Stuff Rich People Do

[Anonymous]

We don't do many of the things listed. I do have a part time nanny even though I don't work. But other than that, I am trying to model my middle class upbringing. I think it is easier to keep the kids grounded that way. Hopefully they will be pleasantly surprised when they are older and find out we have a lot more money than what they thought.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is DC, so being smart and well connected are usually a lot more "prestigious." What makes me happy about being "rich" is that we can give one-third of our income to our favorite causes and candidates. As a result, my DC is comfortable at the White House and the halls of power. I bet my DC knows more MoCs than the typical K Streeter. The behind the scenes tours at the Smithsonian and the zoo are really special.

Our lifestyle means Martha's Vineyard in the summer, Asia in the fall, a warm weather trip in the winter, and Europe for spring break. But, we prefer nice AirBnBs to $1000/night hotels and we only fly first or business on miles. Our vintage Porsche cost less than the Toyota SUV. Yes, we had a nanny when DC was little, but we shared her with another family so we could pay for a more skilled/qualified one than we could otherwise afford. We only hired a housekeeper after the spouse and I argued over the chores. Private school tuition isn't a big deal, but I prefer to have my own cooking for lunch rather than eat out. We still get most of our books from the library than Amazon. I once had a very expensive watch but after losing it within six months, I've stuck to Timex ever since. Minibar and Komi are great, but I can't eat like that more than twice a year. I'm a regular at fast casual Cava and Sweetgreen.

Nobody prefers air bnb (really?) to $1000/night hotel.

And nobody who donates enough to get their kids comfortable in the White House and "halls of power" has to use a nanny-share.

Clearly a repeating troll coming up with multiple posts.

Not sure what's trolling about the post. What's cheap to you might not feel cheap to someone else. And, rich and prestigious are in quotes for a reason.

1) a $1000/night gets a really nice house or apartment on AirBnB in a real neighborhood in any world city as opposed to a two room suite in a business district.

2) A live out nanny with the credentials and experience we wanted cost $70k plus taxes 10 years ago. Nanny sharing with a family down the street made all the sense in the world because we were only paying for child care and it gave DC a playmate. I couldn't imagine hiring a limited English proficient provider with little or no education at poverty level wages to care for my baby. Obviously most people don't think nannies need to be educated or speak much English or earn a living wage, but we did.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Free time, location flexibility & low stress are the best things about having enough money that you don't have to worry about it. We bought a second home overseas & have turned it into our primary home. Neither of us work, and we mostly spend our time as we please: exercising, exploring our new place, finding local artists to commission work for our new home & learning the language. Not much stress or pressure; it feels like an extended vacation.

Do you have children? How old are they?

One child - 10yrs & in private school. We take advantage of term & midterm breaks as well as long weekends for visits to nearby countries. 6 trips in the last 6 months, mostly as a family.

[Anonymous]

Buy Apple products

[Anonymous]

They have very large expensive beach cottages, which they use to house their many children and grandchildren and friends of the children and grandchildren (which is how I got to see this first hand.) The daughters or wives mostly don't have to work, so stay at the beach all summer; the Dh's fly down to see their wives and kids on the weekend. They were very generous and provided food for everyone in the house and took us out to eat.

When my friend and I left the house, she turned to me and said "was that just a fantasy or do people really live like that?" It was really nice and I have never experienced anything like it before or since.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They have very large expensive beach cottages, which they use to house their many children and grandchildren and friends of the children and grandchildren (which is how I got to see this first hand.) The daughters or wives mostly don't have to work, so stay at the beach all summer; the Dh's fly down to see their wives and kids on the weekend. They were very generous and provided food for everyone in the house and took us out to eat.

When my friend and I left the house, she turned to me and said "was that just a fantasy or do people really live like that?" It was really nice and I have never experienced anything like it before or since.

This is exactly right. A college friend of mine has wealthy parents and you described exactly what I experienced when visiting their gorgeous lake cottage in the summer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They have very large expensive beach cottages, which they use to house their many children and grandchildren and friends of the children and grandchildren (which is how I got to see this first hand.) The daughters or wives mostly don't have to work, so stay at the beach all summer; the Dh's fly down to see their wives and kids on the weekend. They were very generous and provided food for everyone in the house and took us out to eat.

When my friend and I left the house, she turned to me and said "was that just a fantasy or do people really live like that?" It was really nice and I have never experienced anything like it before or since.

In many European countries, this is pretty common both in the upper AND middle classes.

OK, dads drive (not fly) to the nearby beach house/ condo in the weekends, and said house/ condo is way less spacious, but essentially everything else is the same.

Something is broken in our country.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They have very large expensive beach cottages, which they use to house their many children and grandchildren and friends of the children and grandchildren (which is how I got to see this first hand.) The daughters or wives mostly don't have to work, so stay at the beach all summer; the Dh's fly down to see their wives and kids on the weekend. They were very generous and provided food for everyone in the house and took us out to eat.

When my friend and I left the house, she turned to me and said "was that just a fantasy or do people really live like that?" It was really nice and I have never experienced anything like it before or since.

In many European countries, this is pretty common both in the upper AND middle classes.

OK, dads drive (not fly) to the nearby beach house/ condo in the weekends, and said house/ condo is way less spacious, but essentially everything else is the same.

Something is broken in our country.

Vote Bernie! Even the upper middle class here who doesn't come from money can't afford a SAHM and private school.

[Anonymous]

We arranged for a VIP tour guide during a visit to DisneyWorld. It was between $500 to $1000 per day depending on how many hours we wanted to spend in the parks. It was crazy awesome.

We were escorted throughout parks and able to enter rides though secret doors near the front of the lines. We were able to meet the Characters in a private setting, etc. It was a huge extravagance and, in reality, a waste of a lot of money -- but it was fun. I felt a bit like a rock star or something.

[Anonymous]

I am not rich but I grew up with rich people. From my observations:

1. They spent very little on designer goods. No Tory Burch flats for their dds or no Chanel quilted purses for the dw. DWs wear basic lbd from Brooks Brothers and Ann Taylor Loft; kids in LLBean hand me downs from cousins and friends. As they get older the kids do not deck head to toe in a try hard Vineyard Vines preppy style. They instead wear more boho chic labels and wear no make up and are "horse girls". The boys are super nerdy and become engineers or investment bankers etc.

2. Money is spent on experiences. Riding lessons for the girls, hockey equipment for the boys etc. Cotillion registration, ballet lessons etc. When they're older, high school graduation gift is a trip to Europe. In college, every semester is ended with trips to Europe or service trips to South America or Africa. In college, these girls also join the top tier sororities and they do become momentarily flashy; decked in Lily Pulitzer and Jack Rogers to emulate their sisters.

3. They always have a beach house in Florida or some place where the whole family gathers for easy last minute vacations. Adult children will move out and into an apartment in Georgetown owned by parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They have very large expensive beach cottages, which they use to house their many children and grandchildren and friends of the children and grandchildren (which is how I got to see this first hand.) The daughters or wives mostly don't have to work, so stay at the beach all summer; the Dh's fly down to see their wives and kids on the weekend. They were very generous and provided food for everyone in the house and took us out to eat.

When my friend and I left the house, she turned to me and said "was that just a fantasy or do people really live like that?" It was really nice and I have never experienced anything like it before or since.

In many European countries, this is pretty common both in the upper AND middle classes.

OK, dads drive (not fly) to the nearby beach house/ condo in the weekends, and said house/ condo is way less spacious, but essentially everything else is the same.

Something is broken in our country.

Vote Bernie! Even the upper middle class here who doesn't come from money can't afford a SAHM and private school.

I WOULD vote Bernie if I thought he knew what he wanted to do and HOW.

I think he has NO idea, so I couldn't vote for him for President, either in the primaries or the general. I would happily vote for him to get tenure in some great university so he can do research and teach.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They have very large expensive beach cottages, which they use to house their many children and grandchildren and friends of the children and grandchildren (which is how I got to see this first hand.) The daughters or wives mostly don't have to work, so stay at the beach all summer; the Dh's fly down to see their wives and kids on the weekend. They were very generous and provided food for everyone in the house and took us out to eat.

When my friend and I left the house, she turned to me and said "was that just a fantasy or do people really live like that?" It was really nice and I have never experienced anything like it before or since.

In many European countries, this is pretty common both in the upper AND middle classes.

OK, dads drive (not fly) to the nearby beach house/ condo in the weekends, and said house/ condo is way less spacious, but essentially everything else is the same.

Something is broken in our country.

What you describe isn't more common in Europe than America. Real estate is notoriously expensive in many European countries. Of course there are huge differences between countries but to claim many Europeans have second homes is silly.

[Anonymous]

The swank hotels and private jets are certainly what I would leap to if I were rich, but even just in the "moderately comfortably well off" realm I live in, I *dream* of a personal assistant. I want to be able to say "get us three quotes on repainting the downstairs" and have them magically appear. I want someone to deal with dry cleaning. I want someone to be here for people who come work on the house. I want someone to take care of the cats when we're gone.

Unfortunately, I'm so lazy that I pretty much would need a personal assistant in order to find me a personal assistant.

[Anonymous]

We are middle class, but our kids always managed to get a grant in a good private school, so knowing some truly reach people was an eye opener for me (I am a first generation immigrant). Few things that totally surprised me (I am not talking about one family)
Family owing 6-8 cars
2 private drivers
Kids getting ride to and from school by the driver
Private yachts
Live-in housekeeper, daily nanny and a cook. And the gardener who comes every single day. In the same family. Wife is not working
Ability to book limo and entire expensive restaurant for middle school kids party
Closed famouse water park for public to throw kids party, parents were invited and we had a blast as there were no lines.
Flying kid to Milan or Paris to shop from the newest designer spring collection.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They have very large expensive beach cottages, which they use to house their many children and grandchildren and friends of the children and grandchildren (which is how I got to see this first hand.) The daughters or wives mostly don't have to work, so stay at the beach all summer; the Dh's fly down to see their wives and kids on the weekend. They were very generous and provided food for everyone in the house and took us out to eat.

When my friend and I left the house, she turned to me and said "was that just a fantasy or do people really live like that?" It was really nice and I have never experienced anything like it before or since.

In many European countries, this is pretty common both in the upper AND middle classes.

OK, dads drive (not fly) to the nearby beach house/ condo in the weekends, and said house/ condo is way less spacious, but essentially everything else is the same.

Something is broken in our country.

What you describe isn't more common in Europe than America. Real estate is notoriously expensive in many European countries. Of course there are huge differences between countries but to claim many Europeans have second homes is silly.

Lady, use your brain. Europeans (well, most) do. What matters is the access and the quality of life, not the property.

Hint: ever heard of the word Family?