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Growing up, my family definitely wasn’t rich. We weren’t jetting off to Europe during the summer or visiting a ski lodge over Christmas break. We might have had one domestic vacation a year, often a road trip, and we’d spend most of our summers at the neighborhood pool doing cannonballs until the sun went down.
But we did have a cluttered garage with an extra refrigerator for drinks, a lawnmower that my dad was proud to use and a grill that cooked more burgers, salmon and veggies than I can count. We were the quintessential middle class family. And, of course, my upbringing wasn't unique; there are millions of other families around the globe who had nearly the exact same experiences.
Redditors have been discussing the tell-tale signs that someone is middle class, so we’ve gathered their most spot-on replies below. Enjoy scrolling through, and be sure to upvote the ones that make you want to have a picnic with your neighbors!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Being able to afford everything you need but not everything you want.
ChuushaHime:
This is where I am now for the first time in my life and I love it. I'm very comfortable, have solid emergency funds, can afford everything that I need as well as small luxuries like the occasional nice restaurant or weekend getaway, but still need to put some effort into saving for trips or similar largescale purchases that make me feel like I earned them. Next financial goal is to move apartments to a more expensive but prettier and more convenient part of town. Looking forward to it :)
RELATED:
#2
Adopted a little boy earlier this year... 6 years old. His background is, erm, rough, shall we say.
Last week we were sat in a Cafè and he described his scone as "delightful". A little later he asked where we were going for dinner.
I suddenly realised we'd ruined him already. 🤦♂️.
#3
Student loans
Too wealthy for need-based scholarships; not wealthy enough to pay for college.
Emilu 7 months ago (edited)
I'm in Aus, so you only pay your university costs (assuming you borrow from the government) back once you make a certain income. US is cruel in this respect, IMO.
Geoffrey Scott 7 months ago
Nah...IMO the fact that most student debt is administered by a 3rd party private entity, that can charge 12.5%, is the crime to me.
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Robert T 7 months ago
Thankfully when I went to university sometime last millenium, tuition was free, and my parents paid my living costs.
ucp 7 months ago
I went in the mid nineties. Tuition paid for by local authority. Small maintenance grant (means tested) that diminished over time, plus vacation working, meant that I graduated with minimal borrowing. I’d be too scared to borrow enough go to uni in the UK now if I were just staring out.
Load More Replies... #4
Family vacations. I remember coming back from summer break and my classmates talking about the trips their families went on and being extremely jealous.
Elwood Schwartz (it/that) 7 months ago (edited)
We took family vacations... 400 miles to Grandma's house in a small town. 50 miles or so to visit aunts and uncles in a suburb. Never anywhere fun or at hotels or anything. Stayed at someone's house the whole time.
Mila Preradović 7 months ago (edited)
I grew up in a socialist country; not a single kid came after summer break not being on vacation. For those most in need, seaside vacations were organized for free by the government. D**n commies, amirite? /s
Uncle Panda 7 months ago
I retired last fall and am about to take my first summer off in 50 years.
#5
Buying a Subaru because its practical and safe.
LakotaWolf (she/her) 7 months ago
"That's what makes a Subaru a Subaru!" - one of the company's current slogans here XD
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QueerAxolotls 7 months ago
Okay, but like Subarus are awesome. My mom's 2015 Outback is still up and running, better than my dad's 2020 Acura. Subaru for the win!
Lady Eowyn 7 months ago
I have a Subaru impreza outback sport (hatchback, slightly higher body) that I bought new 26 years ago. My mechanic wants it for his daughter when she reaches driving age. She's 11. When I'm ready to give it up, he'll have it.
Uncle Panda 7 months ago
My nephew bought my 1998 Outback. He's currently using it to terrorize the streets of Boulder under the guise of pizza delivery.
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ucp 7 months ago (edited)
I knew I had become middle class, abandoning my working class roots, when I bought a brand new car. I was able to make the decision to finance it based not on need, but on what worked better financially (0% APR credit, meaning I could earn interest on savings, even after a huge discount on the sales price).
Forrest Grump 7 months ago
I bought one just to drive on the rare occasion when we get snow in my local area. I drive my fun cars the rest of the year.
Geoffrey Scott 7 months ago
Same with Toyota I'm sure. When the kids were little, I drove a Buick LeSabre as the family car. large sedan which is no longer made.
#6
Spending an entire day from your weekend cleaning your own house and doing your own yard work and going to Costco.
Little Bit 7 months ago
Is this middle class? I thought this was more a working class thing. All the middle class people I know employ cleaners and gardeners.
Orysha 7 months ago
I think the important part is "your own house". Maybe the middle class people you know are upper middle class.
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QueerAxolotls 7 months ago
Depends. Some middle class people hire a cleaner/landscaper once a month/week/other interval. My family has done that since I was a baby-mainly because everyone is too tired/busy/ADHD to do deep cleans. You bet my mom made me clean up before the cleaners came though.
#7
Single family home in the suburbs, 30 year mortgage.
Forrest Grump 7 months ago
I paid cash for my land and then paid cash to have a nice house built on it. And no, I didn't come from a wealthy family. I earned it all myself. Most Bored Panda users will never do that because they prefer to devote themselves to whining about how they will never accomplish anything because of the economy or because of the person who just got elected or because of boomers or because of whatever.
StrangeOne 7 months ago (edited)
Flexing while putting others down, doesn't sound like you're exactly truthful in everything you claim, nor does it make you sound like you're happy with your life. This is not the flex you think it is.
Load More Replies... #8
When your passenger side door handle breaks, you take it to the dealership for repair since it's under warranty, when they send you to the rental company for a loaner car and the only thing they have is a ~~Camero~~ Camaro. When you pull in to the driveway of your suburban home and tell your pregnant wife you're going out to dinner at a nearby sit down restaurant because you need a reason to drive the ~~Camero~~ Camaro around.
Ladies and gentlemen, my husband last week.
LakotaWolf (she/her) 7 months ago
When I was a kid, my dream car was a mid-90s Camaro T-top XD ....and then when I got my license at 16, I bought a used Mazda 323 that was only 4 years younger than I was XD I drove it until it died. Aaaand I've driven a van for the last 24 years since XD Ah, young Lakota, I'm sorry... XD
Brian Droste 7 months ago
Mine was a Corvette. Never could afford one and still can't. Even if I could afford one I am too old and my body wouldn't take it sitting in a real low seat.
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Robert T 7 months ago
Usually the exact opposite! I have cars that I want to drive and anything loaned is usually a downgrade. It has twice made me chuckle. I had a minor bump in mine, and the insurance company arranged a loan car which they considered roughly equivalent to mine - a Vauxhall Vectra SRi with extremely low profile tyres - sales rep mobile - I normally drive a roadster! The one that really made me smile is when I took it in for service up near my parents, and they loaned me my dad's old car, which he had traded in a year or so previously and they had kept it as a loaner as it was still a very tidy car.
nottheactualphoto 7 months ago
I used to see ads in the paper from persons trying to sell a "Camero." Dude, it's spelled correctly on the steering wheel, right in front of you every time you drive!
#9
*opens fridge full of tons of diverse fresh food*
There's nothing ~~already cooked and prepared to mindlessly shove in my gullet~~ to eat.
#10
I'm going to paint my fence China white instead of 1/4 piano white.
My suburb passed a ruling no green fencing...so I'm getting white that has a green hue in it.
I'm just one man fighting against the oppression.
John Mosley 7 months ago
Sounds like you probably have an HOA and you'll probably end up repainting that fence piano white. They have ways of fining and screwing you over until they get their way. F-ing HOA's.
Charliie's Had Enough 7 months ago
It’s crazy that people in your country have to follow specific rules about how your houses look. That’s just insane.
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#11
Those vases that middle class mothers put in the corner of the room with twigs in it.
#12
I don't want to spend more than $20 on a case for my $600 phone.
Oskar vanZandt 7 months ago (edited)
Bought myself a Nokia XR20 rugged phone for 60% off two years ago... Nearly indestructible. SIM only plan for £12/100GB monthly.
QueerAxolotls 7 months ago
Depends on why the case is expensive-I'm a klutz, so a sturdy case is a MUST.
Emilu 7 months ago (edited)
I paid out the nose for my phone because I use it every day and often (both for work and personal use), so cost per use gets down pretty low. I also don’t upgrade every year but when I upgrade I get the best so I don’t have to worry about updates being discontinued, etc. Also, I can claim part on tax due to it being used for work.
Robert T 7 months ago
I don't want to, but I will spend quite a bit to get an original case, as they fit so much better and wake the phone up when you open it. However, I'm kind of wishing I'd bought two, as I've had the phone 3 and a half years and the case is about shot, but the few that are left are being price-gouged. I'll be changing it at the end of the year as the battery is starting to go and I fancy an upgrade.
#13
Lawnmowing.
QueerAxolotls 7 months ago
My parents had to hire people once I was born; apparently my dad was so sleep deprived from baby me, he BURNT A HOLE IN HIS SWEATSHIRT WHILE LAWNMOWING (no clue how)
SchadenFreudian Psychology 7 months ago
Lawns and yard work are a sinister plot to keep people tired and waste all their weekend time, so they can’t protest corporate oligarchy.
Elwood Schwartz (it/that) 7 months ago (edited)
Look at this sucker with the extension cord. Mine is battery powered 😀 EDIT: He's also doing it wrong. Never bag the clippings, almost all mowers mulch now, and it's better for the soil. Additionally, that lawn looks like it's probably had a ton of chemicals dumped on it to make it look nice like that. Why have an electric mower if you are still going out of your way to do environmentally unfriendly things?
#14
Helping your children do their homework.
Poor people don't have time for that. Rich people have tutors for that.
StrangeOne 7 months ago
Um... how does being poor keep you from helping your kids with their homework? I can understand shift work, but even then, there's some time to help your kids with their education at some point of the day.
Sue User 7 months ago (edited)
Being poor means doing everything yourself and usually brute force. Too poor to hire lawn perdon. Too poor to afford the mower with propelled wheels. So you are mowing yourself and doing more work. You dont judt mske a grocery list and order it for delicery/ pickup. You go to two different stores becaude storea has butter on ssle but storeb has milk. You need sneakers so you see what the prices are at each store. Resesrching the best bang for buck tskes time. Rich people are not buying services. They are buying time.
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Oskar vanZandt 7 months ago
Schools should offer homework club (with snacks) as standard... Kids can stay and get support with their tasks and don't need to take it home. I'm an advocate for age appropriate levels of homework... starting with 15 mins of "free choice" reading per day for primary aged children. Keep the learning interesting and the formal learning contained within school hours.
geezeronthehill 7 months ago
If you're poor, you're likely working two minimum wage jobs. Cuts down on home/family time.
Hrc 7 months ago
Poor people mentality is to not have time for helping your kids. Maybe dont have them then?
ManuelQue 7 months ago
How affordable is birth control? Oh - I get it. Just don't have s*x.
Load More Replies... #15
Sneaking snacks into the movie theatre.
General Anaesthesia 7 months ago
Only you have to be middle class to afford the movie itself.
Load More Replies... QueerAxolotls 7 months ago
I think this is just an everyone thing? Personally, I like my snacks better.
Emilu 7 months ago
Literally do this every time I go to the movies/theatre (not as often as I'd like, sadly). Double sadly, some theatre people have caught on and ask to bag-check 😭
Load More Replies... #16
Thinking that you're not well off, when you actually are.
Oskar vanZandt 7 months ago
I have to remind myself sometimes that I am MUCH better off than billions of people on this planet...
ucp 7 months ago
I have the opposite. Grew up poor; one-meal-a-day sometimes poor. I benefited from an education and professional qualification. I married a peer in professional ability, and we have no children. So we are comfortably in middle class. I sometimes feel tremendous guilt that my four siblings are not as well off, that I own two homes*, whilst they all rent. But I cannot pay for everyone, and it probably wouldn’t be wise anyway. That doesn’t stop the guilt.
ucp 7 months ago
* the second home was bought specifically for my sister and her children to live in, at about 40% of the market level rent.
Load More Replies... #17
A mortgage, a car loan or two, and having to save the entire year (or two) to take a vacation with the spouse and kids.
Emilu 7 months ago
If you can avoid it, car loans are brutal and don't do it. I know that's not viable for everyone, but if you can... please.
R Dennis 7 months ago
If someone is paying cash for a brand new car, they aren't middle-class...
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Der Kommissar 7 months ago
A chicken in every pot, a car in every garage, and hopefully some pot in every chicken
#18
Too rich for the FAFSA, too poor to afford college.
General Anaesthesia 7 months ago
FAFSA = Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Application is free.
Oskar vanZandt 7 months ago (edited)
I think the state should pay for higher education for the brightest and most capable youngsters... A prudent investment. This would include college and university education- it's time we start valuing further education that leads to solid career options in the trades (not every young person is suited to academia and theoretical learning). Paid apprenticeships should also be more attainable for more students.
QueerAxolotls 7 months ago
FAFSA is the American application/program for financial student aid. It's mostly need-based, but there are some other ways to get money through it. It's often up to the states how it works; it's a federal program, but at least where I live, it's a state agency handling it.
#19
A messy garage with a refrigerator in it.
Scott Rackley 7 months ago
Garage beer fridge, and it needs to be 40 years old. Mine gets as cold as a well digger's a*s.
The Scout 7 months ago
This one actually is very regional, although it isn't obvious on the first glance. The reason is that a refrigerator in the garage only makes sense when the garage is directly accessible from inside the house. Which perfectly fits the usual layout of American mansion-style houses, where the garage is either part of the house or an annex to it. In other countries garages more often than not are free-standing (and aloso usually much smaller than their American counterpart, because of the smaller cars), so regfrigerators in them are rare. Those are more frequently found in the cellar instead.
#20
Gotta go to work everyday so I can come home and spend all my free time taking care of bills, food, and my children. Just so I can wake up tomorrow and do it all over again.
Josie 7 months ago
Believe me, it’s the same. Maybe just a nicer neighborhood.
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#21
Planning for retirement. The rich don't have to worry about it, and the poor know they wont ever reach it.
Robert T 7 months ago
That depends very much upon how you are employed and what country you live in. There are plenty of working class jobs that come with a decent pension scheme. There are plenty of countries with good state pensions. The middle ground is where you have to contribute to your own retirement plan, and it is only those with sufficient income that can afford to put away enough to make a decent retirement.
#22
A Toyota Highlander with "Frozen" playing in the backseat pulling up to a block party at a master-planned starter home community's pool where the dads are grilling and the kids are running around everywhere eating freeze pops.
#23
Getting into debt so people don't think you're poor.
#24
I take _forever_ to grocery shop now that I'm making a decent living.
When we were poorer it was just buy whatever we could afford that would keep us alive. Now, when arriving at the spot in the aisle for EVERY item on my list, a chain reaction of decision making fires off that passes through statistics, guilt, and the meaning of life.
> There are 6 choices of jarred olives
> That one is $18 so its an outlier
> The remaining 5 prices are between $0.89 and $3.99, biased to the right
> My income is in the 65th percentile nationally
> http://i.imgur.com/itMcsy5.gif
> Really these are just going in my martinis, I won't even notice the difference from the cheaper ones
> But I do like to eat them in salads sometimes...
> *Looks back at $18 olives*
> I MAKE GOOD MONEY DAMNIT I SHOULD BE ABLE TO BUY NICE OLIVES.
> They're just going to waste in the fridge because I pass out after 2 drinks
> The expensive ones probably taste funny anyway
> Honestly I don't even remember how much Gin I have left
> *Looks back at list*
> I'll go look at the yogurt and come back to the olives before I leave.
Hoi-Polloi 7 months ago
The takeaway here is that only the first drink has to use good ingredients...
#25
A grade school aged child having tempered expectations for Christmas gifts, and getting pretty much everything they wanted except for the most expensive thing. "Maybe next year, bud.".
Oskar vanZandt 7 months ago
Nothing wrong with giving modest gifts... Parents don't need to go into debt to fulfill their kids' wish lists. My parents stretched to give each of us one main present and stocking stuffers... and we didn't suffer.
nottheactualphoto 7 months ago
I developed tempered expectations after a few years of underwear and colored pencils.
#26
Having a nice double car garage but no room for your mid size SUV or Toyota sedan because its full of kids toys, unopened boxes of random s**t that you haven't looked at since you moved in and golf clubs you don't use often.
StrangeOne 7 months ago (edited)
Double car garages and multiple vehicles I thought were for the rich. Middle class, to me, was having a vehicle and a garage to store it, and you went golfing at the Golf Dome where you rent your clubs.
George Costanza 7 months ago
Nah. Almost all new construction in the US has double garages now, and most of it is for very middle class families. The rich now have 3-4+ car garages and 10K sq ft homes.
Load More Replies... Uncle Panda 7 months ago
I heard a co-worker gleefully announce, "We just opened up our third storage unit! Is that *crazy* or what?!" I had to sit on my hands to avoid strangling her.
ucp 7 months ago
I wouldn’t have been as successful at hand-sitting as you
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Dre Mosley 7 months ago
I'm proud to say that I can park my vehicle in mine. I'm about the only one on my street that can. One of my neighbors has pretty much turned theirs into a second living room and the rest have theirs full of random stuff piled high.
Angel Winward 7 months ago
That's one thing I appreciate about my husband - he has insisted we keep the garage for the cars. We have a storm shelter in there too so it's tight, which means no room for a bunch of extra toys. It's been great to keep a more minimalist lifestyle and also never have to warm up the vehicle, scrape ice/snow, or worry about hail damage.
QueerAxolotls 7 months ago
That's my family. Bunches of empty storage bins and stuff cluttering up half the carage.
#27
Golden Retrievers.
Emilu 7 months ago
... I have acquaintances who have goldens that can barely afford them. Sad, because they're beautiful dogs.
LakotaWolf (she/her) 7 months ago
Yep. There are certain breeds (most of them are historically "working breeds", which includes gun and bird dogs like Goldens and Labs) who can take a LOT more work/cost a lot more to keep than people might realize when they adopt/buy one. Absolutely lovely, brilliant dogs, but they're a large-breed working dog. Those are a LOT of work XD I know this well, I've got a Belgian Malinois XD
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#28
One Prozac a day. Husband's a CPA
and her yellow SUV.
#29
A basketball hoop in every driveway.
EDIT: or on the garage. but i mean really that's still in the driveway isn't it?
Duane Ringlein 7 months ago
Now you see stand alone hoops in the driveway (my grandson has one) but growing up in the 60s my Dad put one on the garage roof, probably wasn't regulation height, but my friends and I spent a lot of hours shooting on it.
Sue User 7 months ago
This is why it is do hard to win at basketball carnival games. Hoop is not at regulation height.
Load More Replies... Hoi-Polloi 7 months ago
Heh, my first basketball hoop was six tires stacked up. Hey, at least we could totally dunk!
#30
As a Hispanic that grew up middle class.
Using butter containers to store leftover beans. My Tupperware came from re-purposed lands.
*typos are inevitable.
George Costanza 7 months ago
My very white family did this as well. Old margarine tubs held almost all our leftovers.
LakotaWolf (she/her) 7 months ago
As someone who was adopted into and grew up in a Hispanic family, I can guarantee you that ALL of my Hispanic relatives did this and most of them were poor/below the poverty line, not "middle class" at all.
Sam Trudeau 7 months ago
Not Hispanic in any way, but we reuse old cat litter boxes (plastic ones) as water buckets for s'more bonfires
#31
Having those silly little stick figure family stickers on the back of your minivan.
LakotaWolf (she/her) 7 months ago (edited)
The non-standard ones always used to make me smile when I was a kid. (The ones where the family was actually Star Wars characters or zombies or something.) EDIT: ......oh lawd I just realized what the hangers symbolize on the one above. :x
Michael Largey 7 months ago (edited)
Please tell me those coat hangers don't mean what I think they mean.
Robert T 7 months ago
Actually pretty disgusting if they do, and I am pretty sure they do!
Load More Replies... nottheactualphoto 7 months ago
We didn't have a minivan because they hadn't been invented yet. Neither had Frankie Goes to Hollywood.
#32
Street hockey.
Car!
Robert T 7 months ago
How is that middle class? It's normally football in the UK, but that's kids from pretty much any background, except for those rich enough to have a huge garden to play in.
Richienotsorich 7 months ago
Most areas in the UK have some grassland to play football on. (Ice) Hockey is a bit different in that it needs a solid surface to play with a tennis ball in spring/summer/autumn and a sponge puck in winter. Roads are the best places to play.
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#33
- Sent from my iphone.
Uncle Panda 7 months ago
Just to keep them honest, I'll sometimes type "Sent from my dumb phone" after a message.
Emilu 7 months ago
Over half the population in the US has an iPhone. It's certainly not a flex (and if you think it is, you're a moron). I was using a 6S recently because I stupidly dropped and then accidentally stepped on my actual phone (don't recommend. Looked like it'd been run over by a car) and sure, it'd tell you that but you'd just about need to pay people to take it now. A ten year old phone is a ten year old phone. Even if it tells you what type of phone it is.
Richienotsorich 7 months ago
You need to learn the difference between market share and population. Over half of mobile phones used in the USA are iphones, however less than half of the population have iphones.
Load More Replies... #34
An above ground pool, alone, in the middle of the back yard, with those s****y plastic ladders that flail all over the place when you climb them.
LakotaWolf (she/her) 7 months ago
BP is notorious for failing miserably at proper/correct stock images XD
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Don't listen to me 7 months ago
In America of course. We Europeans don't have our own swimming pools at all.. Except the very rich.
DeoManus Argentem 7 months ago
I would say an in-ground pool is more indicative of middle-class, above ground pools are a lower-class thing.
#35
Company picnics.
Robert T 7 months ago
Company holidays are better! First one I did, we went to Nantes and did go-karting and other fun activities - we thought it was brilliant - the guy from the Paris office thought it was a massive pain to have to go all the way over to Nantes for something they could do nearer home. The second one was in Paris and involved actual work. There wasn't a third! LOL
Kyra Noelle 7 months ago
I hate these. I don't want to spend time with you while working, why do I want to do it on my day off?
#36
This thread has me reminiscing on the sweet summer times of my middle-class childhood:
-drawing with chalk in the driveway.
-Going to a neighbor's to swim in their above-ground pool, while swatting away occasional wasps, and if this wasn't an option, putting a sprinkler under the trampoline.
-A tire swing and/or one of those assembly-required jungle gyms in the backyard.
-Various soccer/music/overnight camps (not fancy ones, usually run by the local university)
-Being a tomboy by necessity because all your bikes/sporting goods/some clothes were passed through the neighborhood boys before they got to you
-Bringing your dad a glass of freshly mixed red koolaid while he takes a break from mowing the lawn with giant noise-cancelling headphones on. Not the ones that play music. They just cancel noise. Blanking on what to call these.
Hoi-Polloi 7 months ago
The "clothes swap" economy is real. My wife had this entire network of mothers with slightly older or younger babies, and we very rarely had to buy new baby clothes. Which is lucky, because any given outfit only fits for a month or so.
Unkeptwoman 7 months ago
My dream childhood, along with playing with our Barbies everyday on the back patio.
#37
Neighborhood yard sales.
Boo 7 months ago
Not a thing in the UK, but I do miss them along with sidewalk sales. We do have boot sale events, but it's not really the same thing.
Richienotsorich 7 months ago
Our 'estate' has had a few. Usually pay money to have your house added to the map and then plonk all your stuff on the drive or front lawn.
Load More Replies... #39
"I'm so glad I bought that Chevy Tahoe. Now I can listen to NPR while driving Bella from her Montessori school to soccer practice.".
#40
Bringing a lunch to the office.
#41
My wife told me about growing up, regularly having smoked salmon over eggs for breakfast, took regular family holidays to other countries/continents and had horse riding lessons.
Meanwhile there's me not allowed to have milk in my porridge/off brand Weetabix.
Oskar vanZandt 7 months ago (edited)
Smoked salmon over scrambled eggs on a toasted bagel or sourdough bread is a Christmas treat for me...
#42
Getting nice and loaded prior to a sporting event to save money; getting drunk enough for long-term-financial-goal apathy to set in and buying tons of food and beer in the stadium because you *can* afford it but *shouldn't* waste the cash.
Richienotsorich 7 months ago
This sounds like 70s/80s Britain. Those yobs *definitely* weren't middle class!
#43
Buy a house with a 2 or 3 car garage and pack them full of c**p and park the cars in the driveway.
Richienotsorich 7 months ago
The alternative in the UK, living in a terraced house, converting the front garden to a drive and having Range Rovers and Jaguars on it. I'd rather have a nicer house in a nicer area with lower standard cars.
#44
My father having his neighborhood friends over to play horseshoes and drink Yuenglings out back.
#45
Having a moderate sedan that you try to keep clean. Theres bird s**t all over it but youre waiting for the next rain instead of doing a car wash.
#46
Camping as a family vacation. We went to Disney World when I was 9, but other than that our vacations were usually camping trips. My dad made enough money to be able to take almost a month off of work each summer (not consecutively, but a week or weekend here and there), but not enough to take us anywhere expensive.
Oskar vanZandt 7 months ago
Camping or family visits for our family... Going abroad wasn't really a thing like it is now.
#48
Going to a fast food place and not looking at the prices.
#49
Mac and cheese go mighty fine with a big a*s box of
Costco wine.
#50
A white teenager driving his dad's subaru and blasting XXXtentacion.
Multa Nocte 7 months ago
🎶 Suicide if you ever try to let go, uh I'm sad, I know, yeah, I'm sad, I know, yeah 🎶
Kyra Noelle 7 months ago
Multa Nocte, hang in there and get someone to talk to and or Meds
Load More Replies... #51
An SUV full of tons of kid's toys, garbage, and equipment being driven from one sport to another by a mom holding a large Starbucks coffee and carrying an expensive handbag.
#53
There was a news story a couple of years ago threatening a shortage of halloumi and several members of my family panicked.
LakotaWolf (she/her) 7 months ago
Just learned was halloumi was yesterday from reading a post on Mumsnet! (Yes, I live "across the pond" but I read "AIBU" Mumsnet posts for entertainment occasionally.) It honestly sounds really delicious - I actually really love goat cheese and sheep cheese but it tends to be difficult to find in the US. :(
Asri 7 months ago
If your local big box grocery store has a cheese counter they will definitely have halloumi. Depending on the Aldi, you can sometimes get it there as well.`
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#54
Not sure that’s a middle class thing you’re describing, sounds to me like you’ve got a quirky 3 year old on your hands which is great!
My partner is a SAHM to both our 3 year old and 8 week old, which I think in this day and age could be considered quite a middle class thing.
Then there’s the multiple holidays we do, the fact we are home owners etc.
I recognise we are very fortunate, but I think we probably slot into the “middle class” thing because of that.
#55
We had a cleaner and a gardener. Sounds awfully posh but really wasn’t. Mum and dad worked full time with 3 kids so didn’t have the time to stay on top of it. The cleaner came once a week and the gardener once a fortnight - just to keep on top of things. Mum and dad felt it was money well spent, kept their stress levels down!
QueerAxolotls 7 months ago
IMO; a cleaner once/twice a month isn't super fancy. My parents do it, and it costs them maybe 200 dollars a month, not including any tips. It's worth it; they vacuum, dust, and mop the whole house. The money pays for that, and the benefit of not having to do that on top of busy work schedules/other health issues.
LakotaWolf (she/her) 7 months ago
Yeah, no, sorry, OP, that's posh. Being able to afford a gardener and a housecleaner, regardless of how often they did or didn't come out to your home, is posh.
#56
Jogging with your Golden Retrievers during the work day while pushing a stroller and trying to lose that baby weight. Next stop Starbucks!
#57
Dads with Merona plaid shirts, cargo shorts, and $7 Panama Jack sunglasses from Walmart grilling next to an above ground pool outside a 3/2 home that their Honda Accord is parked outside.
#58
Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla.
Unkeptwoman 7 months ago
I have the 2006 Corolla AND a 1996 Dodge Ram 2500 with a diesel engine. I'm set for life!
S Bow 7 months ago
Hah! We have a 1998 Ram 1500 and he's a tough old workhorse. My daily ride is a 2006 Chevy cobalt. Are we related? 😄
Load More Replies... #59
Jogging for health.
USMC5815 7 months ago
I was lucky, distance running and the gym were all part of my normal work day. And I got paid to shoot and blow things up.
Kkg 7 months ago
As opposed to jogging to catch a bus. I read a book wrote by a professional runner in 80'. He said that people thought he's crazy that he runs "for fun". The only reason to run was to catch a bus when you left home to late. Otherwise you were a weirdo.
Load More Replies... #60
$7 bloody marys/ $5 mimosas on top of a $14 brunch entree on a patio that features croquet and boccie ball... while sitting on many thousands of dollars worth of student loan debt.
#63
Making *barely* too much money for any government assistance, yet living paycheck to paycheck without doing really anything extra besides pay your bills and buying groceries... While Susie next door gets every form of government assistance making $30k less than you, but is able to have the newest clothes, nicest bags, go on vacations etc. And Jenny down the road makes $30k more than you, lives in a huge house, drives a BMW, has all the nicest clothes, bags etc and goes on a slightly nicer vacation than Susie.
The USA is screwed up. LOWER middle class is bad because you're excited about your raise - you don't have to live off food stamps anymore! - but you're now more poor than you were -$10k ago.
Child of the Stars 7 months ago
Sorry, I don't buy "Susie's" story. I know that there are those who take advantage of the system, but they're very rare. The requirements are too rigid that it's difficult to take advantage of.
LakotaWolf (she/her) 7 months ago
I think it's more of an urban legend - I remember when I was a kid there was always talk amongst the adults about how "so and so" was on welfare but had better stuff than anyone else/got mani-pedis/etc.
Load More Replies... #64
I, when I was about 5, went into my parent's friend's house. I then asked where their library was. We had one, I thought everyone did.
The Scout 7 months ago
First thing I did when I moved into my first appartment was exactly that - fashioning my study into an old-fashioned library with upholstered reading chairs and a globus bar. And, of course, the books to go with it, but I already had tons of those before... Ate nearly two thirds of my furniture budget, but was worth every cent.
#65
Walking into Waitrose and not being like woaaaah.
ucp 7 months ago
There is a common misconception about Waitrose. Yes, it is more expensive for its own brand food. But it also treats farmers (and the animals reared by some of those farmers) better than other supermarkets. Also, for context, I went to Tesco this week. Six free range eggs £1.65. In Waitrose, they are £1.45. If you value quality, Waitrose own brand stuff is often superior to branded goods, and considerably cheaper. In my town, it’s also the biggest supermarket so has the broadest range. TL;DR - it’s not as expensive as people who never go there often believe.
#68
This is sorta area specific because I'm in the PNW.
Driving to Disneyland.
If you have more than one or two kids, flying gets expensive. But a 12-15 hour drive down is accessible.
LakotaWolf (she/her) 7 months ago
I live in the same city I've lived in all my life, which is about a 20-30 minute drive away from Disneyland. We rarely went to Disneyland, even when it was much, MUCH cheaper when I was a kid (in the 80s/90s.) XD
#69
Jorts
Tucked in polo shirt
Visors.
#71
Coming up with schemes to retire before you're 60. It used to be 50 but the economy and current market trends have pushed that out of the realm of possibility. I got a buddy who's invested about a grand into a website to flip houses. Another has invested some money in a website trying to be the next Amazon. On more who is moving his entire 401k into wells Fargo stock.
I guess the biggest thing you learn in middle class is that it's not much better than lower class. That maybe if you get into that next tax bracket you'll finally be comfortable and be able to breathe a bit.
#72
2 weeks paid vacation.
The Scout 7 months ago
Well, I got six, and that really is on the lower side for Germany... especially as there is no such thing as numbered sick days (when you are sick, you are sick, no vacation or sick days needed). By carefully constructing that around the numerous public holidays you can more or less expand that.
Kkg 7 months ago
I think minimum for Germany is about 25 days/5 weeks. Standard in many industries is 30+ days. Oh and that does not include 10-13 bank holidays.
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patricia patricia 7 months ago
Every worker gets four weeks paid holidays by law in Spain. And as many sick days as they need. Provided you have a report from your doctor, there's no limit.
#73
Don't make enough to afford to pay for college, but too much to get need-based financial aid.
#74
In law school we learnt about this one case in Britain about a neighbour hosting a party celebrating their favourite musical composer which annoyed the neighbour, who then played his classical music by a different composer louder than the partying neighbours.
I mean r/madlads aside, that might be the most middle class thing I could have imagined.
#76
My parent's generation was, I think, the last generation where it was socially acceptable to be aspirational in the 'hyacinth bucket' sense. We didn't have much money at all growing up, but things like having Sky TV or wearing expensive trainers was seen as 'yobbo' behaviour - flashing your cash was not encouraged at all.
Nowadays it seems more common for people to downplay their privilege, people don't tend to have a 'phone voice' any more and usually emphasise their regional accents.
My theory is that you can work out what type of middle class people are from what supermarket they shop at. Lower middle class people love Waitrose & M&S and wouldn't be seen dead in Asda, whereas upper middle class people shop exclusively at aldi, wear charity shop clothes and drive old bangers.
#77
Kohls.
QueerAxolotls 7 months ago
My grandmother should be their token customer by now. Everything she owns is from Amazon Basics, Target, Kohls, or some random now-closed store.
LakotaWolf (she/her) 7 months ago
I only have one Kohl. Why would I want to name two cats the same thing?! (joking... but for real, my oldest cat's name IS Kohl XD She's named after the ancient Egyptian eye cosmetic that was made from the mineral stibnite and not the store, though.) kohl_kohl_...b078f9.jpg 
#79
Too wealthy for Medicare; too poor for Obamacare.
DeoManus Argentem 7 months ago
MedicAID is for poor people, MediCARE is for old people. Obamacare is a dumpster fire.
S Bow 7 months ago
All health insurance in the US is a dumpster fire, regardless of source.
Load More Replies... #80
I had tailored suit to go to the opera.
When I was 6.
#82
A group of moms drinking trader Joe's wine and talking about their MLM "businesses" while their three year olds splash about at swim lessons. Every one drives a white SUV and every one had something to say about Mommy Juice and Happy Hour and what reward was next on their list for selling enough leggings or candles or essential oils.
LakotaWolf (she/her) 7 months ago
My mom briefly sold Avon when I was a kid and had the (very) occasional Tupperware party. I wonder if that was the 1980s version of this XD
patricia patricia 7 months ago
As far as I know, at least in the country where I grew up, Avon had nothing to do with a MLM. They sold a variety of good products, and they didn't promise anything miraculous, like "you'll be a millionaire in six months". It was just a source of income for women who were housewives and wanted to have some money of their own. This was in Argentina over forty years ago, though.
Load More Replies... #83
I never had Sky TV.
(I do genuinely think it’s a pretty middle class thing to forgo sky).
#85
I once went to a friend's house and they started singing around a piano. Knocked me sick to my stomach.
#86
Growing up we had a tennis court and a swimming pool in the garden, as well as a maze. My aunt and uncle and also my early childhood best friend also had swimming pools or tennis courts - I thought pretty much everyone had one until I was about 10/11.
I am a much, much more grounded person now.
LakotaWolf (she/her) 7 months ago
Oh, sweet summer child, you weren't middle-class. You were rich XD
DeoManus Argentem 7 months ago
Depends on where you live - I grew up middle class, and in my area every house had an in-ground pool - in fact I don't think I've ever been to a friend's house that didn't have one. Only one time have I been to a house with it's own tennis court... it also had an elevator... so yeah, rich.
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What do you think ?
Ace 7 months ago
All this list highlights to me is the vast range of views of what is considered "middle class" by different people. Many of them resonate with what I thought of as aspirational back in the day, suburban living, if you like, things that working class people might aspire to but actual middle class folk would view as 'common' or beneath them.
LooseSeal's $10 Banana 7 months ago
Yeah, middle class in San Diego, CA is vastly different than middle class in St. Louis, MO.
Load More Replies... Scrupulous Panda 7 months ago
Living in the UK after growing up in America, I have learned that “Middle Class” is defined differently in the US vs the rest of Europe. The US definition of middle class would be working class. The UK version would be working class rich (but not necessarily wealthy).
Mimi M 7 months ago
Big difference for me was being able to live without acute worry. A lot of this is because I keep expenses very low. But there was a long period of time where even though my expenses were low, I still worried all the time that I would not be able to cover my basic needs (food, shelter). I'm glad not to be there now.
James Ward 7 months ago
Having a TV in the bedroom. Only eating out on weekends. Beach vacations. Maids every two weeks. Polo shirts. Dogs in a baby stroller.
Lady Eowyn 7 months ago
I grew up middle class in the 60s/70s, and almost none of this is relatable.
Asri 7 months ago
70's for me. I think there was a lot fewer expectations about needing to have a big house in the suburbs and an expensive car. (US style) Now people who call themselves middle class are in debt up to their eyeballs instead of living within their means.
Load More Replies... Ace 7 months ago
All this list highlights to me is the vast range of views of what is considered "middle class" by different people. Many of them resonate with what I thought of as aspirational back in the day, suburban living, if you like, things that working class people might aspire to but actual middle class folk would view as 'common' or beneath them.
LooseSeal's $10 Banana 7 months ago
Yeah, middle class in San Diego, CA is vastly different than middle class in St. Louis, MO.
Load More Replies... Scrupulous Panda 7 months ago
Living in the UK after growing up in America, I have learned that “Middle Class” is defined differently in the US vs the rest of Europe. The US definition of middle class would be working class. The UK version would be working class rich (but not necessarily wealthy).
Mimi M 7 months ago
Big difference for me was being able to live without acute worry. A lot of this is because I keep expenses very low. But there was a long period of time where even though my expenses were low, I still worried all the time that I would not be able to cover my basic needs (food, shelter). I'm glad not to be there now.
James Ward 7 months ago
Having a TV in the bedroom. Only eating out on weekends. Beach vacations. Maids every two weeks. Polo shirts. Dogs in a baby stroller.
Lady Eowyn 7 months ago
I grew up middle class in the 60s/70s, and almost none of this is relatable.
Asri 7 months ago
70's for me. I think there was a lot fewer expectations about needing to have a big house in the suburbs and an expensive car. (US style) Now people who call themselves middle class are in debt up to their eyeballs instead of living within their means.
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