Not to be judgmental, but for me it’s cars – I used to think seeing a guy in a nice/new/flash car was impressive.. “Must be a footballer or something”.. now I’m just as likely to think “Poor sod, probably all leveraged on finance”. I think the same with home improvements (like conservatories) sometimes too.
What are some other things people cling to for status but don’t necessarily tell the whole story?
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People seem to like using the same Selfridges carrier bag until it’s basically falling to pieces.
Nothing makes you look more desperate to appear affluent than pointlessly spaffing cash on a personal number plate.
As a kid it was having a dishwasher
I see a lot of high-end Mercs, BMWs and Audis and think the same.
They must be paying an eye-watering amount (especially for the AMG, M and S versions) for very little in return. For example I’ve just done a 1,000 mile trip around Cornwall in a 20 year-old Golf and passed a lot of those on the outside lane of a motorway, so what’s even the point lol
I’d rather something like a conservatory because at least that adds to the value of your house.
For me it was multi-thousand £ watches. My old ticker gave me the time and date and that was it. 🙂
Edit to add because the trolls are massing: People buying seriously expensive, specialist watches and wearing them just to tell the time.
Buying watches as an *investment* is something I myself have done.
Having several mistresses dealing coke for you.
Turkey teeth.
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Cocaine consumption
Large label “designer” clothes. It looks like you just make bad choices
Not sure what your question actually means but if you’re asking what people spend loads of money on that you don’t understand – it’s phones. Most people never unlock the true potential of their phones. Unless you play games or are really into photography, any mid-spec android phone will be more than enough. Spending £86 a month on the latest iPhone is bizarre to me. I know people who try and haggle for everything, drive a 10-year old car, and wear the same jeans for years (nothing wrong with that) but are adamant about upgrading their iPhone every year.
Tasteless branded designer clothes. Worn almost exclusively by working class people rinsing their credit cards.
for me its people in their late 20s / early 30s with graduate jobs eating out regularly, driving “nice” financed cars, nice clothes and going on holidays multiple times a year
its a status symbol and for men can be used as part of a sales pitch for dating them
however many of these individuals live paycheck to paycheck, maintaining a steady 4 figure credit card debt in a rented property
what ive learned by having transparent conversations with friends about money is that appearances can be very deceiving
while they look like they have money in the bank, what they really have is a reliance on credit
Ah, the daily “let’s judge everyone else” UK thread.
I remember reading something about a landed family who had inherited a colossal stately home with acres of land – but they didn’t have the money for the upkeep. So while on the surface of it, the country pile nestled within the private grounds appeared to be a millionaire’s dream, the reality was they were considering opening it for paid guided tours just so they could afford to have the roof done.
Cars I agree.
But things to improve a house or garden can be enjoyed every day, for longer, and shared with friends and family, and also usually aren’t wasted as they add value to the house.
I’ve recently removed a lawn and replaced it with native wildflowers and built a pergola with vines and runner beans growing up it, and it makes me smile every day.
The bees love it, I have shade from the sun, a space to drink wine with friends and it’s better for biodiversity too.
Win:win in my view.
Clothes with in your face logos.
Everybody just assumes it’s a fake and you’re trying too hard to not look skint.
A gap year in Borneo
A 19yo and his gf getting an Audi each while living with his In laws just after having a baby, poor lad practically lived at work.
Ankle tag
Wearing fake Louis Vuitton
Rolex. If you have wealth and class, then you know the watchmakers to go for
Designer labelled handbag. LV is the worst.
Not this thread again.
“I can’t believe the people who spend X on X”
“Haha, I get by with my Primark onesie, my dads old Casio and a 15 year old shitbox, what mugs those people are”.
Ugh.
A guy I used to play 5 a side footy with used to whip out his salary in a rubber band to pay for his round of pints after.
Looked very stupid, honestly anyone could cash their paycheck and carry it around 24/7 it’s just dumb
Spreading Lurpak on their toast
For me it was Vienetta Ice cream. As a kid I thought it was a high-end product only rich families had
Turns out it’s £2 at Tesco lol
Never heard of someone having a conservatory built as a status symbol, usually cos they need space and can’t afford an extension
It’s middle class people that status symbol addicts. Working class people drive bangers or ordinary cars, upper class drive expensive cars but run them for years till they are wrecks! I discovered this phenomenon when working as a market research interviewer. Interviewed a broad section on white goods, the middle classes knew the makes and prices of all their white goods, the working and upper classes had to go and look as all their stuff was donkeys years old and their attitude was ‘if it’s not broken, why change it’.
Balenciaga. I’m convinced it’s a social experiment to see how hideous they can make something and still sell it because it’s designer.
Red jeans
iPhone.
Mine gives me flawless service, and was the only phone that had an antennae strong enough to consistently pick up a signal inside my home. Yes, I tried multiple carriers and multiple phones.
Plus, mine is going on eight years and is still serviceable. Yet people accuse me of spending money foolishly to get the brand name. Ah, no.
Bottle of grey goose in the club. Embarrassing.
Melts that queue up for shitey, overpriced and incredibly tacky “special edition” watches or trainers. It is pathetically vain.
Oh sweet it’s the daily classism thread
Not monetary but I’ve always strongly suspected that everyone falling over themselves to tell others how happy they are with their partner on social media always have the most toxic dumpster fire relationships 🔥
Centuries ago in India, the ultimate status symbol that was actually a burden was a white elephant. They were considered very valuable and couldn’t be killed. The recipient, usually a royal, had to look after the elephant until it died naturally. The expense was massive. The elephant needed food, water, baths, space to roam, other elephants for companionship, protection, stimulation, manure removal, healthcare and so on. The owner either had to maintain a considerable income or else fail in his/her duty and thus fall into shame.