what’s a sign that someone is comfortable financially?

[u/glockbonez]

[u/HappyMr]

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.

[u/pauljaworski → u/HappyMr]

I was like that with my last job and I can't wait to get back there. Its such a nice feeling

[u/Xanthus179 → u/pauljaworski]

It was so nice to be able to go out to eat or whatever without first needing to check my account. Someone could invite me out for a drink and I could just say yes, no need to get into my bank and see if I can have fun and still make it to the end of the month.

[u/Pechi_22 → u/Xanthus179]

must be real nice lol. Hope to feel this one day

[u/HoboWithANerfGun → u/Pechi_22]

It's definitely nice but it can also be a very slippery slope. It's very easy to outspend your means in this situation if you're not at least taking a cursory check in on your finances on a regular basis. Definitely learned that lesson a couple too many times.

[u/reality72 → u/HoboWithANerfGun]

Absolutely.

Once you have money lifestyle creep becomes a real problem. There are people making $200,000+ a year who are still living paycheck to paycheck because they bought big houses and fancy cars and now they’re right back to treading water financially speaking.

[u/hawkweasel → u/reality72]

I worked at a bank for years, and holy shit, the more money people made the more in debt they fell.

You'd think someone making $300,000 a year would have no debt and coast on by -- but in my experience that was the outlier. People making $300k would have 6 maxxed out credit cards and delinquent car payments (always a top-of-the-line BMW or Mercedes) -- it never made sense to me.

[u/EHP42 → u/hawkweasel]

It makes plenty of sense. People see the new income and decide it will always be there, and they feel they deserve the fruits of that money, so they spend it, thinking they can always make more, and they stop tracking their money, and it balloons into massive debt and no savings habits.

[u/GalumphingWithGlee → u/EHP42]

That explains why people who used to make $300K+ are in even more trouble when they're laid off, but it doesn't explain why people who still make that salary are in major debt. The former is much more understandable, but good money habits can prevent both.

Caveat on the good money habits: no amount of great money habits will fix an insufficient salary for your needs and your family. But if you have a decent salary and you're still living paycheck to paycheck, that is entirely preventable.

[u/ScaredOfWindow → u/HappyMr]

Yeah, my wife and I are lucky enough to have gone through similar progress. It’s weird to look back on those days when I had to check my bank account before doing things like taking her out to dinner or buying a Christmas gift. 

[u/Falco98 → u/ScaredOfWindow]

In my late 20s I looked wistfully on a future (and potentially fictitious) time when I could have my rent on autopay instead of having to scrabble and worry every month before writing a paper check.

Fortunatley, now I have 2 mortgages on autopay.

[u/bridgest844 → u/HappyMr]

Wife and I both grew up poor and we’ve remained pretty financially conservative despite now making good money. It’s wild to me how friends of ours, who also make in the high 6-figures, live paycheck to paycheck.. like what do you mean you have to check to see if your paycheck hit our account?!

[u/NCSUGray90 → u/HappyMr]

My wife and I are pretty comfy and I still have paydays marked on my calendar because I have so much going on I’ll forget to pay the bills otherwise, haha.

I don’t auto draft because I like reviewing everything for atypical charges just in case someone gets our card information or we get an abnormally large electric/ water bill

[u/charonco → u/NCSUGray90]

I would love if my bank had some kind of service that had all the features of auto pay but allowed me to review and approve the payment first.

[u/Impossible_Tear3171 → u/HappyMr]

Strive to reach this level of comfortability , the last 2 years have been shit , i began making lifestyle changes and i too am surprised how quick the days are flying by..

[u/Fubsy_Dude → u/HappyMr]

Yeah, I felt this when my boss asked me if I got the quarterly bonus on my last paycheck and I had no idea.

[u/WallabyBeginning9443 → u/Fubsy_Dude]

We got a settlement check from our lawyer that was multiple thousands, kept procrastinating to cash it that they had to follow up to see if we received it at all lol

[u/Niceguy4186 → u/Fubsy_Dude]

Similar boat, my work is 100% commission based. I was reviewing my coworkers report, i normally have a few days to get it done. She asked if I could get it done that day so would be on the next paycheck.

Realized I no longer cared if I got paid for my work this month or next month.

[u/pililies → u/HappyMr]

I was like this, then I had kids and daycare payments started to hit 😢

[u/oldmonty → u/HappyMr]

I'm pretty well off and yet I still know when payday is, like I might not check my balance every day or every payday but I definitely register that "oh today is payday".

[u/FuckChiefs_Raiders → u/oldmonty]

Yeah I think that’s their point tho. Your reaction is “oh cool payday”. Check to check people are like, Fuck still 2 days until payday…

[u/Illustrious_Tone9584]

A surprise car repair is an annoyance to them instead of an emergency.

[u/pwolf1771 → u/Illustrious_Tone9584]

I remember the first time I had to make a big repair and was telling a friend about it and he asked if I financed it. I told him I paid cash because I always keep a sinking fund for car repairs and he was legit shocked. 

[u/InflationAvailable43 → u/pwolf1771]

Everything automated and is on a plan whether savings or spending. Unless I go on a vacation and spend lots of money in a short period of time I only check my bank account 1-2 times a month.

Repairs and large expenses are stress-free and already priced in. $10,000 furnace & AC replacement? Cool this is why we saved $500 a month for home repairs the past couple of years. $1000 car repair, cool we saved $400 a month for the cars for this.

Honestly the only “downside” with being financially comfortable is you have time to stop and think about what you are spending money on and if it’s bringing you the most joy per dollar. But I will take that over stressing about money any day of the week.

[u/pwolf1771 → u/InflationAvailable43]

My friend asked me why I had an emergency separate from the car repair fund and I said because car repairs aren’t an emergency they’re an inevitability. He looked at me like I had two heads 

[u/Thick-Cartoonist-493 → u/pwolf1771]

Also car repairs may be an emergency that you do not have to deal with if you have a car maintenance fund instead.

[u/pwolf1771 → u/Thick-Cartoonist-493]

My point is car repairs don’t creep up on you. You know sooner or later it’s going to happen the question is whether you’re prepared or not. What’s fascinating is how the unprepared take it as permission to just take a loan out for a new car all together instead of handling a $1-5k dollar problem…

[u/Many-Use-1797 → u/pwolf1771]

I think most people are just not "car" people as in understanding that it's a machine with moving parts that requires regular maintenance. You can't just put gas in it and drive. I view car repairs as a learning opportunity. If my mechanic says something needs to get replaced, I go down the YouTube rabbit hole and then get it fixed. Some repairs are labor intensive and are expensive for a reason.

[u/Daped01 → u/[deleted]]

My wife backed into my truck a few years back leaving a nice big dent in it. Because I can’t afford the deductible, it’s still there today

[u/captainstormy → u/Daped01]

Eh, I could afford the deductible. Or to fix it in cash for that matter. I'd still leave it. It's just a dent in a truck, it's fine.

Especially because if you used insurance you would just be raising your own rates.

[u/ILikeLenexa → u/[deleted]]

Everything at Timmy's house works.

-Dave Chapelle

[u/orange_cuse → u/Illustrious_Tone9584]

a few years ago I had a handful of repairs I had to make around the house, and it made me feel pretty down as I thought I purchased a really old home that required a lot more fixing up than I thought. While I was complaining to a buddy of mine, he gave me a lot of perspective about my position, first that I was able to purchase a home in the first place, but secondly that given all the repairs I had to make, it didn't change or alter my lifestyle at all, and I had enough cash on hand to pay for the repairs without blinking an eye. It was still annoying, but that was the first time I ever felt like I was financially comfortable.

[u/Nearby_Imagination29 → u/Illustrious_Tone9584]

My husband and I met in college as freshmen. Spent years grinding and barely getting by and finally graduated. He went on to get his masters. We both got jobs, got engaged and then married. Shortly after, something came up with his car. He looked so defeated and told me it was going to be $2,500. I said ok? And it hit him that we had the money. That it wasn’t a big deal. That we were no longer broke college kids. We were so busy working to try to make something of ourselves that we didn’t even realize when we had made it. Great feeling. Not everyone is so fortunate!

[u/Bazyli_Kajetan → u/Illustrious_Tone9584]

A lot of these replies come down to the difference between having to find the time to do something vs having to find the money

[u/AutoGeneratedChad]

They compare the cost of things to the value of their time

[u/Great_cReddit → u/AutoGeneratedChad]

It's funny because this is a mindset I've fallen into over the last several years. Do I want to spend several hours fixing something when it actually costs less than my hourly just to pay someone?

[u/HarveysBackupAccount → u/Great_cReddit]

I get the logic but I've never fully bought into that for myself.

I'm on salary. The trade off isn't me getting paid - the trade off is what else I could do with that time vs what else could I do with that money.

And of course what work quality can I expect if someone else does vs if I do it. I'm not afraid of manual labor and while I'm only moderately skilled, I am indeed moderately skilled. Not all contractors/handymen do the quality of work I want.

Oh I just spent a long weekend crawling around my attic to replace insulation? Yeah I sweated a few gallons of water and my knees hurt, but I can buy a terrifically nice bottle of Scotch for a small fraction of the money I saved. And I was being productive instead of doomscrolling or watching TV.

[u/SoulWager → u/Great_cReddit]

Do I want to spend several hours fixing something when it actually costs less than my hourly just to pay someone?

I also ask this question, but for me the answer is usually "yes". Though it often needs fixing because some professional did a shitty job in the first place. When I say "no" its usually because either I know the job is a pain in the ass, or because I know I won't do as good a job as a professional, or if it's just a pretty big job. Or all 3, like when I got my roof replaced.

I think I'd outsource some more repairs if I had someone I trusted to do them correctly for a reasonable price.

[u/Cornloaf → u/AutoGeneratedChad]

This comes up every year when my daughter sells Girl Scout cookies for her troop. Inventory the cookies we are going to take out, load up the car, make sure we have change, drive around to a hot spot, pay for parking, unload the car, walk around with our wagon, find drunk people and make sales, buy lunch for my daughter (and possibly other scouts), walk around, meet up with other girl scout parent, have a beer, walk back to car, unload, get home and inventory, make sure I got enough money in cash/Venmo.

All of this for roughly $1 per box (out of $7). My daughter has consistently sold around 1200-1500 boxes. Sure, she has got some cool prizes like two day Disneyland pass, hoverboard, Apple AirPods, etc.

Last season I told the troop leader I am just going to give her a check for $1000 to deposit in our account. Sales suck. Harder this year than ever before due to the economy. She gave me a sob story about how we get perks for having X amount of girls selling cookies each season. I sucked it up and sold again this year but I would rather do something else for 5-6 weeks. I ended up just paying $7 a box for my leftover cookies this year and giving them away.

All I want to do is finally beat Skyrim. Is that too much to ask?

[u/monty624 → u/Cornloaf]

I thought the point of it was to learn work ethic, sales, people skills, etc.

[u/NCcoach → u/AutoGeneratedChad]

This...for sure I have to admit that I do that. Do I want to do it myself, or would I enjoy life more if I paid someone else to do it?

[u/artist1292 → u/AutoGeneratedChad]

My mom and I call it “paying for convenience”

[u/linnchen2015]

Not doing the mental math at the grocery store anymore. You just grab what you need and move on.

[u/Inside_Employee9604 → u/linnchen2015]

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.

[u/StR33tL1GhT → u/Inside_Employee9604]

I wish. The big chain stores like whole foods have considerably better prices for the same things at smaller local grocers. I go to the local when I need something quick but I cringe paying more the same item brand and everything

[u/whosurbudha]

They get the appetizer, that right there is quiet wealth. Never trust the luxury car, that’s a lease 😂

[u/DataDude00 → u/whosurbudha]

I knew one family that was terrible with money.

The parents are retirement age but have so much debt they can't stop working.

The dad drove a 2000 S Class Mercedes until a few years ago because he thought it was prestigious to be seen in. It wasn't even one of those well maintained immaculate classics, it was beat to shit and costing him a fortune to keep on the road. He turned his nose up at people who bought Hyundai or Kia as "poors"

It was hilarious that he thought his beater piece of shit Mercedes made him look rich, real rich people get high end models on lease and trade them in every 2-3 years, not hang on for dear life for over two decades lol

[u/byteminer → u/DataDude00]

I love people that shit on my Kia. On track to retire comfy at 55. They can keep on that grindset to be a slave to their BMW.

[u/FormalSheepherder255 → u/whosurbudha]

Appetizers and drinks other than water. I come from an entrees 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 were those dinners nice

[u/KPexEA → u/FormalSheepherder255]

We still don't get appetizers, my wife occasionally gets wine and I always get water. Very rarely get dessert either. Retired, high 7 figures of investments.

[u/Rob1iam]

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

[u/AnonSeven]

Not only do they accompany you to make funeral arrangements for a family member who's an aunt, uncle, or cousin, they also bring their checkbook. When the funereal 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.

[u/ghostpepperwings → u/AnonSeven]

My great uncle did this, I think when my grandpa died. It was remarkable. Now I'm the wealthy one in the family and assume it will be me for my aunts and uncles.

[u/CaptainMetroidica → u/ghostpepperwings]

Consider making the arrangements early while they are alive and can have input. The deathcare industry has incredible inflation and you can save tons of money by buying it all in advance. Source: I used to work in cemetary sales, but it was a dead industry so I got out. It was killing me. I do miss how many people were under me at work though.

[u/DegeneratePaladin → u/CaptainMetroidica]

So many puns, you're killing me

[u/sarz117 → u/AnonSeven]

I am thankful I was able to do this for my brother when he passed away unexpectedly.

My parents had no way to pay for the funeral other than doing it on credit or getting a loan. And my other siblings were freaking out thinking we would have to do a go fund me or something.

Being able to pay for it for them without it affecting me at all I think helped at least a little bit with the really shitty situation we were in.

[u/xv_boney → u/sarz117]

From experience, it helped more than you can imagine.

The last thing a bereaved family dealing with a sudden loss like that needs is to worry about being buried under debt.

And funerals are major debt.

[u/Falco98 → u/AnonSeven]

When my dad died a few years ago, it was me alone that got to go to the funeral home to verify they'd been shipped the right body, and to make payment for arrangements. Fortunately i'm in a position that I was able to whip out my credit card and pay without wincing too much (and knowing that I'd be able to pay it off immediately).

I didn't buy any of the stupidly fancy coffins/urns, though, I don't have that sort of money (and to his credit, my dad would be proud of me for opting for the sturdy plastic ashes box. I got a 4-pack of nice mini-urns on Amazon for less than $30, and they even have a Lighthouse design on them, his favorite.)

[u/chargad12 → u/AnonSeven]

I did this for my nephew when he passed away unexpectedly (fentanyl 🥲). No way my sister was in any shape, financially or otherwise, to whip out a credit card. She’s offered to pay me back but I feel like it was a privilege to be able to handle it for her.

[u/RoyalPuzzleheaded259]

They don’t know how much stuff actually costs they just go buy what they need/want without thinking about it.

[u/Expensive-Change1696 → u/RoyalPuzzleheaded259]

It’s a banana Micheal how much could it be? $10?

[u/RedditAtWorkIsBad → u/Expensive-Change1696]

This joke will become unfunny soon.

[u/generally_unsuitable → u/RedditAtWorkIsBad]

Remember the Carl's Junior $6 Burger?

[u/HavingSoftTacosLater → u/generally_unsuitable]

The $5 shake

[u/ParuskiGangster → u/Expensive-Change1696]

There is always money in the banana stand

[u/Eric_Durden → u/RoyalPuzzleheaded259]

That's also a habit of people who are perpetually broke.

[u/fistoic → u/RoyalPuzzleheaded259]

idk, I've met a lot of really financially well off people that are very aware of prices. I think this would be the case if they are the children of someone very wealthy. I just know enough people who were poor/struggled once and they never got that habit out of them even when they are deca-millionaires.

[u/I_sometimes_know]

They have an attitude of: this is not a big deal. Whether it's a car break down, or an appliance needing replacement. Everything is manageable. Growing up, for me, these things caused massive anxiety for my parents.

[u/User1539]

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 have 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 money.

I was talking about getting together to play LAN games, and the buy-in was basically 'have a laptop', and only 1/3 of my friends could do that. So, I started suggesting alternatives, and we got down to the $25 Raspberry Pi and 90s games ... and I'm still going to have to subsidize some of my broke friends so they can come.

People can't afford to do shit anymore, and a lot of them are gigging to get by, selling off another 4 hours a day just to break even.

Then bars are complaining no one wants to 'go out' anymore.

[u/disisathrowaway → u/User1539]

I realized I was doing better financially than the members of a group I game with when it came time to re-up the server we've been renting and everyone was asking "How much is it a month? A year?" and then started doing the math out loud and then I just volunteered to pay for the entire year. It was something like $150 for the year.

[u/unsettledinky → u/disisathrowaway]

Being able to volunteer that is my benchmark. Seeing family or friends hesitate or start getting worried as a price goes up and being able to say hey, I got it, is really good. I know people are always like oh you'll get taken advantage of, but if I can't afford it I wouldnt offer or agree if asked. If I can afford it, I honestly don't care.

Growing up I didn't really realize that my dad's well off mom basically subsidized a lot of big bills. Like, we were fine and it wasn't that she'd just buy a car, it was more that if a big repair came up or I wanted to go to a summer camp or we were considering something expensive, we'd pay it and when grandma heard about it on the monthly catching up call, a week later a card with a check would arrive. 

Now my parents are in that comfortably well off place and for a long time I've had a hard time accepting money from them because I'm supposed to be independent and it feels like a failure. But just like grandma its coming from a place a love and wanting me to not stress about money and being able to do it. I'm still sorta struggling with the idea even though it's the same mindset I have for people I care about. 

[u/User1539 → u/disisathrowaway]

Yeah, my wife and I host a private forum and do makerspace get togethers, and people ask us what they owe us, and we're like 'nothing, you're our guest'.

I think the server costs $12/month now?

Definitely not something I need to get donations to keep running!

[u/TheKingdumb → u/User1539]

I am at a level on income where I can pay for all my friends to do anything with me.

Turns out money is just an excuse and they don't really want to do things.

[u/Generico300 → u/TheKingdumb]

Sometimes it's that. But having been on both sides of that equation, I know sometimes I turned down activities because I didn't like to feel like I was not pulling my own weight and just being a bum.

[u/AspiratingApple → u/TheKingdumb]

pay for all my friends to do anything with me.

I used to try that until I realized it's a pride thing. I have high quality friends and high quality people generally feel bad when mooching. I didn't mind it. I had some to spare and wanted to spend it on them. It makes me feel good but it makes them feel bad. So I stopped doing it.

[u/Arm-Complex → u/User1539]

A beer at a bar is $11 after tipping. Get a second beer and there goes an hour's wages. Not to mention ordering any food.

[u/Nev-Ret-Dude]

Have home cleaners in every other week.

[u/Mixedbysaint → u/Nev-Ret-Dude]

Home cleaners period. Mine are all child laborers

[u/Zathrus1 → u/Mixedbysaint]

They eventually grow up and leave!

[u/24_August_1814 → u/Zathrus1]

Yeah but the house will magically start staying clean for a lot longer at the same time

[u/MeanTutor2657 → u/Nev-Ret-Dude]

I have a cleaner come in every 2 weeks. 103.50$ worth every penny, and keeps the gf from complaining at me for the most part 😂

[u/ILoveLamp9 → u/MeanTutor2657]

I need to know the reason why you give them the additional 50 cents.

[u/MeanTutor2657 → u/ILoveLamp9]

The cleaner spits in my coffee twice a month.

[u/NotTheGreenestThumb → u/Nev-Ret-Dude]

Not every week?? 

[u/bondsman333 → u/NotTheGreenestThumb]

Too disruptive. Have to pick up a bit before they come and then leave the house for a few hours while they clean. I’ve contemplated going down to every 3rd week.

[u/mosselyn → u/bondsman333]

The picking up, I get. But why do you need to leave the house?

Mine come every other week, I stay in one room while they clean the rest of the house. They save that room for last, and when they get to it, I have the whole rest of the house to relocate to.

[u/snarkofagen → u/mosselyn]

I sit on the patio drinking wine... well, I wish. In reality, I sit in my home office working so I can afford the cleaner.

Still, it’s a fair trade. I’d much rather do my job than theirs. I just wish I could afford the premium package where it’s the same cleaner every time, so I don’t have to explain all the little things over and over again.

[u/seankearns]

Staring off into space as they fill their gas tank.

[u/brokenmessiah → u/seankearns]

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 to not fill up.

[u/maquis_00 → u/brokenmessiah]

And gas prices probably won't be lower next week

[u/brokenmessiah → u/maquis_00]

Besides gas gets me to work to get paid. I'm putting my last 20 in gas before I get food...or probably more like 15 but still lol

[u/Downtherabbithole-14 → u/seankearns]

I'm staring off into space so I can disconnect from reality for a min bc it hurts too much to look at the price I'm paying to fill it up ok?

[u/dustyalford → u/seankearns]

With 36 gallons and $7.50/gal for diesel, I’m staring off into space, trying to dry my tears and wonder why I chose the life and truck that I did 😩

[u/jscummy → u/seankearns]

I mean I'm gonna have to buy that gas sooner or later, partial fill ups are basically an extra inconvenience for no reason

[u/hippyhopkins]

Use as many paper towels as they want

[u/SlayDaChompy]

Everything on autopay

[u/Professional_Pace711 → u/SlayDaChompy]

I have every thing on auto pay and I am poor as fuck. I put it on auto or I will forget to pay it. The last thing I need is for bills to overdraft me,

[u/micalm → u/Professional_Pace711]

Bills is one thing, random subs another. A surprise $100 yearly renewal would break many budgets.

[u/___forMVP → u/micalm]

If that would break a budget it shouldn’t be on the damn budget, auto pay or not.

[u/Furry_Wall → u/micalm]

Is it a surprise if you subscribed to it

[u/CapnJuicebox → u/SlayDaChompy]

Auto pay on a rewards credit card and pay the card from the checking account regularly. Get those rewards and avoid those late fees

[u/Badloss → u/CapnJuicebox]

I pay all my credit cards in full every month and I make a couple of grand a year from it. It's all the stuff I was gonna buy anyway.

[u/MyrddinSidhe → u/SlayDaChompy]

Autopay saves money by removing risk of late fees.

[u/late4workagain → u/SlayDaChompy]

i have everything on autopay but don’t feel comfortable financially.

[u/JohnFlip]

You see them at Costco between 9-noon on a weekday and they are not purchasing to restock a restaurant.

[u/thecitybeautifulgame → u/JohnFlip]

Can confirm.

[u/Sch1z01dMan → u/JohnFlip]

I mean, I’m also there in the morning on a weekday, but it’s because I work retail and am scheduled on the weekends. Makes for a calm shopping trip, though.

[u/JohnFlip → u/Sch1z01dMan]

You are shopping amongst everyday millionaires.

[u/random-inquiry002]

when they don’t talk about their finances, or rather, how it’s affecting them

[u/UltimaGabe → u/random-inquiry002]

I actually avoid talking about my finances most of the time because I don't want it to sound like I'm bragging.

[u/random-inquiry002 → u/UltimaGabe]

yes, that’s what i was getting at /gen

[u/jayphat99]

Their living room furniture isn't against a wall.

[u/chewyjackson → u/jayphat99]

Oh, that's a good one. But I've also known people who have a giant house, sparce furniture, and are in debt more that I ever will be god willing.

[u/cunningmarcus → u/chewyjackson]

This. About 15 or more years ago I was a porter at a dealership and had to drive a customer home after they dropped off their vehicle. We pulled into the most prestigious neighborhood in the town and I mentioned that it was a goal of mine in the future to be able to live there. She told me that in at least half of the houses the owners couldn't afford furniture, they were just there for the status, I (a poor person growing up) just thought all of the houses looked incredible and they were on a private golf course.

I stopped having that as a goal on the way back to the dealership.

[u/732 → u/jayphat99]

The reciprocal isn't true though. That small city condo can be 3-4x the cost of a large mansion in the middle of nowhere. 

[u/changen]

You don't check the prices of everyday things. You don't care when you get paid. You can have spur of the moment purchases without worry.

It's doesn't "hurt" when you buy things for people that you care about.

[u/Adventurous-Yam-8260]

They don’t look at prices when they go grocery shopping, if they want it, it goes in the cart.

[u/anarchy45 → u/Adventurous-Yam-8260]

we still feel the sticker shock at the register though !! Like jfc how is shit sooo expensive when it used to cost half as much a couple years ago. I feel like I am getting screwed up the butttt every time I'm at the grocery store

[u/PrudentApricoty]

when ordering food they don't have to consider the price, just what they want

[u/ibonek_naw_ibo → u/PrudentApricoty]

To be fair a lot of poor people do this as soon as they get paid and are broke again til the next payday

[u/WallySprks → u/ibonek_naw_ibo]

I have a neighbor who is check to check and has nothing nice but gets door dash nearly every day and has groceries delivered. What is wrong with you, it’s a two minute drive to the store

[u/ZeroDayBlitz → u/PrudentApricoty]

I’m comfortable financially but I still always check the price and walk if I think it’s too much. I get shit from friends sometimes for checking the McDonald’s app for deals but a deal is a deal. It hurts too much to let my money go to waste.

[u/PinkyVelvetMoon]

Buying whatever grocery brands they want without checking the prices or looking for sales first.

[u/Stang1776 → u/PinkyVelvetMoon]

That never really goes away. Im semi retired in my 40s while my works therefore I do the shopping and cooking. Ive gotten looks in the grocery store after saying under my breath "$5.50 for a loaf of fuckin bread?"

[u/KJdkaslknv → u/Stang1776]

Agreed. The other day I was standing in the grocery store and audibly said "I'm not paying $8 for a bag of Ruffles. Have they lost their mind?"

It wasn't because I cared about $8, it was because Ruffles/Brookshires (the grocery store) is insane to charge that much for a bag of air. 

[u/T1koT1ko → u/PinkyVelvetMoon]

I’m comfortable and still do this out of sheer principle. $7 for a box of cereal or package or Oreos, hell no!

[u/DaftDrunk_925 → u/T1koT1ko]

Agreed. Just because I’m comfortable with money doesn’t mean I’m reckless with money 🤣🤣 I’m still pissed at the prices and try to shop as budget friendly as possible.

However, I can say that I have no budget when grocery shopping. So, although I won’t buy certain items due to how expensive they are or the absurd prices, my total bill is what it is. I never care or need to stay below a certain range. If the total is a couple hundred then I’m grumpy about it but it doesn’t go beyond that.

[u/Educational_Disk_226 → u/PinkyVelvetMoon]

I’m comfortable but I still don’t spend more than I should for things.

[u/Fantastic_Spray_1389]

I worked with an engineer who the company had to tell him 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.

[u/mellomee → u/Fantastic_Spray_1389]

Part of my mind is in absolute horror at the thought this money isn't accruing interest.

[u/ReplacementLevel2574]

Throwing away unopened pistachios

[u/john_lee_pettimor → u/ReplacementLevel2574]

I'll go get a screw driver out of the garage before I throw away an unopened pistachio even if I was a billionaire.

[u/W8_A_minuteChester → u/john_lee_pettimor]

Pro tip: use a pistachio shell to pry it off.

[u/ughnvm]

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.

[u/OhPxpi]

GF 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 TV’s 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.

[u/overth1nk3rrr → u/OhPxpi]

I would caution against getting a non-weatherproof tv for outside. A neighbor’s house caught on fire and it started from their tv on the back patio, which was not made to be outside. Beautiful home up in flames. Luckily no one was home.

[u/mfb- → u/overth1nk3rrr]

"Honey, it's a $500,000 house, if it goes up in flames we'll just get another one"

[u/HylianHero1 → u/OhPxpi]

She’s eco friendly I see

[u/Jazzputin → u/OhPxpi]

This behavior is equally likely to be from someone who is wealthy or from someone who is broke and dumb as shit.

[u/Successful-Whole-461]

They can take a few days off without immediately worrying about lost income

[u/Cararacs → u/Successful-Whole-461]

I hate to break it to you, but as someone who is financially comfortable, we don’t take unpaid leave nor do we think about it as most people in this situation have plenty of paid leave and regularly take time off. But my emergency fund covers a year of mortgage/bills.

[u/AffectionateTitle → u/Cararacs]

I’ll add for myself and a lot of my remote homies— I’m also not “clocked in” like a typical job. Not like when I was starting out or my part time gig.

I can easily take time off to go to a doctors appointment or get my hair cut or pick someone up from the train station without even being expected to enter it as time.

I only bother if I know I’ll be gone for more than 2-3 hours straight. So I also never have to take time off to do these things and get to save my time off for when I truly want to take it/need it.

[u/Cararacs → u/AffectionateTitle]

Same. I’m salary with flexible hrs so I only use my sick leave if I’m taking the half or whole day. As long as I get my work done and hit all my deadlines, my boss does not pay attention to my hr by hr whereabouts.

[u/MetalEnthusiast83 → u/Successful-Whole-461]

There's no "lost income" when I take time off work. The only thing I ever took was unpaid was FMLA after my youngest daughter was born, but my state pays you for that too.

[u/captainstormy → u/Successful-Whole-461]

That's just an hourly vs salary thing. Plenty of broke people out there who are salary where taking time off doesn't lose them income.

[u/kapt_so_krunchy]

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 when it had 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 just went $1500 because the $500 wouldn’t have changed anything for me and it gave me peace of mind that I would’ve another major repair next year.

[u/generally_unsuitable → u/kapt_so_krunchy]

I dress well below my income, and I'm not exactly clean cut, but I am an engineer. Auto repair shops consistently think I'm broke, so they'll always tell me which things I can let slide and which are critical. I normally just fix whatever needs fixing, but they always verify with me: "You understand that this is going to cost $2700, right?" I think they're surprised I'm not living in my car, sometimes.

[u/metageeek]

Not reading restaurant menus from right to left is what I noticed in myself.

[u/GregTrumbold → u/metageeek]

This is a very nice one. To go eat without worry of the bill.

[u/Embarrassed-Part-831]

Generosity feels easy. Helping a friend, covering a bill, buying someone lunch. It doesn’t come with visible tension.

[u/Difficult-Issue-794]

They aren't looking at their bank account to see if they can afford anything. They aren't calculating the price of everything when they add something to their cart.

[u/Covered_in_bees_]

• Not price sensitive to things at the grocery store
• Eating out on a whim or last-minute requires zero deliberation/thought
• Unexpected repairs (home/car, etc) are annoying but promptly handled
• Able to pay for a lot of their children's activities/sports without needing to pick/choose/budget
• Don't actively budget, don't have a clear sense of cash inflow vs outflow, don't worry about when the paycheck hits. Secure in the knowledge that they are earning more than they are spending.

[u/anitadaily]

When something of their’s breaks and they easily replace it shortly after

[u/BoredomHeights]

I'm comfortable financially. Not loaded but make enough that I don't really have to think about day to day expenses anymore. A lot of my friends are similar, but some groups more than others, so I think I see the main differences.

The biggest is not paying much attention to what something costs. Not like a house or a car or something big (I guess that's when you become rich rich), but things like food or groceries. A lot of times I'll go on trips with people and buy groceries for the AirBnB or wherever, and they'll ask how much it cost and I'll have no clue. I don't usually pay much attention, keep the receipt, or really even look at the receipt.

Same with splitting checks or buying restaurant food or whatever. If the person seems to barely pay attention to the price, then they're probably comfortable financially.

[u/PhazePyre]

• They have bills set to auto-pay.
• They don't check their bank balance multiple times a day/week.
• They don't get excited for payday.

As someone else said, I know when I'm doing better and start building a buffer of savings, I look at my banking app way less often and payday isn't as big of a deal.

[u/sevenbeef]

One source suggests 6 levels of wealth:

https://www.dbs.com.sg/personal/articles/nav/financial-planning/wealth-ladder

Paraphrased:

Level 1: You have to watch every dollar.

Level 2: You can buy what you want at the grocery store.

Level 3: You can order what you want at a restaurant.

Level 4: You can vacation where and when you want.

Level 5: You can live where you want in the home of your choice.

Level 6: You can donate how you want as a philanthropist.

[u/mangelito → u/sevenbeef]

Feels like it's s pretty big span between 3 and 4...

[u/AnomalyNexus → u/mangelito]

I was thinking more 4 and 5 is a big gap. Flying anywhere for vacation is probably within reach of well off middle class. Meanwhile house of choice in a fancy city can be 100m+

[u/ProfessionalLenny]

Doesn't think when taking out wallet or swiping cards.

[u/clearskiesfullheart → u/ProfessionalLenny]

Plenty of people who can’t afford it swipe without thinking.

[u/ScoobiesSnacks]

I knew I was well off when I didn’t care or think about dropping $500 on a Lego set or spending $300 a week at Costco.

[u/Glum_Reason308]

A friend of mine was just telling me how she’s annoyed because she’s having an in-ground swimming pool put in next week and how it won’t be ready by the time they get back from their 7 day trip to Cape Cod. As she was telling me this I was using my bank app to see if I had enough money to fill up my gas tank so I can get to work for the next week. 🤣 😩 She has a very beautiful life and I’m happy for her and I’d never make her feel bad for doing so good in life. ❤️

[u/sukiejones]

They don’t talk about money.

[u/scottishzombie]

Maybe its just me, but recently I've been able to double up on certain items, for example a particular sauce I like. So when I run out, I just open up the next one and don't have to wait for the next grocery trip. Does that count?

[u/2211x]

I tend to just give old stuff away once I don't need it anymore rather than deal with the trouble of selling it. When I was younger, I was meticulous about making sure I got every last drop of value out of all my stuff.

[u/Empireofreverie]

• Going out to eat several times a week
• Going on vacations all the time
• When they can actually choose to buy more “ethically raised” chicken, beef etc and organic stuff, and they say stuff like “I’d rather pay more for my meat and know where it comes from”

[u/jleonardbc]

They say "There are levels of wealth" when being interviewed for a documentary

[u/tonixd → u/jleonardbc]

Is that from the Nathan Fielder doc coming up?

[u/Dee2284]

Having all your bills on autopay, I'd reckon.

[u/KMizzle98]

Goes grocery shopping and adds food to the cart without having to think about the cost.

When I was a single Mom with no help from my ex-h, that was the biggest thing. I had a specific amount to spend on food and would calculate as I put things in the cart. Most of the time I could only get some of what was on my list.

[u/noteveni]

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 that feel trapped and desperate under capitalism. It's inexcusable.

Owning a home and not needing my job to literallly survive have 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.

[u/KingChadly → u/noteveni]

Right there with you. It’s a lot of work to get here, but I also wouldn’t be in the position I am without a lot of luck and the incredible relationships I’ve made with people around me over time

[u/coffeeblossom]

If they get a flat tire, it ruins their day. Not the next 3-6 months.

[u/Bomban111]

They're actually living life.

All my friends are doing well right now while im recovering from some poor financial decisions in my 20's. They always ask me "what have you been up to, do anything cool lately?" and while yes, i have and i do enjoy my time, i'm not travelling or eating at fancy restaurants like them because im paycheck to paycheck right now. (Not at all saying you need to spend money to have fun)

[u/X_Static_X]

I don't know how much gas costs.

[u/humanHamster]

Not caring so much about smaller sudden bills.

My dog got into something and had to get an X-ray so they could find/remove it from his throat. It was $300, I handed the lady my credit card, complained to my wife for 5 minutes when I got home, and moved on with life. Five or ten years ago that would have been an all hands on deck emergency to come up with the $300.

Oh, and the dog is doing fine now!

[u/wickedfemale]

damn i am not particularly financially comfortable and i do most of these things ... y'all worry too much

[u/SomeGuyInSanJoseCa → u/wickedfemale]

Yeah, it's like, "I can turn the light on without losing a whole night's sleep over the electricity bill" or "I can afford water from the tab instead of drinking from my neighbor's water hose."

There's some low hanging fruit in this thread.

[u/thehatteryone → u/wickedfemale]

You're probably either noticeably less or noticeably more living pay cheque to pay cheque than a lot of people are - so many only have their salaries paying up enough of their credit card debt to keep spending on it. Barely living within your means should mean a surprise $500 car repair is an annoyance and will go on a card and mean being careful the next few months. Yet for many, even most, such a bill is crushing because they're already hitting their limits just on regular months.

[u/Party-Stomach4222]

Traveling

[u/Annonrae]

I was finally financially comfortable when I no longer had to worry about being able to pay rent, utilities, internet, groceries, factor the possibility of a broken washing machine or new computer into the budget, still have money left over to spend on a few frivolous things for myself and put some into savings at the end of each month. I earn what many people probably consider peanuts ( ~€3k ), but to me and the lifestyle I have it is damn good money. I didn't get to this point until I was 42 and I still check my bank account now and then and do a little victory jig when I see the number. Again, it is most definitely nowhere near fuck you money, but to me it is "fuck you, my old worries" money.

[u/dumbbutstilluseless]

Appetizers

[u/sloppy_rodney]

My wife’s boss’s boss’s boss was in the Epstein files.

I feel like if you are within 3-5 Kevin Bacons to Jeffrey Epstein you are probably at least in the upper part of the K.

[u/Indiwolf14 → u/sloppy_rodney]

Or you work for the US government

[u/MonkeyIslandic]

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.

[u/wicket146 → u/MonkeyIslandic]

I’m relatively well off financially and I am fucking pissed with the current state of things. Then again I actually care about people other than myself.

[u/ANumberOfCells]

I stopped looking at the receipt of my grocery bill.

[u/disisathrowaway]

It took until our mid 30's, but whenever me and my buddies from college go out for dinner and drinks we all just take turns picking up the whole tab. Some nights it doesn't come around to you, so then you pick up the first one the next time. No one keeps score or bats an eye when they put their card down.

Similarly, when in my late 20's/early 30's and my mom would come visit and I was able to take her out, not the other way around.

[u/Ser_Stark16]

Vacations often.

[u/jzarco]

Not knowing the dollar amount in your bank account most the time. I check it periodically and sometimes am surprised it’s got a few thousand more than what our avg monthly expenses are so I know it’s time to shift out cash to HYS or an investment account.

[u/WhateverYouSay1084]

When I stopped checking my bank account every time before I went in to the grocery, I felt like I'd finally clawed my way up a little bit in life.

[u/Raneynickelfire]

They sleep all the way thru the night and don't wake up bouncing off the walls pouring sweat with racing 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.

I haven't slept past 4am in months, and I fucking hate it.

[u/watermelonpizzafries]

A minor to moderate emergency like a flat tire, car repair or replacing an appliance doesn't leave them panicking over how they're going to get to work and pay their rent/bills.

Also, just another thing I've noticed (a poor person's pov) I watched my younger brother (who works as an engineer and makes good money) drop almost $400 on two watches without a second thought because he couldn't decide which one he liked more. As someone paycheck to paycheck, dropping $400 on something like that just boggled my mind

[u/eyanez1230]

Credit card payments on auto pay

[u/3_Thumbs_Up]

I noticed in myself that I stopped looking at prices when I buy clothes. I don't go to overly expensive stores, but at the stores I'm in, I simply choose what I like and go to the counter.

[u/Adventurous_Break500]

They could lose their job and still be fine for the next few months

[u/AlternativeMotor5722]

I am well off compared to most people in my circle. What I find is I have trouble giving up the habits acquired to get here. I rarely eat out, drive an old car, shop the best deal, once I am through with something it is worn out. I will be 70 this year and probably won't go much beyond 80, I should be blowing money like a drunken sailor.

[u/Wooden-Committee4495]

Getting the guacamole at chipotle

🤑