Things Poor People Loved Until The Rich Ruined Them For Everyone
Reddit user degreeofvariation asked: 'What was loved by poor people until rich people ruined it?'
They say money can't buy happiness, but it seems it can make a lot of other people miserable.
Whether it's the housing crisis or the high cost of living, people are pointing at the 1% to accuse them of ruining things for the 99% in a multitude of ways.
Reddit user degreeofvariation asked:
"What was loved by poor people until rich people ruined it?"
Accommodations
"Living in warehouses in the industrial, rundown side of town."
"historic brick warehouse gets torn down"
"Coming soon: Lofts"
~ SpecialpOps
"Yes! They tore down all the real lofts to build condos they call lofts."
~ StrainAcceptable
"Living in arty neighborhoods."
~ hinterstoisser
"This is what I was looking for. Creative poor people have been investing in poor neighborhoods forever."
"They use their talent to make it a cool place they enjoy living in. The rich say 'Hey, I want to be cool, let's buy this'."
"And then they price the poor out of the haven they created and turn it into a stale, crowded, overpriced place."
~ TwiceBaked57
"Dude what I find so frustrating about this is that when they move in, the corporations move in with them."
"Next thing you know, the cute cafe you liked so much is an apple store; the good thrift shop down the street got eaten up by a new whole foods; and the entire neighborhood has lost its soul."
~ Hollz23
"One of my favorite record stores just got evicted because their landlord sold the building to a bank that wants to be in the arts district."
~ Imakereallyshittyart
"Which will lead it to no longer being an 'arts' district."
~ Quacker_please
"Quiet out of the way country cabins sitting by lakes."
"Now they are over priced Airbnbs."
~ amyaurora
"I'd even say Airbnbs themselves. They started as a potentially cheap alternative to hotels run by people who have extra space they aren't doing anything with."
"Now people build guest houses specifically for Airbnb and treat It like a full on rental."
~ Jarf_17
"Van life and tiny house living."
~ Cooper_brain
"I live in my sh*tty van after almost being evicted from my apartment."
"Every once in a while I'll meet a rich couple with $100,000 van conversions and they ask me 'what's your build like??'."
"I'm like, there's a mattress and not much else. Can be truly offensive at times."
~ Tangelo_12
Shopping
"Etsy."
~ tattooedroller
"There are SO many accounts for cheap mass produced crap that you could get on a bunch of other websites as well."
"No, I come to Etsy for homemade stuff and support artistic individuals."
~ Physical-Primary-256
"I no longer use Etsy because of how terrible the platform has become (for buyers as well as sellers)."
"If you still want to use Etsy, always do a reverse image search on the product you are considering, and also look on Aliexpress, Alibaba, Amazong, and Ebay to see if you can find the same item there."
"Most of the time you can. And for less money too."
"Etsy is still coasting on the 'handmade' reputation but most of the listings that I've seen in the past 5+ years are for cheap factory-made stuff."
~ almalauha
"Going to the farmers market."
~ M-Squared804
"I went to a farmer's market where only one vendor was selling fruits and vegetables. There were three boutique honey stands."
~ randompedestrian382
"That's what our markets are turning into as well. It's gone from local farmers and affordable produce to artisanal creations for the elite."
~ KeepOnRising19
"Ebay. It used to be so useful to get all kinds of cheap or unique things."
"Then more and more big commercial sellers joined the club and eventually ebay itself forgot about what and who made their platform a success in the first place."
~ onesmilematters
"It was a treasure trove. I remember just searching for random things I had as a kid. Imported music. Some nights I would just sort and see what was selling for a penny within the next 10mins or so."
"My sister and I were still in high school in '98 and we would just browse for HOURS as if we were walking around a store. But that rating was so important. We took great pride in that and showed the same respect to others."
"Now I am constantly upset and disappointed by the entire process."
~ idontwantanamern
"Thrift shopping."
"I'm not "✨ thrifting✨ I'm f'kin broke."
~ Elduroto
"Sometimes I feel like it's cheaper to buy clothes at Target or Walmart brand new than it is to buy from a thrift store."
~ Urchintexasyellow
"I blame the thrift stores for the shift. They literally pay nothing for their inventory, and pay barely over minimum wage in most places."
"Several times I’ve gone to thrift stores and seen items at or above what they cost brand new from the original retailer. Damn grift stores."
~ mrRabblerouser
Charities
"Food banks. My local food bank put out a news article basically saying that rich people need to stop using the food bank as a 'life hack' to lower their grocery bills."
~ ConfidantlyCorrect
"There were stories in the UK throughout the pandemic about it: those that needed it were having to walk to the Food Bank to get what they needed, but there was also people turning up in BMW's, Range Rovers. etc..."
~ Scotsgit73
"OMG. That's so evil. Some people really have no conscience."
~ BettyBoopWallflower
"I used to volunteer at a soup kitchen at a church, and it was kinda well known as having great food because the whole kitchen staff were actually a team of chefs from a nearby well known restaurant."
"They volunteered at the soup kitchen so they used it as like experience for some of their newer chefs etc...."
"Soon word got out that the food was good and you started seeing expensive cars pop up in the parking lot every now and then till they started coming more and more till one day like....80-100 rich people came and like basically ate so much that we ran out of food and had to let almost 50 homeless people go without food to starve that day."
"These rich people were literally coming to a SOUP KITCHEN for a free meal they don't need and literally preventing homeless people who, some of them this is their only meal in like 2 days, from getting food."
"AND WE TOLD THEM."
"We told them like we have a limited amount of food, we want to prioritize the homeless and those who don't have food security."
"Next week, the rich people would ignore us and bring even more of their friends."
"Plus it's not even like we got more donations once the rich people started coming either. F'k em."
~ ezodochi
Counterculture
"Counterculture-based festivals."
"Burning Man was on my bucket list until rich f'ks started showing up with bodyguards and started establishing private zones."
~ hgaben90
"Counterculture as a whole seems to be getting gentrified."
"In the Netherlands there are a lot of places you can go to that have a 'counterculture aesthetic', or more specifically 'squat aesthetic' but have exorbitant prices."
"Squatting used to be huge and multiple venues in the Netherlands (like Paradiso and Melkweg) have their humble beginnings as a squat. Ruigoord, a village close by Amsterdam that got squatted 50 years ago, also completely lost it's soul and is filled with yuppies."
"Counter culture is being gentrified, sanitised and sold back to people at exorbitant prices as something 'new, weird and hip'."
~ whazzar
Transportation
"Pickup trucks. They used to be much cheaper."
~ NCBadAsp
"They're luxury commuter vehicles for guys who think a $90,000 truck that will never see a dirt road is a smart move."
~ HauntedCemetery
Is there an affordable item you once loved that got expensive once it got popular?
Share it in the comments.
Money is one of those things that many people find themselves wanting more of, simply for the sake of security and safety.
But for those who have money in multitudes, it's almost baffling how willingly they will throw large quantities of it away.
Already cringing, Redditor DefinitelyNot203Eels asked:
"What is the most egregious display of wealth you've ever personally seen?"
Unique Employment Opportunity
"I have a friend who was employed by a very famous old pop star. She lived on-site in his mansion (which itself was a very cute cottage) and was paid more than I am with no rent or bills for said cottage."
"Her job? To open the curtains of his bedroom in the mornings, put on classical music, and gently wake him up for the day."
"That sounds sexual, but it wasn't sexual; it was more like, 'Hey, hey big star, I know you're still sleepy but it's time to get up,' etc."
- princessflubcorn
Flaunting Cars
"My boss who owns his own plane likes to do s**t like flaunt the keys to his cars... Like, flick them round up close to the camera on a call to show off the logo."
"I think it really bugs him that I don't 'ooh' and 'aah' because I don't give a f**k about fancy cars."
"What does p**s me off is that there's an item I brought after much saving, and it means a lot to me. He heard about it and just went and brought two so he could comment about it."
- 10191AG
Her Annual Salary
"The company owner got a divorce, went on a shopping spree, and showed a receipt for tens of thousands of dollars to our receptionist as a way of showing off."
"What he spent was 80% of what she makes in a year. She was really uncomfortable and brought it to me as the HR (Human Resources) person."
- b***himgandalf
A Yacht for Your Yacht
"The first time I saw a support vessel, I was blown away."
"It's a yacht that accompanies your main yacht, and it stores your toys in its garage, it houses some of your staff, stores your supplies, etc."
- Eafeaturerequest
The "Just in Case" Staff
"I once met a woman while I was living in Singapore who was a full-time live-aboard chef for a super rich European who had several vessels, but only took a holiday on the one she worked on maybe once a year, but sometimes even more seldom."
"A full staff lived aboard full time, year-round, just in case this guy wanted to board, in which case they would sail to the port where he wanted them to pick him up."
- kiki_deli
The Biggest Cabin of Them All
"I worked in construction project management. We were building a log cabin for a very wealthy individual using western redwood. We had the piles, and foundation in place, the first floor completed, and about 25% done building the second floor."
"The largest base width of the redwood logs we were using was 44 feet, and the two-story fireplace that included 12 hearths was clad in architectural stone."
"The owner found out that the owner of a car dealership on the other side of the lake had just completed his log cabin with the largest logs being 46 feet in width. The owner got one of his employees to sneak onto the property at night and take measurements of the logs to confirm they were in fact bigger than the logs on his cabin."
"Once it was confirmed that the logs across the lake were bigger, he instructed us to take apart what has already been built, and source new, bigger logs with the smallest log being no less than 48 feet in width."
"He also instructed us to remove the architectural stone from the fireplace and replace them with actual stones. This required us to modify the foundation, as the weight of the fireplace increased by 1500%."
"After about 1.5 years, with no limit on overtime spending, the cabin was completed, with the largest log being 68 feet in width, and smallest being 48 feet."
"I ran into the car dealership owner at the lake town market one day and told him about the cabin we were building and how we had to pretty much start from scratch due to the size of his logs (and my boss's ego)."
"He simply replied, 'I had no idea your boss even owned a cabin here.'"
- ExaminationDouble240
So Humbling
"I had an amazing side gig instructing tech nerds how to drive their fancy cars at the racetrack (it's called an 'HPDE' or a High-Performance Driving Event)."
"A rich tech nerd shows up with a new McLaren 12C, delivered in a McLaren trailer and staffed by an entire crew of McLaren techs and engineers."
"Why?"
"The driver was complaining about how the $12k brakes would burn up after just one day at the track and escalated enough for McLaren to wonder if something was terribly wrong with the car."
"After one session, he huddled around a laptop with the engineers and found what was wrong: he was just that terrible of a driver."
- incomplete_
If You've Got It, Spend It
"A dude just kept grabbing stuff and having me ring it up. At first, I was like, 'You sure?' Then it eventually clicked that this guy was on a shopping spree."
"The shop had no human necessities. I don't remember the total by the end but it was close to 5 figures in USD."
"He pulled out his black AMEX that weighs like a pound and boom, a mile-long receipt."
"That was one of the few days I wished I made commissions."
- blippityblop
Rent Potential
"When I worked at Blue, Justin Beiber spent a stupid amount of money just to ski. He tried to rent the whole resort to make it private, but they wouldn't let him (which I still think is hilarious)."
"This area also has dozens of houses that are all valued well over $10 million, that all sit empty. They're just buildings that billionaires bought on a whim."
- stonedfishing
A Library Belle Would Envy
"I'm a custom metal worker. We did the penthouse at the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan, off of Central Park (the owner lived there). The floors were made of titanium plates."
"The wife had her own massive library and we had to make a rolling staircase that an old woman could move. We did, and it cost $80,000."
"We delivered it and she said, 'It’s too steep, can you make another?'"
"$80,000 later, she’s happy, and my buddy has a rolling staircase at his workshop."
- Denki
Holy Mansions, Batman
"I once toured a mansion under construction in Dallas that was about 45,000 square feet. It was about 80% complete when I visited and the interior finishes were amazing."
"When I was there, the artisans were hand-carving the front door details and the indoor-outdoor pool was being tiled."
"There was a bowling alley, a gift-wrapping room, a two-story master bedroom closet with a spiral staircase, and other over-the-top amenities including a ten-car garage with an oil change bay."
"Shortly after I was there, it burned down under mysterious circumstances, and its demise made the national news and a cover story in the Wall Street Journal."
- centexgoodguy
Wasteful Living
"A kid in my daughter's sorority drives a 2022 Lamborghini Urus. Every time I've visited my daughter, I see this car."
"It's filthy and covered in dings and scratches. My daughter says the owner has had it towed repeatedly by leaving it parked illegally in the street even though she has a space at the sorority."
"She'll just leave it on the street near the bars, Uber home when drunk, abandon the car until it gets impounded, and then pay to get her car back. Basically every weekend."
"In addition, my daughter says this girl's room is full of designer stuff that the girl bought for tens of thousands of dollars, wore once, and then threw on the floor."
"I should note that there are apparently several girls in this sorority with similar lifestyles."
- hiro111
It's Just a Parking Fee
"My boss had to impromptu get a new license to travel. When he was at the DMV, they said he had to pay like $100k in back parking tickets. He just set a card down and paid it."
"Apparently, he couldn't get a parking permit to be able to park in front of his house for some bulls**t reason, so he just parked there anyway, and just accepted that they were ticketing him like $100 per day for years."
- melodyze
Respectful Tipper
"I work at a Zipline in Hawaii. One time we had a couple of people come in, and one of them was a Saudi prince."
"Any time someone helped, or even talked to him, he had his 'assistant' count out hundred-dollar bills and give them to them. He tipped his guides $3000 a piece. It was wild."
- Jorjott
Paying It Forward
"While at a breakfast place I went to a lot in my hometown, I went to pay for my meal, and the waitress was like, 'Don't worry, it is covered.'"
"The next day, I went back. Once again, my meal was covered."
"Repeat for the rest of a week, and I was baffled."
"Apparently, some rich dude liked his breakfast a week ago and bought all orders for the following week and tipped all the staff $10k to keep it a secret and to cover the loss of tips for the week."
"It was a small mom-and-pop shop, but that still has to have cost him 100k or something. For a meal."
"There was intentionally no hype, and the other regulars and I were never told who it was."
- GoodRighter
While there were a few kind and generous people among the fold, the Reddit community could not believe the amount of money many people would spend simply because they could, even in support of bad habits, like terribly wasteful spending.
Having money certainly doesn't buy you manners or values.
Poor People Share The Most Out Of Touch Advice They've Received From A Rich Person
Successful people who come from humble beginnings usually don't forget where they came from.
But some of those who were already born into privilege and wealth may claim to be compassionate towards people who are financially disadvantaged.
But unless they've lived the experience as someone from the lower class or have a deep understanding of what life is like on the other side, the wealthy will never understand what it's like to be poor.
Curious to hear about interactinos with the affluent from strangers online, Redditor Salazard260 asked:
"Poor people of reddit, what's the most comically out of touch 'advice' you've been given by someone wealthier?"
When it comes to working normal jobs, rich people just don't understand.
Easier Said Than Done
"A mom to my mom, a single mother with three kids: 'you should just stop working if you are so stressed about it.'"
–eccegallo
Not Helpful
"Sounds like a psychologist I went and saw once, spent the hour talking about how much pressure I felt being the sole source of income in the house, to be told 'sounds like your job is stressing you out, you should quit!' When I asked how I’d pay the bills his response was 'I can help you apply for a new job, I’m really good at job applications, I’ve got every job I applied for! - yeah mate I don’t think that’s going to help. Never went back."
– LazerTRex
Acceptable Wage
"Not really advice, but one of my high school friends came from a rich family. But because he wasn't really that motivated in life, his parents encouraged him to find a summer job."
"He was going to go job-hunting at the mall, working in retail. I asked him how much he wanted to earn. He said, 'Not too much. $40 per hour should be a good start.' This was in the early 2000s."
"It reminds me of the Arrested Development scene where Lucille thinks a banana costs $10."
– buckyhermit
When it comes to renting an apartment, these are not the people who should be weighing in with their thoughts to help.
Clueless About Rent
"I had a boss at the time tell me it cant be more than 800 bucks for rent in the DC area when I asked for a pay raise. The minimum rent I could find at the time was closer to 1800."
– Worst_Choice
Let's Start With Step 1
"That I need to buy several apartments and rent them out. Unfortunately, he did not tell me where to get money to buy several apartments."
– blezmalfoy
When it comes to family and financials, we're all not the same.
That's Not How That Works
"I remember when I was at high school and I mentioned to someone that I'd like a gaming PC but couldn't afford it, he said 'can you not just ask your parents for the money?'"
"I said no because there was nothing left over after bills and groceries."
"Yeah, but if you ask realllllyyyyy nicely, couldn't they give you the money?"
"Like what goddamn money? The money for the food we eat? The money for our electricity bill? Sure, no doubt my family are happy to suffer just so I can have a piece of tech I don't need."
– pizdec-unicorn
Ignorance Is Bliss
"I had a friend like that and one time pulled out a pen and paper and did my family's financials roughly in front of them. I showed income, taxes, utilities, insurance, groceries, gas, car payments, loan payments, etc and then showed how little was left over and then said that some of that needs to go into savings/retirement just in case. I then asked them 'so where is that money I ask my parents for coming from?'"
"He sat there dumbfounded for a bit, I think one: that I knew all this off the top of my head (the recession made me hyper aware of financials) and two: it started sink in how ignorant he was about money in general, and how good he had it. He wasn't a bad dude, and wasn't one of those who thinks money was infinite, but I guess didn't realize how much 100 bucks was to a lot of people."
– chikenjoe17
The Other Way Around
"'Just have your parents give you the money'.... B*tch, I support my parents."
– ExistingPosition5742
Going Nowhere Fast
"I had a buddy in college that asked me to drive him to the next town over. He had a car but his parents said he was spending to much in the gas card. His solution was to bum a ride but told me it wasn’t fair for him to pay me for gas out of his allowance because I had a job."
"I’m still stunned by the mental gymnastics that dude went through to justify his behavior."
– Pencilowner
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
"After dumping me my long-tine girlfriend would occasionally reach out with her crazy rants."
"One of them was I should just dump my parents somewhere, as in literally dropping them off on some corner, and let them fend for themselves."
"I dodged a rocket not marrying her."
– OfficePsycho
The rich could afford many luxuries that are unattainable for the rest of us, and good for them.
But when it comes to offering any kind of wisdom or suggestion to improve our financial standing in life, money can't buy them respect when they are completely out of touch.
Being rich looks fabulous.
I know, money isn't everything.
I've seen the super rich literally throw money away, because they could.
They never see it as waste.
I want to be able to waste.
I wouldn't, but I'd like the option.
Redditor alexduvalo wanted to know what rich love to throw money at in bundles. They asked:
"What do insanely rich people buy that poor people have no idea about?"
I would spend on clothes. And I already have a lot. I can't help it. Gimme...
Vroom
driving fast and furious GIFGiphy"On staff mechanics. People see the Floyd Mayweathers and Tom Cruises of the world buying tons of cars and motorcycles, but when you have a fleet like that, you basically need on staff mechanics who at the very least keep your cars clean, but also handle all maintenance."
earic23
"on retainer"
"An acquaintance of mine is one of six pilots 'on retainer' for a wealthy family."
BeastOfEden420
"I have a buddy pulling in nearly 200k as a chief pilot for a crew of 4 pilots for a billionaire family. They fly far less than your average commercial pilot and he’s in his mid 30s. We live in the south, where you can live like a king on 200k."
arparris
Far Reach
"Access. Need to call a governor? He's on speed dial and will phone the senators too. Need to talk to the CEO of Coca Cola... he's waiting for you and immediately assigns someone to fix your problem. Do you want to yacht around the horn of Africa? The closest naval fleet will tell you the safest route and provide 'support' so pirates don't mess with you."
"I own a company and by nature interact with a lot of billionaires and CEO's. I'm by no means rich but hang in the circle enough that I've e-mailed CEO's of fortune 500's and they've hooked me up with huge 'free' things as a small perk or thank you."
"I've been PAID to fly places just to have a 1 hour meeting and then get a free VIP week long vacation with the mayor or consulate showing me around. It's trippy and I've never really felt at home, but I've been eternally grateful for these travel opportunities."
metarinka
Destinations
"Support ships for your mega-yacht. The biggest yachts don't travel alone, they generally have small cargo ships that do everything from house additional staff, to transport your cars so you always have them when you make port, to holding all of your toys (helicopters, submarines, day-boats, etc.). They'll often travel a day or two ahead of the yacht to a destination so that your staff can unload your things (cars, clothing, etc.) at the next villa you're summering in."
climb-it-ographer
Get back...
love and hip hop goodbye GIF by VH1Giphy"Isolation from poor people. Rich people spend a lot of money to make sure that poor people can't get anywhere near them."
Bizarre_Protuberance
Rich people are funny. And clearly a bit rude...
Doubles...
Squad Reaction GIF by Rodney DangerfieldGiphy"Cloning pets, one of our investors spent ~$100K cloning his dog."
Jiltedjohn
Initiation
"There are membership-based vacation clubs. Similar to high-end country clubs, but for travel. You may pay a one-time initiation fee that can be upwards of $100k - $250k to get 5-10 years of access to purchase incredibly exclusive vacation/resort/rental property experiences. I work in the travel industry and I know of multiple companies like this."
El_mochilero
The Expensive Skies
"I work in the film industry and one time I booked a trip for someone to fly from London to California for a weekend and it cost more than my yearly salary. This was 2010, and it was $35,000 for first class airfare, private car, & hotel, because they realized Friday morning that based on his contract that he needed to be present while the film was being finished that weekend, and his contract specified he accommodations needed to be first class/5-star hotel, etc.I accidentally had an extra "0" it was $35k, which is $10k more than what the studio was paying executive assistants at the time..."
-CoreyJ-
Insured
"Kidnap insurance."
i-need-blinker-fluid
"It's called kidnap and ransom insurance. K&R and it includes training so that you know what to do in a hostage situation. It also includes a trained response team. The statistics on this stuff was/is nasty. Your chance of survival with insurance is about 60%. Without it you're closer to 0%."
gretverd
And popcorn?
Movie Theater Reaction GIF by CBSGiphy"There is a streaming service that's pretty much Netflix for rich people, allowing you to stream current cinematic movies for about 3,000 bucks a pop."
VloekenenVentileren
Chai Time
"My wife’s, cousin’s husband is a chef for a famous Bollywood star. The catch- he is only there to make chai. Apparently his chai tastes exactly the same as his employer’s beloved (now deceased) grandmother used to make. The man makes more than I do per year making chai 2-3 times/day."
kk1485
In-Home
"Private doctor's. My nephew married into a very high net worth family, They employ a general practitioner/hospitalist with privileges at several top level hospitals. He caters, in house, to any and all medical needs they may have."
GboyFlex
"A YT video I watched the other day said that, based on comments Kim made in a recent Allure interview, it sounds like the Kardashians have an in-home plastic surgery center."
baerbelleksa
In the Old Days
"My in-laws were well off. Way before the internet, I had an unexpected emergency when my brother was in a bad car accident in another state. I had been out shopping with my sister-in-law when my mother-in-law called the store and told us to come home right away, but she didn't say why."
"It took me 20 minutes to make what was normally a 40 minute drive. I'm pretty sure I scared my sister-in-law to death with my driving. When we got home, my in-laws gave me the news. They also had airline tickets waiting for me so I could be on a plane right away. How? They had a travel agent they'd used for years."
"In the half hour between the time they got the call from my family to the time I walked through their front door, they had called the travel agent who had booked the ticket and had it hand-delivered to my in-laws home. So what do rich people buy that poor people have no idea about? Incredible convenience, that's what."
awhq
Generations
Make It Rain Money GIF by SpongeBob SquarePantsGiphy"Honestly insanely rich people often get so much for free because they're rich. Money begets money as well as access. It's crazy how much free stuff and access you get just because you're rich."
darthTharsys
Buying Toys
"Time. For example, I own a boat, I work my ass off on it repairing, cleaning, storage, etc. If I were rich I would just pay to have all of that taken care of so that I just make a call and the boat was ready to go anytime I wanted it. The rich spend their money on toys, but they also spend money buying the time to use those toys and to live their lives."
SuperstitiousPigeon5
"money-makers"
"Weird but important different types of insurance on their 'money-makers.' Like Taylor Swift has her legs insured for like $50 million. Her legs are part of her brand, her look. If some terrible accident happened that removed her legs or damaged them, she has insurance to cover that loss of income."
daithisfw
Let's Trade
"That people don’t actually know about? There are a few towns and islands that are only for rich people. It’s just a place you’d never know to go or have access to unless you too are rich. But also things like specific buildings for high frequency trading."
"Some trading firms move to where they have faster access to the internet and as such can complete trades faster peeling off those tenths of a cent in a transaction that in term can make millions. I think the exchanges actually figured out a way to stop it but for a period of time it was something only rich people could buy."
dumberthenhelooks
Please Drown
leonardo dicaprio yacht GIFGiphy"So I worked at an airport in the Caribbean. There was a small bay that would be used on occasion in the winter months for yacht parking. A Middle Eastern prince parked his yacht there one day and we watched the hull open and two smaller yachts emerged. That is stupid, f**k you money right there."
ATC_av8er
Oh to be rich and fabulous. Gimme the coins.
Why do the rich have to spoil everything?
Like let us poor people hold onto something.
I'm astonished by some of the things that have been altered or ruined by an influx of wealthy interest.
Redditor papipablo99 wanted to hear about how money has ruined many things, even for people who don't have any. They asked:
"What were some poor people things that got ruined by rich people?"
Food. Like cheap food. Have you seen the prices of Ramen these days?!
Turnover
pop up art GIF by molehillGiphy"Owning a cheap/fixer-upper house."
ravenousmind
"The house I grew up in with my poor single mother and three siblings is now worth 600k easily. It was built for poor families in the 30s, and remained for poor families until the last decade."
Walaina
Hippie High
"I hear Coachella used to be a genuine hippie love fest until it got turned into VIP Woodstock."
graeuk
"Sure it’s a corporate cash grab nowadays but it was always only a hippie love fest if you wanted it to be. The first headliners Rage Against The Machine, Tool, and Beck were hardly the hippie type. You can float around as a hippie there now just as much as you could back then."
steamy_fartbox
pricey veggies...
"Farmers markets. Used to be cheap when I was younger. Now it’s a hipsters paradise and expensive as heck."
jazzbaranova
"Around here (Italy), we have 'farmer markets' (I put it in quotes because actual farmers are a small portion of what you find there) that occur weekly, and they're still a convenient option for low income families, afaik. Did I say weekly?"
"That is only technically true: each individual farmer market occurs individually, but many medium sized towns have several of them, like one behind city hall on Mondays, one in front of the post office on Thursdays, one next to the middle school on Fridays, you get the idea. The biggest inconvenience about them is that some streets get closed on market days because of them, but you get used to their schedule and end up planning your routes around them."
Broderick512
Fashion
"Trying to find a legit thrift store here in Brooklyn, NY that isn't just old clothes at new designer prices is a pain in the @ss. Also, along the same lines as your answer: ripped jeans. It used to be ripped jeans were a cool look that you accomplish just by having jeans be old and wear out."
"But I've seen designer jeans that are 2 inches of fabric and 99% pre-designed-intentional-rips that cost more than my monthly grocery budget. Okay, looking them up they aren't actually as expensive as my monthly food cost, but still: https://abc7news.com/carmar-jeans-ripped-extreme-cut-out/3424787/"
A_Polite_Noise
Collections
Video Games Lol GIF by Robbie CobbGiphy"Used video games. It used to be where you could find used games and consoles for practically free. Nowadays they're all collector items."
Negafox
I can't believe how far prices and technology has come with video games. My Atari was crap. LOL
Vroom
"Old muscle cars. There are probably 3 dozen different cars I've had that recently either approached or passed the 100K mark. in 2018 sold a '70 Superbee before a move for 30K thinking I'd pick up another in a few years. Nope, not gonna happen. Couldn't touch the same car for less than 80."
Sleestak714
God Bless
Independence Day Usa GIF by Broad CityGiphy"Living in the country. They buy up the best farm land and buy an old tractor and a wagon wheel for decoration. They then start organizing hoas."
missymaypen
"I hate this. I'm watching this happen all around me. I feel bad for some of my neighbors who've lived peacefully for decades on their 5-10 acre plot. That is until a development company buys up land right next to them and put in 50 cookie cutter houses or low-mid income apartments."
SomethingUnique141
Less is Less
"Minimalism. 'Here in my 3 million bungalow I keep only 15 things.'"
PoorMansTonyStark
"The problem with a lot of so-called 'minimalist' thought is that those 15 things end up being hugely expensive all-in-one options. It ends up being more of wealth flex than 'here are my 50 things I actually need.'"
"I only 'need' one or two kitchen knives/pots/pans, but they have to be really freaking great knives/pots/pans that hold up to a lot more use and have a lot more utility than typical knives/pots/pans."
DeepStateofAffairs
In Person
"ComicCons used to be really reasonable, and you might have a lengthy conversation with famous people there."
"They have evolved into a massive event with various levels of admission, VIP access, and VIP seating. There are often long lineups and a high price to pay for photos and autographs with bigger superstars.When I used to go (pre-Covid), I usually just went to look at/buy art; those people were usually not very busy and would frequently sign things for free. Except if they're hulking guys like Frank Miller."
MountainHeat65
We are the...
"Champion, I remember when that would be what the 'poor' people would wear."
Middle_school_sucks1
"I remember feeling kind of mildly embarrassed by my cheap Champion sportswear as a kid that my frugal parents bought for me. They used to be a generic superstore brand. So strange they're what's fashionable now."
coolfreeusername
"It’s just absurd. My dads been wearing champion since way before I was born in ‘98. He has socks from the early 2000s and sweatshirts/pants from the mid ‘90s. Paid probably $10-15 then, for a $85 sweatshirt now."
NoTalkImGaming
U still around?
Punk Rock 80S GIFGiphy"Punk rock."
Themanfromtumbuktu
"I didn’t even know punk existed anymore. I haven’t heard anything about it in many, many, many years."
yippykiay13
State Concern
"Living in Washington State."
AdamBombKelley
"That State instills trauma in me. You're driving through Canada, no traffic. Hit Bellingham, then Seattle, Tacoma, then Olympia, all those big cities around Seattle, and man. An 8hr trip to see my grandma down in Vancouver Washington turns into 10-12hrs. The road through Yakima is beautiful though."
rambam14
At Costco
"Topo Chico."
forest172002
"I used to go to the Hispanic supermarket for it. Now it’s available at Costco and I’m concerned over the mineral spring in Monterrey being able to supply enough to satisfy the demand."
xampl9
"There is a big drought right now in Monterrey and there are shortages of the water supply for most of the city, but Coca Cola (Topo Chico) is still exploiting the wells for their products."
atrey1
Flipped
"Buying an old junk house and fixing it up yourself. They do it purely to turn a profit, I wanna do it to have a nice place of my own to live without working my life away to pay for an overpriced 'flipped house' or a shi**y built new house. Every old house I ever bid on, I got outbidded by a flipper. To hell with them."
DaZozz
Housing
"Living in a van."
human_paper_shredder
"Thank you! I feel really bad for the people that can't afford housing and are living on the streets because rich people turned it into a social statement driven by Instagram models."
gogopassive
"Hey, to be fair, it's just as cheap now to do it as it's always been, just can't expect luxury. I lived in a 94 GMC Safari for 8 months when I got out of the military last year til I got my house. Cheap as hell."
WyldeFae
The Menu
"Foods. Certain foods, cuts of meats, grains, etc used to be dirt cheap and are now so highly priced that the people who relied on them to feed families can no longer afford it. (Cow tongue is a great example. My mom used to cook it regularly because it was cheap to purchase and you could make a variety of dishes with it. Now it is so expensive it is kind of extravagant)."
Geauxnad337
Being Country
Happy Dance GIF by Fort Wayne TinCapsGiphy"I would say country culture or being country. Nowadays you’ve got rich frat boys in fully loaded $70,000 trucks their parents bought them chewing tobacco and driving down the road tailgating other cars while listening to Florida Georgia Line… And that’s apparently what ‘country’ amounts to these days."
jonahvsthewhale
It's Cheap
"Polenta! It used to be so cheap! It's just cornmeal! I can make some amazing meals out of it. Now, it is hard to find it as anything but expensive imported stuff."
Viperbunny
"Polenta is just grits. Here in the American south it’s very cheap and very available."
exitosa
Poultry Prices
"Chicken wings."
ATD1981
"Some places are starting to put 'market price' on their menus for wings. I've lived in one place long enough to see the local dive bar go from 5 cent wing specials to 10 cent, to 15 cent, to 50 cent, to 'have you tried our boneless wings?'"
GreatStateOfSadness
"My dad owned a restaurant in the 90s and told me stories about how his butcher would offer him 10lb bags of wings for free when he bought a certain amount of breasts, but he'd usually decline because they'd just go to waste."
patlaska
Money really does ruin everything. Even being poor.