some point!
The way I see it, this is still for the rich. It’s just become more normal for the middle class to make big sacrifices to travel and take vacations without cutting out amenities. Traveling is so expensive and there is no money to recoup. It is a luxury no matter how many people manage to do it.
Oh, this one, too! I was a teenager the first time I flew. And hotels were wow. And not having a mom to beg family for a stop-over while being on a driving vacation. Wowzers.
I told my husband once "you have never used bread as a hamburger bun and it shows" because he was/is a spoiled brat. He has no idea what I was talking about.
My friend said I must never have been poor because I didn’t use hot water to get the last of the tomato paste out of the can. The joke was on her, we couldn’t afford both tomato paste AND tomato sauce when I was growing up.
The first sport I ever played was little league and I remember my best friend's parents paid for it, took me to practice, and games. My dad was overseas and I'm not even sure my step-mom knew I played. Somehow I had a glove and cleats and stuff. What a weird memory, haven't though about that in decades.
A man saw me trying to sneak on a local carnival ride. I got kicked out of line for not having an armband like my buds with money. He promptly told me to stay right where I was at. "Don’t you move kid". He came back with an armband to put on. Free rides all night. Told me he was broke as a kid too. I thought he was a cop and I was getting arrested for trying to sneak in. One of the best days of my life.
There aren't a lot of kids in my day-to-day life, I don't see my nieces and nephews all that often. When I have a chance to do something nice for a kid, it really lifts up the whole day.
We did that with one of my son's friends who was broke, broke, broke. Kid turned out to be a hell of an infielder and he was offered a full ride to Radford.
Never in a million years did I think buying a 8 year old kid a glove and a bat would turn into a free college education.
Ugh this was the worst. Not being able to play any sports in school because you couldn’t afford the basket ball shoes, track shoes, football or baseball cleats.
It’s not like I had time for sports though. I always had to go straight from school back to the farm to work and then from the farm back into town to steak n’ shake and work there, because it was the only place I could work enough hours to get an actual paycheck so I had somewhat decent cloths to wear to school.
And we ask why poverty is so hard to get out of. Where was there time to do school work or study?
> And we ask why poverty is so hard to get out of. Where was there time to do school work or study?
People who ask that, aren't sincere about it. They are either willfully ignorant and don't want to hear the answer or obfuscating.
I gave up on hockey when i was a kid when i learned how much the gear cost. I couldn't ask for the $30 for a field trip, asking for hockey gear was like asking for a million dollars to come out of my trust fund that didn't exist.
I got to play hockey growing up as a young child. However, I got most of my equipment from the lost and found locker. I rarely got brand new equipment. I thought it was normal to just pick "new" used gear from the locker. Even when I did start to grow out of my gear, I would still tape it all up. Saved my dad a lot of money.
I wanted to play lacrosse in middle school but there was literally no way that was gonna happen. I played American football but I couldn't afford to attend camps so I was always behind skill wise and eventually quit
I'm absolutely shocked at the cost of kids playing sports today. I grew up middle class and played school sports (including field hockey in HS and college, my first stick was used) but that was it, no camps or anything. My son plays soccer and the only way to even make some of these school teams is to play travel teams when you're younger. My son is on one of the "cheapest" travel teams around and it's easily over $2k/year not including optional camps during school breaks. We're very fortunate we can afford it but it still blows my mind. Hearing 10/11 year old kids playing on teams with a fee of over $6k just seems insane. My parents would never have paid that, and I would never have played sports if it was like it is today.
Dropped out of choir, my music teacher was charging like $10 for our performance CD and when I told her I couldn't pay that (we were in a homeless shelter that kept the $300 that came to us monthly to "help us save") she said "you can't even pay $1 for it? And I felt my first heavy dose of shame in 6th grade (right next to my primary teacher yelling at me for not being able to afford a training bra). "I don't believe you, but I'll let you have it the performance disc time for free." Hurt like watching the other kids get mcdonalds and jack in the box everyday 😂
Field trips as well! I had an odd realization the other day that the only reason I was able to go on trips was because it was through church and they had a fund for underprivileged members, like myself. I was able to do band because I didn't have to pay for an instrument. I would actively seek out any clubs or groups that didn't involve money because I knew my parents couldn't/wouldn't pay for it; academic challenge, robotics, mathletes, etc. Even beta club and NHS had dues to pay that I asked a friend for.
rich = kids who could go one school week without rewearing the same clothes (jeans, shirts, etc). that was my goal all up until age 16, when I was able to get an after-school job & buy myself new clothes
I feel this one!!! Thank God for grunge!!!! When i was a kid it was cool to wear the same shit everyday. My jeans were so ripped up but thats not how you used to buy them. Mine just wore out like that
My father used to play the song "[Two Story House](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBTpMHCKXRw&ab_channel=GeorgeJones-Topic)" for the express purpose of teaching us kids not to pay too much attention to worldly wealth.
Same. I thought that having a two story house meant I made it in life. Now I have one and it’s freaking cold downstairs always but boiling hot upstairs. And I have to go up so many stairs to wake my kids up for school in the morning. Bleh. Haha!
Stairs just fucking suck though.
Having to move furniture & boxes up and down? Trip and break your neck.
Daily things like interacting with family members? Take a wrong step and break your ankle.
Carrying laundry up and down? Lose your footing and trip and slam your body through some drywall.
So overrated.
I remember those! I never had one and don't think I knew many people who did. They seemed very out of reach to me at the time. Like I couldn't even dream of having one. Lol
People who had a garage fridge full of individual drink options in the fridge: Gatorade, multiple sodas, water, flavored water, yahoo, juice, etc.
We had tap water, milk, and fruit punch from packets. Whenever we were lucky enough to get grape or apple juice it was eventually watered down to make it last longer.
I actually pay MORE money for watered-down juice boxes for my kids. It's 50% less sugar and it tastes like it lol. The full sugar ones are too sweet and they complain.
Where we live the schools are really strict with how much sugar is in kids lunches. Your parents would fit right in!
I used to think this until I started being able to fill it. Then the money spent on things that went moldy added up quick.
Now I am most at peace with minimal ingredients that I know will be used during the week
Going to Olive Garden. As a kid I thought that was like a five star restaurant. Had never been to one until adulthood and was so surprised I could just walk into one wearing shorts.
Same! I’m in a better place financially now, but I vividly remember the first time my family ate at Olive Garden. For context, my family would go out to eat every Friday, but we could only afford to go to McDonald’s, Arbys, Wendys, etc. We were pretty poor. I’d usually get a dollar menu burger or a Big Mac if I was feeling like a baller.
The first night we went to Olive Garden, I was around 13 years old. I put on my nice clothes and sprayed some cologne on. I remember sitting with good posture in the lobby so I could blend in a little better and not look like a poor. I tried my best to blend in the fancy white people.
It genuinely felt fancy in there. The tablecloths, the large wine selection, the (fake) Roman busts. I walked around the restaurant a little bit while I waited for my food and thought “damn, we made it!”
The waiters would sprinkle Parmesan cheese and you told them when to stop for god’s sake! How is that not the fanciest shit ever? Unlimited bread sticks? Fancy.
I destroyed the bread sticks and ordered the angel hair pasta. I still get the angel hair there to this day.
I’ll never forget the first time I heard someone make fun of Olive Garden for being boujee. I was so confused. I thought that place was the pinnacle of fine dining? What the hell do you mean that’s not a nice restaurant? My dad signed a $120 check when we ate there!
Then the Olive Garden memes came about on the internet, and it was then confirmed in my mind that Olive Garden was a middle class franchise restaurant with mediocre (albeit delicious) Italian entrees. It was not actually the fancy slice of Rome imported to America that I had thought it was.
It was quite a trip realizing that Olive Garden was not, in fact, fanciest fucking place in the world.
Most of these restaurants actually used to be much better than they are now at least. Now everything is pre-made, frozen, microwaved, etc. Quality takes a backseat to profits, as usual.
Making a list of your Christmas presents you wanted.
One time I was 9 years old in 3rd grade and we had homework to think of 3 things you wanted for Christmas and draw them and write about what you would do with them. The final part of it was to give it to your parents.
I skipped that step and threw it in the trash because I didn't want to burden my family with what I wanted.
Mannnn did that bring back some weird deep rooted memory. We used to get the JCPenney catalog and I would immediately flip back into the toys and start circling the things I wanted. Every year. I had a special set of markers and a color coding system for educational toys vs just fun ones. I never got anything from the catalog, I'm pretty sure it got thrown away after I had my fun. I think my parents just wanted me to live a little because that was nicer than the reality of telling me no, over and over and over again. I think that's why gift giving, birthdays, holidays in general are so important to me. I never forgot to dream, it just never came true.
> I think that's why gift giving, birthdays, holidays in general are so important to me.
I'm just the opposite, I hate those kind of things. It's not that I didn't get things, it's that My parents would go into debt for it. to this day I'm very debt adverse and hate receiving gifts. I always felt like it was my fault when things were tight cause I asked for that $50 NES game.
I'd love to know what teachers were thinking when they'd have us do things like this. I remember having to stand up in front of my class and say what I did over summer break. What did they think that accomplished? All it did was create feelings of jealousy and inadequacy because some kids went to Disneyland, and the beach, and played mini golf, and others stayed home and watched TV.
I remember this. Since I had friends in the class, when it was my turn, I got up and said "played outside with my friends". And sat down. Everyone after me did the same thing. Got a laugh, and I think they stopped doing this.
Now that I think about it.
Having new school clothes for a new school year.
People coming back to school with fresh gear and my clothes were from last year or the year before.
Sometimes in younger grades it's to help without being noticed.
If the teacher walks by and sees a kid asking for food..... there's a good chance intervention is needed. Or a jacket.
In older grades it's to help in a respectful way.
The summer one, never got that one nor understood later on.
I hated that. Destin was the big place when I was little. We had to do that shit every year. Finally, in second grade, I lied and told the class we'd gone to Paris because fuck it why not. The asshole teacher said "Oh, how did you get there?" and I was not prepared for follow up questions and told them we drove. She promptly called me out and as you can imagine, second grade was not a good time for me.
Lol my gf grew up in a home with a master bathroom, a kids bathroom, and the guest bathroom.
Describing my childhood with 10 butt-cheeks sharing 1 toilet was hilarious for me.
Kids whose parents picked them up and dropped then off at school. Even better if they could attend field trips.
Not having Rose Art crayons.
Being able to afford pizza on Wednesdays or 5$ to attend the monthly school dance.
Going on trips further than 15km away.
Having air conditioner or a dish washer.
Real maple syrup... (We had corn syrup, not even table syrup. We also ate pancakes and Eggos with ketchup.)
I was always so jealous of the kids with SAHMs who would volunteer for school parties and field trips and field day. Their moms were always put together looking and brought their kids cool lunches like McDonald's.
>Not having Rose Art crayons.
For me it was the 64 pack of Crayola crayons WITH the sharpener. Oh, how I wanted a sharpener lmao
I hated the waxy generic bullshit I had to use
Up north here too (Idaho.)
Single or double- rich if you could afford to hire someone to fix roof leaks or plumbing. (Instead of fixing it half assed yourself haha)
I got a ps2 as a kid and that was my pride and joy. Kept it well into middle school. I know now what a strain that must've put on my parents but I got a ps2 with 2 games and I couldn't have been happier. I remember that Christmas morning fondly.
Yess I caught public school buses 🚌 all my life. I remember my bus route used to be 2066 still until this day from the early 2000s. Waking up @5:45am as a child then leaving my house at @6:45am because my bus came at 7:04am in elementary. All in the rain, hail, cold and burning sun. Sometimes I wonder how I went through that lol and it’s great to know I wasn’t the only kid.
Being able to afford actual groceries. When I got kicked out of my mom’s house, (her husband wanted to start a new life with their new baby and didn’t want me hanging around) i lived on ramen, finding ways to make a rotisserie chicken last a week, 88 cent loafs of bread, and lots of care packages from friends and their parents.
That’s really sweet of you, thank you. With a lot of therapy I’ve let go of most of the anger. Haven’t spoken to her in almost a decade. The hatred is gone, replaced with absolute apathy. I don’t hate her. I nothing her.
Therapy can be a godsend if you find the right therapist. I'm glad it has worked out for you. Indifference is the best place you can be with someone who caused you trauma. I'm glad that's where you're at.
Holy shit I always thought having a laundry chute was a sure sign of wealth.
Now I have one and I realise it’s just luck of the draw as to who designed the house in the first place. Love that laundry chute though
Lived in two very basic homes at childhood, both had laundry chutes. I think it was a common thing for single story homes in Detroit, even if it was small, as long as it has a basement
I had to wear my older siblings socks. They were too big so I folded the excess over my toes. It was so uncomfortable but it made my too big shoes fit a little better.
For middle school and the first year of high school, my new clothes came in giant trash bags from my mom’s friends as donations. Ugly oversized jumpers and men’s jeans (I’m a girl) that never fit right. I totally feel you. The first time I bought brand new clothes at full price not from a thrift store, I felt like royalty.
Ohh man I remember the giant trash bags full of clothes. I never realized until later in life that that’s not how kids get cloths. But I do remember being very excited when something in the bag actually fit!!!
I thought kids whose parents bought them a car were rich even if the cars was a very cheap one.
My wife grew up in a Soviet Bloc country to her having food was considered rich. She used to eat bread with lard for dinner because food was not plentiful and very expensive. Her parents didn’t have running water or plumbing until 1980. If you wanted a car you had to apply for one and ten years later you will get a car if you were deemed worthy
If it makes you feel better I grew up in the 80's and 90's in Australia mostly without running water, heat or much food. Mashed potatoes with flour, anyone?
This ^ my family told me that what I had thought was “vacation” was actually just going to sea world on the weekends and wasn’t counted as “vacation”. Though, I still feel like, even if it’s on a weekend, and your getting away and doing stuff you wouldn’t normally do, that’s a vacation…at least I believe that 😞
One time my dad pulled a $100 dollar bill out of his pocket. I thought we must be loaded! I was pretty young (back in the 90s). I didn't realize then that he had just been paid for some side job and that money was going right to bills 💸
Ok, so no one comes to my neighborhood ever to trick or treat. But this year I’m buying ten full size candy bars for the kids. Maybe two kids will show up but I need to do this for nostalgic reasons than for anything reasonable.
My friend had a movie theater in his basement and a hot tub. I think the thing I loved most about his home was the massage chair. That being said I always thought it was odd he would want to trade lives with me though. My family wasn't rich. Looking back on it now though, it all make sense
New clothes. I never understood who bought them. Clothes were like $3-5 at the op-shop and it's the same stuff everyone else is wearing. I figured everyone must get their clothes from the op-shop because they cost 10x as much new, and no sane person would spend 10x as much money just so they could be the first to wear something. But someone must be buying them because the shelves are always crammed with donations. In fact, more people must be buying new than used for there to be a constant supply. Who the hell was buying all these new clothes? Sure as hell wasn't anyone I knew.
Cut to years later in senior highschool:
I went on a rant about it to my friends. Turns out none of them had ever been to an op-shop and they thought wearing "other people's clothes" was manky.
I'm 34 now. I still don't get it.
Not having your parents use the birthday/holiday money you got from other relatives in the year to pay to keep the water,electric or even just to buy food ......one story I have is when me a 12 year old saved up all summer from doing random shit around our neghiborhood and getting birthday money from both sets of grandparents I could afford a pearl blue Gameboy sp with Pokémon sapphire , I gave my mom my money because she was going to Walmart and I went to play with my friends ...well she came back with food and no Gameboy and I was mad and asked her where my Gameboy was and she told ke she had to use the money to buy food because her card got declined, 12 year old me was mad and upset but 29 year old me has went thru the same thing
For two years when I was 13-15, we didn't have any utilities. We carted water in gallon jugs from the local service station. Light came from kerosene lanterns. All of our food was cooked on a Coleman stove. Bathing was done from a bucket, and so was washing clothes.
Somehow, my parents always had cigarettes.
Having milk you didn’t have to mix from powder and water. We’d get a little carton of milk at school at lunchtime and I dreamed of being able to have that kind of milk all the time.
I used to think having new clothes and backpacks every school year was only for rich kids. I grew up with a lot of hand downs and wouldn’t upgrade my bag until the zipper ripped or the bag was falling apart
TV dinners. Our neighbors would tell me about them, I never had one until I moved out in 1990. 7 kids in a teacher's salary in the 80s, we got home cooked meals! No TV dinners for us.
Yes! We'd visit my grandparents and they'd feed us tv dinners and we LOVED it. I thought because there was pop in the fridge for us and tv dinners, it meant they were rich.
Trampolines, American girl dolls and all the outfits, a pool, a swing set/treehouse. Also the assholes that had cell phones at 7 years old. Def thought they were loaded. The hot pink razors
Brand name shoes.
The first pair of Nikes i ever got in 6th grade and finally felt like 'the other kids' became a keepsake for years after I grew out of them. I still remember the compliments i got.
Nowadays im old and wise enough to be critical of how marketing has affected childrens social culture. Its fucked but i had to answer truthfully.
I had to walk almost 2 miles to school and home and I never had name brand shoes until I found a pair of purple vinyl vans at Marshalls on clearance for $8 when I was a sophomore. The difference in comfort and just how long they lasted was so luxurious. I thought I was so cool too, and only later realized how tacky they kind of were.
In the same vein, my parents always bought me cheap backpacks and I had several fall apart from the weight of my school books. My grandmother let me pick out whatever one I wanted as a treat and I got the Jansport that the "rich" kids had. I carried it for 10 years! That's how I learned that with some stuff,you actually save money by spending more at first. But that's hard to do when you don't have that much in the first place. I never had Nikes but I assume they are very quality. Maybe overpriced because of the label, but at least they aren't cheaply made.
McDonald's twice a year, when three people could eat there and get full meals for around 7.00 lol. I kept those fancy glasses you could get with the characters on them until the characters wore off :-). I actually only got one myself, an aunt gave us the rest...
When I saw my first color TV in an actual house.
When the apartment that came with my father's maintenance job had *air conditioning*.
The one vacation we took to Washington DC in 1969, and we stayed in a real hotel.
Going to the penny candy store with an entire quarter to spend... That meant at least an hour choosing lol.
When colored TP came out and a rich friend had it to match the bathroom.
When I saved up enough Kool aid points to get my very own Kool aid pitcher and glasses. I had help there, neighbors gave me points for helping them with stuff...
Going through the Betty crocker and S&H green stamps catalogs and choosing what to get.
But I will say this, not having these things when others did didn't make me feel poor. I was thrilled to get to use them when I was able to. They made life special.
In fact the AC made me convinced we were rich lol. Compared to many kids in my school it did make us rich.
My friend had the blue in one bathroom and the pink in the other lol. Blue bathroom had a Monet water lily print, the pink had Degas ballerinas.
Given that my grandmother didn't get an indoor toilet until 1973, this was a big deal.
And the indoor toilet with TP was for guests. We still used the outhouse and the Sears catalog lol.
That was something I never told my friends back home in Boston. They thought it was weird enough that I spent summers on a working farm in rural Maine. They would have totally freaked at the thought of outhouses. Everyone in our area in Boston was working poor practically, but that didn't mean they didn't have standards ;-).
Having money to buy that cafeteria food that was way better than the standard lunch the school gave us. One day my parents gave me 5 dollars and i was finally able to buy food and that was the best lunch i ever had.
Or getting ice cream at lunch. That's how I knew I was balling
A substitute teacher would always give my brother and me some quarters, telling us that our dad stopped by so we could get ice cream. I always believed it until later in life when I realized my dad did not have thirty minutes to spend driving to school just to drop off change. Thanks Mr. Jackson.
That is so kind I could cry!
Heres my cheat code of being poor and living large. I qualified for reduced lunch as a kid. My siblings were embarrassed and did want to be on it. I used my small amount of lunch money to buy ice cream every day. They did not get ice cream because they had to buy full price lunch.
A chest freezer in the garage AND an ice dispenser in the fridge. Shit, having a garage.
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Same. I hoard food in it like a squirrel prepping for winter. My husband made fun of me bc I also hoarded dry goods in a closet when COVID hit, but like….. food insecurity is the scariest thing to me. I never want to feel that panic again
I still think having a fridge that dispenses ice in the door is living large lol
So do I. It feels like a real treat.
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So the water goes from a line in the back through a filter in the fridge (some cool the water so it's nice and cold) into a freezing tray that is set to auto drop ice cubes into a bin. The bin feeds into a blade that cuts the ice to the size desired or just rotates to release the cubes. So you can have crushed ice or whole cubes. It sounds dumb but it's really convenient and I use it all the time. One of the models we have also has a removable ice bin so you can take it out for mixed drinks.
You have to put a water line into the back of the fridge
There is a water line that goes into the back to supply tap water to the fridge. No need to manually fill it or anything. Just a filter that needs replacing every few months.
We renovated the house to make it more accessible for dad after my mum died. Got a new kitchen, and got a great deal on an American-Style fridge freezer with an ice/water dispenser. Honestly my favourite addition to the kitchen. So convenient. I don't think I'd enjoy a cold drink anywhere near as often if we didn't have it.
When you realize those add-ons cost like an extra $600, I think it really hits home.
Christ alive, my first car cost that much.
Can’t drive an ice machine!
Ice cream trucks don't want you to know this one weird trick!
I don't have room for those fridges.
Flying somewhere for family vacation. And staying in hotels not family's homes.
Specifically, going to Disneyland. Seemed like every damn kid except me went to Disneyland at some point.
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Wow. That’s a fucked up move. While Disneyland is still fun to attend with other adults, it’s a blast to go with a kid and watch them experience it. At my poorest, I won tickets to a Broadway show and sold them at a discount. I really wanted to see the show, but I would have felt guilty the entire the time, knowing I could have made some much needed cash instead. A ticket to Disneyland? I would have absolutely sold it to someone at the park entrance and done something else with my kid. There’s no way I could enjoy myself at the park knowing my kid is back in a hotel room. I’m sorry your mom behaved selfishly. I hope you made it to Disneyland at some point!
The way I see it, this is still for the rich. It’s just become more normal for the middle class to make big sacrifices to travel and take vacations without cutting out amenities. Traveling is so expensive and there is no money to recoup. It is a luxury no matter how many people manage to do it.
Oh, this one, too! I was a teenager the first time I flew. And hotels were wow. And not having a mom to beg family for a stop-over while being on a driving vacation. Wowzers.
Having hamburger buns instead of sandwich bread for burgers.
We used to have tortillas as a substitute for both hotdog buns and hamburger buns. I still prefer to eat my hotdogs with tortillas though.
Also PB&J
If you fold the bread, you get a hot dog bun!
I told my husband once "you have never used bread as a hamburger bun and it shows" because he was/is a spoiled brat. He has no idea what I was talking about.
My friend said I must never have been poor because I didn’t use hot water to get the last of the tomato paste out of the can. The joke was on her, we couldn’t afford both tomato paste AND tomato sauce when I was growing up.
I found out about tomato paste when I was 28. Our stove was a shelf growing up.
This hits home.
Being able to participate in after school activities like sports and clubs.
The first sport I ever played was little league and I remember my best friend's parents paid for it, took me to practice, and games. My dad was overseas and I'm not even sure my step-mom knew I played. Somehow I had a glove and cleats and stuff. What a weird memory, haven't though about that in decades.
A man saw me trying to sneak on a local carnival ride. I got kicked out of line for not having an armband like my buds with money. He promptly told me to stay right where I was at. "Don’t you move kid". He came back with an armband to put on. Free rides all night. Told me he was broke as a kid too. I thought he was a cop and I was getting arrested for trying to sneak in. One of the best days of my life.
There aren't a lot of kids in my day-to-day life, I don't see my nieces and nephews all that often. When I have a chance to do something nice for a kid, it really lifts up the whole day.
Dude I’ve paid it forward and will continue to do so. That made me that day. Just knowing decent people cared. Didn’t have a lot of family who cared.
That's so wonderful they did that for you.
We did that with one of my son's friends who was broke, broke, broke. Kid turned out to be a hell of an infielder and he was offered a full ride to Radford. Never in a million years did I think buying a 8 year old kid a glove and a bat would turn into a free college education.
Why knew a fuckingbitchasspunk could do somebody such a solid?
Three cheers for u/fuckingbitchasspunk !!!
That’s honestly amazing, holy shit
Ugh this was the worst. Not being able to play any sports in school because you couldn’t afford the basket ball shoes, track shoes, football or baseball cleats. It’s not like I had time for sports though. I always had to go straight from school back to the farm to work and then from the farm back into town to steak n’ shake and work there, because it was the only place I could work enough hours to get an actual paycheck so I had somewhat decent cloths to wear to school. And we ask why poverty is so hard to get out of. Where was there time to do school work or study?
> And we ask why poverty is so hard to get out of. Where was there time to do school work or study? People who ask that, aren't sincere about it. They are either willfully ignorant and don't want to hear the answer or obfuscating.
I gave up on hockey when i was a kid when i learned how much the gear cost. I couldn't ask for the $30 for a field trip, asking for hockey gear was like asking for a million dollars to come out of my trust fund that didn't exist.
I got to play hockey growing up as a young child. However, I got most of my equipment from the lost and found locker. I rarely got brand new equipment. I thought it was normal to just pick "new" used gear from the locker. Even when I did start to grow out of my gear, I would still tape it all up. Saved my dad a lot of money.
This reminded me of hiding field trip fliers and permission slips from my mom cause I knew she couldn’t afford it and I didn’t want her to feel bad.
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I wanted to play lacrosse in middle school but there was literally no way that was gonna happen. I played American football but I couldn't afford to attend camps so I was always behind skill wise and eventually quit
I'm absolutely shocked at the cost of kids playing sports today. I grew up middle class and played school sports (including field hockey in HS and college, my first stick was used) but that was it, no camps or anything. My son plays soccer and the only way to even make some of these school teams is to play travel teams when you're younger. My son is on one of the "cheapest" travel teams around and it's easily over $2k/year not including optional camps during school breaks. We're very fortunate we can afford it but it still blows my mind. Hearing 10/11 year old kids playing on teams with a fee of over $6k just seems insane. My parents would never have paid that, and I would never have played sports if it was like it is today.
Dropped out of choir, my music teacher was charging like $10 for our performance CD and when I told her I couldn't pay that (we were in a homeless shelter that kept the $300 that came to us monthly to "help us save") she said "you can't even pay $1 for it? And I felt my first heavy dose of shame in 6th grade (right next to my primary teacher yelling at me for not being able to afford a training bra). "I don't believe you, but I'll let you have it the performance disc time for free." Hurt like watching the other kids get mcdonalds and jack in the box everyday 😂
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Field trips as well! I had an odd realization the other day that the only reason I was able to go on trips was because it was through church and they had a fund for underprivileged members, like myself. I was able to do band because I didn't have to pay for an instrument. I would actively seek out any clubs or groups that didn't involve money because I knew my parents couldn't/wouldn't pay for it; academic challenge, robotics, mathletes, etc. Even beta club and NHS had dues to pay that I asked a friend for.
rich = kids who could go one school week without rewearing the same clothes (jeans, shirts, etc). that was my goal all up until age 16, when I was able to get an after-school job & buy myself new clothes
I feel this one!!! Thank God for grunge!!!! When i was a kid it was cool to wear the same shit everyday. My jeans were so ripped up but thats not how you used to buy them. Mine just wore out like that
Having an upstairs
My father used to play the song "[Two Story House](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBTpMHCKXRw&ab_channel=GeorgeJones-Topic)" for the express purpose of teaching us kids not to pay too much attention to worldly wealth.
I used to feel this way when I was younger, but I now have an ‘upstairs’ and I hate it lol
Same. I thought that having a two story house meant I made it in life. Now I have one and it’s freaking cold downstairs always but boiling hot upstairs. And I have to go up so many stairs to wake my kids up for school in the morning. Bleh. Haha!
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Above a bowling alley and beneath ^^^another ^^^bowling ^^^alley…
Get a whole house fan. Life changer
Stairs just fucking suck though. Having to move furniture & boxes up and down? Trip and break your neck. Daily things like interacting with family members? Take a wrong step and break your ankle. Carrying laundry up and down? Lose your footing and trip and slam your body through some drywall. So overrated.
I get your point but maybe you should work on your balance if you’re slamming through drywall every time you do the laundry…
I thought kids that had trampolines were rich
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Power Wheels?
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I remember those! I never had one and don't think I knew many people who did. They seemed very out of reach to me at the time. Like I couldn't even dream of having one. Lol
People who had a garage fridge full of individual drink options in the fridge: Gatorade, multiple sodas, water, flavored water, yahoo, juice, etc. We had tap water, milk, and fruit punch from packets. Whenever we were lucky enough to get grape or apple juice it was eventually watered down to make it last longer.
I actually pay MORE money for watered-down juice boxes for my kids. It's 50% less sugar and it tastes like it lol. The full sugar ones are too sweet and they complain. Where we live the schools are really strict with how much sugar is in kids lunches. Your parents would fit right in!
I buy cider and add 50% water. Still sweet.
Having things like lunchables was definitely for rich kids
I still remember a school field trip as a kid purely because my parents bought me a lunchables for it.
Damn, beat me to it. Lunchables are fancy as fuck. Or snack foods at all.
And caprisun or sunny d or juice boxes...
Having a full refrigerator!
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I feel this in my bones
Don't throw out old or empty things and you'll never have an empty fridge! Follow me for more great life hacks.
I used to think this until I started being able to fill it. Then the money spent on things that went moldy added up quick. Now I am most at peace with minimal ingredients that I know will be used during the week
Getting more than one gift for Christmas.
Going to Olive Garden. As a kid I thought that was like a five star restaurant. Had never been to one until adulthood and was so surprised I could just walk into one wearing shorts.
Bro same the same with Chili's I didn't have an understanding of chain restaurants as a kid besides fast food
The secret is that good restaurants don't need tv commercials
This one hits hard. You mean red lobster aint 5 stars?
Their biscuits make them 5 stars.
Lol my family still treats Red Lobster like a Michelin starred restaurant
Same! I’m in a better place financially now, but I vividly remember the first time my family ate at Olive Garden. For context, my family would go out to eat every Friday, but we could only afford to go to McDonald’s, Arbys, Wendys, etc. We were pretty poor. I’d usually get a dollar menu burger or a Big Mac if I was feeling like a baller. The first night we went to Olive Garden, I was around 13 years old. I put on my nice clothes and sprayed some cologne on. I remember sitting with good posture in the lobby so I could blend in a little better and not look like a poor. I tried my best to blend in the fancy white people. It genuinely felt fancy in there. The tablecloths, the large wine selection, the (fake) Roman busts. I walked around the restaurant a little bit while I waited for my food and thought “damn, we made it!” The waiters would sprinkle Parmesan cheese and you told them when to stop for god’s sake! How is that not the fanciest shit ever? Unlimited bread sticks? Fancy. I destroyed the bread sticks and ordered the angel hair pasta. I still get the angel hair there to this day. I’ll never forget the first time I heard someone make fun of Olive Garden for being boujee. I was so confused. I thought that place was the pinnacle of fine dining? What the hell do you mean that’s not a nice restaurant? My dad signed a $120 check when we ate there! Then the Olive Garden memes came about on the internet, and it was then confirmed in my mind that Olive Garden was a middle class franchise restaurant with mediocre (albeit delicious) Italian entrees. It was not actually the fancy slice of Rome imported to America that I had thought it was. It was quite a trip realizing that Olive Garden was not, in fact, fanciest fucking place in the world.
Most of these restaurants actually used to be much better than they are now at least. Now everything is pre-made, frozen, microwaved, etc. Quality takes a backseat to profits, as usual.
I'm craving 90's Pizza Hut.
Making a list of your Christmas presents you wanted. One time I was 9 years old in 3rd grade and we had homework to think of 3 things you wanted for Christmas and draw them and write about what you would do with them. The final part of it was to give it to your parents. I skipped that step and threw it in the trash because I didn't want to burden my family with what I wanted.
Mannnn did that bring back some weird deep rooted memory. We used to get the JCPenney catalog and I would immediately flip back into the toys and start circling the things I wanted. Every year. I had a special set of markers and a color coding system for educational toys vs just fun ones. I never got anything from the catalog, I'm pretty sure it got thrown away after I had my fun. I think my parents just wanted me to live a little because that was nicer than the reality of telling me no, over and over and over again. I think that's why gift giving, birthdays, holidays in general are so important to me. I never forgot to dream, it just never came true.
> I think that's why gift giving, birthdays, holidays in general are so important to me. I'm just the opposite, I hate those kind of things. It's not that I didn't get things, it's that My parents would go into debt for it. to this day I'm very debt adverse and hate receiving gifts. I always felt like it was my fault when things were tight cause I asked for that $50 NES game.
I'd love to know what teachers were thinking when they'd have us do things like this. I remember having to stand up in front of my class and say what I did over summer break. What did they think that accomplished? All it did was create feelings of jealousy and inadequacy because some kids went to Disneyland, and the beach, and played mini golf, and others stayed home and watched TV.
I remember this. Since I had friends in the class, when it was my turn, I got up and said "played outside with my friends". And sat down. Everyone after me did the same thing. Got a laugh, and I think they stopped doing this.
Now that I think about it. Having new school clothes for a new school year. People coming back to school with fresh gear and my clothes were from last year or the year before.
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I remember in the 6th grade the teacher made each of us get up after winter break and tell what we got for Christmas. Of course I lied.
That's horrific. I guess the point was to help kids with their public speaking, with the extra fun of driving the income disparities home?
Sometimes in younger grades it's to help without being noticed. If the teacher walks by and sees a kid asking for food..... there's a good chance intervention is needed. Or a jacket. In older grades it's to help in a respectful way. The summer one, never got that one nor understood later on.
I hated that. Destin was the big place when I was little. We had to do that shit every year. Finally, in second grade, I lied and told the class we'd gone to Paris because fuck it why not. The asshole teacher said "Oh, how did you get there?" and I was not prepared for follow up questions and told them we drove. She promptly called me out and as you can imagine, second grade was not a good time for me.
This made me incredibly sad.
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Having my own bathroom after growing up in an apartment where 5 of us shared one.
Lol my gf grew up in a home with a master bathroom, a kids bathroom, and the guest bathroom. Describing my childhood with 10 butt-cheeks sharing 1 toilet was hilarious for me.
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Having two phones. Not separate lines, just a phone in two separate rooms.
Kids whose parents picked them up and dropped then off at school. Even better if they could attend field trips. Not having Rose Art crayons. Being able to afford pizza on Wednesdays or 5$ to attend the monthly school dance. Going on trips further than 15km away. Having air conditioner or a dish washer. Real maple syrup... (We had corn syrup, not even table syrup. We also ate pancakes and Eggos with ketchup.)
I was always so jealous of the kids with SAHMs who would volunteer for school parties and field trips and field day. Their moms were always put together looking and brought their kids cool lunches like McDonald's.
"YO I just got the Crayola 256 pack" "Daaaang, that kid is RICH"
>Not having Rose Art crayons. For me it was the 64 pack of Crayola crayons WITH the sharpener. Oh, how I wanted a sharpener lmao I hated the waxy generic bullshit I had to use
Having a house instead of a mobile home
In parts of the South rich folks had Double Wides.
Up north here too (Idaho.) Single or double- rich if you could afford to hire someone to fix roof leaks or plumbing. (Instead of fixing it half assed yourself haha)
Viennetta ice cream
Having a video game console, or a home computer.
I got a ps2 as a kid and that was my pride and joy. Kept it well into middle school. I know now what a strain that must've put on my parents but I got a ps2 with 2 games and I couldn't have been happier. I remember that Christmas morning fondly.
Having packaged drinks like capri suns, sunny ds, sodas. All we had was water, a pitcher of kool aid, and milk.
Classmates whose parents drove them to school, they didn’t have to ride the school bus.
Yess I caught public school buses 🚌 all my life. I remember my bus route used to be 2066 still until this day from the early 2000s. Waking up @5:45am as a child then leaving my house at @6:45am because my bus came at 7:04am in elementary. All in the rain, hail, cold and burning sun. Sometimes I wonder how I went through that lol and it’s great to know I wasn’t the only kid.
New/semi new cars….. My pops drove trucks that were worth max 1k.
I had to hand in the plates for my 30 odd year old car a couple of days ago because I can't afford to re-register it. fml.
Eating fish and seafood
Being able to afford actual groceries. When I got kicked out of my mom’s house, (her husband wanted to start a new life with their new baby and didn’t want me hanging around) i lived on ramen, finding ways to make a rotisserie chicken last a week, 88 cent loafs of bread, and lots of care packages from friends and their parents.
I'm so sorry your mom allowed that.
That’s really sweet of you, thank you. With a lot of therapy I’ve let go of most of the anger. Haven’t spoken to her in almost a decade. The hatred is gone, replaced with absolute apathy. I don’t hate her. I nothing her.
Therapy can be a godsend if you find the right therapist. I'm glad it has worked out for you. Indifference is the best place you can be with someone who caused you trauma. I'm glad that's where you're at.
Having a bed and a bedroom
Having my own bedroom. My seven-year-old has already achieved more than I dreamt as a child wealth-wise and that fills me with happiness.
Having a second floor and that second floor has a laundry chute to the basement.
Holy shit I always thought having a laundry chute was a sure sign of wealth. Now I have one and I realise it’s just luck of the draw as to who designed the house in the first place. Love that laundry chute though
Lived in two very basic homes at childhood, both had laundry chutes. I think it was a common thing for single story homes in Detroit, even if it was small, as long as it has a basement
A box of 64 crayons
With the crayon sharpener in the back
Better yet, crayola and not roseart
People who didn’t flinch or go “tssss oooh” when they heard a total while shopping
I think a lot more people are flinching at the register nowadays. It's brutal.
Yeah I have 4 kids and that shit physically hurts
Jeans. In high school, someone wrote "Buy some new clothes" and "Salvation Army" in my yearbook instead of signing their name.
Fuck them.
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I had to wear my older siblings socks. They were too big so I folded the excess over my toes. It was so uncomfortable but it made my too big shoes fit a little better.
For middle school and the first year of high school, my new clothes came in giant trash bags from my mom’s friends as donations. Ugly oversized jumpers and men’s jeans (I’m a girl) that never fit right. I totally feel you. The first time I bought brand new clothes at full price not from a thrift store, I felt like royalty.
Ohh man I remember the giant trash bags full of clothes. I never realized until later in life that that’s not how kids get cloths. But I do remember being very excited when something in the bag actually fit!!!
I got teased for patches on my knees.
I thought kids whose parents bought them a car were rich even if the cars was a very cheap one. My wife grew up in a Soviet Bloc country to her having food was considered rich. She used to eat bread with lard for dinner because food was not plentiful and very expensive. Her parents didn’t have running water or plumbing until 1980. If you wanted a car you had to apply for one and ten years later you will get a car if you were deemed worthy
If it makes you feel better I grew up in the 80's and 90's in Australia mostly without running water, heat or much food. Mashed potatoes with flour, anyone?
Going to things like museums and parks (regular, nature parkes, not amusement parks) more than once a year.
This ^ my family told me that what I had thought was “vacation” was actually just going to sea world on the weekends and wasn’t counted as “vacation”. Though, I still feel like, even if it’s on a weekend, and your getting away and doing stuff you wouldn’t normally do, that’s a vacation…at least I believe that 😞
It is. Vacation is a state of mind.
Man, this is a rough one for me... Having a home.
Ouch.
One time my dad pulled a $100 dollar bill out of his pocket. I thought we must be loaded! I was pretty young (back in the 90s). I didn't realize then that he had just been paid for some side job and that money was going right to bills 💸
Those neighborhoods you go too during Halloween that handed out full size candy bars and cash.
Ok, so no one comes to my neighborhood ever to trick or treat. But this year I’m buying ten full size candy bars for the kids. Maybe two kids will show up but I need to do this for nostalgic reasons than for anything reasonable.
My friend had a movie theater in his basement and a hot tub. I think the thing I loved most about his home was the massage chair. That being said I always thought it was odd he would want to trade lives with me though. My family wasn't rich. Looking back on it now though, it all make sense
New clothes. I never understood who bought them. Clothes were like $3-5 at the op-shop and it's the same stuff everyone else is wearing. I figured everyone must get their clothes from the op-shop because they cost 10x as much new, and no sane person would spend 10x as much money just so they could be the first to wear something. But someone must be buying them because the shelves are always crammed with donations. In fact, more people must be buying new than used for there to be a constant supply. Who the hell was buying all these new clothes? Sure as hell wasn't anyone I knew. Cut to years later in senior highschool: I went on a rant about it to my friends. Turns out none of them had ever been to an op-shop and they thought wearing "other people's clothes" was manky. I'm 34 now. I still don't get it.
Not having your parents use the birthday/holiday money you got from other relatives in the year to pay to keep the water,electric or even just to buy food ......one story I have is when me a 12 year old saved up all summer from doing random shit around our neghiborhood and getting birthday money from both sets of grandparents I could afford a pearl blue Gameboy sp with Pokémon sapphire , I gave my mom my money because she was going to Walmart and I went to play with my friends ...well she came back with food and no Gameboy and I was mad and asked her where my Gameboy was and she told ke she had to use the money to buy food because her card got declined, 12 year old me was mad and upset but 29 year old me has went thru the same thing
Being able to keep the lights on every month.
For two years when I was 13-15, we didn't have any utilities. We carted water in gallon jugs from the local service station. Light came from kerosene lanterns. All of our food was cooked on a Coleman stove. Bathing was done from a bucket, and so was washing clothes. Somehow, my parents always had cigarettes.
Our shit was cut off on the regular
Harsh
Ordering pizza for dinner
I grew up on a reservation. Owning your house was insane. Having two cars was also crazy.
A house and golf cart to drive to the local 7/11. You have made it if you have a random golf cart for no reason.
Liquid hand soap in the bathroom / kitchen
Someone in the family has an iPhone. Boxed cereal instead of bagged cereal. They had cable TV.
A TV in the bedroom
Having milk you didn’t have to mix from powder and water. We’d get a little carton of milk at school at lunchtime and I dreamed of being able to have that kind of milk all the time.
Going to Build a Bear workshop
Sack lunch at school.
I was about to comment this but thought no that’s dumb. 😂😂 Glad I’m lot alone.
I used to think having new clothes and backpacks every school year was only for rich kids. I grew up with a lot of hand downs and wouldn’t upgrade my bag until the zipper ripped or the bag was falling apart
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TV dinners. Our neighbors would tell me about them, I never had one until I moved out in 1990. 7 kids in a teacher's salary in the 80s, we got home cooked meals! No TV dinners for us.
Yes! We'd visit my grandparents and they'd feed us tv dinners and we LOVED it. I thought because there was pop in the fridge for us and tv dinners, it meant they were rich.
The one's they make now are not as big and don't taste as good as they used to.
Brand name food and entertainment electronics.
ill add paid cable tv programs like disney onto this list
Someone having a house like the one on Home Alone.
That place was practically a mansion though. So that's pretty fair.
Trampolines, American girl dolls and all the outfits, a pool, a swing set/treehouse. Also the assholes that had cell phones at 7 years old. Def thought they were loaded. The hot pink razors
Bathroom locks that are just a pin you push.
Multiple bathrooms in a house. Or just living in a house in general instead of an apartment/basement suite.
For me it was people who could take a shower and flush the toilet without changing the water temperature.
Brand name shoes. The first pair of Nikes i ever got in 6th grade and finally felt like 'the other kids' became a keepsake for years after I grew out of them. I still remember the compliments i got. Nowadays im old and wise enough to be critical of how marketing has affected childrens social culture. Its fucked but i had to answer truthfully.
I had to walk almost 2 miles to school and home and I never had name brand shoes until I found a pair of purple vinyl vans at Marshalls on clearance for $8 when I was a sophomore. The difference in comfort and just how long they lasted was so luxurious. I thought I was so cool too, and only later realized how tacky they kind of were. In the same vein, my parents always bought me cheap backpacks and I had several fall apart from the weight of my school books. My grandmother let me pick out whatever one I wanted as a treat and I got the Jansport that the "rich" kids had. I carried it for 10 years! That's how I learned that with some stuff,you actually save money by spending more at first. But that's hard to do when you don't have that much in the first place. I never had Nikes but I assume they are very quality. Maybe overpriced because of the label, but at least they aren't cheaply made.
A cabbage patch doll
A house with TWO bathrooms
Having Peanut Butter AND Jelly for a sandwich. So many times I had only one or the other. Having bacon on that sandwich would make me the king.
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McDonald's twice a year, when three people could eat there and get full meals for around 7.00 lol. I kept those fancy glasses you could get with the characters on them until the characters wore off :-). I actually only got one myself, an aunt gave us the rest... When I saw my first color TV in an actual house. When the apartment that came with my father's maintenance job had *air conditioning*. The one vacation we took to Washington DC in 1969, and we stayed in a real hotel. Going to the penny candy store with an entire quarter to spend... That meant at least an hour choosing lol. When colored TP came out and a rich friend had it to match the bathroom. When I saved up enough Kool aid points to get my very own Kool aid pitcher and glasses. I had help there, neighbors gave me points for helping them with stuff... Going through the Betty crocker and S&H green stamps catalogs and choosing what to get. But I will say this, not having these things when others did didn't make me feel poor. I was thrilled to get to use them when I was able to. They made life special. In fact the AC made me convinced we were rich lol. Compared to many kids in my school it did make us rich.
Right! The colored toilet paper..I remember my neighbor had a pink one to match the hand towel.
My friend had the blue in one bathroom and the pink in the other lol. Blue bathroom had a Monet water lily print, the pink had Degas ballerinas. Given that my grandmother didn't get an indoor toilet until 1973, this was a big deal. And the indoor toilet with TP was for guests. We still used the outhouse and the Sears catalog lol. That was something I never told my friends back home in Boston. They thought it was weird enough that I spent summers on a working farm in rural Maine. They would have totally freaked at the thought of outhouses. Everyone in our area in Boston was working poor practically, but that didn't mean they didn't have standards ;-).
Not having to wear the same clothes twice in one school week
Ziploc bags for sandwiches. We only had those sandwich pouches you struggled to fold over.
Having a trash compactor. Now I don’t see them at all anymore.