Living above the poverty line is easy to take for granted.
Having snacks, necessary toiletries, and hot water are everyday things that many people don't have to think twice about. Unfortunately, there are households that can't afford everyday luxuries like regular meals or even heat in the winter.
Redditor u/slightly_above asked people who grew up poor about the things they cherish that normal people wouldn't think twice about, and people gave eye opening answers about the things others are lucky to never have to worry about not being able to afford.
10. Being able to afford to live
"Being comfortably broke. As In, all my bills are paid and my accounts are lower than I'd like but still in the positive. There is such a difference between being broke and content, and being broke and worrying about your next meal or bill being paid."
9. Free reign of the thermostat
Giphy"Being able to set the thermostat however high I want. Stepping out of the shower into warmth instead of a freezing cold bathroom."
8. Having all the necessities
"Having a well stocked home. Never running out to toilet paper/paper towels/ soap / shampoo/ conditioner/ food.
Tps probably top 3. Ladies use a lot of toilet paper and when you're poor sometimes you dont know the next time you can buy some."
7. Being able to give your family a better life
"I grew up without hot water, infestations of rats and roaches, a mother who hoarded animals and no central heating and a/c. Now that I own a home with my husband the thing I'm most grateful for is having a warm home in the winter. Every year when we need to turn in the heat on it just hits me how grateful I am to have my kids grow up in a warm house. It stops me in my tracks and I have to call my husband and tell him how blessed we are and how lucky we are, to not only have each other and our babies, but to have a comfortable home for them to grow up in."
6. Having extra food hanging around
"Candy dishes/fruit bowls/DISPLAY FOOD
I have a stocked pantry and always keep a fruit bowl on the counter. Growing up poor in interior alaska fresh fruit is EXPENSIVE AF. I remember getting a fresh pineapple as a kid and everybody clamoring for peices! I visited an aunt for a few weeks in the lower 48 as a kid when my mom was in rehab, and she always had multiple jars of candy/snacks around. I was FLOORED, I couldn't wrap my head around the concept. To this day whenever I put out candy or nut dishes I get all warm and fuzzy."
5. Fresh produce
"Fresh fruit. The kids don't really get it, but in my house we always have fresh fruit. I have gone out to walk half a mile in -20 to go buy more when we ran out before.
I just remember it not being an option for so long, all we had was beans and rice because they were cheap.
My kids always have access to fruit."
4. No more second hand clothes
"New clothes just for me. I was one of the younger kids in a large relatively poor family. For years every thing I wore was a hand me down. Then it was buying super discounted remnants and seconds."
3. Having big holiday meals
"The concept of actually having food. I had crying for dinner a lot of the time because we just couldnt afford it.
One thanksgiving, someone dropped off a huge box of food on our doorstep in the night so we woke up to a turkey with an ice pack, and every side and dressing imaginable and I remember just sobbing uncontrollably that I finally had something to be thankful for."
1. Multi-floor houses
"My son can go upstairs. Or downstairs. It's a townhouse, sure, but when I was a kid, living in a trailer, I thought that having an upstairs was what rich people had. Now that we have an upstairs and a finished basement, he doesn't know how lucky he is."
Redditor Infinite_Werewolf395 wanted to hear about how things can change over the course of a decade when it comes to sexy time, so they asked:
"What is the biggest difference between sex in your 20s and sex in your 30s?"
I guess I was maybe little more confident in my 30s.
That was a plus.
Never Settle
"I gained the confidence to ask for what I actually want and say what feels good to me and what doesn't. Too many people just go with what they usually do in the sack, instead of talking about what each individual actually enjoys."
"Basically, I no longer settle for bad sex."
mynamecouldbesam
Continue
"20s: It didn't really take a lot to get me going, just 1. being in my bed, and 2. being mostly nude was enough."
"30s: I really need them to be into it, too. Like... if they act like they're only doing this to make me happy, I pick up on it and I just can't continue. I also need them to like, show some interest in me too, or it takes some monumental effort to be in the mood. I'm more particular, and more aware of what the other party is doing and how they're reacting, etc."
We1tfunk
Real Struggle
"The amount of time you have available."
frenix5
"Not necessarily. In general, life just gets busy. My husband and I are in our 30s with no kids and still find this a struggle. Life just gets busier the older you get. We have to work hard on prioritizing our relationship."
TheSilentBaker
"There’s a hell of a lot more planning involved. Gotta schedule that crap out in advance."
KosstAmojan
Learning
"I'm 35 dating a 27 yr old. I tried the pills and all kinds of different things. Eventually, we had this one time where I was really Into it (never happens anymore really. Can't keep it up so it's hard to comply when it's initiated cause I know it'll just end in disappointment for both of us) and It was the best sex we'd had in years."
"I'm still not sure what factors were different that day but I honestly think it was probably mostly emotional reinforcement. Usually, she just starts grabbing at me and there's no romance so it's hard to get... hard. I think that day we actually did some foreplay. Anyways this has really helped me a lot reading all the responses. I figured I was just freakin' cursed. Never got much action in my prime."
"It just seemed appropriate that when I was finally getting some my sh*t would stop working lol. Good to know that I'm not the only man who puts importance on the emotional component of sex. Thought that was my problem for a while too. Guess I just have emotional needs that aren't being met and it's bleeding into other facets of my life."
MurphNastyFlex
Still Hot
So Excited Reaction GIF by OriginalsGiphy"Sex in the 30s are about a million times better. Still very very horny but also experienced, skills, more willing to try things."
probablyurprofessor
I didn't find this to be true.
That's me though.
The Process
Bored Season 5 GIF by The OfficeGiphy"Sex got better. I finally figured out what my wife likes. Though a long tedious trial and error process."
SaiyanGodKing
Ruts
"Exploration is difficult once you’ve fallen into a rut. Routines become commonplace. I’m such a sub these days that I don’t mind bad sex for me as long as I can make my partner climax. It’s easy to tell with men, but with women partners I'm always afraid they’re faking or acting, so there definitely needs to be established trust first."
pissoff1818
Decades of Learning
"Teens: did it like a nympho, but sex was mediocre. 20's: did it like a nympho, sex was a little better. 30's: started figuring out what I wanted. Did it a little less, but better quality. 40's: best and most frequent sex yet. Hornier and more experimental now than ever before."
"(Edited to add: had kids in late 20's, early 30's. Kids consume so much time and energy. Kids are getting older now, so more time and energy for sex again. Honestly sex in 40's has been the freakiest, wildest, most fulfilling yet)."
ChristyCurious
Let's Sleep
"20s: sex?? Yeah!! I’ll have sex!"
"30s: sex? Hmmm okay but it’s already 8:30pm and so if we start now and stop by 9:30 we should still get a full nights sleep but also we could wait until Friday or Saturday night that might be better because if we are up too late it won’t really matter much the next day but sure yeah let’s do it! F**k it who cares wait what was that oh one of the kids is at the door."
Hopeful_Jello_7894
Perfection
"Oh man, it's so much better in my 30s than it's ever been. Multiple reasons but primarily finding a partner (my perfect wife) who has helped break down my walls through conversation and experimenting together. I feel so much less guilt about sex now and I can actually enjoy it. Not sure if it was being raised with Catholic guilt or my first gf being just the wrong partner but wow did I ever feel awful about anything sexual before."
Leebollomew
Learning and Growth
Think Winnie The Pooh GIFGiphy"I’ve got something I haven’t seen yet..."
"20s: As a dude, I’d sleep with almost any woman even if they were a horrible person or I hated their guts."
30: Anything considered a red flag or something I don’t want to deal with causes me to go limp and I lose all interest."
Slappyhandz
A decade can really change everything.
Farewell youth.
