Broke, Poor, Middle Class, Rich

[NeilC]

Has any Sludger ever experienced/lived all 4 economic lifestyles? I always thought most people would only live 1 or 2 different types. Like, you always were middle class, or always rich, or poor. Or, you were poor once and now you are rich? Just curious.

When crapping on my answer, don't just make it stupid and sarcastic.

[Love_Industry]

Interesting question, also because those things mean different things to different people.

Especially rich. For some it means knowing that you never have to work if you don't want to, for others it is competing with Elon and Bezos.

Also, are you poor if you have a paying job and a somewhat permanent home? In some places that makes you middle class.

Anyway, I think I have been all except broke, and Elon/Bezos rich.

Speaking of Elon, thanks a lot for taking me back to the middle class in just a few weeks

[Hellsinkey]

That's an interesting question, yes. I've had different times. My parents did well in their careers, they had money pretty well and were definitely middle class, but rich? Some of my friends' parents were definitely rich. When I left home to study, I had years as a student and was really poor then. Later through work I got back to middle class. I inherited my parents (R.I.P.), so now I have more money then ever, but I still wouldn't call myself rich.

[Love_Industry]

That's an interesting question, yes. I've had different times. My parents did well in their careers, they had money pretty well and were definitely middle class, but rich? Some of my friends' parents were definitely rich.

Yeah, what your friends are like in childhood has a big impact on your perception. When I started school I felt we were kind of poor, my classmates' parents were CxOs, doctors or had their own business - a few were old money - while my parents weren't doing great at the time, still suffering financially from their respective divorces and it was tough to get good jobs then if you didn't already have them.

A few years later I started going to a bigger school where kids had more diverse backgrounds and I noticed there were kids who had never been abroad, not even on budget package trips to Mallorca or Tenerife, who didn't have cars and some even had unemployed parents or ones with social problems.