Growing up poor is challenging, with millions worldwide living below the poverty line. However, going through hardships only makes you appreciate the little things! Recently, men and women met in an online discussion to reveal the simple pleasures that felt like a luxury to them during their childhood.
1. Getting the Car Washed
Many people confess to feeling like they won the lottery whenever their parents let them ride along while they would drive through the automated car wash. Think about it: Washing your car would seem unattainable if you grew up poor! Countless people reveal they never knew cars could be cleaned until they experienced it themselves.
2. Eating Ice Cream
Little things like enjoying an ice cream cone are the ultimate luxury for kids growing up poor. One person shares a heartfelt story about their childhood. “My mom used to work in front of an ice cream shop, and on every payday (bi-weekly), she took me to eat ice cream,” recalls one woman. She always ensured I understood this was a luxury for us, and the fact that she did this every payday didn’t mean I should take that for granted. After I grew up, I did the math, and she spent 10% of her salary on this.” How amazing is this mom?
3. Your Own Bed
Sadly, having a bed for each kid is a luxury that not all families can give to their children. However, many people confess that the day they received their own bed was like Christmas; too many children sleep on mattresses on the floor, on couches, or are forced to share beds with their siblings growing up.
4. Eating Breakfast
Growing up poor often means eating only two meals per day, and for some, it’s affected their eating habits as adults. “It’s gotten to the point where I can’t eat in the morning because my body is so used to waiting,” laments one man. Conversely, others cite eating breakfast as a treat since they rarely enjoyed it as a kid.
5. Going to the Movie Theater
Back in the day, many families had a choice: Break the bank and take the family to the movie theater or spend a fraction of that amount by going to the local video rental store and picking out a movie. Going to Blockbuster was a rite of passage for many people on the weekends, and looking back, it was clear that it was a cost-saving measure by our parents. As a result, it always was a treat going to the movie theater and seeing a first-run film!
6. Eating Name-Brand Cereal
For kids in the ’80s and ’90s, luxury could be defined by whether or not your family bought store-brand cereal or a major brand like Cinnamon Toast Crunch or Fruity Pebbles. One person vividly recalls a core memory from their childhood. “Every time I saw Reese’s Puffs on top of the fridge, I knew tomorrow was gonna be a good day,” one man remembers. That’s a sign of a great day, not a good one!
7. Falling Asleep at the Perfect Temperature
Most adults today know how comfortable it is to fall asleep in the perfect environment. Thanks to more affordable and efficient air conditioning units and heaters, it’s easier to fall asleep without sweating or freezing! For countless people, the nights they fell asleep comfortably growing up was like winning the lottery.
8. A Bedroom Door
Privacy is something many of us take for granted. Some of us have had rougher upbringings than others, which makes this story all the more heartfelt: “I grew up pretty poor in Arkansas in a trailer,” reveals one woman. “I literally got a door to my bedroom for Christmas one year. I couldn’t believe I finally had privacy. It is still the best gift I ever received.”
9. Not Needing to Share a Soda
When times are tough, kids often need to ration what they drink. In the case of cans of soda, many men and women remember how their parents asked them to share them with their brothers and sisters growing up. As a result, the prospect of having a soda all to themselves later in life is an opportunity that is too sweet to pass up!
10. A New Winter Coat
For many men and women, the rare moments they received new clothes made their year. “I don’t remember having a new winter coat until I was probably 14 or 15; they had always been hand-me-downs from my cousins,” confesses one man. “They were usually at least ten years old by the time I got them, and the stuffing would be all clumped up.” Finally graduating from hand-me-downs is a life-changing experience!
11. Going to Restaurants
Restaurants are prohibitively expensive, especially if you’re part of a growing family. Although we weren’t “poor” in the strictest sense, I recall only going to restaurants with my family for special occasions; not even birthdays were deemed “special” enough to go to a restaurant! However, that made me appreciate eating out as an adult, so there’s an upside to all this.
12. Buying Full-Priced Items
I vividly remember my mom, sprawled out on the floor with coupons all around her, figuring out the grocery list every Sunday. For a large family, saving money at the supermarket is essential! One person has a hilarious memory of his family clipping coupons: “Until the age of 12, I thought that you weren’t allowed to buy things that weren’t on sale,” admits one man. “My mom only bought things when they were on sale, or she had a coupon, so I thought the ‘non-sale’ items weren’t being sold.”
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Source: Forum.
As the ultimate everyman, Chris enjoys writing about, well, everything. Blessed with a knack for stringing together sentences in an easy-to-read and conversational tone, he'll just as likely cover the electric vehicle price wars as he would the latest happenings in the entertainment world. As a freelance writer for Wealthy Nickel, Chris focuses on trending topics across mainstream American culture, including travel, finance, and relationships. He also writes under the NBC-Universal banner, specializing in one of his childhood passions: WWE. As the principal WWE correspondent for USA Network's Insider website, Chris has interviewed dozens of WWE Superstars over the years, including particularly memorable conversations with Cody Rhodes, Paul Heyman, Liv Morgan, and Sami Zayn. When not covering the hottest brand in sports entertainment, he enjoys collaborating with other NBC-Universal properties, most recently Bravo TV, covering many of the best reality shows we all love to hate. An avid traveler, Chris enjoys sneaking away to Europe for months at a time, writing must-read content at small cafes in Croatia and Italy, often with an Aperol Spritz in hand. His life is hard.
