10 Things People Thought Were a Sign of Wealth as Kids

Cute teen boy holding fans of money and smiling, orange studio background.

When you were a kid visiting a friend’s house, did you ever notice things you believed were wealth indicators? You’ve got company. 

Someone recently asked, “What was the weird thing you thought as a child was a sign of wealth?” Here are the top-voted answers.  

#1 In-ground Swimming Pools

Happy children in the swimming pool. Funny kids playing outdoors. Summer vacation concept.
Image Credit: Yaruta /Depositphotos.com.

“An in-ground swimming pool,” one shared. “Bonus points if the diving board was higher than a standard one.” Another said, “Wait… Are you saying that doesn’t indicate you’re rich still? I’m processing this.” Finally, a third added, “I was impressed by the above-ground ones too.”

#2 Ice Maker in Their Refrigerator

A woman holding a glass against the fridge's ice-maker.
Image Credit: baloon111 /Depositphotos.com.

Someone suggested “An Ice Maker in their refrigerator. But, more importantly, an ice and water dispenser on the FRONT of the fridge. I still call the ice from those ice makers rich people ice.” Another agreed, “Yep, the ice maker is the thing that made our house the rich one for me.”

#3 Trampoline

A kid jumping on a trampoline.
Image Credit: CroMary /Depositphotos.com.

Several people agreed that a trampoline was a sign of wealth when they were kids. Another volunteered, “My best friend had an in-ground trampoline. They were so upper middle class they might have been lower upper class. Super down-to-earth people, though.”

#4 More Than One Telephone

A girl with glasses holding the phone receiver to her ear as she's laying on the floor, looking surprised.
Image Credit: VikaOvcharenko /Depositphotos.com.

One person said, “More than one telephone was a sign.” Another shared, “Oh, I went to this one girl’s house once, and she had her own phone line! Amazing to me.” Finally, a third admitted, “Oh yeah, I felt rich when we got a second phone in the basement.”

#5 A Two-Story House

2 kids playing with a house and car made out of cardboard.
Image Credit: ArturVerkhovetskiy /Depositphotos.com.

“A two-story house,” one expressed. “Two-story houses represented wealth to me in a crazy way. I don’t even know why now.” “Same! I never understood, watching Roseanne, how they could complain about being poor when they had a two-story house,” another confessed.

Another replied, “Then, as an adult, you learned it’s much cheaper to build up than to build out – what we don’t know as kids.”

#6 Brand-Name Food, Snacks, and Treats

Portrait Of Smiling Woman With Shopping Cart In Supermarket Buying Groceries Food Walking Along The Aisle And Shelves In Grocery Store. Female Buyer Choosing Healthy Products In Mall.
Image Credit: Milkos /Depositphotos.com.

“Having all name-brand foods treats, and snacks,” someone suggested. “Regular-size cereal boxes instead of those giant bags of puffed rice and Gushers or Dunkaroos!”

#7 School Supplies and Scholastic Book Fair Money

KYIV, UKRAINE - APR 21: Unidentified girls reading books at children booth of the 6th Festival BOOK ARSENAL on April 21, 2016. Guests of the fair were writers Lars Svendsen, Vigdis Hjorth, Etgar Keret.
Image Credit: Radiokafka /Depositphotos.com.

Someone replied, “School supplies. Yeah, those 64 colors of crayon boxes. The one with the built-in crayon sharpener and Crayola brand crayons, not the cheap ones.” Others agreed having money for the Scholastic Book Fair was an indicator of wealth. 

#8 Having the Newest Gaming System

A woman and her child laying on the floor, holding game controllers. They're eagerly looking at the TV.
Image Credit: alebloshka /Depositphotos.com.

One stated, “Having the newest game system or having a gaming system at all.” Another added, “Same. Or having more than one system!” Finally, a third agreed, “Video Games. Yeah, that was rich kid stuff where I grew up in a small town in Iowa.”

#9 Computers

A young girl sitting at a computer, holding some papers.
Image Credit: DmitryPoch /Depositphotos.com.

“I was going to friends and saw their Compaq computer. It was so majestic. I then dated (middle school) this girl and in her bedroom was a G3 iMac in her room,” someone admitted. Another confessed, “Yes. Their own computers in their rooms, that was a sign.”

#10 TVs

A family of 3 holding popcorn, wearing 3D movie glasses and looking surprised at the TV screen.
Image Credit: TarasMalyarevich /Depositphotos.com.

People had varying responses about televisions depending on the decade they were kids. One said, “Having a color TV.” 

Another shared, “Someone that had two TVs, especially if a kid had a TV in their room.” A third relied, “If they had a flat-screen TV, especially hanging on the wall.”

Another person shared, “Sky TV instead of the four channels the rest of us Brits were limited to!” “Cable television was a sign of wealth, and TVs without rabbit ears.”

Featured Image Credit: Milkos /Depositphotos.com.

This article originally appeared on Ash & Pri.

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Pri Kingston

Ash & Pri are the Founders of AshandPri.com and have spent the last decade building their way towards financial freedom and a lifetime of memories. Having successfully achieved their early retirement goal in under 10 years, they look forward to sharing their financial sense with like-minded people. Read more about Ash & Pri in the 'About Us' section.