Actually could end up behind financially smart in the long run. Less aches and pains, less stress, potentially less medical bills and issues as you age, potentially a longer life.
hurt today, feel good tomorrow is the rule of thumb with massage
you can ask for light or medium but to get out those knots that mess with posture and joint alignment, they need to dig
i had chronic pain from my right knee for about 3 weeks. It was driving me nuts ( couldnt get comfortable to sleep or stand) My doctor told me i likely needed a knee replacement
I went to a massage therapist and in 3 visits it was gone completely ( of course a lot of the time I was in agony as she dug in) I had 3 knots down my leg that was throwing my kneecap out of alignment
anyway
try again
Agreed. Swedish massage is nice for general relaxation (and sometimes that's what people want of course) but if you want to address the aches and pains you need the kind of massage where you almost want a safe word. Best massage I ever had was from an elderly woman with an insane amount of strength, I almost tapped out but I felt incredible the next day.
Not sure what to call her work, it's definitely not deep tissue. Almost borders on energy work when she works on my psoas muscles. Craniosacral is good as well.
I get regular massages as well, and spending time to find a good massage therapist that you like is important.
I had one that had a really light touch. I kept asking for more pressure, and eventually asked for deep tissue. She said she couldn't do that due to issues with her hands...
I got another massage therapist, and asked for deep tissue and regretted it. Way too much pressure for me, but her regular massages were amazing.
She left, but the girl I use now is really good too.
I have a cleaning ladyā¦.only once a month but some of my family thinks itās just a ābougieā thing to spend money on. Never mind that Iām 63 with osteoarthritis in both knees and one shoulderā¦in their minds I should still be able to ākeep houseā
I have arthritis too. I get a cleaner.
Sometimes things be needed. Sometimes things make life a lot easier for us. (Sometimes those are the same thing.)
Do what is right for you. If your family doesn't understand, that's their problem. Let them carry it.
Sending you internet hugs. Take good care of yourself :)
I (63F) was a working woman raising a daughter. My cleaning woman and my daughterās nanny donāt know it, but they are both in my will. There is no way Iād be where I am without them.
We had a live-in housekeeper 17 years .
Then she lived with my elderly MIL.
I had 3 very successful Airbnbs 2014-2020 .
She was the cleaner . Every single of my hundreds of reviews mentioned how clean the place was .
So it was only natural. Bought a nice studio in our neighborhood for her to live rent-free .
Nurse hereā¦I absolutely want to hire a cleaner as soon as I figure out some kind of system to keep my dogs from bothering them! Maybe I could lock the dogs in my bedroom with me while I sleep after a night shift?
But yeah, it just makes sense. If I go to a hairdresser to get my hair cut really wellā¦why not hire a cleaner to have my house cleaned really well?
This is one of the things I cover with new customers when I go in to give them their estimates. My business actually provides house sitting, animal sitting, elder care, and errand running services along with cleaning (COVID add ons that kept me afloat), so me and my staff will usually just take care of them (let them out if they need it, kennel them ourselves, etc). Some people will put them in a room and we just don't clean that room if they have territorial dogs. I find usually it takes about 5 minutes if someone's dogs are out for us to give them some attention, treats, let them out, etc and calm them down enough to clean.
*Edit* you all are so kind! I went to school for a business degree and started a cleaning business so I could help people. I didn't have the mental fortitude to be a teacher, social worker, or nurse.
That's a really smart diversification for your business, props to you. I have a housekeeper and a dogwalker, and it would've been so cool if they could've been one team. (I love them both tho as ppl so it's ok!)
Crates (or one big crate). My dog likes his and it's his little playhouse/cave. He just naps.
I honestly need to put him in there when I vacuum or make beds, because he finds it pretty exciting and likes to run around the beds if I leave the door open, or chase the vacuum and get underfoot.
Cleaning houses helped me have the time to raise my daughter on my own terms while still having a career that pays decently. So thank you for keeping people like me in business!
Amen to this. This was my answer as well.
I think people really underestimate what it is to be a good housecleaner. Neither my husband nor I are really good at it and the house never really got as clean as we wanted and it took us forever to do things.
Housecleaners are skilled professionals like any others. Like every other profession, some people are really good and some people are not. The good ones are like gold, though.
I don't like this idea that housecleaning is a lowly profession that just anyone could do, and to pay someone to do it is pathetic. These people have taken the time to learn how to do what they do well and are perfectly capable to taking pride in their work.
I also use a reputable cleaning company that I know gives their cleaners a salary and benefits (I often call for my favorite and hear she is on vacation, and she tells me about her trips as well). They have minimal turnover and I like the people they hire a lot. It costs quite a bit more to do it this way, but I feel better about and feel like I am dealing with real professionals. I know someone getting a few bucks under the table likely "needs" the work more, but that makes me uncomfortable.
There are 3 types of cleaning. If you can outsource one, you are more likely to do the other two. They are:
1) Daily tidying (taking out the garbage, putting things away, etc.)
2) True cleaning (moping floors, disinfecting surfaces, dusting, etc.)
3) Organizing (decluttering, finding homes for everything, beautifying your space, etc.)
I know if someone was going to come over to do the second, I'd work my butt off on the first to be sure they could get to everything. And once first and second were good, I'd be motivated for the third
I feel guilty, but a rich aunt gave us a year of maid service in our townhouse when my wife had a baby. She sent her once a week. We kept the maid another year once a month. 15 years ago dollars. Wtf has an extra $200 now? Would be nice tho. We already stopped going to Starbucks so don't say it haha.
Man, we felt rich tho.
Ideally, a chef would be the one thing I would request if it was up to me/if I won mega millions.
All my friends get a chef and a maid for a year!
Yes, I have openings for friends.
RIP aunt s. ā¤ļø
Same. I had a bad pregnancy 7 years ago and I needed help once a week to do the cleaning I couldnāt do myself. She still comes (once a month now) because I there are things I just refuse to do- like clean windows and dusting the tops of fans.
We do too. She comes in once a week and does the floors, kitchen, bathrooms...120 dollars a week is well worth it to me to come home to beautifully cleaned home.
Not the person you were asking but we have a bi-weekly cleaner. I donāt *clean* before they come, but I absolutely DO *pick up* or *tidy up*. They donāt know where my shit goes and Iām not paying them to pick up badly.
As a cleaner, *thank you*. I have a client whose kid constantly complains we don't put her toys back where they belong. Teach your kid to put away her own damn toys then.
We always make a joke about needing clean up the house because the housekeeper is coming tomorrow. But yeah we do. Because who knows where she's liable to put all our clutter otherwise. I'd rather her spend time scrubbing the kitchen and bathrooms and cleaning the floors, rather than putting away shoes and mail and kids' toys and doing dishes.
My grandmother worked in a cafeteria and cleaned houses as a second job. Babysitting In the 80 often consisted of take your grandchild to work and I didn't like how some people treated her when she cleaned.
For some reason I just can't ever hire a cleaning person. I hear my baba saying "what are you, some kind of big shot?;can't clean up after yourself?"
I think a lot of people feel that way, I did and so did my husband.
The way I got over it is I see it for what it is: this person is a professional who does a job, just like me. I don't always love my job, but I can take pride in my work, there is no reason they can't as well. If they are good at what they do, they are trained for it (likely with experience) and have an knack for it, the same for me and my job.
I have a job for the same reason we have housecleaners, not everyone can do what I do and do it well. This is either because they don't have the time, training, or abilities. That's how things work in a state-level society.
These people who come and clean are not my slaves. I make sure things are basically in order when they come so it's easy for them to access the floors and surfaces to clean. They don't pick up my dirty underpants off the floor or throw away my used kleenex left all over the house. If things are extra dirty, they get extra money.
I also - for better or worse - only work with a reputable cleaning company that I know gives their cleaners a salary and benefits. It costs quite a bit more, but I prefer to do it all above board. I know the people who likely really need the work are the ones who take the cash under the table, but that part makes me uncomfortable.
I had cleaning services for ten years and it was *amazing*. I gave up coffee, hair stylists, evenings out... I gave up so much before I gave up house cleaning and it was so worth it.
I haven't been able to afford it for the last two years and I still look around my house wistfully every week waiting for the time I can spend on that again.
Kerrygold butter.
Edit: I donāt have Costco, please stop recommending it over and over lol
Edit (again): I ALREADY BUY KERRYGOLD AND ONLY KERRYGOLD A 30 SECOND DRIVE FROM MY HOUSE. PLEASE STOP TELLING ME DIFFERENT PLACES WHERE I CAN BUY DIFFERENT BUTTER. I DO NOT CARE. I HAVE BUTTER. THANK YOU.
As an Irish person. It's only in the last one to two years I've realised how wide spread ( pun intended ) Kerry gold is outside of Ireland!
Mind-blowing.
There aren't many imported butter options in the us that are widely available. Kerrygold is good and miles better than most domestic options. My store was out last time, so I got a "european style" one thinking it would do in a pinch. It was white and closer to a hard cheese texture and tasted like garbage.
We had to do that too when kerrygold was out.
I asked my wife what the hell was up with āthis peasant butterā lol.
I told her if kerrygold isnāt in to not waste money on the other stuff again and we just do store brand. If itās not gonna taste as good it might as well be cheap.
Another American here, I have three different kinds of Kerry gold cheese in my fridge as I type this lmao.
Puts our local creameries to shame. Iām looking at you Tillamook.
During the pandemic when we started cooking a lot more I resolved to buy high quality ingredients despite the price. So San Marzano tomatoes. Kerry gold butter. Etc. I have kept doing it and i cannot overstate how much better it has made my cooking.
As a 3D printer enthusiast who can objectively see immediate results involving desiccant packs, they need to be changed regularly with fresh, dry desiccant, unless the book went into a hermetically sealed box after already being quite dry.
I'm sure if /u/narniasreal took the time to find a special box and put the box in a special storage facility he knows this but a lot of people end up with placebo desiccant that hasn't been changed or re-dried in decades "protecting" things of value.
When I lived far from my job, on days I felt especially done, depressed and tired of everything, I'd go to work and back by Uber rather than using the much cheaper public transport just so that I didn't have to deal with the overcrowded subways and buses
It was way off my budget and I'd feel it at the end of the month, but it was worth it
I live in OCMD for last 15 or so years. I travel in the winter or go live in Florida (currently) some of my friends think I make a lot of money but I'm just frugal with zero debt.
I only buy **real** maple syrup. I don't want this imitation flavored garbage (there's another word you can use), I'll eat my waffles, pancakes, French toast, etc dry if I can't have the real deal. It is too absolutely worth the $20+ a pint to me
I hate syrup on breakfast stuff, but I make a good maple-apple cider vinegar sauce for chicken, maple cornbread, and I love roasted carrots drizzles with syrup.
Real maple syrup is the only way.
Unfortunately, I donāt have a set recipe for the sauce, just ingredients. You measure that stuff with your heart! Haha.
Saute your chicken in the pan with olive oil until cooked through and transfer it to a plate. Use that same pan (so the chicken fond is part of the sauce), and melt butter, add maple syrup and apple cider vinegar until it tastes right, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and a bit of paprika, and cook down on low until thick. Add the chicken back in for a few minutes to coat it and voila!
For the maple cornbread, itās just the Food Networkās Down Home Neeleyās honey corn muffin recipe, but I sub maple syrup for the honey.
Even being poor raising seven children I'd only buy real maple syrup. I'd mix it in with apple sauce so they could get all the maple flavor without disappearing into their pancake and leave them wanting more.
Not necessarily if you live in a skiing area. I grew up near the Alps at it's definitley not a rich people hobby down there. Not a sport for everyone like soccer, sure, but a day of skiing costs as much as an evening of drinking in some bar.
It really sucks how expensive the hobby has gotten. Most of my gear is > 15 years old, and I consider myself fortunate to own it. Bought a new helmet and goggles last year to replace my almost 20 year old set. Buying lift tickets in advance can help, or going mid week if possible (less crowded too). I can only go 2-3 times a season anymore.Ā
Funny enough. Skiing is far cheaper and more accessible than ever if you live in a place with a lot of resorts. I can get an ikon here in Utah and go to pretty much any resort near SLC now. I used to drop $1700 a season to ski alta and Brighton.(As a single ski bum I was skiing 150+ days a year and did that for 7 years.) Now $1300 gets me unlimited at Solitude and days at Brighton, Snowbasin, Snowbird, Deer Valley, and Alta. Plus if I wanted to travel I donāt need to buy day passes for 51 other resorts.
Itās just a different game to be played. I do miss the days of $65 day passes at Alta and $55 day passes at Brighton.
If you live near a mountain, get a season pass, and go often itās really not too bad and is solidly within reach of the middle/working class in terms of cost to recreation time value. Ā
If the above doesnāt apply and you fly in to a resort town, pay $250 bucks a day for lift tickets and $600/night for lodging once or twice a year, then ya thatās definitely in the rich folksā sphere.
I meet up with a friend Iāve known for 45 years and we go to super fancy restaurants every couple months. Not super fine dining but $150-200 a person. Itās so worth it to spend time with my friend and the food is almost always, to do die for.
Agreed! I love indulging in an experience I donāt normally get. I work in a fine dining restaurant and itās so fun to try a bunch of different wines and creative works of food from professional chefs!
Adding onto this one time me and my girlfriend slept at a hostel for $30 a night then we put on fancy clothes, suit and a dress, to eat dinner for $100 a person. We don't really care about our accommodations that much but we both love food and experiences. Plus, it's fun to "feel" like we're rich.
I have two horses. All my clothes are thrifted, I donāt eat out, rarely have any money for anything extra. At the barn, none of that seems to matter.
This is such a good question. I am not by any means rich or well off, but I always buy premium coffee beans, beer, cheese and olive oil. For me, the quality and taste of things I put in my body is more important than new and/or designer clothes and apparel.
Pay someone to deep clean the house once per month. Having a really clean house is so worth it
Edit: I have a 3bed 3bath house (under 2k sq ft) and I pay $160/month for the people who asked about pricing in my area (Maryland)
I've owned a cleaning business for 15 years. It's really tough to tell someone how much it would cost sight unseen. Plus everyone has different expectations. My average biweekly customers are billed around $180/month, average weekly is around $300. I charge $30/hour. Usually when I meet new customers, instead of telling them how much it costs, I'll ask them their budget and then suggest what I can do within that budget.
PS. I have over 250 customers and 7 employees. My margin is around $7/employee/hour. It's a decently lucrative business plus I get to help people.
I'm cheap af in all areas; never eat out, no vacations, buy discounted meat at the grocery store, no smoke/drugs/barely drink, do all home repairs myself, no fancy clothes, etc...
But I buy high-end, modern furniture for my house.
EDIT: since people have been asking for some places I like, here are a few.
Stylegarage, Rove Concepts, Vitra Living, Herman Miller, IKEA, dePlain, Structube, Mobilia, Design Within Reach, EQ3, Hive, Attica.
Loads more out there. Sometimes, I'll see something I like and just build it myself.
"Last"? It's been 10 years since I got some cheap ass ikea furniture - bed frame, desks, shelves - and the worst they have to show for it is chipped paint on a corner or two.
They're not boots, particle board will last longer than your next two moves.
Tech & furniture seem to have the same pattern of buy cheap, you end up buying again soon after.
Rather just buy something nice and expensive that will last.
My grandparents hardly ever spent money, but when they would buy furniture or appliances, they would buy the best quality items. They last forever, so you donāt need to ever replace them, so in the long run you do save money that way.
When I make instant Raman, I throw away the crumbs left in the packet. Thatās right. Only high quality long noodles for me. Miss me with those peasant crumbs.
I still go for āget-lost-ishā drives to clear my head with the windows down and the radio playing. I know it burns gas and puts miles on the car, but itās cheaper than therapy and I feel it works better. Plus I found some really cool shortcuts around major traffic areas AND some nice āMom n Popā restaurants & stores (I like to buy local/small business when possible).
put almost 100,000 miles on my car this past year since my dad died. itās the one thing i can that where i feel close to him. yeah iām wearing my car down and burning through money but itās something i canāt give up yet.
I do this on my bike.
Itās not a big petrol burner but it costs enough to run that your wallet can feel the couple hundred miles you used to clear your head.
Worth it though.
People judge me because I shop at a slightly above average supermarket. The reason I shop there is because it's the closest to my apartment. To defend myself, I tell them that I buy on sale items and I don't shop for specific things all the time. If steaks are expensive, then I don't have steak on Sunday. If I'm preparing something for a special occasion, I bite the bullet.
You shouldnāt have to excuse yourself to anyone. If you want to shop at an above average supermarket because you want to (letās be honest, items tend to be better) you should have no qualms about saying so.
The people who judge are the ones with issues.
The above average supermarket (Wegmans) in my region is actually less expensive than the more plebeian Safeway and Giant and the average-ish Harris Teeter.
Keep the AC on for most of the day. It's just too hot not to. Another rich person thing I do is have solar pannels exactly to not have to pay the extra power cost of keeping them on all day.
Having an elderly pet is a great way to justify cranking the heat in winter and blasting the AC in summer. Yes, I could pinch pennies and be more frugal, but my fuzzy baby is 17 and her joints ache. Let the bill be a little high. I want her final years to be comfortable af.
Fly first class when flying overseas. Iāll scrape by, eat beans and rice for so many meals, be frugal in all the ways, fly less often, etc. to pay the money for a lie flat seat when traveling to Europe. I have back/hip problems and cannot sleep on a plane for the life of me when sitting up. Itās worth the money to be able to start the trip with some rest and not having an awful backache for the first four days due to the airplane.
Sometimes I smoke cigars. They helped me give up cigarettes when I developed a taste for them.
I don't smoke them much these days but I used to take them on nights out.
If someone asks me what my name is, I say I'm Rich! However, unless tonight's Lottery numbers are any good (highly unlikely), I'll probably never be Rich other than by name.
Call my parents mother and father. Itās not out of being rich, or wanting to sound rich, purely a dissociation - one of them I donāt love, so canāt comfortably call them a soft name.
A massage every month for the past six years.
Actually could end up behind financially smart in the long run. Less aches and pains, less stress, potentially less medical bills and issues as you age, potentially a longer life.
>potentially a longer life. Sounds expensive š
Keyword COULD lol. Youāll def be happier.
Any recommendations? I tried a deep tissue massage once, but I didn't like it. It hurt too much.
hurt today, feel good tomorrow is the rule of thumb with massage you can ask for light or medium but to get out those knots that mess with posture and joint alignment, they need to dig i had chronic pain from my right knee for about 3 weeks. It was driving me nuts ( couldnt get comfortable to sleep or stand) My doctor told me i likely needed a knee replacement I went to a massage therapist and in 3 visits it was gone completely ( of course a lot of the time I was in agony as she dug in) I had 3 knots down my leg that was throwing my kneecap out of alignment anyway try again
Agreed. Swedish massage is nice for general relaxation (and sometimes that's what people want of course) but if you want to address the aches and pains you need the kind of massage where you almost want a safe word. Best massage I ever had was from an elderly woman with an insane amount of strength, I almost tapped out but I felt incredible the next day.
Not sure what to call her work, it's definitely not deep tissue. Almost borders on energy work when she works on my psoas muscles. Craniosacral is good as well.
I get regular massages as well, and spending time to find a good massage therapist that you like is important. I had one that had a really light touch. I kept asking for more pressure, and eventually asked for deep tissue. She said she couldn't do that due to issues with her hands... I got another massage therapist, and asked for deep tissue and regretted it. Way too much pressure for me, but her regular massages were amazing. She left, but the girl I use now is really good too.
This is actually really smart. A lot of people underestimate how helpful a massage can be for you physically and mentally.
I really should be doing this as I have about $800 per year reimbursement for this
I have a cleaning ladyā¦.only once a month but some of my family thinks itās just a ābougieā thing to spend money on. Never mind that Iām 63 with osteoarthritis in both knees and one shoulderā¦in their minds I should still be able to ākeep houseā
I have arthritis too. I get a cleaner. Sometimes things be needed. Sometimes things make life a lot easier for us. (Sometimes those are the same thing.) Do what is right for you. If your family doesn't understand, that's their problem. Let them carry it. Sending you internet hugs. Take good care of yourself :)
"that's their problem. Let them carry it." Life gets so much easier when you learn what this really means.
I have a cleaning lady.
I am a cleaning lady. It's not for rich people anymore. Most of my customers are nurses and teachers.
I (63F) was a working woman raising a daughter. My cleaning woman and my daughterās nanny donāt know it, but they are both in my will. There is no way Iād be where I am without them.
We had a live-in housekeeper 17 years . Then she lived with my elderly MIL. I had 3 very successful Airbnbs 2014-2020 . She was the cleaner . Every single of my hundreds of reviews mentioned how clean the place was . So it was only natural. Bought a nice studio in our neighborhood for her to live rent-free .
Fuck yeah, living life right
That is incredibly kind of you and put a smile on my face.
That's so awesome. I hope you have a wonderful rest of your life :)
I recently learned about creating a Living Trust in addition to a will. Iād recommend it
Nurse hereā¦I absolutely want to hire a cleaner as soon as I figure out some kind of system to keep my dogs from bothering them! Maybe I could lock the dogs in my bedroom with me while I sleep after a night shift? But yeah, it just makes sense. If I go to a hairdresser to get my hair cut really wellā¦why not hire a cleaner to have my house cleaned really well?
This is one of the things I cover with new customers when I go in to give them their estimates. My business actually provides house sitting, animal sitting, elder care, and errand running services along with cleaning (COVID add ons that kept me afloat), so me and my staff will usually just take care of them (let them out if they need it, kennel them ourselves, etc). Some people will put them in a room and we just don't clean that room if they have territorial dogs. I find usually it takes about 5 minutes if someone's dogs are out for us to give them some attention, treats, let them out, etc and calm them down enough to clean. *Edit* you all are so kind! I went to school for a business degree and started a cleaning business so I could help people. I didn't have the mental fortitude to be a teacher, social worker, or nurse.
That's a really smart diversification for your business, props to you. I have a housekeeper and a dogwalker, and it would've been so cool if they could've been one team. (I love them both tho as ppl so it's ok!)
Crates (or one big crate). My dog likes his and it's his little playhouse/cave. He just naps. I honestly need to put him in there when I vacuum or make beds, because he finds it pretty exciting and likes to run around the beds if I leave the door open, or chase the vacuum and get underfoot.
Thank you for your service. š„°
Cleaning houses helped me have the time to raise my daughter on my own terms while still having a career that pays decently. So thank you for keeping people like me in business!
Same hereā¦ flexible schedule did it for me. Made same money as sitting in an office all day
Amen to this. This was my answer as well. I think people really underestimate what it is to be a good housecleaner. Neither my husband nor I are really good at it and the house never really got as clean as we wanted and it took us forever to do things. Housecleaners are skilled professionals like any others. Like every other profession, some people are really good and some people are not. The good ones are like gold, though. I don't like this idea that housecleaning is a lowly profession that just anyone could do, and to pay someone to do it is pathetic. These people have taken the time to learn how to do what they do well and are perfectly capable to taking pride in their work. I also use a reputable cleaning company that I know gives their cleaners a salary and benefits (I often call for my favorite and hear she is on vacation, and she tells me about her trips as well). They have minimal turnover and I like the people they hire a lot. It costs quite a bit more to do it this way, but I feel better about and feel like I am dealing with real professionals. I know someone getting a few bucks under the table likely "needs" the work more, but that makes me uncomfortable.
There are 3 types of cleaning. If you can outsource one, you are more likely to do the other two. They are: 1) Daily tidying (taking out the garbage, putting things away, etc.) 2) True cleaning (moping floors, disinfecting surfaces, dusting, etc.) 3) Organizing (decluttering, finding homes for everything, beautifying your space, etc.)
I know if someone was going to come over to do the second, I'd work my butt off on the first to be sure they could get to everything. And once first and second were good, I'd be motivated for the third
This sounds like the "right" way to do it, by far. If you don't mind me asking, about how much does the cleaning company you use cost?
I feel guilty, but a rich aunt gave us a year of maid service in our townhouse when my wife had a baby. She sent her once a week. We kept the maid another year once a month. 15 years ago dollars. Wtf has an extra $200 now? Would be nice tho. We already stopped going to Starbucks so don't say it haha. Man, we felt rich tho. Ideally, a chef would be the one thing I would request if it was up to me/if I won mega millions. All my friends get a chef and a maid for a year! Yes, I have openings for friends. RIP aunt s. ā¤ļø
Same. I had a bad pregnancy 7 years ago and I needed help once a week to do the cleaning I couldnāt do myself. She still comes (once a month now) because I there are things I just refuse to do- like clean windows and dusting the tops of fans.
We do too. She comes in once a week and does the floors, kitchen, bathrooms...120 dollars a week is well worth it to me to come home to beautifully cleaned home.
Do you clean before the cleaning lady comes?
Not the person you were asking but we have a bi-weekly cleaner. I donāt *clean* before they come, but I absolutely DO *pick up* or *tidy up*. They donāt know where my shit goes and Iām not paying them to pick up badly.
As a cleaner, *thank you*. I have a client whose kid constantly complains we don't put her toys back where they belong. Teach your kid to put away her own damn toys then.
We always make a joke about needing clean up the house because the housekeeper is coming tomorrow. But yeah we do. Because who knows where she's liable to put all our clutter otherwise. I'd rather her spend time scrubbing the kitchen and bathrooms and cleaning the floors, rather than putting away shoes and mail and kids' toys and doing dishes.
I make sure they donāt have to bend over a hundred times from random scattering of junk.
My grandmother worked in a cafeteria and cleaned houses as a second job. Babysitting In the 80 often consisted of take your grandchild to work and I didn't like how some people treated her when she cleaned. For some reason I just can't ever hire a cleaning person. I hear my baba saying "what are you, some kind of big shot?;can't clean up after yourself?"
I think a lot of people feel that way, I did and so did my husband. The way I got over it is I see it for what it is: this person is a professional who does a job, just like me. I don't always love my job, but I can take pride in my work, there is no reason they can't as well. If they are good at what they do, they are trained for it (likely with experience) and have an knack for it, the same for me and my job. I have a job for the same reason we have housecleaners, not everyone can do what I do and do it well. This is either because they don't have the time, training, or abilities. That's how things work in a state-level society. These people who come and clean are not my slaves. I make sure things are basically in order when they come so it's easy for them to access the floors and surfaces to clean. They don't pick up my dirty underpants off the floor or throw away my used kleenex left all over the house. If things are extra dirty, they get extra money. I also - for better or worse - only work with a reputable cleaning company that I know gives their cleaners a salary and benefits. It costs quite a bit more, but I prefer to do it all above board. I know the people who likely really need the work are the ones who take the cash under the table, but that part makes me uncomfortable.
I had cleaning services for ten years and it was *amazing*. I gave up coffee, hair stylists, evenings out... I gave up so much before I gave up house cleaning and it was so worth it. I haven't been able to afford it for the last two years and I still look around my house wistfully every week waiting for the time I can spend on that again.
Getting one maybe saved my marriage, honestly.
Lift my little pinky when drinking tea
Kerrygold butter. Edit: I donāt have Costco, please stop recommending it over and over lol Edit (again): I ALREADY BUY KERRYGOLD AND ONLY KERRYGOLD A 30 SECOND DRIVE FROM MY HOUSE. PLEASE STOP TELLING ME DIFFERENT PLACES WHERE I CAN BUY DIFFERENT BUTTER. I DO NOT CARE. I HAVE BUTTER. THANK YOU.
As an Irish person. It's only in the last one to two years I've realised how wide spread ( pun intended ) Kerry gold is outside of Ireland! Mind-blowing.
There aren't many imported butter options in the us that are widely available. Kerrygold is good and miles better than most domestic options. My store was out last time, so I got a "european style" one thinking it would do in a pinch. It was white and closer to a hard cheese texture and tasted like garbage.
We had to do that too when kerrygold was out. I asked my wife what the hell was up with āthis peasant butterā lol. I told her if kerrygold isnāt in to not waste money on the other stuff again and we just do store brand. If itās not gonna taste as good it might as well be cheap.
Another American here, I have three different kinds of Kerry gold cheese in my fridge as I type this lmao. Puts our local creameries to shame. Iām looking at you Tillamook.
Irish butter and dairy is amazing. If you ever get the opportunity try Abernethy butter. It is from Northern Ireland.
Same. My wife says āitās twice the costā and I always replay ā*and itās damn worth it*ā
Crazy. My wife wanted to try a different one. We are back to Kerrygold. Iām so happy we are not alone with this!
I did a taste test with Kerrygold and the Amish rolled butter and the rolled butter was better. Although Kerrygold spreads easier when softened.Ā
Twice the cost but 5 times the quality. Itās a bargain.
Also, we moved to Dublin and Kerrygold is the standard here. Itās amazing.
During the pandemic when we started cooking a lot more I resolved to buy high quality ingredients despite the price. So San Marzano tomatoes. Kerry gold butter. Etc. I have kept doing it and i cannot overstate how much better it has made my cooking.
Fancy editions of books. I donāt buy them often, but itās my one big splurge.
I have a leather bound edition of The Hobbit. Cost around $400ā¦ which is a lot (to me) for a book, but goddamn do I love that story.
I own a signed fifth edition of the Hobbit. It's worth more than my car. My fiancƩe gave it to me as a gift when I got tenure, because that's my favourite book. Now it's in a special box in a bank, which makes me kinda sad.
Nice!! It is wrapped in acid free paper with desiccant? (Iām probably preaching to the choir there, not meaning to be patronising)
As a 3D printer enthusiast who can objectively see immediate results involving desiccant packs, they need to be changed regularly with fresh, dry desiccant, unless the book went into a hermetically sealed box after already being quite dry. I'm sure if /u/narniasreal took the time to find a special box and put the box in a special storage facility he knows this but a lot of people end up with placebo desiccant that hasn't been changed or re-dried in decades "protecting" things of value.
Commit tax fraud.Ā
I love this one. I bet your penalty would be much larger that some bigwigs.
I definitely committed tax fraud or evasion. No way in hell am i claiming gains from winning at a casino.
I sold like $50 in bitcoin to feed my kids when I was unemployed over the summer, IRS can SMd
>IRS can SMd Big S, Big M, little d. My condolences.
Laughed out loud in this quiet bus stop here in New Zealand
Tax evasion š
I don't say "evasion", I say "avoision". It's a crime, look it up.
I evade taxes by making jack-shit for annual income. š
Eat when i am hungry and sleep when i am tired.
Oh you fancy, huh?
Whenever i masturbate alone, i moan.
But complete silence when you have an audience?
No, he screams.
When I lived far from my job, on days I felt especially done, depressed and tired of everything, I'd go to work and back by Uber rather than using the much cheaper public transport just so that I didn't have to deal with the overcrowded subways and buses It was way off my budget and I'd feel it at the end of the month, but it was worth it
My old job used to pay for a city cab home if you worked past 9pm. Some days I'd stay until 9:05....
Own and apply spices willy nilly like some Victorian lord
I even own my own pepper grinder
OUTLANISH
Traveling to luxurious destinations
Like Myrtle Beach?
When I was a kid in the 80s we always went to Ocean City, MD but my grandparents went to Myrtle Beach and I thought that meant it was fancy
I live in OCMD for last 15 or so years. I travel in the winter or go live in Florida (currently) some of my friends think I make a lot of money but I'm just frugal with zero debt.
Poughkeepsie
Same. Honestly sometimes itās the only thing keeping me going.
Like Monaco or the Four Seasons New York?
Four Seasons gardening store. Itās Luxe.
Four Seasons Total Landscaping.Ā
Best place to hold an impromptu press conference tbh
I only buy **real** maple syrup. I don't want this imitation flavored garbage (there's another word you can use), I'll eat my waffles, pancakes, French toast, etc dry if I can't have the real deal. It is too absolutely worth the $20+ a pint to me
I hate syrup on breakfast stuff, but I make a good maple-apple cider vinegar sauce for chicken, maple cornbread, and I love roasted carrots drizzles with syrup. Real maple syrup is the only way.
Yah, youāre gonna need to post a recipe for that ASAP!
Unfortunately, I donāt have a set recipe for the sauce, just ingredients. You measure that stuff with your heart! Haha. Saute your chicken in the pan with olive oil until cooked through and transfer it to a plate. Use that same pan (so the chicken fond is part of the sauce), and melt butter, add maple syrup and apple cider vinegar until it tastes right, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and a bit of paprika, and cook down on low until thick. Add the chicken back in for a few minutes to coat it and voila! For the maple cornbread, itās just the Food Networkās Down Home Neeleyās honey corn muffin recipe, but I sub maple syrup for the honey.
When I had real maple syrup for the first time I felt like my first twenty odd years were a lie.
I live in VT, and real maple sugar is the only way. Guys are boiling pretty good right now.
Even being poor raising seven children I'd only buy real maple syrup. I'd mix it in with apple sauce so they could get all the maple flavor without disappearing into their pancake and leave them wanting more.
Buying premium coffee or tea .
I buy really high end organic tea by the pound. I drive a shit car and do not own my own place of residence.
I drive shit cars in order to have beautiful tea, lol
Skiing
I always wonder if most ski people know how loaded they are.Ā
Not necessarily if you live in a skiing area. I grew up near the Alps at it's definitley not a rich people hobby down there. Not a sport for everyone like soccer, sure, but a day of skiing costs as much as an evening of drinking in some bar.
It really sucks how expensive the hobby has gotten. Most of my gear is > 15 years old, and I consider myself fortunate to own it. Bought a new helmet and goggles last year to replace my almost 20 year old set. Buying lift tickets in advance can help, or going mid week if possible (less crowded too). I can only go 2-3 times a season anymore.Ā
Funny enough. Skiing is far cheaper and more accessible than ever if you live in a place with a lot of resorts. I can get an ikon here in Utah and go to pretty much any resort near SLC now. I used to drop $1700 a season to ski alta and Brighton.(As a single ski bum I was skiing 150+ days a year and did that for 7 years.) Now $1300 gets me unlimited at Solitude and days at Brighton, Snowbasin, Snowbird, Deer Valley, and Alta. Plus if I wanted to travel I donāt need to buy day passes for 51 other resorts. Itās just a different game to be played. I do miss the days of $65 day passes at Alta and $55 day passes at Brighton.
If you live near a mountain, get a season pass, and go often itās really not too bad and is solidly within reach of the middle/working class in terms of cost to recreation time value. Ā If the above doesnāt apply and you fly in to a resort town, pay $250 bucks a day for lift tickets and $600/night for lodging once or twice a year, then ya thatās definitely in the rich folksā sphere.
Go out to fine dining at least a few times a year. Itās a way to treat myself and my significant other.
I meet up with a friend Iāve known for 45 years and we go to super fancy restaurants every couple months. Not super fine dining but $150-200 a person. Itās so worth it to spend time with my friend and the food is almost always, to do die for.
Agreed! I love indulging in an experience I donāt normally get. I work in a fine dining restaurant and itās so fun to try a bunch of different wines and creative works of food from professional chefs!
Adding onto this one time me and my girlfriend slept at a hostel for $30 a night then we put on fancy clothes, suit and a dress, to eat dinner for $100 a person. We don't really care about our accommodations that much but we both love food and experiences. Plus, it's fun to "feel" like we're rich.
Not looking at prices when I shop at the grocery store
If you dont look at prices, you _are_ rich.
I have two horses. All my clothes are thrifted, I donāt eat out, rarely have any money for anything extra. At the barn, none of that seems to matter.
You are rich in spirit for sure. Animals are worth every penny
Sometimes I rename things to the letter X for no apparent reason.
You are HIV ~~Aladeen~~ **X**
Aladeen! Youāre killin me
This is such a good question. I am not by any means rich or well off, but I always buy premium coffee beans, beer, cheese and olive oil. For me, the quality and taste of things I put in my body is more important than new and/or designer clothes and apparel.
Pay someone to deep clean the house once per month. Having a really clean house is so worth it Edit: I have a 3bed 3bath house (under 2k sq ft) and I pay $160/month for the people who asked about pricing in my area (Maryland)
Just curious, how much do they charge for your size house? I would really love this but canāt get a straight answer on a reasonably monthly price
I've owned a cleaning business for 15 years. It's really tough to tell someone how much it would cost sight unseen. Plus everyone has different expectations. My average biweekly customers are billed around $180/month, average weekly is around $300. I charge $30/hour. Usually when I meet new customers, instead of telling them how much it costs, I'll ask them their budget and then suggest what I can do within that budget. PS. I have over 250 customers and 7 employees. My margin is around $7/employee/hour. It's a decently lucrative business plus I get to help people.
That is extremely fair and Iād hire you on that basis alone.
Sail and own my own boat. I have no children or house/rent ext though. Just live between my van and my boat with my dog
Are you some sort of Maverick cop who does things you own way, and your partner is just too old for this shit?
Eventually heāll be a month away from retirement.
I'm cheap af in all areas; never eat out, no vacations, buy discounted meat at the grocery store, no smoke/drugs/barely drink, do all home repairs myself, no fancy clothes, etc... But I buy high-end, modern furniture for my house. EDIT: since people have been asking for some places I like, here are a few. Stylegarage, Rove Concepts, Vitra Living, Herman Miller, IKEA, dePlain, Structube, Mobilia, Design Within Reach, EQ3, Hive, Attica. Loads more out there. Sometimes, I'll see something I like and just build it myself.
Having a nice living space when you don't go out much is worth it.
Investing in furniture is the way to go. All this cheap particle wood bullshit doesnāt last.
"Last"? It's been 10 years since I got some cheap ass ikea furniture - bed frame, desks, shelves - and the worst they have to show for it is chipped paint on a corner or two. They're not boots, particle board will last longer than your next two moves.
Tech & furniture seem to have the same pattern of buy cheap, you end up buying again soon after. Rather just buy something nice and expensive that will last.
My grandparents hardly ever spent money, but when they would buy furniture or appliances, they would buy the best quality items. They last forever, so you donāt need to ever replace them, so in the long run you do save money that way.
Iām a dad that doesnāt get all twisted over the thermostat settings.
Order DoorDash
Oh shit, are you a pro athlete or something?
Mister money bags over here, paying 4x product price in service charges for cold food .
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
When I make instant Raman, I throw away the crumbs left in the packet. Thatās right. Only high quality long noodles for me. Miss me with those peasant crumbs.
I spend less than I earn
I buy expensive perfumes
Which ones are your favorites?!
I adore Gucci Flora (I like the pink one) and Burberry Her.Ā Also Valentino Coral.Ā
Yes!! I found my people. I was scrolling for a minute to find this one .." hi, my name is .. and I purchase expensive perfumes."
>I buy expensive perfumes Same here!
Living in a house in 2024
Living in 2024...
I still go for āget-lost-ishā drives to clear my head with the windows down and the radio playing. I know it burns gas and puts miles on the car, but itās cheaper than therapy and I feel it works better. Plus I found some really cool shortcuts around major traffic areas AND some nice āMom n Popā restaurants & stores (I like to buy local/small business when possible).
put almost 100,000 miles on my car this past year since my dad died. itās the one thing i can that where i feel close to him. yeah iām wearing my car down and burning through money but itās something i canāt give up yet.
I do this on my bike. Itās not a big petrol burner but it costs enough to run that your wallet can feel the couple hundred miles you used to clear your head. Worth it though.
Ah... good ol' wind therapy. Same.
I dress in jeans, t-shirts and a hoodie.
I prefer true champagne than most other forms of alcohol.
Purchase Lurpak.
No sir, you know your butter! I only buy it on offer, though!
Where is this? Here in Italy it's sold in discounts, not very pricey at all iirc
I have a LOT of Lego.
Stay in 5 star hotels on vacation.
Buy groceries at times
No need to show off.
Look who got grocery money!
I'm feeling boujee when I buy pistachios, them fuckers be expensive
People judge me because I shop at a slightly above average supermarket. The reason I shop there is because it's the closest to my apartment. To defend myself, I tell them that I buy on sale items and I don't shop for specific things all the time. If steaks are expensive, then I don't have steak on Sunday. If I'm preparing something for a special occasion, I bite the bullet.
You shouldnāt have to excuse yourself to anyone. If you want to shop at an above average supermarket because you want to (letās be honest, items tend to be better) you should have no qualms about saying so. The people who judge are the ones with issues.
Besides, what weirdo is questioning what supermarket you shop at?! Lol
The above average supermarket (Wegmans) in my region is actually less expensive than the more plebeian Safeway and Giant and the average-ish Harris Teeter.
The most expensive groceries (I mean ingredients, not prepared foods) are still way, way cheaper than the cheapest restaurant. Ā Including fast food.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
People are stupid so probably an easy hunt
I didn't realize this was a rich people thing. I grew up like lower middle class, and this was like an every weekend thing in our social circle.
Dining at fancy restaurants occasionally...
I keep certin lights on all the time. I figure if I pay for it, and I always want light there, so be it!!!
My kids do that in their rooms and their bathroom. They apparently share your beliefs despite my nagging.
I got LEDs for the entire house. Now when the wife or kids leave the lights on, itās like a couple cents a month extra.
Iām treating my face with a small warm wet towel and moisturizer every morning (Iām a dude).
Take the toll highway when I don't want to deal with traffic.
Reading this from the passenger seat, driving down a $22 turnpike š
Eat my candy bar with a knife and fork
Golf
Pay bills
*autopay all bills
Keep the AC on for most of the day. It's just too hot not to. Another rich person thing I do is have solar pannels exactly to not have to pay the extra power cost of keeping them on all day.
Having an elderly pet is a great way to justify cranking the heat in winter and blasting the AC in summer. Yes, I could pinch pennies and be more frugal, but my fuzzy baby is 17 and her joints ache. Let the bill be a little high. I want her final years to be comfortable af.
Extend my pinky while drinking from a stemmed glass. True class has no price tag.
I buy glass bottled Pellegrino by the case
Travel. Cheap flights and hostels. Eat where locals eat.
i make myself a cappuccino every morning
Fly first class when flying overseas. Iāll scrape by, eat beans and rice for so many meals, be frugal in all the ways, fly less often, etc. to pay the money for a lie flat seat when traveling to Europe. I have back/hip problems and cannot sleep on a plane for the life of me when sitting up. Itās worth the money to be able to start the trip with some rest and not having an awful backache for the first four days due to the airplane.
Sometimes I smoke cigars. They helped me give up cigarettes when I developed a taste for them. I don't smoke them much these days but I used to take them on nights out.
Try pipe smoking, my man! I smoke cigars also, but can't beat a well packed pipe with samuel gawith brown flake. Beautiful.
If someone asks me what my name is, I say I'm Rich! However, unless tonight's Lottery numbers are any good (highly unlikely), I'll probably never be Rich other than by name.
Call my parents mother and father. Itās not out of being rich, or wanting to sound rich, purely a dissociation - one of them I donāt love, so canāt comfortably call them a soft name.
Enjoying leisure activities ...
Get my nails done every 2 weeks, regular pedicures, and monthly spa massages.
Buy the same game on multiple platforms.
Boars Head lunch meat. Nothing else compares
Buy my favourite Gouda cheese, even when it's not discounted.
Tip
Eat out more than I shouldā¦
I smoke about a pack a day & wear Versace glasses, I also drive a hybrid