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For example, neither knew how to drive, and they decided they wanted to learn, so they went out and bought a Lamborghini. Turns out it’s wayyyy too much car to learn in, so it stays parked in the garage of their $15M dollar house.
Speaking of their $15M house, it has an indoor pool in the basement. This is in a very high cost of living area where square footage is at an absolute premium. But, unfortunately, neither of them know how to swim.
At the end of the day, though, they are still the same people they were before becoming rich. They’re nerdy and in love so despite having a massive mansion with like 10 bedrooms, they spend most of their time sitting side by side in the same office at the same desk, working.
Very few people are born into wealthy families, while others have to work their entire lives to make it happen. According to Financial Samurai, normal people may find it hard to think of themselves as rich, even if they are making a lot of money; that’s why it’s important to set a benchmark for what is actually considered affluent.
It’s possible that being in the top 1% or 0.1% income means that an individual is technically wealthy, as their peers may not have the same earning power. It could also be when a person has set up enough passive income sources that they no longer have to worry about money coming in, or work 24/7 just to earn a buck.
#4
Duplicate wardrobes.
They hated packing luggage. Whenever the husband or wife found a pair of jeans, shoes, shirts, or workout clothes they liked, they would buy four of the exact same item and have them shipped to each house.
When they traveled between homes, they carried literally nothing except their phones and wallets. Every closet in each house was organized identically by staff so they didn't even have to look around for where their stuff was.
Also, fresh flower services. A local florist came in three times a week to replace every single floral arrangement in a 14,000 sq ft house with fresh cuts, even when the owners hadn't set foot in the state for four months. Thousands of dollars a month just so a completely empty house smelled like fresh hydrangeas.
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Being rich can change how a person views the world or even the people around them, and Mr-Stingy mentions that folks who have just become wealthy may struggle to adjust to their new standard of living. They might burn through a lot of money to change the scale of their life, but they should also earn enough to keep up with the increasing demands of that wealth.
On the other hand, the ultra-rich might not even keep track of how much they spend, and could retire tomorrow if they wish. At this stage, there is often no concern about just surviving; the focus is more on growing the wealth, and sometimes even comparing oneself to others.
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At a certain level of wealth, you're not really buying things you’re buying back your time.
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One ultra rich boss hired egg donor and 2 surrogates and multiple full time nannies so he could have 2 kids the same age, without the bother of dealing with mama drama or parenting.
One old man boss (RIP) had a recurring delivery of powdered Sea Cucumbers as a supplement, and I assume from what I read that it was used as a "natural virility meds."
He also spent around $100k in landscaping each year but quibbled over small charges here and there.
One billionaire had me spend hours on the phone with customer service people to argue down his phone bill, spending more money on my time than he saved on the phone bills.
It's super interesting to see what their individual priorities are when money is near limitless.
#9
Even though you might think that being rich and wealthy are two sides of the same coin, Kasia Manolas explains that they are actually different concepts. She says a rich person is mostly concerned with material things like a flashy house, a nice car, and showing off to other people.
A wealthy individual, on the other hand, doesn’t need to boast about their money; they simply enjoy the benefits of it on the down low. They might also invest their money and focus on securing their future and their family's. Beyond material things, a wealthy person may improve their quality of life by investing in their health, mental wellbeing, and loved ones.
#10
He wears the issued company uniforms, uses the same tea bag for the entire day, takes porridge with water and drives an older car. Not flashy at all.
He's also a landlord and rents out homes below market value - sending gift baskets at Christmas, ensured his staff got bonuses and a couple of times I got a bonus that was almost an additional years salary.
Genuinely a really nice guy but pretty rare as far as priorities go.
#11
The c-suite execs of the world are paranoid as h**l, and spending obscene amounts of money on surveillance. Working in cybersecurity the last few years has been wild.
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As you can probably see from this list, rich people sometimes do crazy things and go to extremes just to get what they want. Tae Kim says the driving reason behind this behavior is that affluent folks often don’t feel like they have enough and want to keep getting more stuff for that sweet dopamine hit.
They might also constantly compare themselves to wealthy peers and feel pressure to conform to high society’s standards, which can slowly chip away at their money. It’s also important to understand how much greed and ego drive this mindset and push rich people to extremes.
#13
She also had a model train that ran around the crown molding of her house with a little steam engine that puffed real steam and the background - running her entire ground level - was carved wood cityscapes of all the major cities of the world complete with lighted windows and sunsets so when it was evening they would glow and the little train's lights would go on. Choo-choo it would go as it wound around the house.
She was something else. Like a character from a Harry Potter movie mixed with Mary Poppins. She also had giant house cats, the biggest house cats I've ever seen. They were not friendly.
#14
I come from a pretty poor childhood so had to sneak off to the “bathroom” and ask the hostess that if the staff here doesn’t eat the left overs, box up the rest for me and I’d be back to pick it up. Took some home and passed the rest off to random people I saw on the street on the walk home.
She did this consistently when we went out to eat.
#15
My sister also does Christmas decorating for some of these homes. A few years back, she decorated the home of a famous Hollywood couple. They don’t always visit for Christmas, but they have it decorated every year so they can come up on a whim if they decide to.
Most people think wealthy folks splurge on unnecessary things, but J.D. Roth points out that many actually use their money to buy back their time. They want every hour of their life to count and have value, which is why they don’t hesitate to spend on house help, cooks, extravagant transport, and more.
This kind of outsourcing, backed by big spending, gives them the energy and space to enjoy other pleasures of life that working-class individuals might not have the luxury to. It reinforces the idea that ‘time is money,’ and many rich folks take that concept to a whole new level.
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What surprises me is their political donations. When you consider how hyper aware these people are of their image and project to others how empathetic and caring they are (they pay their staff well, give them jobs and gifts or even sometimes loans to buy a house, etc).
Then they donate lots of money to the worst and most hateful politicians imaginable. People that promise to deport the very staff members working for them. It's gross.
Apart from all the crazy things on this list that affluent people might have spent their money on, there are also absurd creations that wealthy folks have bought before. Mika Ayla reveals that a chain mail armor was created for a guinea pig named Lucky by his owner, Sean McCoy of Fairfax, and it ended up fetching a whopping $24,300.
Beyond odd material purchases, wealthy folks also splurge on their pets, and the $125,000 designer Ashera cat is prime evidence. Because it is a rare breed made from a mix of an Asian leopard, an African serval, and a normal kitty, it fetches such a high price.
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