27 Small Signs Of Financial Comfort That Hit Different When You’ve Been Broke
I grew up in a working-class household. Both of my parents had “normal” jobs and made enough money to cover the basics, but we definitely weren’t swimming in it, as they say. I’m not downplaying this either. I’m grateful for the life I’ve had, but sometimes I’d go to someone else’s house growing up and realize there’s an entirely different world out there where people have, you know, MONEY.
It’s the extra money I never saw in my house growing up. We never had paper towels or name-brand snacks. If we didn’t need it, we didn’t have it. And if they made a cheaper off-brand version, that’s what we were buying.
These are some subtle signs people are doing well, and these folks have noticed some rather unique ones as well. It really puts things in perspective. Turns out, some people are out there wiping up spills with whole rolls of paper towels while eating actual Oreos. Both parents must be working overtime.
1. Forgetting When Payday Is
“I noticed when my wife and I became more comfortable that I forgot when payday was. Like, it didn’t matter when the money hit.”
— HappyMr
2. Letting Paychecks Pile Up In A Desk Drawer
“They don’t immediately deposit or cash birthday gift checks.”
— damik
“I worked with an engineer who the company had to tell to start either cashing or depositing his checks. We got paid paper checks, not direct deposit. He had a drawer in his desk full of checks he hadn’t cashed or deposited. I grew up poor and was right out of school when I joined the firm. I couldn’t fathom that someone had that kind of money.”
3. Treating A Patio TV Like A Disposable Purchase
“Girlfriend wanted a TV on the patio on a whim. (She wanted to watch Love Island outside with wine and snacks.) So I started looking for weatherproof TVs, and she said, ‘Honey, it’s a $200 TV, if it breaks we’ll just get another one.’ I knew she had bank after she said that. She’s a lawyer, but I didn’t know her salary until much later.”
— OhPxpi
4. Ordering The Appetizer Without A Financial Discussion
“They get the appetizer. That right there is ‘quiet wealth.'”
“Appetizers and drinks other than water. I come from an appetizers-and-water family, and this one time I dated a guy from an appetizers, entrees, drinks, and desserts family. Guy was awful; he’d never had to work a day in his life, and it showed. But man, those dinners were nice.”
— FormalSheepherder255
5. Having Furniture That Doesn’t Need To Touch A Wall
“Their living room furniture isn’t against a wall.”
6. Grocery Shopping Without Running A Calculator In Your Head
“Not doing the mental math at the grocery store anymore. You just grab what you need and move on.”
“We are financially comfortable, but I still do this every time. The amount of markup big chain grocery stores have these days is unbelievable. I do this in spite. Support your local, smaller grocery store.”
7. Filling The Gas Tank Without Watching The Total
“Staring off into space as they fill their gas tank.”
“Someone said this to me yesterday when I was getting gas. I was like…what am I going to do, not get the gas? I’m going to use it, no reason not to fill up.”
8. Using Paper Towels With Complete Financial Confidence
“Use as many paper towels as they want.”
9. Realizing Your Casual Plans Aren’t In Everyone’s Budget
“Inviting people to do things all the time. I’m comfortable, but my friends are backsliding. I don’t think before I go out for lunch. If I feel like getting Chinese food, I just do. It’s not a budget item. I don’t think about how much it costs to drive into town. If I want to do a thing, like hiking, and I need new shoes, I buy new shoes. I’ve never had this before, but I’m starting to run into situations where friends say things like, ‘I don’t want to spend money’ when I invite them to do things I’ve never considered costing anything. I was talking about getting together to play LAN games, and the buy-in was basically ‘have a laptop,’ and only one-third of my friends could do that. So, I started suggesting alternatives.”
— User1539
10. Being The Relative Who Quietly Covers The Bill
“Not only do they accompany you to make funeral arrangements for a family member who’s an aunt, uncle, or cousin, but they also bring their checkbook. When the funeral director gives the final tally, and everyone starts looking at each other, they’re already writing a check. God, thank you. I’m blessed to have one in my family.”
11. Treating An Unexpected Repair Like A Manageable Problem
“They have an attitude of: this is not a big deal. Whether it’s a car breaking down or an appliance needing replacement. Everything is manageable. Growing up, for me, these things caused massive anxiety for my parents.”
12. Setting The Thermostat To Whatever Actually Feels Comfortable
“Central heating and cooling, set to whatever temperature is most comfortable year-round.”
13. Shopping At Costco While Everyone Else Is Working
“You see them at Costco between 9 a.m. and noon on a weekday, and they are not purchasing to restock a restaurant.”
— JohnFlip
14. Taking Time Off Without Reworking The Grocery Budget
“They can take a few days off without immediately worrying about lost income.”
“I literally just took unpaid time off and have to plan my grocery trips for the next month extremely carefully, fully preparing to have to put it on a credit card.”
15. Seeing A Credit Card As A Rewards Program
“Paying your credit card in full every month and looking at it as a source of free cash back/points rather than a debt obligation.”
— Rob1iam
16. Paying For The Repair That Prevents The Next Repair
“They get things fixed. I have a 14-year-old car that I rarely drive because I work from home, and we take our other car when we go places as a family. My mechanic said it needed repairs during its yearly inspection. $1,000 to get it to pass inspection, but $1,500 to get it to where it needed to be and to prevent a bigger repair down the road. Without thinking, I just went $1,500 because the $500 wouldn’t have changed anything for me, and it gave me peace of mind that I wouldn’t have another major repair next year.”
17. Having Someone Else Handle The Cleaning
“Have home cleaners every other week.”
“I can’t wait until this is in our budget. We spend so much time picking up after a toddler and a crazy dog. It’s hard to fit in everything else. I think this will be well worth the money when we can afford it.”
18. Not Knowing What Everyday Things Cost
“They don’t know how much stuff actually costs. They just go buy what they need/want without thinking about it.”
“It’s a banana, Michael. How much could it be? $10?”
19. Taking Multiple Vacations A Year Despite Questionable Job Performance
“I manage someone that goes on MULTIPLE vacations a year. Including international trips. She’s also our most incompetent employee. I hate that I manage her.”
— ughnvm
20. Being Able To Speak Up At Work Without Fearing Financial Ruin
“Good mental and physical health. I’m financially secure right now, and the biggest thing for me is not feeling trapped at my job. I say what I think about things with my whole chest, take sick time when I need it, take my extra break when I do overtime. If they fire me, they fire me, but I’m a very good employee generally, lol. I just say words like ‘union’ because someone has to, and other people have kids. I get so incredibly furious when I think about all the people who feel trapped and desperate under capitalism. It’s inexcusable. Owning a home and not needing my job to literally survive has done wonders for my mental health, and the only reason I have those things is luck and strong interpersonal relationships with good people. Mostly luck, though.”
— noteveni
21. Replacing Things Before They’re Completely Beyond Saving
“When they just replace a slightly worn-out appliance or piece of clothing without trying to fix it or stretch its life out.”
22. Deciding Your Time Is Worth More Than The Savings
“They compare the cost of things to the value of their time.”
23. Putting Every Bill On Autopay, Though Results May Vary
“Everything on autopay.”
“I have everything on autopay, and I am poor as [expletive]. I put it on auto, or I will forget to pay it. The last thing I need is for bills to overdraft me.”
24. Never Wondering If The Electricity Will Still Be On
“They don’t have thoughts of things not being paid for, where’s food going to come from today, is the electricity going to still be here at the end of the week, etc., etc., etc. That’s a pretty big indicator.”
25. Having Fewer Financial Problems To Bring Up In Conversation
“When they don’t talk about their finances, or rather, how it’s affecting them.”
26. Having A Very Different Reaction To The State Of Things
“How upset they are with the current state of things. Many of my wealthy friends are blissfully ignorant. While most of my broke friends are PISSED.”
27. Explaining That There Are “Levels Of Wealth”
“They say, ‘There are levels of wealth,’ when being interviewed for a documentary.”