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Why don't rich people realize that they are rich?
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Anonymous
I don't think it's dumb, as you are validating the OPs point. I agree, I don't know why people who have a 25-50K cushion think they are struggling. Their concept of middle class is so skewed and it is disturbing. That's probably the OP's sentiment. |
Anonymous
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Fair enough. I will start every post now with, "I"m rich.". Will that make you happier?
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Anonymous
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I'm rich. And I enjoy this thread.
Our HHI is 800K, and we live in a small house, don't have nice cars, etc. We even opted for a second tier private school for DD and daycare for DS to save $. But 7 years ago, when my salary hit 70K (DH was making 55K) I knew I was rich. The first time I bought something at Nordstroms (and it wasn't even on sale) I knew I was rich. The first time I went through the grocery store without adding up the cost of all my items before hitting the register, I knew I was rich. I often wonder in DC what is up the a**es of my high income peers, who often just don't get it. But there are many of us who do. I for one, understand the frustration of middle class families who see all these posts about nannies and vacations. That said, we rich folks (DC is swarming with us!) appreciate having DCUM as a community to get advice for our problems, as trivial or frustrating as they may seem to you. I believe I read that the higher the salary, the less often a couple has sex. So hopefully we entertain you on that front. I know I had way better sex before we struck it rich (but way crappier vacations...) |
Anonymous
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NP here. Like a PP, we make over $200K a year, have only one modest car, and live in a house that is under 1000 square feet.
I still think we're rich. Not rich in the lavish, more-money-than-God, OMG-look-how-fancy-we-are sense, but in the sense that we have more and can afford more than 98% of the households in this country. We are lucky. Having one car and a small house doesn't mean that you aren't rich; it just means, in this case, that you live in an expensive area. We only have one car and a small house, yes, but that's because housing prices are astronomical. Most people couldn't afford our small house. It's fine if you want to say that you don't FEEL rich. I don't feel rich either, at all. That doesn't mean I'm not, compared to most of the country and the world. If you think that just because you're not "rich" by D.C. standards that you're not actually rich, you are myopic and blind to how most people live. What you should think instead is, damn, I sure am rich to be able to afford a car and a house in such an expensive place. I suspect that people feel like they're being modest or humble when they make X amount of money but are so quick with the caveat that that's not rich in D.C., but I think it's just mostly insensitive. |
Anonymous
I consider them to be poor. |
Anonymous
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Choosing a certain annual income cut-off to define rich is ridiculous. It depends on how you define rich. Someone making 50K a year is rich compared to someone living in a shanty in New Delhi making like $5 per year. but that 50K earner in the U.S. would gasp at being referred to as rich.
I make 400K. I don't feel rich. But that's because of my inherent assumptions about wealth (e.g.not having to clip coupons, not worrying about spending money on clothes, never worrying about college tuition, choosing the less expensive entree , forgoing a vacation). To me, Paris Hilton is rich. The rest of us are middle class. But if you folks earning 50K think I'm rich, so be it. I really don't care excpet that I will have to pay higher taxes as a result. |
Anonymous
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I think the term "rich" is a relative term.
I think we would all do fine with, say, 50, 75, 100K/year, but how "comfortable" and how modest would we be? Living without cable and shopping at consignment stores aren't the worst things in the world. ...and after watching SlumDog Millionaire even the poorest people in America are rich. |
Anonymous
Couldn't have said it better myself-first of all what is "rich"? Is there some index I can google to see what class I am? I know there's probably a ballpark, but money is like storage space, no matter how much you have, it's never enough. The person who posted about struggling on $250k truly does not consider herself to be rich and maybe that's why she isn't. The poster who squeaks by in this area on $60k looks pretty good to the others who get by on $30k. This is more about people's attitudes about money than how much they actually make. I'm a nanny and I get really galled at all the postings about how nannies make too much, how can I pay my nanny less money, how hiring a nanny at a higher salary doesn't guarantee quality, etc. Everyone I work for makes more money than me-does that make them rich? I have worked for very wealthy families who reuse Ziploc bags and not so wealthy families who have accepted lower paying jobs because it allows them more time with their children. I have a close family member who is in her early nineties-she has never worked a day in her life, has only been in the hospital twice, will never have to really worry about money but talks about it all the time, and it took me a long time to realize that her problems really seemed important to her even if they didn't to me-everything is relative. Money isn't everything, you can have all the money in the world or not a dime and be miserable or you can be rich as Bill Gates or on food stamps and laugh everyday. You can be rich in money, memories, happiness, unhappiness, tolerance or intolerance-it all depends on your attitude. |
Anonymous
Interesting topic guys or ladies. Food for thought: When I was growing up (long time ago), we lived in a village with leaking roof. My folks had $200 on the way to the airport to the U.S. we were considered middle class in that village because, well, we had net worth of $200 U.S. dollars! Wow, most of the villagers maybe had half of that or less. When we got to the U.S. the taxi ride from D.C. to MD was about $60. My parents had only 2 suit cases and 4 kids, we lived in a rental and my parents worked in a restaurant and we were on free lunch programs at school. We were kind of poor. But when we talk to our relatives in China and told them that my parents earned $600 per month in U.S. dollars. We were considered RICH and expected to send them $, which my parents did for many years. My point and agree with others is that, everything is relative. We know and I know what it is to be poor. Poor is when you struggle to put food, roof over oneself and family and beyond that is middle class as we know if...which is a huge spectrum (from some is $20k~$350K or maybe even $500K). I've lived on $22K and the feeling has been pretty much the same. I never felt too poor even on $22K because I had a roof and food to eat and at way over $100K I had pretty much the same things but maybe a little more (like, having a nanny, go on 1 vacation a year and no worries about spending). I realize or don't feel RICH because I know I will have to continue to work and work hard to keep up with the comfortable live we enjoy. Where as RICH means I can quit working and travel around the world and do whatever I please and still have what I have then I think I would feel or say "yeah, I am loaded!"...hehheheh FOR THOSE WHO FEEL RICH AT WHATEVER INCOME, more power to ya! |
Anonymous
| WHAT DO YOU CARE? |
Anonymous
| Most of the posts here seem angry at people who are rich hidden in a psuesdo anger that they don't realize they are rich. I would be called rich by any standard and I don't apologize for it--I worked hard for it an so did my husband. I also know what it is like to "lack" funds--it is a reality for most who start out--difference is that I knew that someday my funds would increase so I never got jealous or angry at anyone, I merely lived my life and knew that if I wanted certain things, I needed to work for them and get on a career path that would eventually earn money to procure the kind of lifestyle that I envisioned. ex. if I choose to be a teacher I knew that I probably wouldn't make a lot of money and would need to think of a second job but.I also knew that I could retire at 55 and then travel the world since I would have full retirement and would essentially get paid for years (god willing)--in the end, that wasn't what I was looking for so I went into a career path that would pay better during more of my younger years and would save for my own retirement. |
Anonymous
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There's a really great book that was written 25 years ago on the topic of class.
Class: A Guide Through the American Status System http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0671792253/theatlanticmonthA/ref=nosim The Atlantic Monthly just had an article on it: Class Dismissed http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200903/class-system The author Fussel actually divides American society into 9 categories: Top Out-of-Sight, Upper, Upper Middle, Middle, High Proletarian, Mid-Proletarian, Low Proletarian, Destitute, Bottom Out-of-Sight I think the term "rich American" should be used for the first three categories, though I completely understand that the Upper Middle class do not feel rich at all, compared to the Top Out Of Sight people. The gap between Top Out of Sight and Upper middle is huge. |
Anonymous
Are you happy doing what you are doing now? I mean with your career? |
Anonymous
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I am actually-I work in the media/advertising world and it's great although I am slowing down for a few years while kids are not in fulltime school. When I started out,it was brutal and was brutal for years and I had to do sidework like babysitting/housesitting. Should also add that I waited until mid thirties to get married so I had some money as did my husband before we had kids. I think a lot of the "angry" moms on this thread may be younger and I know I would have been pinched financially if I had kids younger but again, I wouldn't be nasty to the wealthy even if I had made that decision because I would realize there is give and take everywhere ex. younger moms may feel the financial pinch now but can stack up the cheese later in life since they will have ample time (hopefully) after their kids are grown--the old folks like me have money but will continue to pay out large chunks of change for college etc. into our gray years.
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Anonymous
| I'm glad you are happy in your field-I think that's what truly makes you rich. But then again, you aren't on here complaining about it-I think that may be what's bothering other people. JMHO. |