People Are Sharing Things That Rich People Would Never Understand About Low-Income Homes, And It's Eye-Opening
Look outside yourself.
Recently, Reddit user u/Leroy_Spankinz asked people who either live or grew up in a low-income household to share some common things you might find in their home — things that rich people wouldn't understand.
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Thousands of people responded with pieces of insight from their own lives. Here are some of the top-voted comments:
1. "No towel is ever the same. Just random odd towels and face cloths."
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2. "There was a scene from Family Guy where Carter Pewterschmidt (Lois’s rich dad) visits their house. When he walks in, he says, 'Oh, I forgot you were poor, and so your front door opens directly into your living room.' I felt that."
3. "Diluted dishwashing soap that doubles as hand-washing soap."
4. "When it's really hot in the South, it can be hard to sleep. I keep a mister water bottle by the bed and mist the sheet before I go to sleep, and periodically cool off through the night."
5. "When I was a kid, grabbing our clothes in the morning and dressing in front of the wood stove because it was the only warm spot in the house. In the summer, fans everywhere and all the windows open."
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6. "My bedroom is the living room of our trailer. I tied a rope from one wall to another and draped a blanket over it so I have somewhat of a wall."
7. "I think Western poor houses would tend to be more cluttered. You can't rebuy things easily, so you end up keeping around doubles of things you already have, or extra things you aren't using but might need sometime. You don't know if you'll be able to afford it in the future."
8. "'Glassware' that is actually novelty fast-food cups and mugs stolen from work."
9. "The drawer where you put the bills you have to pay but don't need to pay immediately to live. The drawer is only emptied after it won't close anymore because 16 duplicates have been received and said bill is no closer to getting paid."
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10. "A lot of unfinished 'renovations.'"
11. "'There's a trick to it' is a phrase to indicate something is messed up, but not enough to fix it. See also: 'Ya gotta jiggle the handle.'"
12. "A space heater. Apparently some people have a thermostat that just makes their whole house warm."
13. "Yogurt and other grocery containers used as Tupperware. A bunch of basins for hand-washing clothes in the bathtub."
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14. "Reused ziplock bags — they're still okay 👌."
15. "The Sauce Packet Drawer™! Got extra ketchup packets, Taco Bell hot sauce packets, soy sauce packets, etc.? Toss them in the Sauce Packet Drawer™!"
16. "Extension cord connected to another extension cord with a multiple power plug adapter with too many electronic devices connected to it."
17. "Buying kids clothes that are too big so they last a couple of years."
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18. "A pot with oil on the stove to reuse for later."
19. "Hamburgers made with sliced bread."
20. "My ex was wealthy and never understood why I don’t answer phone numbers I don’t recognize. We just never did that at my house, and now I understand it was probably to avoid debt collectors."
21. "Putting all your food in the fridge because the cabinets are full of cockroaches and ants."
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22. "Using the larger plastic shopping bags as trash can liners."
23. "Tons of random promotional items: free pens, scrap pads, Frisbee, back scratcher, stress ball, etc. And yes, I came up with this quick list while sitting at my dad's house and glancing around."
And finally...
24. "A working TV on top of a broken, old floor console TV because the old one weighs 300 pounds."
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Note: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.