10 subtle signs someone didn’t grow up poor — and they hit harder than you'd expect

There’s a certain kind of confidence that comes from never having to worry about money, not about rent, food, or whether you can afford the next bill. And it shows, not necessarily in flashy clothes or expensive gadgets, but in the way people talk, the things they take for granted, and the assumptions they make without realizing how different other people’s lives have been. So, when a Reddit user u/Ok-Orange7456 posed a simple but striking question: "What’s something that instantly makes you think, 'Yep, they didn’t grow up poor?'" the responses made it clear how oblivious some people are to real-world situations. Here are 10 of the most thought-provoking answers:

1. "Why not just hire someone?"

"Talked with a former coworker about how it was getting difficult at that time to keep up with chores. She asked why I didn't just hire a cleaning service." - u/UsernamesAre4Nerds

2. Replacing what still works

"Replacing something that isn't completely and totally broken with something new and better. Like an upgraded microwave." - u/lets_not_be_hasty

3. "Just have your parents buy it"

"My friend in high school told me to buy a PC. Told him I don't have money for that. He says, 'Just have your parents buy it for you.' I had to reiterate and say 'we don't have money for that.'" - u/BloodMoney126

4. "Poverty can be fixed"

"Thinking that poverty can be fixed with a few mild financial adjustments. For example, stop spending money on [blah], invest some money in [blah], blah blah blah blah. They look at you like you have two heads when you explain how little you have left after necessities and how easily all your savings can be blown away by one large unexpected expense." - u/BadgeringMagpie

5. Making last-minute travel changes

"They don’t understand that you can’t afford to make sudden last-minute or on-the-spot major travel changes because they don’t like something about it. Like maybe the weather’s not perfect." - u/shotsallover

6. Not packing leftovers

"Not taking home significant leftovers from a restaurant. Homie, that's tomorrow's lunch you're leaving behind!!!" - u/lilycamilly

7. Acting like activities are free

"People suggest doing things that cost money, like they’re free. Like, I can’t just go to a show. I have to consider whether it’s worth going to a show." - u/Van-garde

8. Needing 'specific' ingredients to cook

"Inability to look in the fridge and see an omelette as long as there are eggs. My wife had a much better childhood than me, and it becomes most obvious around food. If we haven’t gone grocery shopping in a while, she can’t figure out what to make at all. I can always figure something out; often times it’s an omelette." - u/01_slowbra

9. Never looking at grocery prices

"I will never forget visiting a friend who lived in a high-cost-of-living city and commenting that groceries were so much more expensive. I knew they would be higher, but milk was 3x higher than in my city, 200 miles away. She replied she hadn't paid attention to prices in years. Turns out she never learned budgeting as a habit because she never had to. It was wild." - u/Perfect_Caregiver_90

10. Assuming medical procedures are affordable

"I had to take a day off work due to being in a lot of pain from a condition I have. I told my boss, and they said, 'Oh, well then why don’t you just get the surgery to fix it?' I then had to explain to them how the company's health insurance has a 6k out-of-pocket deductible, so I cannot afford the surgery. I could tell my boss had never considered that scenario. They had recently bought a brand new 100k truck that year. I still never got a raise." - u/ArboristTreeClimber

Horrified by the blatant ignorance of the rich? Read on to find out about some situations only poor kids will understand: Here!