Author Topic: What Represented the Pinnacle of Wealth From Your Childhood  (Read 22463 times)

calimom

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Re: What Represented the Pinnacle of Wealth From Your Childhood
« Reply #50 on: April 01, 2019, 08:03:19 PM »
When I was growing up we lived in an A-frame house that my father built himself with help from his friends. Both parents worked and drove old VWs that my dad rebuilt. We always had a 'donor' Bug in the gravel driveway.

In middle school I had a friend who lived 'in town' whose father was a lawyer and the mother was a SAHM who played tennis and drove a Mercedes station wagon. They had a swimming pool, central AC and cable TV. I thought the whole thing was so glamorous.
My friend liked coming to my house and working in the garden, would watch my dad doing car repair and wanted to swim in the creek just beyond where we lived.

Ironically that same friend now lives on 40 acres with her wife and has a huge garden and raises champion goats.

MayDay

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Re: What Represented the Pinnacle of Wealth From Your Childhood
« Reply #51 on: April 01, 2019, 08:08:24 PM »
I'm 36.

A power wheels car. But I still didn't buy my kids one.
Not sharing bedrooms.
New clothes when you outgrew yours without your parents being visibly stressed
Cars new enough to not break down
Hotels instead of camping, and airplanes instead of driving
Getting fast food
Nike shoes
Rocker light switches (I made h change ours in our first house and he thought I was cracked)

givemesunshine

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Re: What Represented the Pinnacle of Wealth From Your Childhood
« Reply #52 on: April 01, 2019, 08:26:48 PM »
I grew up in the 80's in the UK. I had the pleasure (horror?) of attending a private school as a scholarship kid. Never have I felt so out of place.

- only kid to share a bedroom (bunk beds - hate them) - you must be rich to have your own room!
- only kid in a household with no car - a new car every X years - rich!
- only kid in second hand uniform items and cheap stationary/bag/supplies - they cost a small fortune.
- only kid who worked part-time from age 14 and paid for my own driving lessons (although I didn't own a car until I was 28!) - pocket money was for the rich!

The first one is the only one I would change - I'm a light sleeper and very much enjoy my privacy! The others made me work harder or learn that appearances don't matter the tiniest bit. I'd love to not own a car now - it's my plan for when I FIRE.

I still look a bit 'second-hand' - I just don't care.

LifePhaseTwo

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Re: What Represented the Pinnacle of Wealth From Your Childhood
« Reply #53 on: April 01, 2019, 09:33:10 PM »
Living in a house with more than 1 bathroom.
A pool - even an above-ground one.
A station wagon. We were crammed into Volkswagen Beetles.
Clothes purchased from a store rather than home-made. My mom bought fabric in bulk, so us kids all dressed the same. Now I laugh at some of our old family photos - great 1970s fashion and matching my brothers.
Bottled salad dressing - we only had oil & vinegar. I’ve come full circle on this; I appreciate the health aspects (and price) of good old oil & vinegar.

nancy33

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Re: What Represented the Pinnacle of Wealth From Your Childhood
« Reply #54 on: April 02, 2019, 12:18:55 AM »
Two big color TVs built into the consoles, one for the living room and one for the den, with remotes and cable and HBO
microwave oven
Atari game system
Brand new RV
Top of the line volkswagon camper van, Pontiac firebird
ocean front home

Imma

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Re: What Represented the Pinnacle of Wealth From Your Childhood
« Reply #55 on: April 02, 2019, 12:31:02 AM »
Heat in every room


My grandparents were the richest people I knew in real life*. Yhey had central heating and radiators in every single room.

They also had VCR, a spin dryer for laundry and a microwave. They would even rent VCRs. This is the height of luxury in the early 90s.

*Turns out my grandad worked in a factory and they had a below average income their entire life, but once the kids left home they had some money to spend.

ysette9

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Re: What Represented the Pinnacle of Wealth From Your Childhood
« Reply #56 on: April 02, 2019, 12:54:56 AM »
As a kid I desperately wanted one of those hot wheel drivable plastic care that they sold at Toys-R-Us. There is still part of me that lists after them if I see one at the park.

Not quite the same, but as a kid I developed this idea that one was an “adult” when one had a Duney & Burke leather purse and a Rolex. All of the adults directly in my family had them (no purses for the men). I did end up with a Duney & Burke purse. My original plan was to reward myself with a Rolex when I reached $100k personal savings, but by the time I was reaching that milestone my priorities started to change. I occasionally wonder if I will choose to scratch that childhood itch at some point. It seems to be a thing with some people in my family to wear whatever old clothes and generally not care about appearances while wearing really expensive jewelry. To each their own.

WhiteTrashCash

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Re: What Represented the Pinnacle of Wealth From Your Childhood
« Reply #57 on: April 02, 2019, 04:34:16 AM »
1.) A brand new car. The high-tech futuristic Ford Probe probably cost about $14 million.

2.) Going to Universal Studios Florida on vacation. You could actually RIDE THE MOVIES just like Arnold Schwarzenegger!

3.) Going skiing. That was astronomically expensive.

4.) Leaving food on your plate at a meal and pushing the plate away from you when you were done. (I only ever saw that in movies.)

5.) Buying brand new clothes at JC Penney instead of getting whatever was available in your size at the thrift shop.

6.) Video game systems. A friend had both a Super Nintendo and a Sega Genesis. I had an ancient Atari 2600 I bought at a garage sale. He was so rich.

Chuck Ditallin

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Re: What Represented the Pinnacle of Wealth From Your Childhood
« Reply #58 on: April 02, 2019, 05:48:44 AM »
Gen Xer in the UK here.

Rich was having a dad who didn't have to work on Saturdays. Being REALLY rich was having a dad who chose to work Saturdays as he was so well remunerated for so doing.

For the kids, owning an (original) Atari games console; having a house with more than a lounge, dining room (or knocked-through lounge diner) and kitchen.

I was a grammar school boy with close friends who had rich and important parents (think government minister, consultant surgeon and head of large public body) and a some who didn't. (normal lower middle class/upper working class people with 'ordinary' jobs)

Yeah, you can be that precise about class in the UK...

OutFab

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Re: What Represented the Pinnacle of Wealth From Your Childhood
« Reply #59 on: April 02, 2019, 06:32:28 AM »
Cable TV.  My parents were cheap or didn't see value in it.  My friends all had it and I could never understand why we didn't.  It was pretty much traumatizing as a kid!

Metalcat

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Re: What Represented the Pinnacle of Wealth From Your Childhood
« Reply #60 on: April 02, 2019, 06:42:29 AM »
I lived in a rural community, so anything urban seemed rich to me. Now everyone finds out where I grew up and assumes I grew up in such luxury as it's a sought after and incredibly scenic small town.

I was so painfully envious of kids who got to go to movie theatres and take public transit. I thought we had to live in the country because we were poor and rich kids got to live in the city.

I had no idea we were paying a premium to live in the fucking woods.

mountain mustache

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Re: What Represented the Pinnacle of Wealth From Your Childhood
« Reply #61 on: April 02, 2019, 06:55:49 AM »
I grew up thinking we were pretty poor, but in reality we were healthily middle class, and my parents were just very frugal. Most of my peers/friends when I was younger came from much more "extravagant spending" families, so I always thought they were rich. They all had:

- in ground pools
- two story houses, sometimes 3!
- boats and beach houses
- new clothes from limited 2 any time they wanted! I got new clothes once a year, from the thrift store
- fancy shoes and backpacks for school
- big SUVs with power windows
- trips to Disneyland, water world, etc

When I was high school age, I went to a very wealthy private school (on scholarship) and that was when I found out about a whole new level of rich. These kids had:
- Daddy's "old" hand me down Mercedes, BMW, etc
- $300 jeans and $5k prom dresses (yes, really)
- $2k purses
- trips to Europe, India and Africa
- 5-8 thousand square foot homes, with people who were paid to clean and cook.
 



skp

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Re: What Represented the Pinnacle of Wealth From Your Childhood
« Reply #62 on: April 02, 2019, 06:59:12 AM »
a color TV

Parizade

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Re: What Represented the Pinnacle of Wealth From Your Childhood
« Reply #63 on: April 02, 2019, 07:05:14 AM »
The Cedar Square West complex was in development through my childhood and was completed when I was in high school. As I watched this sparkling new building rise up I imagined myself a successful artist living in this building that resembled a piece of modern art, at my personal pinnacle of wealth.

By the time I could afford a luxury apartment, however, the official name had been changed to Cedar Riverside Plaza, it was converted to subsidized housing, and the unofficial nickname became "Rainbow Ghetto in the Sky." Now it is a haven for immigrant families and is known as "Little Mogadishu." It's a quirky neighborhood with good ethnic restaurants but I wouldn't walk around there after dark.

I'm a red panda

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Re: What Represented the Pinnacle of Wealth From Your Childhood
« Reply #64 on: April 02, 2019, 07:24:21 AM »
Cruises or trips to Hawaii.

As an adult, I've gone on cruises, but never to Hawaii.

HenryDavid

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Re: What Represented the Pinnacle of Wealth From Your Childhood
« Reply #65 on: April 02, 2019, 08:54:43 AM »
The summit of wealth back in younger days:
An on-brand jean jacket, new from store (not hand me down GWG farmer-brand).
An electric guitar and amp. Did eventually get one 2nd hand from a friend with lawn cutting money. Then sold it for university tuition.
A stereo and lots of LPs.
Books and time to read.

Now: living the dream with a few guitars and amps, vintage stereo and 3 linear metres of LPs, free time all day long to read all the books in the library.
Still wearing off-brand jean jackets. Learned not to care.

Cool Friend

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Re: What Represented the Pinnacle of Wealth From Your Childhood
« Reply #66 on: April 02, 2019, 08:59:03 AM »
Vacations of any kind.

As an adult I still don't know how vacations are done--deciding where to go, when, and why.  It's a mystery to me.  My work made me take a week off once and I just rented a small cabin and read books.  I guess that counts?

Jeblers

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Re: What Represented the Pinnacle of Wealth From Your Childhood
« Reply #67 on: April 02, 2019, 09:13:08 AM »
I was born in the mid 80's in a small town in Canada. We were definitely middle class and had a few things that my friends would consider rich:
  • New video game console (Super Ninendo / Genesis / N64)
  • Home computer with a CD burner
  • A 5th wheel camper, we would go camping half of summer holidays

I never really thought we were rich though, to me rich was:
  • People who had a CD player in their vehicle, we were using a discman with those tape adapters that would skip all the time
  • People who had Super Channel, which was the movie channel kind of like HBO
  • Families that would drive to the city every month to go shopping.
  • Families that would take a vacation that actually involved flying somewhere.
  • Going to friends houses that had unlimited treats such as pop / chips / pop corn / ice cream treats.
  • Families that had a quad or snow mobile.
  • Kids that had aluminum hockey sticks, then eventually upgraded single piece composite sticks when they came out.
  • Families that ate out often, kids that would go to KFC for lunch, or drive to Mcdonalds the next town over
« Last Edit: April 02, 2019, 09:24:08 AM by Jeblers »

OtherJen

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Re: What Represented the Pinnacle of Wealth From Your Childhood
« Reply #68 on: April 02, 2019, 09:16:27 AM »
Vacations of any kind.

As an adult I still don't know how vacations are done--deciding where to go, when, and why.  It's a mystery to me.  My work made me take a week off once and I just rented a small cabin and read books.  I guess that counts?

That sounds like an awesome vacation.

Mike in NH

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Re: What Represented the Pinnacle of Wealth From Your Childhood
« Reply #69 on: April 02, 2019, 09:19:52 AM »
The summit of wealth back in younger days:
An on-brand jean jacket, new from store (not hand me down GWG farmer-brand).
An electric guitar and amp. Did eventually get one 2nd hand from a friend with lawn cutting money. Then sold it for university tuition.
A stereo and lots of LPs.
Books and time to read.

Now: living the dream with a few guitars and amps, vintage stereo and 3 linear metres of LPs, free time all day long to read all the books in the library.
Still wearing off-brand jean jackets. Learned not to care.

@HenryDavid my same friend who mentioned the fancy london broil also remembered thinking that anyone who had a denim jacket with their own name written in it vs. the name of the prior owner must have been rich.

dcheesi

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Re: What Represented the Pinnacle of Wealth From Your Childhood
« Reply #70 on: April 02, 2019, 09:21:11 AM »
Child of the '80s, so a German sports/luxury car was a must. Beyond that, eating in fancy restaurants (where "fancy" could include any of the then-new chain dining establishments that our town lacked at the time; TGI-Olive-Back, etc.). Vacations involving airplane travel.

thd7t

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Re: What Represented the Pinnacle of Wealth From Your Childhood
« Reply #71 on: April 02, 2019, 09:24:42 AM »
I just remembered that mechanical pencils and cars with automatic windows seemed like impossible luxuries to me.

Just Joe

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Re: What Represented the Pinnacle of Wealth From Your Childhood
« Reply #72 on: April 02, 2019, 09:29:57 AM »
Was a teenager in the 80s:

People who were rich had computers! (any kind of computer including a TRS-80!)
People who were rich had Corvettes and Porsches. Also other European rarities like Merc or BMW. Rich people had daily driver convertibles, not just for the weekend, not just rusty MGs, Fiats and Triumphs.
People who were rich hired repair and renovation people. No DIY for them!
People who were rich bought their kids cars and mopeds.
People who were rich had little alligators on their shirts and other brand name clothes. Brand names were important. Our clothes came from Sears and JC Penney. (Still shop in places like that sometimes).
People who were rich played golf and belonged to the country club.
People who were rich had boats, RVs and things to tow them with. We just had four cylinder commuter cars.
People who were rich had finished basements and cable TV and whatever the current video game system was.
People who were rich sent their kids to private school and later to big name SEC universities or private universities like Vanderbilt.
People who were rich seemed to get by really easily - school, tests, homework, dating scene, college, etc. 

Cool Friend

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Re: What Represented the Pinnacle of Wealth From Your Childhood
« Reply #73 on: April 02, 2019, 09:38:43 AM »
Vacations of any kind.

As an adult I still don't know how vacations are done--deciding where to go, when, and why.  It's a mystery to me.  My work made me take a week off once and I just rented a small cabin and read books.  I guess that counts?

That sounds like an awesome vacation.

My coworkers looked at me like I was Jack Torrence when I told them my plans, but I had fun!  I live in a noisy, bustling city, so it was a Gift to get some real peace and quiet.

sol

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Re: What Represented the Pinnacle of Wealth From Your Childhood
« Reply #74 on: April 02, 2019, 09:42:56 AM »
My partner and I were discussing this question.  She feels that she grew up even more poor than I did, because I had a color tv growing up and she did not.  And then we got to talking about how our kids probably have a different perspective on this question than we do, because they now have basically everything that she and I thought only rich people had.

So we asked the kids.  Their first answer was "money", which is an answer I'm kind of proud of because we have previously discussed that we are rich because we have money, not because we have lots of fancy things.  People who have lots of fancy things have spent all of their money and aren't rich anymore, they just have fancy things but no ability to buy anything.  Being rich means you can buy whatever you want, not that you have whatever you want.

But upon further probing, they came up with a variety of more silly answers.  In their view, the "rich" kids have brand name clothing (Gucci, Hollister, etc.) and get each new iphone when it comes out.  Basically everything that I (and they) consider to be wasteful purchases, conspicuous consumption done for the sole purpose of showing off, akin to lighting hundred dollar bills on fire at recess.  They have no concept of how truly rich people live, with servants and private aircraft, and I think I prefer to keep it that way.

I'm a red panda

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Re: What Represented the Pinnacle of Wealth From Your Childhood
« Reply #75 on: April 02, 2019, 09:52:35 AM »
My partner and I were discussing this question.  She feels that she grew up even more poor than I did, because I had a color tv growing up and she did not.  And then we got to talking about how our kids probably have a different perspective on this question than we do, because they now have basically everything that she and I thought only rich people had.



My husband did not grow up with as much money as I did; but his parents did not know how to deal with money well, so he often had more day to day extravagance.  (Whereas, over the course of the year- I had more luxuries.)

I'll often joke "I wasn't rich enough to be allowed to buy lunch at school."  -because my Mom packed a lunch for me nearly every single day for 12 years. I'd get to buy lunch in high school with my own money, or once a month in elementary school.  His family wasn't on free/reduced lunch; so school lunch for 3 kids was more expensive than brown bagging it. 

Or "I wasn't rich enough to get to have a game system". Just because our family never had one- but his had ALL of them.
 Or "we weren't rich enough to eat at red lobster".  My family rarely ate out, his did at least 4 times a week.


Really, the low hanging fruit that this board addresses in non-mustachian spending.

What was I rich enough to do? Not have to join the air force to be able to afford college.  My parent's had a college fund that paid what my scholarships didn't cover, my rent, and my living expenses (which may have included fairly regular eating out and manicures in college...).  He got the same academic scholarships I did, but to cover the rest and living expenses, he had to take a ROTC scholarship/stipend.


StarBright

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Re: What Represented the Pinnacle of Wealth From Your Childhood
« Reply #76 on: April 02, 2019, 09:57:15 AM »
Basically anything name brand - but I remember coveting I.O.U. sweatshirts and anything from the GAP.

The first thing I did when I went to college was walk into the GAP store located just off campus and buy a shirt (this was on orientation weekend).

Better Change

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Re: What Represented the Pinnacle of Wealth From Your Childhood
« Reply #77 on: April 02, 2019, 10:19:43 AM »
Waterbeds
By the late '90s, non-dial-up internet (had it until college in 2003)
High school kids who didn't have to take the bus to school
Lunchables
Doc Martens (definitely had the off-brand from Kohls)
Disney vacations
Popped collars and Lily Pulitzer dresses
Boat shoes

Aelias

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Re: What Represented the Pinnacle of Wealth From Your Childhood
« Reply #78 on: April 02, 2019, 10:29:38 AM »
Was I the only one here infatuated with the 1982 version of "Annie"?

What was my conception of the pinnacle of wealth?  Three words: Daddy. Warbucks. Mansion.
https://www.nytimes.com/1981/06/25/garden/a-mansion-for-daddy-warbucks.html


Crabbie

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Re: What Represented the Pinnacle of Wealth From Your Childhood
« Reply #79 on: April 02, 2019, 10:32:47 AM »
Weekends at the cottage, housekeeping staff + live in nanny, weekday vs weekend porsche, private planes, membership in exclusive social clubs

We weren't wealthy by any stretch, but I knew some kids who were.

dignam

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Re: What Represented the Pinnacle of Wealth From Your Childhood
« Reply #80 on: April 02, 2019, 10:42:49 AM »
Rocker light switches or brand new car.  Grew up in the 90s in middle/upper middle class great lakes region.   I have neither now. Guess I'm poor lol

TVRodriguez

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Re: What Represented the Pinnacle of Wealth From Your Childhood
« Reply #81 on: April 02, 2019, 10:51:44 AM »
Buying and eating food at airport restaurants or highway rest stops.   We traveled a fair amount, by plane, train, and automobile, but we were never allowed to just buy things like food that you could pack yourself for so much less.

NorthernMonkey

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Re: What Represented the Pinnacle of Wealth From Your Childhood
« Reply #82 on: April 02, 2019, 10:59:39 AM »
The rocker light switch thing I find surprising. They're normal in England, and replacement ones are about £2.

wannabe-stache

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Re: What Represented the Pinnacle of Wealth From Your Childhood
« Reply #83 on: April 02, 2019, 11:53:15 AM »
A Starter jacket.

nice.

i'll add Umbro gear, Doc Maartens (sp?), and jeans that weren't Lee or Levis.

BDWW

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Re: What Represented the Pinnacle of Wealth From Your Childhood
« Reply #84 on: April 02, 2019, 12:09:25 PM »
A Starter jacket.

nice.

i'll add Umbro gear, Doc Maartens (sp?), and jeans that weren't Lee or Levis.

Funny, Lee and Levis were fancy jeans to us. We wore Arizonas and another brand I can't think of? They were the "house" brands at the clothing store, and definitely cheaper than Levis. I think Arizona was JCPenney's house brand iirc.

Eowyn_MI

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Re: What Represented the Pinnacle of Wealth From Your Childhood
« Reply #85 on: April 02, 2019, 12:26:22 PM »
Horseback riding lessons.

I was given piano lessons and art class for extracurricular activities but my parents told me if I wanted riding lessons I would have to pay for them myself.  So my 10 year old self figured that only rich kids got their parents to pay for riding lessons.

( I was born in '91.  Grew up in a nice suburban 3-bedroom ranch house.  Dad was a full time engineer; Mom was a part time engineer.  We were nowhere near poor but my parents were somewhat frugal and did not prioritize my love of pets/animals.)

marble_faun

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Re: What Represented the Pinnacle of Wealth From Your Childhood
« Reply #86 on: April 02, 2019, 12:37:57 PM »
Bringing bag lunches to school that included name-brand snacks and juice boxes (Milano cookies, Capri Sun, Hawaiian Punch...) Or having a pantry full of such foods for kids to just grab. I envied this so much!  I would save up every coin I could find to spend in the school vending machine and grew up to have a bit of a junk-food addiction.

Living in a McMansion (which to my young eyes appeared breathtakingly glamorous, especially the two-storey foyer, and the pool in the back).  Nowadays that's the last kind of place I'd want to live!  Suburban sprawl, all made of foam.

Going to Olive Garden -- this was considered really special and glitzy.

Living on the waterfront.  This still seems "rich" to me. 

Evgenia

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Re: What Represented the Pinnacle of Wealth From Your Childhood
« Reply #87 on: April 02, 2019, 12:40:42 PM »
A dishwasher.

I'm a red panda

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Re: What Represented the Pinnacle of Wealth From Your Childhood
« Reply #88 on: April 02, 2019, 12:43:13 PM »
A Starter jacket.

I had a Purdue starter jacket because it was 75% off...  (Michigan was the super 'cool' one. I lived in Texas, so I have no idea why.)

Travis

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Re: What Represented the Pinnacle of Wealth From Your Childhood
« Reply #89 on: April 02, 2019, 12:56:02 PM »
-A second story on your house.
-More than one game system
-All the movie channels

Shinplaster

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Re: What Represented the Pinnacle of Wealth From Your Childhood
« Reply #90 on: April 02, 2019, 01:40:30 PM »
Boomer here, so some of these will seem funny to anyone younger.

1. colour TV.  Didn't get one until I was married.  Made do with a 12" b&w until then.

2. Second bathroom.  I was 13 when we moved into our house, and thought we had made it big because only sister and I had to share a bathroom.

3. Same house - my own bedroom.  It was the size of a walk-in closet nowadays, but it was mine.

4. A phone that wasn't in the kitchen, where your parents listened to every conversation you had.

5. A bike with gears.

6. Going out for dinner when it wasn't your birthday.

7. Braces - only rich kids got their teeth fixed.

YoungGranny

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Re: What Represented the Pinnacle of Wealth From Your Childhood
« Reply #91 on: April 02, 2019, 01:42:03 PM »
-Black diamond white cheddar cheese
-Chips in single serving bags instead of the family size
-Brand name food especially cereals

MrThatsDifferent

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Re: What Represented the Pinnacle of Wealth From Your Childhood
« Reply #92 on: April 02, 2019, 02:20:29 PM »
1. A big house with big windows
2. Inground heated pool
3. Hot tub
4. Housecleaner or maid
5. Sports car
6. Designer clothes
7. Kids that were given cars at 16
8. A giant tv
9. A boat
10. A vacation house by water

Now that I’m older, with a great job and salary, I only have 1 of these (the housecleaner), and no desire for the rest except the inground heated pool.

JanetJackson

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Re: What Represented the Pinnacle of Wealth From Your Childhood
« Reply #93 on: April 02, 2019, 02:21:43 PM »
This is a fun topic.  I'll cut off at my teenage years, since I was born in '83 and when I became a teen a lot of "expensive" things got much much cheaper... but when I was a child:

1. Air Conditioning.  We got it in 2000.
2. Braces.
3. A pool.
4. Buying the School Lunch.  I brown-bagged it and was SO jealous of the kids who bought.
5. Vacations (We only camped).

HPstache

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Re: What Represented the Pinnacle of Wealth From Your Childhood
« Reply #94 on: April 02, 2019, 02:36:15 PM »
The rocker light switch thing I find surprising. They're normal in England, and replacement ones are about £2.

It's weird that I'm not the only one to mention it.  It's not that they were particularly expensive, it was just indication that the house was a newer home and had a "fancy"/rich feeling to them.  I seem to remember them showing up in the mid-late 90's in new homes.

fattest_foot

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Re: What Represented the Pinnacle of Wealth From Your Childhood
« Reply #95 on: April 02, 2019, 02:38:13 PM »
A Starter jacket.

nice.

i'll add Umbro gear, Doc Maartens (sp?), and jeans that weren't Lee or Levis.

It's funny you mention Umbro, because I absolutely agree. And worse, I actually remember a friend of mine just giving me an extra pair of his.

Looking back, I now realize he was loaded enough that he could just give away name brand crap he didn't use anymore to his poorer friends.

His dad was a lawyer, and he also lived next door to Linda Tripp (of Monica Lewinsky fame).

jps

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Re: What Represented the Pinnacle of Wealth From Your Childhood
« Reply #96 on: April 02, 2019, 02:39:23 PM »
The rocker light switch thing I find surprising. They're normal in England, and replacement ones are about £2.

It's weird that I'm not the only one to mention it.  It's not that they were particularly expensive, it was just indication that the house was a newer home and had a "fancy"/rich feeling to them.  I seem to remember them showing up in the mid-late 90's in new homes.

Brought this up to my spouse. She agreed that this was an underlying assumption for her too - and it probably came from the fact that they were only in newer houses. We both grew up in the 90's, so there you go.

Now this has made me want to go through my entire house and replace our toggle switches with rockers for a more *luxurious experience* when our toggles work just fine.
« Last Edit: April 02, 2019, 02:46:36 PM by jps »

Suze456

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Re: What Represented the Pinnacle of Wealth From Your Childhood
« Reply #97 on: April 02, 2019, 02:46:08 PM »
Being able to afford heating in every room. Still remember all us kids getting dressed either under the blankets or in front of the gas heater in the living room.

I hate skimping on heating now, sorry mmm

Trifle

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Re: What Represented the Pinnacle of Wealth From Your Childhood
« Reply #98 on: April 02, 2019, 05:09:46 PM »
Growing up lower middle class in the 70s/80s, rich to me meant anyone with a finished basement, or who took vacations (of any kind.)  I never met anyone with real money until I went away to college.

I just asked my son (13) what 'wealthy' means to him, and he first said "Well, we're rich because we have lots of money, and our college savings accounts are big."  (good boy).  When I asked him what things might show that someone was rich, right off the bat he said "Those soft-close hinges on kitchen cabinets. Those are really fancy."  Lol 

sol

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Re: What Represented the Pinnacle of Wealth From Your Childhood
« Reply #99 on: April 02, 2019, 05:16:02 PM »
I never met anyone with real money until I went away to college.

So, that's an interesting twist.  Rather than talking about the things that you used to think signified great wealth, or the things that kids today think signifies great wealth, what things do you, today as an adult, think signifies great wealth?  What do people with "real money" have or do that you and I do not?