What’s something that instantly tells you a person grew up broke vs grew up with money?

In the US, their teeth. So many of us were lucky enough to have parents who paid for regular cleanings, fillings, fluoride treatments, and the most expensive of all...braces.

The way they treat food more specifically if they save and eat left overs or just throw food away

Its like price awareness vs convenience first, doing mental math at grocery or hesitating before ordering something extra vs grabbing rides, delivery, or buying something new instead of fixing it

Their personal limits for when they finally turn on air conditioning or heating

Their reaction to prices.

I grew up very comfortable and then it got extremely tight for my family. The one thing us 4 brothers would do is always only eat half our dinner so that way we could have lunch the next day. We always told mom her dinners left us stuffed. It was our way of helping the parents save a little more by not having to get lunch stuff for the week

I grew up broke. I never really talk about it but funny enough one of my friends figured it out one time when he saw me eat chicken wings. Like I ate my wings down to the bone and they left plenty of meat on theirs 🤣

Not all, but the previously broke are usually heavy tippers and hyper aware of how they treat those in the service industry.

How quick they are to throw things away. Things what are a little damaged or stained get thrown away instead of repurposed, cleaned, or repaired. 

Even if wealthy now, people who grew up poor often continue to be frugal, will spend money but not waste it, don’t order more food than they can eat and will clean their plate, etc. They are keenly aware of how hard it can be to make and save money. Old habits die hard.

How much transactional relationships affect them

They’re preoccupied with survival vs wealth building.

It's definitely not the obvious stuff. My mother grew up poor and my father from wealth. They were both generous with others, but my father was very miserly with himself. He wore suits bought in medical school into his 80s. He never had more than three pairs of shoes and only bought new ones when they were completely worn out and could not be repaired anymore. He saved bread bags to use as small trash bags. He was still using pens and pencils (mechanical, obviously) he bought in college into old age. I could go on and on. My mother wore designer clothes and perfume that she could barely afford. She had so many duplicates of her belongings because she would just buy another if she misplaced something, rather than just take the time to look for it. Again, i could go on and on. The difference is that my father was brought up feeling like he didn't deserve anything. He had to eat his meals with the servants and barely ever saw his parents, as he was raised by a series of awful governesses and then sent to boarding school. His mother didn't like to get him things because it would make him "spoiled." My mother grew up quite poor, but had no idea that was the case. Her family made her feel like she had everything she needed or could even want. The only time she recalls understanding their financial circumstance was when she offered to barter her chance to get a new winter coat so her dog could get an operation so she would not die giving birth.

Poor people are more generous, rich people mostly suck

Do they rinse out that jar of spaghetti sauce with a little water and add that to the sauce? If they don’t they grew up with money to throw in the trash.

I once was chatting about babies and pregnancies with a few women and the one lady was saying how it took her several days after her baby was born to choose a name. And this other lady chimes in and says, "Oh no! Until you name your baby and get their social security number, you can't sign up for extra food stamps."

It’s interesting - they either buy a bunch of stuff now because they can (or maybe they shouldn’t but still do), or they get everything they can for free or c**** used on marketplace/craigslist, etc. They are not in between usually. I am together with one of the latter, and to be honest it’s a cool trait. My partner always finds awesome stuff for nothing

Can't bear to leave food on their plate, nor to see food left on yours, too. Anyone who grew up not sure where / when their next meal would come from often has a lot of "food" issues and tells (like my pantry is always overfull)

They had an ice maker in their freezer door

Grew up with money examples I’ve seen in person I know: hiring out to do all lawn care, all snow removal, all house cleaning work, even though they were not working at all and at least could do some of it but refused to do a single bit of it. Having a small repair in the home that they were capable of and asking why they just don’t do it they say I choose not to. Only wearing namebrand clothing basically acting like they are too good to get their hands dirty.

people who think hamburgers, hotdogs, and sandwiches each need their own type of bread.

I can't stand like the whole, "let's go here, let's go there, let's eat this, let's eat that... as if I have unlimited bank roll?! My kind of people consider these things, and try to do a lot with a little. Sometimes, the best things in life are free, and I want to surround myself with people that recognize that and don't need to constantly indulge or consume or change their environemtn every hour to find happiness. They could be perfectly happy just sitting in silence with you on the back porch watching the sunset.

they never brag. never.

It boggles my mind that most of the poorest Americans are the ones, who more often then not, tip the most. Also as an Australian tipping in general boggles me. Like... I get it. it encourages employees to put in that little bit more of an effort for customer satisfaction. But yeah. The fact that some people heavily rely on tips just to get by is maddening. Why not increase everyone's wages/hourly rates and scrap the whole tipping system?

It's a look in the eyes.

Where they vacationed. I didn't see my first ocean until I was almost 20.

checking prices automatically before buying anything

How people treat/tip people working in service.

Spending 108 dollars on a single event while I was feeling like a chud for going 5 dollars over my 20 dollar budget

They have a scarcity mindset. Can't spare themselves from using the good stuff. Will save them for future use instead.

When I was younger I used to think if you had a dishwasher you were rich lol

Washing ziploc bags

They're not used to public transport

Vacations

The way they spend their money and how they value things.

Being street smart

“budget” was a buzzword for them

They might pick up change on the street, sidewalk or parking lot

Throwing coins away. In the trash.

They would go skiing

If they’ve never traveled or been on an airplane vs. people who go to Disney or abroad every year

Wealthy people think the rules don't apply to them.

Empathy and consideration for others. Especially if someone is going through similar issues they went through.

People who grew up poor are far more likely to go out of their way to help someone else who is struggling financially.

If it's a good person... then nothing

I check to see if you have enough, they check to see if they have more than me. The difference says everything. I highly recommend you don't associate with those people. They lack empathy, sympathy and good moral fiber.

Saying thanks after they receive something from someone else.

People who grew up rich often understand money, especailly *wealth* in particular, in a way people who grew up without it don't. This means they know about investments and how to spend money without making penny-wise but pound-foolish decisions. They don't spend money just to show they have it and often play down what they have. They try to live "within their means," which often means spending a lot less than you might think. It's not just about being "smart" with money because they grew up with it, it's also about a sense of insecurity of not having a lot of it around. This is why someone "rich" can come across as miserly or just overly cautious.

Humbleness

How much they tank their gas.

Their student loan debt.

how they handle food, generosity, how they handle damaged things (could be the smallest bit of damage on a item and theyll throw it away) and transportation is a big one

How they spend money. My wife shops without even thinking, would have no idea what the credit card bill is or how much is in the account till its due. I on the other hand know exactly how much money I have at all times. What's due, when it's due, a limit on how much I'll spend on anything, how much things should cost, etc. I always prioritize saving. I can easily go "yeah, that's not worth it to me I don't need it" whereas she goes "eh, I want it, I should get it." She works hard and earns well though. She just grew up fortunate and didn't have to work till after college. I've had a job or did something to earn income since I was like 12. We balance each other out lol

Eating habits, from manners to what the person is eating or ordering

They order without a menu or don’t mind if a menu doesn’t have prices. I would be scared shitless to order a cocktail in a hotel not knowing if it were $5 or $50.

Wasting food for sure I’ve been living somewhere for the last number of years where many, many people have an experience of deep poverty. Things are much better now but still, today, nobody wastes any food at all. If we have dinner and there’s, like, a single chunk of potato left over, they are packing that up in the fridge. They get visibly uncomfortable if I don’t eat my pizza crust (to the point of taking it themselves). It’s an immediately visible difference in behaviour versus where I’m from.

It’ll be how they talk about when they spend money. Like rich people talk that a certain price point is c**** for them not knowing that it’s not for most of the people they meet.

Doesn't waste food.

Picks up change laying on the ground

“I’d rather not see a doctor…”

What type of sandwich meat they'd choose

Washing out plastic bags to reuse them, before it was considered environmentally cool

If they look at the prices at the grocery store. People that come from money don't price check food, I've noticed.

They usually treat people better and nicer Growing up rich .. most have no empathy and god complex.. they think they are smarter than others because of their money

The value of small thing

The teeth are a giveaway

people with money don't finish their plates. sounds small but it's a real thing. grew up where leaving food was waste, friends who had money just... stop when they're full and don't give it another thought. also the difference in how they react to inconvenience vs. threat. a flat tire is an annoyance when you have money. when you grew up without it, a flat tire is a small financial crisis that could derail your week.

when you mention a medium amount of money like 50€, some say it's a lot, some say it's nothing

We grew up poor but there food out left and right. They just always made way way to much, an amount that wasn't even feasible. But while we threw food away, EVERYTHING else had to be saved. Old lawn chairs, broken desks, old computers, screws from old drywall...hoarder type shit. The amount of old Christmas decorations in the attic and storage were absolutely insane. So I always guessed that was from the "depression era" they leaned. Having to save absolutely everything.

Behavior in doing things

If someone watches their back while exploring a low income area in search gentrified festivities like breweries and restaurants vs those that are aloof and complacent doing the same.

The willingness to just replace everything all the time or to purchase something NOW NOW NOW even if it's more expensive. Not doing calculations beforehand when purchasing things or comparison shopping. Leaving food on the plate, especially if going out to eat. You can buy almost anything second-hand and yet some people just buy everything new even when it's really pointless. Not buying when things are on sale or changing things up on the basis of what's c**** right now, and instead always just indulging in their personal wants. Not keeping things in case you need them. Inability to mend, repair, or do life things yourself.

One coat

"Been collecting/playing TCG for XX years" LOL

Airplane travel

How they react to a minor inconvenience that costs money. Broke childhood: “I can fix it.” Money childhood: “Just replace it.”

I pick up change on the street, especially pennies, because I believe it’s pennies from heaven. I won’t spend a found penny because it becomes a good luck charm.

When they talk about family vacations.

Broke, they look at friendships as something to enrich their lives and bring fun and joy to their world. Rich, they view friendships as something that could get them higher social status/closer to the in-group.

They ask the same queation that has already been asked ad nauseun.

Comfort level with buying anything second hand.

I suppose it also depends on whether you grew up in an abusive household since that is sometimes correlated with poverty. But for me everything about me sadly indicated I grew up poor or in an abnormal childhood environment. When I first applied to professional jobs, I had no idea how to dress and I bought c**** suits. My teeth are crooked. I was awkward socially. I didn’t know what foods to order on menus when we went to team dinners. I didn’t play an instruments, do team sports or know how to swim. No money for those things growing up. I didn’t know social norms at meals or how to introduce myself with confidence. Basically I couldn’t easily overcome my childhood upbringing except with time through learning and aging. And no I am not playing the victim. Just saying my own experience being poor.

Ability to do household chores, mental tracking of expenses is instinct for poor but a “skill development” for well-off, general weighing of options that cost time and options that cost money and which ones you would like to take. I will also say that poor generally value both and wish they could save effort and time but generally are forced to save money and consume time for it. The other half is nway lazy due to privilege so taking the easier effortless option is instinct for them

they overdress and yet still end up looking out of place for formal events. they got the right types of outfits but their suits don't fit because they didn't get it tailored because it costs extra and they're used to saving and have no taste for the subtle things that cost money to have, so it looks like they're car salesmen at expensive tuxe events.

In the US, not having straight teeth

An obvious one: skiing holidays A less obvious one: not checking food use by dates and quality before adding it to the basket, just bunging the closest one in. Never mattered if they'd have to replace it in a couple of days.

Divorced parents.I used to say I was a rich kid in summer (dad’s house) poor kid in winter.

My dad grew up poor and worked his ass off to become a doctor. He's absolute shit with money and finances and has been my whole life. He's a buy first, ask questions later person.

Nothing says a person grew up poor faster than bad teeth. Rich people get that shit taken care of before they get into high school. But that shit is expensive.