ListNook

KapahuluBiz May 12, 2026 +3782

>“I live in a little tiny room with..it's sparse, nothing in it,” he said. “My life has been culled down to the bare minimum.” >He added: “I have never been happier in my life. Once I started to reorient myself, recalibrate myself with God's help to the focus to Him, the joy started coming.” I'm not a religious person, but I think this is cool. Wealthy guy gives away his fortune and is living a happy and fulfilling life without the trappings of wealth.

3782

yousmartyouloyal1 May 12, 2026 +1581

People love to shit on Catholicism and Catholic priests (in some cases for good reason) but in my mind for the most part they live a lot closer to the style of life Jesus preached about than those evangelical preachers with private jets and mega mansions

1581

Ganbazuroi May 12, 2026 +523

Jesuits and Franciscan Priests in particular are extremely cool, they go out of their way to help people, feed and clothe the poor and make good on their preaching It's not easy at all btw, these people go into dangerous places to do their missions - talking about dangerous slums *dominated* by cartels and other criminals. Literally risking life and limb to do good, I myself wouldn't have the guts to do it

523

MKTheGreat42 May 13, 2026 +192

I went to a Jesuit high school and all of the priests who taught there were the nicest, funniest people

192

GEARHEADGus May 13, 2026 +73

There’s a really cool story about a Franciscan monk who was also the chaplain for the NYFD during 9/11 and he was one of the first people killed/recovered. The other monk who he had chosen to give his eulogy gave a good one. I’m not doing it justice. StoryCorps on YouTube has it Edit: Father Mychal Judge

73

beemojee May 13, 2026 +23

[Father Mychel Judge](https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/abroad/remembering-fr-mychal-judge-the-irish-american-priest-killed-in-9-11-1.3625886)

23

fhota1 May 13, 2026 +99

Its kinda wild to me how much the Jesuits have managed to salvage their reputation. Cause yeah, modern day theyre one of the cooler factions in the church and generally chill about a lot of stuff, but if you look at a whole lot of the old colonial era missions in Latin America, their name is on the door.

99

1ndori May 13, 2026 +68

They're kinda on both sides of the coin in the Americas, even during colonization. They were attached to colonizing forces as a part of spreading their religion, but were also a huge factor for social justice for indigenous peoples.

68

ImperialRedditer May 13, 2026 +11

Jesuit missions in Paraguay is the reason why Paraguay is the only American country to have a native language (Guarani) as an official language, because the Jesuits eventually armed the Guaranis against Spanish colonists.

11

Bakermonster May 13, 2026 +6

Not quite. Quechua and Aymara are official in Bolivia and Peru, for example. What the Jesuits did do is provide the Latin alphabet so that Guarani could become a written and not just oral language. The dialect of Guarani that the missions used has been gone since the late 18th century. Guarani as it exists today is really a mix of Classical or “Pure” Guarani called Guaranirete and Spanish, a variant of the Porteno dialect that uses the voseo but not the yeismo. This mix is called Jopara, literally “mixture” in Guarani. In practice Spanish is the language of business and Guarani the language of the home. As one gets more urban there is less Guarani, many Asuncenos or Encarnacenos know only a cursory amount of it. As one gets more rural the opposite becomes true. This is not due to a racial divide, as 95% of the country is Mestizo, or mixed Spanish and indigenous. \-Lived in Paraguay for years, am fluent in Spanish and Guarani.

6

johnahoe May 13, 2026 +36

Can you expand on this? From what I know, the Jesuits were one of the better forces (as far as colonizers go) and were expelled from Mexico for advocating for the rights of the indigenous population. Please correct me if I’m wrong, not trying to be argumentative at alllllll

36

fhota1 May 13, 2026 +24

Nah no worries. They were better than the Spanish crown for sure, but thats a really low bar. They would protect the natives to an extent, and yes often had major disagreements with the local landowners over it, but also definitely engaged in what would be considered slavery today both of Natives and of imported Africans. Nicer slavery than some of the other groups there, but still slavery. The big thing though is their whole purpose there was to basically be the softer side of the genocide of the native cultures. Sure they didnt actively go around murdering the native peoples like the conquistadors did, but they certainly were instrumental in forcing "good christian worldviews" on them. A lot of native cultures got either erased or significantly changed by the Jesuits.

24

johnahoe May 13, 2026 +9

Ok, that makes a ton of sense. I think I’ve gotten used to looking for the “good guys” in the bad guys. It’s at best a velvet glove over an iron fist. Thanks!

9

FluffyProphet May 13, 2026 +6

I think it really depends on who the Jesuits were attached to. I know in Acadia, before the British shit over everything, the Acadian Jesuits were much more diplomatic. Conversions were usually initiated by Mi'kmaq leaders as a diplomatic tool, and the Jesuits in the area were very open to allowing Mi'kmaq to blend their traditions and beliefs into Catholicism. The relations with settlers and natives in the area were also much less hostile, generally friendly and mutually beneficial. To this day, Mi'kmaq and Acadian leaders still hold ceremonies and events to commemorate the friendship between the two peoples and remember the crimes committed against both groups by the British. The balance of power was also very different. The Mi'kmaq had a mature political system of their own. Their own diplomatic networks. They were strong militarily. It was a mature society. They were the bigger threat to Acadians than Acadians to them. Both sides sort of recognised the legitimacy of the other. I know as an Acadian, I've been to a few Mi'kmaq-heavy areas. I don't have a normal Acadian accent, so I kind of get the initial cold shoulder that one would expect, being a white man in someone else's home, but the people tend to warm up to me quickly when they hear my last name. I'm not saying bad things didn't happen; they certainly did. But it wasn't standard operating procedure, and the general overview of the situation is much more positive... until the British shit over everything.

6

RepresentativeKoala3 May 13, 2026 +12

The missions conferred protection from slave raids and European settlement in some areas (notably Paraguay, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The\_Mission\_(1986\_film)#Historical\_basis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mission_(1986_film)#Historical_basis)). Not sure how that's a bad thing. Them owning sugar plantations in the Caribbean on the other hand...

12

Breakfast_Sausage May 13, 2026 +11

Augustine too. Shout out Gregor Mendel.

11

MurongYuan May 13, 2026 +6

Without Jesuits an insane amount of knowledge would have been lost. They put a lot of things that was originally orally transmitted to paper to ensure it's survival. The K'iche' Popol Vuh is a famous example. Now naturally one could argue that if the Spaniards hadnt been there in the first place such a thing wouldnt have been needed but a lot of civilizations disappeared without colonialism (like the Olmecs) and we know little about them because they didnt write.

6

spacenb May 13, 2026 +5

Briefly worked at the library of a Franciscan convent to catalog its collection of ancient and rare printed books from the 16th to the 19th centuries, can confirm the friars were really kind, intelligent people who lived humbly and cared most about the gospel, charity and selflessness.

5

beemojee May 13, 2026 +2

My personal favorite these days is this Augustinian priest called Pope Leo XIV.

2

TheGoblinPopper May 13, 2026 +10

Jesuits are meh sometimes. Not bad, but sometimes meh. I'm not even sure I can put my finger on it either. Dominicans and Franciscans I can get onboard with.

10

beemojee May 13, 2026 +5

I used to go to this regular diocesan church but it was staffed by Dominicans who are known as preaching friars. I have to say they gave some of the best sermons I've ever heard.

5

Passchenhell17 May 12, 2026 +585

Evangelicals are what most people think Satanists are

585

DarthBrooks69420 May 13, 2026 +17

Grew up pentecostal. At the very best the people i was exposed to were naive and thought the prosperity gospel wasn't some sort of indictment if they weren't successful, but an eventual reward from god. But also there exist those like Robert Jefferies, spiritual advisor to the 47th-president-of-the-US-who-cannot-be-named, who very much carry Satan's countenance upon them. That dude used to head up the biggest Baptist church (another satanic organization) in my home town. But yes. These people do evil in the lords name.

17

Spire_Citron May 12, 2026 +69

Evangelicals set a very low bar, to be fair.

69

Bora_Horza_Gobuchol May 13, 2026 +13

Evangelion is a cool anime

13

CompetitiveProject4 May 13, 2026 +5

I’m pretty sure Evangelion’s take on Christian mythology is about as accurate as the evangelical version.

5

facemanbarff May 12, 2026 +50

The OG’s…

50

FunnySynthesis May 13, 2026 +46

Its because Catholic and Orthodox are apostolic churches and believe in living the bible not just reading it. Obviously there are still some bad apples but its not at the core of their practicing like a lot of low prot and non denom churches

46

thornsandroses May 12, 2026 +151

To be fair I live a style of life closer to what Jesus preached than those mega church preachers and I'm an atheist and lesbian. It's not a high bar to achieve.

151

Gimme_Your_Wallet May 13, 2026 +14

You know what? That's a really good way to frame it. Thank you.

14

harleyqueenzel May 13, 2026 +7

Your comment reminds me of a quote from [Penn Jillette that's lived with me for about a decade](https://youtu.be/AwebTX3rk3E?si=0FEJcXE4IEPOivTn) As my grandmother would tell me- you don't need a book to tell you about morality when God told Abraham to kill his son for funnsies.

7

TheGoblinPopper May 13, 2026 +28

Most Catholic priests do not have vows of poverty. Vows of poverty are only a part of different groups that the priest can join if they wanted, like the Franciscans or Dominicans. I have found normal Catholic priests to be a bit all over the place, but I have rarely met anyone who dislikes a friar. Crazy how everyone likes you when you actually live the way Jesus preached instead of saying you are persecuted as a Christian while buying jets and locking poor people out of your empty megachurch during serious weather events.

28

Italianhiker May 13, 2026 +21

Most catholic priests who aren’t a member of a specific religious order don’t have a vow of poverty, but they are still generally expected (at least for the lay priests) to live a relatively simple and modest lifestyle. In the USA at least most make less than $45k. The real people making money in a normal Diocese are any in house lawyers, any CFO types, educational admin people (eg not the priests). Granted - as a priest they’d have access to free healthcare, housing, etc etc so the salary would be mostly for personal expenses

21

Jay__Riemenschneider May 13, 2026 +2

I only know 1 outlier of many priests that doesn't live in poverty. And he was a f****** creep. More sad loser than pedo. Dude had a 40 foot fishing yacht. What priest even has a boat? All of the other priests in my old church basically lived in what I'd call a furnished prison cell. And they loved it. Genuinely great dudes. Except for 1.

2

SassiestPants May 13, 2026 +7

I also only know one (former) priest that had some higher-value material possessions. One of the kindest men I've ever known. His homilies were excellent and he really lived the motto of "meeting people where they're at." He had a wealthy uncle who would buy him a nice vehicle like every ten years so he wouldn't have to spend his paltry salary on maintaining a beater. This man is no longer a priest because he yelled at the (also former) bishop for raising our parish's CSS fundraising demand in 2008, when like, no one in our podunk town had money. Absolute hero, love you Anton.

7

Competitive_Bat_5831 May 12, 2026 +11

100% them and orthodox clergy know how to live as an example. Pretty much all new sects could take a lesson.

11

altitudearts May 13, 2026 +2

Right! Jesus said to be a REAL Christian, you had to sell all your stuff, give away the money, and go help the poor. Period. Lots of Christians don’t talk too much about that part.

2

commit10 May 12, 2026 +3

Some more than others, but there are definitely some admirable people in the church. Like with many religions. But there are also some great people who do it without religion, like Chuck Feeny.

3

GoodDogBrent May 13, 2026 +2

why do you need any religion to do this though

2

DrDerpberg May 13, 2026 +4

I'm as atheist as it gets, but the dogshit on my shoe lives a life closer to the style Jesus preached than those pricks.

4

No_Fairweathers May 12, 2026 +183

This is the type of shit religion is *supposed* to be. Doing it out of wanting good in your own life, and using your beliefs to help others while being happy in your own. It's sad that many people use it to pass judgment on to others and force beliefs onto others, even infringing on body autonomy.

183

Due-Kale3412 May 12, 2026 +67

Normally I don't discuss this online- I volunteer for Catholic churches as they are one of the few churches that strive to meet all of the needs of a community. Many parishes even laid off of being pushy about medical issues for women as they just don't have the desire to upset people. Catholic church groups end up absorbing people who have been maltreated by other religious groups.

67

USPO-222 May 12, 2026 +25

Evangelize by living the Word rather than preaching it

25

BrightFireFly May 13, 2026 +28

Our Catholic Churches in Southwest Ohio do so much for refugees. They help provide housing, language lessons, food banks, etc. I was raised Catholic, now an atheist, but I do continue to respect the work they do.

28

Due-Kale3412 May 13, 2026 +17

Oddly enough Catholics love atheists because of the blunt honesty they bring with them. The tradition of giving goes way back.....I could call The RC Church a cultural church.

17

KeyofE May 13, 2026 +2

I was raised Catholic and am now atheist, but the idea of “works” was really important to us growing up. It doesn’t matter how close you personally are to Jesus if you don’t put in the elbow grease. There are so many things wrong with the Roman Catholic Church, but I think they did that right.

2

Ihavsunitato May 13, 2026 +11

Also, even though when they're anti-abortion, they actually DO something about it. In my town they run a women's shelter, a low-cost women's health clinic, offer parenting classes and family therapy and even have a low-cost preschool. They're also not hypocritical on the whole "life only matters when it's an unborn baby thing". The catholic church has been pretty outspoken against the war in the middle east, and are actually one of the biggest advocates for the abolition of the death penalty.

11

mahouyousei May 13, 2026 +8

I remember seeing a video where this guy went around to a bunch of anti-abortion protests with a clipboard asking them if they’d be willing to sign his petition supporting free lunches in schools and building more women’s shelters and things like that. The vast majority of them said no but this one guy in the video mentioned he was there with a Catholic charity and said he was happy to sign it because his view genuinely was that life begins at conception but if he wanted a world where women didn’t feel they needed to get abortions, then it needed to be a world that supported them and their children otherwise. He then asked the petitioner to pray with him for said women and children. Now I myself am pro-abortion rights, and disagree with this man’s position regarding the whole “life at conception” thing but at the very least I can muster up respect for his convictions and willingness to then offer support in other ways he can. He wasn’t there to “punish” women for their sexuality like so many others are.

8

SargeInCharge May 13, 2026 +19

it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God My guy really took that one to heart!

19

90403scompany May 12, 2026 +46

One of my personal heroes is [Chuck Feeney](https://gulfnews.com/special-reports/charles-feeney-the-billionaire-who-gave-away-8-billion-and-chose-to-die-poor-1.1729508909914), who founded DFS (Duty Free Shoppers). He's got a great story too.

46

Ok_Course_6757 May 12, 2026 +20

Yes, Chuck Feeney was a major benefactor for the University of Limerick where I live, but that wasn't publicly known until after his death.

20

Ganbazuroi May 12, 2026 +8

Tbh that's noble, it's way easier to see it as pure intentions and not clout chasing this way

8

OhhhhhBiscuits May 12, 2026 +20

Not to mention e.l.f. Cosmetics are one of the most affordable brands available, so he made that fortune without price gauging consumers.

20

Jolly_Conflict May 13, 2026 +5

Just like St Francis of Assisi 🙂

5

BoleroMuyPicante May 13, 2026 +3

Credit where credit is due, he's walking the walk.

3

IamTheEndOfReddit May 13, 2026 +3

He sounds like he is on the right side of religion, trying to be closer to god. My yogis are always quoting the bible

3

KingMRano May 12, 2026 +10

Problem is me as a poor guy wants to do this but can't afford to give what little I have up because it is the only thing keeping my son progressing.

10

Gimme_Your_Wallet May 13, 2026 +13

Not your cross to bear, friend. God knows what lies in your heart. And He loves you for it.

13

nanackle May 13, 2026 +2

Mark 12:41-44 ESV [41] And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. [42] And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. [43] And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. [44] For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” It's not the amount it's truly what is in your heart. You have a good heart!

2

Syzyjyzygy May 13, 2026 +3

This is actually what Jesus explicitly commanded his followers to do. Rare to actually see it.

3

dabeeman May 12, 2026 -2

“ The exact amount of money that Borba gave away is not known…” it’s much easier to live a simple life when you know you can afford anything that comes up. everyone should get to live with a safety net like that.

-2

AmethystApothecary May 12, 2026 +106

Yeah, but he's doing literally what we're asking billionaires to do instead of trying to hoard wealth and political capital like dragons.

106

Emergency-Assist-421 May 12, 2026 +169

You know when you join the priesthood you give up much of your wealth and possessions and in exchange the church provides accommodation and a stipend for you. Your comments in this thread are full of spite and bitterness.

169

tpeeeezy May 12, 2026 +113

theyre a top 1% commenter, they dont know anything other than spite and bitterness

113

KimJongFunk May 13, 2026 +8

I’m a top 1% commenter and I think what the ELF founder is doing is cool. I also attended a Jesuit college where vows of poverty were common.

8

lorarc May 12, 2026 +33

That's simply not true. Priests are allowed personal wealth. Even monks don't have to give up everything.

33

NoForm5443 May 12, 2026 +19

It depends; it seems regular (diocesan) priests don't take a vow of poverty, but many in religious orders do, so they can't own property. It's also not necessarily die of hunger or anything, but be ready to do so, if necessary.

19

Emergency-Assist-421 May 12, 2026 +1

“Much of your wealth”. It depends on the country and diocese but typically a prospective priest will surrender a lot of their wealth to the diocese or religious order before they are ordained. There are of course exceptions but that is the normal practice.

1

jtobiasbond May 12, 2026 +28

They don't. Diocesan priests don't do this at *all.* They aren't expected to. Source: I was a Catholic seminarian and know dozens of priests.

28

lorarc May 12, 2026 +12

Any examples? Because catholic church does not mandate stuff like that. Even religious orders usually only take control of the wealth instead of taking ownership of it.

12

Emergency-Assist-421 May 12, 2026 +1

Check if your local diocese has a written policy on such things. Many do. Plus joining the priesthood is a life commitment so there is usually no need for excessive wealth as you won’t have a wife or children to pass it onto.

1

lorarc May 12, 2026 +10

Priests have families, if they would give up their wealth they'd rather transfer it to their relatives. Though church over here is rather well-off, it might be different in USA where church is in financial trouble.

10

StealthyUnikorn May 12, 2026 +11

Never seen a hungry priest.

11

Fishinluvwfeathers May 12, 2026 +20

I went to catholic school in a very catholic southern town (as a non Catholic) and was a bit of an outsider but was fascinated by the religion. I became friendly with a younger Vietnamese priest and he was just such a cool guy that I had to ask him what drove him to become a priest. He said, in his village, the only people who were fat were the priests so he set his mind to become one so he could be fat too (he was not in fact fat in his 30s), which I found both hilarious and a little sad. He also had the coolest take on heaven and hell that 13 year old me had heard at the time. Hell is a long banquet table filled with the most exquisite food you could imagine. But everyone is given only these unwieldy large chop sticks to eat with that are too long to maneuver to your mouth. So everyone is starving, angry, and unfulfilled. Heaven is the exact same set up except everyone at that table is using the chopsticks to feed each other. I believe in neither but the metaphor always stuck.

20

Kerbonaut2019 May 12, 2026 +1

Catholic priests live under a vow of poverty. They are only supposed to possess enough money to survive, and their expenses are often paid by the diocese (church region) that they are part of. He isn’t going to be “affording” anything, because there’s really nothing he is supposed to be buying for himself

1

jtobiasbond May 12, 2026 +23

The vow of poverty is only taken by religious (i.e. monks and friars), not priests. Secular priests (i.e. those only associated with a diocese) take vows only of chastity and obedience.

23

Competitive-Ad-9404 May 12, 2026 +10

No, not all Catholic priests take vow of poverty.

10

Legitimate_Egg_2073 May 12, 2026 +7

I went to a Roman Catholic school in New England, and while the nuns lived all together in dormitory style, sleeping in modest bunk beds; did all of their own cooking and cleaning while teaching classes and basically running our school, the single priest lived quite nicely in a well appointed manor full of polished wood and antiques, staffed with a chef, housekeeper, driver, etc etc.

7

Realistic-Produce-28 May 12, 2026 +8

Catholic priests get financial support from the Vatican/church. Nuns do not and typically either have to work or fundraise to support themselves.

8

godisanelectricolive May 13, 2026 +2

Diocesan priests do not take a vow of poverty, only those who live in a religious community do. In a religious community everything is shared communally, including any income made by the monastery or convent. Priests get paid a salary by the diocese but they are allowed to have personal wealth in the form of savings, inherited wealth and investments. They do buy their personal vehicles using their salary. At the end of the day they are still responsible for saving up for their own retirement and they are allowed to keep in touch with family and take of them financially. But they aren't supposed to hoard wealth because of Catholic social teachings. Catholic doctrine says greed is a sin and accumulating more money than you could possibly need is deeply immoral. A good Catholic priests would donate any excess wealth to charity for the benefit of the poor and to promote social justice. There is a concept called "social mortgage" which says individual private property is subordinate to the right of common use and that there is a "universal destination of goods". To quote St. Ambrose: "The earth belongs to everyone, not to the rich". Goods should only be accumulated if they can used for the common good or be distributed to the needy. The vow of obedience they do take means if their bishop tell them to donate their extra money at the time of ordination, they must do it. It is up to their superiors to make sure priests aren't hoarding wealth. Also, if they are dedicated to their job as a priest and doing it ethically, they shouldn’t have that many opportunities to enrich themselves after starting the vocation.

2

epidemicsaints May 12, 2026 +3276

"I was a poster boy for luxury living" He's talking about his personal life, but e.l.f. products are famously $1-15, available at the grocery store, and often offer very good dupes for popular luxury products three times the price in some cases.

3276

Captain_Mazhar May 12, 2026 +1581

People fail to remember that the demand curve goes both ways. Make a c**** product and people will buy it, but make a good c**** product, and people will be loyal customers for years.

1581

little-bird May 13, 2026 +438

ELF and The Ordinary have saved me a gamechanging amount of money over the years with the prices they charge for simple, effective, good quality products that other brands offer at 5-10 times the price (sometimes even more). once you learn about the key ingredients your skin actually needs, and how to look past the marketing to understand product labels, it’s insane to see how many of the high-end brands charge wayyyyy extra for random botanicals and shit you don’t need in order to justify the price of a $100 jar of cream that mostly delivers results via the same active ingredient you can get elsewhere at a higher concentration for $10 a bottle. so yeah I appreciate brands like these so much, I’d be a lot poorer and uglier without them! 😂

438

HereWeFuckingGooo May 13, 2026 +75

I love The Ordinary, their HA serums and moisturisers are amazing. Adding to this, anyone interested in learning about skincare ingredients should read Paula Begoun's book "Don't Go To The Cosmetics Counter Without Me". She also has her own cosmetics range called Paula's Choice, (it's expensive but lasts ages). Also the YouTube channel Doctorly has two dermatologists that do a great job breaking down what different ingredients do.

75

beaute-brune May 13, 2026 +27

Meanwhile Miss Barbra Sturm sells a $325 hyaluronic acid serum and disagrees with retinol/retinoid use lol

27

HereWeFuckingGooo May 13, 2026 +38

Never heard of her so I Googled her... she's not a dermatologist, she's an orthopedist. She also advises against using sunscreen and invented the Vampire Facial. How the f*** has this woman not been laughed out of the industry?

38

beaute-brune May 13, 2026 +20

Kim Kardashian in the height of her PR (roughly her Kanye era) basically legitimized her in the right social circles.

20

ReceptionUpstairs305 May 13, 2026 +13

Another example of Kim Kardashian's stupidity.

13

battleangel1999 May 13, 2026 +22

>"Don't Go To The Cosmetics Counter Without Me". She also has her own cosmetics range called Paula's Choice Oh, THAT Paula!

22

SlutForDownVotes May 13, 2026 +2

I loved using one serum by The Ordinary until one night my face said "I don't think I like this anymore," and got super inflamed with an itchy red rash.

2

LovelieLuna May 13, 2026 +29

Yup. I started doing mango kernal oil where you grind a mango kernel seed down and then hot extract the mangiferin and stuff from it. Normally cosmetic brands charge an arm and leg for their high end products with concentrated mangiferin. But if you just do the kernel seed method occasionally you'll get just as many benefits with the leftover "trash" of the mango you were probably going to buy anyways. And if you weren't planning on buying a mango well thats another thing we get to correct with this.

29

tmrnwi May 13, 2026 +12

I got depressed and gave up the makeup AND the skin care and now I am committing into aging into a hag. But I have the extra room in my budget for therapy, now so…

12

OutInABlazeOfGlory May 13, 2026 +2

How do you learn about this stuff?

2

little-bird May 13, 2026 +4

I had acne as a teen so it was a gradual process as I desperately tried different things to heal it - but I recommend checking the sub details at r/SkincareAddiction, you should find lots of resources there.

4

Coelachantiform May 13, 2026 +2

You can find tons of papers and information on what chemicals and nutrients are good for your skin. After that it just becomes a game of looking at the content declaration on the back of your products; if you see the same ingredients you are looking for, then you got a j******. It's similar to how you discern what food products are vegan or not; just look for the usual suspects like E441 (gelatin) or E901 (bee wax) on the back of the product. So; 1. Learn what stuff is good for your skin 2. Find products with that stuff in it. Familiarizing yourself with known 'cheaper' products helps alot.

2

oniiBash2 May 13, 2026 +122

Shoutout to Arizona iced tea. You still a real one.

122

liquordeli May 13, 2026 +29

The price is on the can

29

TheBonusWings May 13, 2026 +14

Bro I almost snagged one at the gas station today…3 dollars?!? Inflation is outta control

14

Ok_Character7958 May 13, 2026 +44

You can report the store to Arizona Ice Tea. They will go after them. They are not supposed to be sold for more than $0.99 anywhere.

44

TheBonusWings May 13, 2026 +12

What?!?!? Idk if I can do that to my otherwise fav gas station but I might

12

arizonatealover May 13, 2026 +6

I share this sentiment

6

p_coletraine May 12, 2026 +41

Great reminder, though!! Solid food for thought.

41

plipyplop May 12, 2026 +7

Now for step two...

7

nuedd May 13, 2026 +2

Step 2. Eat the lipstick

2

BWWFC May 13, 2026 +7

in my marketing meetings it's a constant struggle between the low-profit-many-sales and the high -profit-small-sales teams... take a guess at which production roots for lol (hint, once set, pumping batches ain't nothing, gives more time to work the discriminating part of production lol they DGAF just suits arguing;-)

7

runthepoint1 May 13, 2026 +6

In N Out burger for example does just that, and I can’t think of another brand as synonymous with California as that one

6

No_Antelope_3938 May 12, 2026 +10

Until something happens to the global supply economy and suddenly they can’t afford to be in business anymore because they don’t have a cushion of profit to fall back on because they weren’t ripping off their customers. Or they get acquired by a VC fund and get milked dry until there’s no more goodwill left in the eyes of the consumer.

10

misfitx May 12, 2026 +43

Sadly almost nothing is $1 anymore. Most doubled or more.

43

winterbird May 12, 2026 +252

You'd be surprised how wealthy people can get off of c**** stuff. There's someone a few blocks from me who owns a local dollar store. Not a nicer one, but one of those rinky-dinky ones that feels like a swap meet. They bought a 3 million dollar house. I also worked for someone who owns a dive bar type place that serves burgers. They became multi millionaires with a nice boat and a house in the priciest neighborhood in town. They're awful people who mistreat staff and stole from us.

252

epidemicsaints May 12, 2026 +131

You move so much product at a low price your cost gets lower and lower. It was the price point that made elf a huge success, it pretty much replaced Wet'n'Wild as the c**** option on grounds of looking nicer in the package alone. Runaway success.

131

CockRingKing May 12, 2026 +41

Great point about Wet’n’Wild. That was THE brand for affordable cosmetics when I was a teen and ELF has been the one that I loved as an adult.

41

beemojee May 13, 2026 +12

It helps that Elf is a better product than Wet'n'Wild. Also I bought plenty of WnW back in the day, but when you're young you can put c*** on your face and look good.

12

_BreadDenier May 12, 2026 +31

Look at the Waltons, it’s not surprising at all.

31

Minions_miqel May 12, 2026 +24

I don't doubt this is an effective strategy. They're was a book in the early 00's called The Long Tail about this. However, I suspect dive bar guy has more than one income stream and doesn't report all of them to the tax people.

24

winterbird May 12, 2026 +16

I think it's time that people realize that not all mom n pop local places struggle. Even if the owners complain or the place looks like it could use a remodel. Greedy owners get theirs, but they'd still like more.

16

PerpetuallyLurking May 12, 2026 +14

Even if dive bar guy is completely above board, he’s probably got more than *just* the dive bar bringing in money.

14

blade02892 May 13, 2026 +4

Knew a kid who was a millionaire at 17, he made a metal multi tool credit card sized thing that was all over infomercials. Just a little thing that fit in your wallet. I'm sure he had help pushing it from his parents. Either way it was like under 10$ and he made bank quick. He was a total tool though and scummy so never kept in touch after that.

4

coolcoolcool485 May 12, 2026 +42

i'm trying their new vitamin c serum, which is a dupe for the skinceuticals vitamin c-feurlic acid serum and it's very similar.

42

glitch-possum May 12, 2026 +14

New Vitamin C serum? Have they fixed the smell? The one I bought six months ago had a weird smell I wasn’t crazy about so I’ve been using Pacifica (it smells like orange cream.) elf makes good stuff though, as a broke ass drag queen I’m quite the fan lol!

14

terrany May 13, 2026 +9

As someone who uses another vit C brand with the same common complaint, apparently that’s how the product should be with no fragrances.

9

coolcoolcool485 May 13, 2026 +8

the smell is the ascorbic acid when combined with the ferulic acid from what i understand, is what causes it to smell like that. it means it's legit. i can understand why some find it to be too much though

8

Faleene May 12, 2026 +2

That one I hear is among the best. Pricey but very good. Rohto Melano CC is another good one, doesn't oxidize so fast

2

cakedbythepound May 12, 2026 +39

And they don’t test on animals which is why I buy their products 😩

39

Catfist May 13, 2026 +21

They donated a ton of products to my hometown's women's shelter, that alone has made me a fan for life.

21

Elpacoverde May 12, 2026 +21

Elf just had Matt Rife as a spokesperson, no? Dude who joked about Domestic Violence.

21

xavembo May 12, 2026 +4

starbucks coffees cost just $1-15 yet their ceo made $94 million in 2024

4

SorcerorsSinnohStone May 13, 2026 +13

Where is Starbucks $1?

13

HarryBridges May 12, 2026 +524

[Dolores Hart](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolores_Hart) was a Hollywood actress who did something similar - she gave up on fame and a lucrative acting career to become a Catholic nun. She’s still alive at 87.

524

WetNoodlyArms May 13, 2026 +200

I live near the abbey she's at. They make an excellent ricotta. I've never seen Dolores out, but the sisters I have met are lovely. There's something special about seeing a nun in full habit driving a pick up truck.

200

PhiloftheFuture2014 May 13, 2026 +37

There's a Franciscan nun in Chicago who regularly runs the Chicago Marathon in her habit.

37

Opposite_Space_2874 May 13, 2026 +12

e.l.f. Cosmetics co-founder to be ordained as a Catholic priest after giving up fortune

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