The gap between rich and poor is so wide that the two classes might as well be living on different planets entirely. For every person who can purchase a takeaway meal without thinking about it or treat themselves to a nice vacation––and it doesn't have to be all the time––there are way more people who count their change before they head to the supermarket.
"Whats strange for rich people, but normal for poor people?" –– This was today's burning question from Redditor cv45fb, and it's an eye-opener.
"Lack of choice."
Lack of choice.
If you're poor it's no longer a question of will I go out tonight, you won't because you don't have the money. Shall I buy a take away? Nope, you'll eat what you have at home or go hungry. When you're poor your life is emptied of many, many choices because you simply don't have the money to buy yourself options in your life.
"Grew up with a friend..."
Eating whatever you can afford, not whatever you want.
Grew up with a friend from school that just led a totally different lifestyle than my family. They were super rich. Dinner at their house, every night was like Christmas Eve dinner or a really special occasion in my family. How much was being spent wasn't even on the radar, it was just "what does everyone want?" If they didn't feel like cooking they would just take us out for a casual dinner at a restaurant I didn't even know existed in our town.
It was just a noticeable difference from my family where we'd try to make a dinner stretch for two or even three days before making something else. Then if we did well in school and were behaving well we'd get to go out for pizza on Friday.
"Having a small house..."
Having a small house and siblings sharing a room. I went to school with a girl whose family was super rich, and she heard me talking about how my sister and I always shared a room, and it blew her mind. She asked me if we also had to share a bed (we didn't), then proceeded to tell me how her house was so big that they used an intercom system and had a laundry chute. She had siblings too, but she just couldn't grasp the concept of sharing bedrooms.
"Counting..."
Counting the money in your wallet before going into the supermarket. And mentally adding up how much you're spending as you shop. I round up to make sure I have enough money.
"It's a weird thing..."
Losing sleep over money. It's a weird thing, not a nightmare - just an uneasy state which wakes you up in the middle of the night. I had that really badly in my second degree. I was so badly in debt, and despite working two jobs I was barely staying afloat. I kept telling my self after my second degree was done it'd be better. It did get better, but waking up due to financial stress sucks.
"...instead of a minor inconvenience..."
A flat tire being a real disaster that takes months to recover from, instead of a minor inconvenience or setback.
"Constantly knowing..."
Constantly knowing exactly how fragile your quality of life can be. Any financial emergency can totally screw the delicate balancing act you've managed so far.
"Having to walk everywhere..."
Having to walk everywhere because you can't afford driving lessons, never mind a car. Also being unable to get in public transit or get taxis/Uber's due to low funds. Imaging having to choose between groceries or being late to somewhere due to low money.
"Leftovers..."
Leftovers, looking at the price of gas before stopping to pump, shopping at several stores to get the best prices on everything possible, sewing a hole in pants or shirts, deciding what you can't do if you go out to eat, getting vacation from work and not going anywhere on it.
"Rich people..."
"Penalty charges" and "late fees". Rich people don't often miss payments, but poor people do all the time.
"Knowing you have to keep up a cash flow..."
Knowing you have to keep up a cash flow or your life will be ruined. Although there are "rich" people who do it too, most well-off people do not know the anxiety of living paycheck to paycheck. Even the wealthier people who do it, can get away with it for much longer in a large house versus a minimum wage worker in a 1 bedroom apartment. I heard of a family in Chicago area that stayed in a 1.5 million dollar house for 8 months before being evicted without paying a single statement - imagine a unit renter being able to have an 8 months grace period on their first rent payment.
It's daunting to take on life and know that any mistake could result in you not having a place to lay your head. And even more so nowadays, I see children who have gotten the green light from their parents that their financials will be handled for the rest of their life and they kinda just do what they want to do now. it honestly makes me angry for some reason.
"Working six or seven day weeks..."
Working six or seven day weeks for years at a time. Never taking a vacation. Not pursuing your dreams/interests because doing what you have to do to pay the bills takes every ounce of energy out of you.
"The look on your friends' faces..."
The look on your friends' faces when you have to say again that you can't afford to go on that trip, camping, hell, even certain restaurants.
DQ: What's the lowest point you've ever been financially?
In fact, some mistakes are so astronomical that they're remembered for decades afterwards, leaving the one who made the mistake a legacy of being a dumba**. Here are a few of them!!!
U/ronjans24 asked: What was the biggest mistake in human history?
Some may argue that the existence of the Universe was a mistake. I disagree. It was clearly Zayn leaving One Direction. But these next few were pretty bad too.
If you do the math, this is also the reason why Hentai exists.
I'll say the wrong turn Franz Ferdinand's driver made that went right in front of Gavrilo Princip.
EDIT: yes I'm aware war may still have broken out even if Franz Ferdinand wasn't assassinated
Imagine you're Gavrilo Princip. The assassination plot you and your friends had been cooking up for about the last year or so has been a complete and total disaster, just a monumental f*ck-up of the highest degree. You're staked out at this deli thinking maybe, just maybe the car will pass by, and by some stroke of sheer luck, it does.
If you're Princip, this is nothing short of serendipity.
Petition to return to the ocean.
Ocean Surf GIFGiphy"Many were increasingly of the opinion that they'd all made a big mistake in coming down from the trees in the first place. And some said that even the trees had been a bad move, and that no one should ever have left the oceans."
"In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move." - Douglas Adams
This was, in fact, a monumental mistake.
Sears not beating Amazon to the punch.
Blockbuster not buying Netflix.
You thought THOSE were bad? Well gear up for their next few, because they are 100% accurate. Except the one about Cats, that movie slaps.
I don’t know sports, but sure.
Seahawks not running it.
I used to wear a Seahawks jersey whenever I took a test because I knew I would pass when I shouldn't.
CATS is great, y'all are just boring.
GiphyThe Emoji Movie.
That live action movie about Cats is also up there.
Very fair point.
Social Media.
Humans are not wired to have that many social interactions and maintain that many relationships. Plus the echochambers it allows people to create for themselves, no matter how conspiratorial or vile their beliefs, means that stupid/evil people are no longer shunned into changing their mind.
Not sure it was worth being able to see what a celebrity had for lunch or what new "dance" your younger cousin and her tween friends are doing.
But in all seriousness, some horrible things may now have happened if the right thing was halted at the right time.
Washington called it.
George Washington Disney GIF by Hamilton: An American MusicalGiphyVoting for people based on what side of the political spectrum they're on. George Washington himself advised against political parties because he thought they would cause too much division in this country. Unfortunately for everyone, he was right.
Big oops on that one.
Barack Obama mocking Donald Trump at the Correspondents Dinner might have led directly to his 2016 run....
"Now, I know that he's taken some flak lately, but no one is happier, no one is prouder to put this birth certificate matter to rest than The Donald," Obama said. "And that's because he can finally get back to focusing on the issues that matter — like, did we fake the moon landing? What really happened in Roswell? And where are Biggie and Tupac?"
Then he turned serious: "But all kidding aside, obviously, we all know about your credentials and breadth of experience. For example — no, seriously, just recently, in an episode of 'Celebrity Apprentice' — at the steakhouse, the men's cooking team did not impress the judges from Omaha Steaks. And there was a lot of blame to go around. But you, Mr. Trump, recognized that the real problem was a lack of leadership. And so ultimately, you didn't blame Lil Jon or Meatloaf. You fired Gary Busey. And these are the kind of decisions that would keep me up at night. Well handled, sir. Well handled."
This is the best Star Wars and no one can change my mind.
I'll take 'Star Wars Christmas Special' for $100.
That atrocious pile of manure gave us Boba Fett, so without the Christmas Special there won't be The Mandalorian.
Wow, in this article, I openly admitted my love for Cats AND The Star Wars Holiday Special. So maybe my existence was the biggest mistake of all.
ANYWAY, I hope you enjoyed, and I hope you all feel a little bit better about yourself. Because when push comes to shove, at least you didn't accidentally start World War I