I think I have a problem-my income level places me as lower-middle class, but I have the mannerisms and aspirations of a rich person. I am not interested in football or other blue-collar sports; I have a fondness for polo matches and crew races.
I spend an inordinate amount of money on fine clothes, and I drink decnt wine with dinner.
I listen to classical music, and I attrent the opera.
I also appreciate fine art and political debate.
All of this places me in the upper reaches of society-but i don’t have the income level to really hang with this class of people-does anybody jhave any suggestions on how I can live an upper-class lifestyle on a budget?
Damn, I can’t afford a Rolls-Royce, or a summer house in the Hamptons…and socualizing with blue-collar people is SO DREADFUL!
-Muffy, whatever am I to do?:smack:
Well, I’d like to help, but I already spent my millions on stock cars and pork rinds (reaches for another Busch beer.)
(Ok, what is this thread really about?)
Yess, po-folk would obviously never enjoy any of those things.
grabs cheeseburger and beer, watches “the game” on laz-e-boy
Might try the employment thang.
Anybody with a Laz-E-Boy[sup]TM[/sup] is already rich beyond his wildest dreams.
Did I mention that it is third-hand used with duct tape holding in the stuffing?
Plenty of people without a lot of money still appreciate and live with, to some extent, the finer things. Don’t think that economic standing and enjoying the finer things go hand in hand. I grew up appreciating fine art, having intellectual discussions, and watching opera on public television, and I was raised by a single mother on welfare. It never ceases to amaze me when my solidly working class side of the family goes out with the millionaire side of the family. We always pick out a nice restraunt and order really good food (we’re all a bunch of foodies) and they always order hamburgers all around.
I am a college student. I pay over ninety-percent of my income on rent. This leaves me with only a tiny bit of money a week to live on. I’m downright poor. I get substidized electricity. I pick up pennies when I see them on the sidewalk. But I consider my life to be pretty luxerious.
It’s all in the details. It’s the smallest things that make you seem classy. It’s not too much more expensive (and a lot more heavenly) to get an Italian soda and a small dark chocolate gelato than it is to get a can of Pepsi and a Fudgesicle. It’s not really more expensive to drink reasonably decent wine instead of beer. Find a small set of things that you really really enjoy, and by all means enjoy them whenever possible. Go out of your way to enjoy them- every Wednesday I walk two miles to the farmer’s market just to get a couple hot samosas. Just don’t start spending money on things you don’t enjoy. If you start to cut down on the needless crap you buy (potato chips, magazines, lottery tickets) you’ll have plenty of money left for the little luxeries.
Then you decide a couple things that you will spare no expense on. I will always have a good pair of shoes, even if it costs me well over a hundred dollars. Life is too short to walk around in bad shoes. I will always eat well, even if I don’t get a lot of food. I go to nice restraunts, but I stay away from fancy drinks and desserts. If there is something that you don’t really care about, don’t worry about doing it cheap. I’ll drink three-dollar bottles of wine from Trader Joes. I’d never dream of buying expensive jewelry. I havn’t paid for a haircut in three years. I don’t have a car.
There are some things that just scream “no class”. I refuse to put posters up on my wall- instead I have origional art that my friends have done, photographs that I’ve taken and paintings that I bought at thrift store. I try to keep my house from looking too much like a student house- I have things like (cheap) furniture and real matching dishes. Remember, you don’t need a lot of nice stuff- just a lack of tacky stuff.
Then there are the things you can fake. Simple, classic clothes, even from thrift stores and discount stores (as long as they are well made) will always look better than even the most expensive trendy clothes. I have two gorgeous fitted long wool winter jackets- the sort of things that cost a couple hundred bucks each- that I found at a thrift store for under ten dollars each. Nothing is more classy than having a couple bookcases full of books- I drop by the used book store every week and buy two or three books. Museums usually have discout days, plays and musical performances often have “student rush” tickets and nothing beats a matinee at the local artsy movie theater. Universities have nearly endless cultural events that don’t cost too much to get into.
Finally, the classiest thing possible is a newspaper. They are only a quarter and if you walk into work or school or a coffee shop with one under your arm, you’ll instantly raise yourself above the masses. Plus, you’ll keep yourself infomed for all those intellectual discussions (which are free!)
My problem is compounded by the fact that i live in a blue-collar town! Some of THOSE people are absolutely dreadful! Between the too-loud mufflers and the boom boxes, it is a trial to live here…and socializing with those people? They have absolutley the wrong accents! Their children dress like black gang-bangers (with the 3" of underwear showing),backwards baseball caps, etc. I prefer my children to dress with blazers (blue) and striped ties.
Oh, the humanity…can some kind millionaire lend me $1 million, so I can assume my proper station in life!
I’m sensing a whoosh here…
The only advice I can give you is try and catch the Winchester episodes of MASH and study him. If he can do it, so can you.
After associating with the little people I often find it difficult to get rid of that eau de poor stench. I recommend vigorously scrubbing yourself with money until the unfortunate smell disappears.
Ralph,
Your setting your sights to low. A million dollars will never get you accepted by the snobs you seek acceptance from. You will need enough money that you can DONATE a million dollars to some arts organization. BTW, it has to be old money, so even if you manage to convince someone that your web site can sell at a loss and make it up in volume and give you millions of dollars, that won’t be good enough. You could possibly hope to marry into it, but the snob you seek to be like will still look down on you. It is, in fact, hopeless, and I can only recommend that you learn to enjoy football.
Damn. Count me as whooshed! blushes