You know that feeling when you’re at the playground and another parent casually mentions their weekend ski trip, and suddenly your planned movie night feels… less than? I’ve been there.
But after years of observing different families and their spending habits, I’ve noticed something fascinating: the things we middle-class families often stretch our budgets for are the exact things wealthy families quietly skip.
It’s not that they can’t afford them. They absolutely can. They just see them differently.
1) Brand new cars every few years
Last month, my neighbor excitedly showed off her new SUV. Meanwhile, the wealthiest family at our co-op drives a 2015 Honda that runs perfectly fine. Why? Because cars are depreciating assets, and wealthy families know this better than anyone.
While we’re taking out loans for the latest model with heated steering wheels and built-in tablets, wealthy families are buying reliable used cars with cash. They understand that a car’s job is to get you from point A to point B safely. Everything else? That’s just expensive decoration that loses value the moment you drive off the lot.
2) Designer clothes for growing kids
I’ll never forget watching a mom at the farmers market dressed in simple, quality basics while her kids wore clearly secondhand play clothes. Later, I learned her family owned several rental properties in town.
Here’s what wealthy families know: kids destroy clothes. They grow out of them in months. That $60 designer shirt? It’ll have spaghetti sauce on it by dinner. Wealthy families buy quality basics that last and pass them down between siblings. They save the splurges for items that actually hold value or last for years.
3) Every new tech gadget
Remember when everyone had to have the latest tablet for their toddler? Wealthy families were notably absent from that rush. They understand that technology changes so fast that today’s must-have becomes tomorrow’s e-waste.
Instead of buying every new iPhone model or gaming system, wealthy families tend to skip generations entirely. They upgrade when something breaks or when the improvement actually matters, not just because something new exists. Their kids learn patience and the value of taking care of what they have.
4) Expensive cable and streaming packages
A friend recently calculated she was spending $180 monthly on various streaming services and cable. That’s over $2,000 a year! Meanwhile, many wealthy families I know share one or two streaming services and call it done.
They’d rather invest that money or spend it on experiences. They also understand that endless entertainment options often mean less family connection, not more. When you have 500 channels, you spend your evening scrolling instead of talking.
5) Daily coffee shop visits
That $7 latte habit? Wealthy families see it as literally pouring money down the drain. Sure, they can afford it, but they recognize it for what it is: a small daily expense that adds up to thousands per year.
Most wealthy people I know make coffee at home with a good machine they bought once. They view coffee shops as occasional treats or meeting spots, not daily necessities. That $2,500 annual coffee budget? They’re putting it toward investments that actually grow.
6) Name brand groceries for everything
Walking through the grocery store with truly wealthy families is eye-opening. They buy generic flour, sugar, and pasta without hesitation. They know that many store brands are made in the same facilities as name brands.
Where do they splurge? On things where quality genuinely matters: good olive oil, fresh local produce, high-quality meats. But paying extra for a branded can of tomatoes? They see right through that marketing.
7) Elaborate birthday parties
Ever been to a kid’s birthday party that cost more than some people’s monthly rent? Wealthy families rarely throw them. Instead, they host simple gatherings at home or in public parks.
Why? Because they know kids don’t remember the bounce house rental or the professional face painter. They remember feeling special and having fun with friends. Wealthy families focus on creating memories, not Instagram moments. They’d rather put that party budget toward their child’s education fund.
8) Storage units full of stuff
Here’s something that really opened my eyes: middle-class families often pay monthly to store things they never use, while wealthy families simply own less. That $100 monthly storage unit fee? Over 10 years, that’s $12,000 spent storing items probably worth less than $2,000.
Wealthy families are ruthless about decluttering. They understand that stuff costs money twice: once when you buy it and continuously when you store, maintain, and organize it. They’d rather have fewer, better things than rooms full of items they might need someday.
The real difference isn’t the money
After transitioning from teaching to writing, I’ve had to examine every expense in our budget. What I’ve learned from observing wealthy families isn’t about depriving ourselves or our kids. It’s about being intentional.
These families aren’t cheap. They spend plenty on things that matter to them: education, experiences, quality items that last decades, investments that grow. They just refuse to spend on things that don’t align with their actual values, no matter how much social pressure exists to do so.
The truth is, building wealth isn’t usually about earning more. It’s about being thoughtful about where your money goes. Every dollar spent on something that doesn’t truly matter to you is a dollar not invested in something that does.
So next time you feel that playground pressure to keep up, remember: the families who could most easily afford to probably aren’t. And maybe that’s exactly why they can afford to.
