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“Poor People Don’t Know How It Works”: 30 Wild Activities That Only The Filthy Rich Could Even Think Of
While the world faces steady inflation and prepares itself for a probable global recession standing around the corner, all amid the shaky post-covid reality, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and all-consuming anxiety, there exist people for whom this chaos is a mere nuisance.
Welcome to the world of the super-rich that stand separated from all of the rest by a yawning wealth gap. Think of people with enormous fortunes, unimaginable extravagance and a lavish lifestyle that goes far beyond comprehension.
“What is an activity the ultra-rich partake in that regular people don't even know exists?” someone asked a while back on Ask Reddit. The thread amassed 23.7k upvotes and almost 15k comments from people who have experienced the life of the ultra-rich and the quirks that come with it, one way or the other. Below we wrapped up some of the most intriguing and juicy stories.
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#1
I have a relative by marriage who buys land so no one can develop it.
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#2
Dated a guy who had a place at Ocean Reef (super exclusive, extremely wealthy community in upper Florida keys).
Sat with 5 other couples, going back and forth about whose mega yacht we should take out that evening.
Bob and Cindy's is the closest to the canal... but oh, Jim and Donna's is bigger! But, Mark and Tina's jacuzzi is already heated!... but Dale and Ira's has a full staff tonight!
I was just like... I have a kayak...
#3
My whole dad's side of the family is ultra-rich, they own a private pharmaceutical that supplies hospitals in small countries (mostly third world) also luxury real estate as well as offices. . I got to live with him while attending college in my home country. My uncle had his first kid while I was there, and my aunt made him hire a 24/7 maternity nurse to take care of the baby at all times. They didn't want anything to do with their baby until she was at least 3-4 years old and "active". It really open my eyes to why my mother choose to get separated and raise her kids in an average life. Made me really thankful for the life I had, to see in person how disconnected and spoiled my half-brother and sister were was a rude awakening.
Bobert Robertson 2 years ago
That’s disgusting. I can’t imagine not wanting to be a part of my childrens lives at all stages
#4
Seasonal furniture.
"Well, it's getting on into April so we better get the spring couches and chaise lounges out of storage, and swap out the winter dining table and china for the spring set. Better get out all the matching drapes, too."
#5
Go abroad for dinner.
I hear of wealthy Londoners (or nearby) who simply jump in their helicopter and fly to Paris for an evening meal, then come home again.
#6
Met a cool young girl at my college - she was like a princess - she said that was the closest English word to describe her status. Before coming to school, she had NEVER - dressed herself, bathed herself, walked up or down stairs without a maid holding her hand... I initially found this out when I heard her ask someone for help going down a flight of, like, 6 stairs. She was cool about it, though, and learning.
Kivebo 2 years ago
If her hair doesn’t smell like toothpaste then she asked someone for help and they didn’t refuse.
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Jessica Bertram 2 years ago
i think i would have a hard time not doing a goldfish face at her. that is....astoundingly helpless. who wants to live so cosseted and suffocated??
LH25 2 years ago
It does sound like she was trying to break free from that life.
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Kivebo 2 years ago
You’d be surprised how many people would want to help you bathe.
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Rosemary Moreland 2 years ago
Didn’t Queen Victoria have a similar upbringing? She hated it! You would only trip once on 6 steps and then you’d be counting!😁
Sarah Monk 2 years ago
She was lying this is a story about Queen Victoria not about normal people no matter how rich, the walking up and down stairs bit!
Loki’s Lil Butter Knife 2 years ago
Why are you getting downvoted. I entirely agree. How in the world could someone be that sheltered that they need help going down a flight of stairs and haven't even washed themselves? Not even the Royal Family is treated like this.
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Sarah K 2 years ago
Away at college, at what sounds like a different country? I believe that she wanted to impress people who didn't know her or her life by over exaggerating her helplessness. Maybe made her feel special and at that age, many people are finding themselves and trying to establish how unique they are. But I don't believe she needed someone to hold her hand going down stairs unless she had some sort of sensory processing issue or spatial unawareness.
#7
My good friend works at a big mortgage company and the CEO has a huge house overlooking the ocean. His neighbor had a few trees that kinda sorta blocked parts of the ocean view so the CEO asked his neighbor if he could trim the trees. The neighbor politely said no. So the CEO bought the neighbors house for $15 million over market price and chopped all of the trees down completely.
Jan Bowyer 2 years ago
Brings to mind a story about the duchess of Windsor (Wallis Simpson) having 100+ year old oaks , I think, cut down near one of the palaces. Makes me sad that wealth can erase any conscience or concern for the world beyond themselves.
#8
Well, one ultra-rich person in particular. The CEO for a company I used to work for put a giant tank (pool) with a submerged "sunken ship" inside of it in his back yard so that he could scuba dive around in it.
Winter 2 years ago
That actually sounds pretty cool. I get a longing for some sort of... pirate or nautical adventure (for lack of better words) from time to time. I usually just watch Pirates of the Caribbean when that happens. This would be much cooler. I wonder if he has a treasure chest full of rubies and gold doubloons down there. I know I would.
#9
Using the term "Summer" as a verb.
Loki’s Lil Butter Knife 2 years ago
Well, excuse me. I'm going to go summer in my private beach-side mansion in the French Riviera while I sit by the pool-side and am fed peeled grapes and am fanned by pool boys.
#10
About a year ago I started a job doing some demolition work. My first job was on the 34th floor of an apartment building in Melbourne.
The apartment was huge. Took up the whole floor just for the one apartment.
All external walls were glass so you had a 360 degree view of the entire city. Could almost see the whole state the view was that good.
Anyway, the apartment cost $4million and the owner didn't like the interior at all.
Our job was to remove EVERYTHING from the apartment. Walls, decorations, lights etc until it was a empty box. We took $80,000 of marble out of the bathroom walls and threw it in the bin! Went on to spend a further $2.5million and doing the place up again.
His reason for the purchase of the apartment?
"I want to watch the Grand Prix my own private box."
He wasn't using the apartment as a house. Just somewhere to watch a god damn car race.
Too much cash there.
Vanessa Richardson 2 years ago
Couldn’t they have kept/sold all the interior stuff that the owner no longer wanted? You know, “one man’s trash” and all that.
#11
They buy fine art - museum-quality pieces - when it becomes for sale and hold on to it until it appreciates to a point where it's worth more to collectors than they originally paid for it.
That way, not only do they make a tidy profit, but they also get to enjoy the artwork in their homes as it increases in value.
#12
My cousins have travel-around tutors that go with them when they travel around the world, so they technically never miss school. They aren't bound by the schedule of public or private schools in Texas, where they technically "live".
Also, they were just in South America shooting Dove (apparently) and they killed **30,000** in a single week, between my uncle, his 15-year-old son and his 12-year-old son.
My step-grandfather (uncle's father) was...displeased about the display, despite having been a hunter his whole life. Somehow, in his age, he's discovered the wrongness of some of the things he's killed. Specifically about doves he said, "I was at the [country club] last week and they have lots of doves out there. The regular gray ones and the white-wing variety. And they're just so beautiful and I said to myself, 'How could you have ever killed these magnificent things? How could you look at yourself in the mirror?'"
This man has been a hunter for most of his life and he's sworn off of it forever. He doesn't even fish anymore.
Ashley Lynne 2 years ago
Good. Killing for no reason is evil. I understand eating meat. But killing for fun? Disgusting
#13
A girl I know is a nanny for a very rich family and they flew her to the other side of the world to take care of one of their three kids. Just one. The other two have their own separate nannies.
#14
Watching the weather report for multiple cities with ski resorts. If a lot of snow drops someplace, on moments notice a group of about a dozen will meet up at the private jet and go skiing for a couple days. During the trip, they might jet over to see a nearby sporting event. Then back to work as if nothing special just happened. A couple days later the designated accountant on the trip will send a spreadsheet around to everyone with their part of the bill for the trip. This bill can also include loses from the poker games played on the jet during flights.
#15
Lived in Iraq, we had this super rich family that their kid got kidnaped, they paid almost half a million for him to get released. After a month he got kidnaped again.
They never left the country knowing they can afford to buy their lives. So they hired an entire squad to protect them.
#16
My wife's grandmother worked as a personal assistant to a southern millionare. She said he used to have "poor parties" where him and his rich friends would basically LARP as their distorted impressions of common people.
#17
I had some family friends growing up that had a handmade monopoly table.
It was wooden with silver pieces, and they used real cash.
#18
AFTERNOON Tea
Imagine drinking tea and eating little sandwiches and scones off of fancy cups and plates while in an extremely elaborate and ornate room with a view.
Now imagine spending between $2000 and $5000 on each of these teas.
Some people do it every. single. day.
#19
Legally watch current theatrical films in the privacy of your own home theatre.
#20
Old money in my part of the world have a thing for fully restored private railcars, with all the modern amenities of a high end RV. They pay to have a track branched to their personal storage shed and then take them out maybe once every other year. Of course the process of taking them out involves paying a company such as Amtrak to haul the thing to their main line, hook it up to a commercial passenger train, and then lug them around the country to their destination. Get a handful of private railcar owners together and they hitch up, rent an engine, and tour the country with close friends the old fashion way on entirely private luxury train.
#21
There's a company that hires male models to just hang out naked on a few islands for a while. The customers (almost entirely old, wealthy gay guys) take pictures of them from a distance. It's pretty much like that Pokemon Snap game for gay fellas. The models get paid a few thousand and the customers pay far above that.
#22
One of my best friends owns over 33 fast food locations in Texas. They were constantly having theme parties where they would hire a company to come in and completely redo their house. They had a casino party where the company they hired removed all furniture from the first floor of the house and put in blackjack tables, slot machines, roulette wheel, etc. They had a complete Vegas-style buffet, 3 bars & they gambled with real money, not chips.
Every year before Christmas, Neiman Marcus comes out with a catalog of insanely expensive items. One year they had decided to buy a Lexus convertible that was being sold in the catalog. When the catalog came out they were on vacation and somehow they both ended up ordering the Lexus convertible. Not too sure why they didn't check with each other first to see who was going to order it but I guess when you have a lot of money it really doesn't matter. And that's just the tip of the iceberg with this family. With all that said, they were the nicest, sweetest, most caring family I have ever met. They didn't let the money go to their head and that's very hard to find these days.
Ashley Lynne 2 years ago
I like wealthy people who are kind and are Appreciative of their good fortune
#23
I work retail in a really rich area and you'd be surprised at the amount of obviously rich people who steal just for the thrill of it.
Being a salesman, I can usually spot a wealthy person based on their clothes or how they talk or even how they walk.
A fair amount of these people, from 11 to 60 years old, will just straight up shoplift just because they think they can. Partially because they dont think a 60 dollar item has any real value.
#24
I just learned the other day that wealthy families go on "shopping trips" to other states just for shopping.
Never considered that some people might say "hey this weekend, let's fly to New York and get some new stuff." without having an underlying reason to be there (visiting family, business, tourism)
Also, my friend growing up had another friend who had a legit Giraffe taxidermied (?) in his bedroom that was multiple stories.
#25
My mother was the private nurse for a family that owns the companies that make hospital beds, service equipment (like bedpans) as well as caskets. They also owned the companies that made the stuff for the products, like the screws. The whole supply chain. AFAIK, they are one of the largest makers of these products in the world. Good chance that anyone you know that stayed in a hospital used their equipment in some way.
The kids of the families would have piñatas filled with candy just because. They had birthday rooms. Like rooms in the mansions reserved just for birthday parties for the kids. When I visited, I would drive my "personal" corvette big wheel they got just for me up and down their hallways..
They are super Catholic. When the matriarch of the family died, she was buried in a marble and gold casket. They took the roses from her funeral and had them compressed into beads, which were made into rosaries.
The family was also super charitable and generous. Incredibly virtuous and friendly. Ran several soup kitchens, donated beds to people for in-home care. Usually anonymously.
My father said that they'd have parties and the men would go into the "Library" and drink liquor that cost $4k per pour.
I remember watching Disney films that were in the theater still in their own personal theater.
The coolest thing I ever received from them was a nice check that covered 1st year expenses and a letter congratulating me on my enrollment into college. My family never told them I got in. They just knew. That's also when I found out that one of the dormitories at the school is named after them.
Unrelated, a brother in my fraternity is so wealthy, that they bought the mansion next to theirs to turn into a garage to house their hundreds of motorcycles and F1 cars, mostly Lotus and Ferrari.
Another brother had no idea how to mop floors because the maids always did it at his house. We found out when he just poured the bucket of water onto the floor.
Third, a friend was so wealthy that the super-snooty, top-donor society to belong to at my university was named after his family.
I also went to a high school that the majority of my class had kids that drove Mercedes, hummers, cadillacs, etc. the occasional Bentley. sons and daughters of factory owners, athletes, etc.
And I drove a 1994 Ford F-150. Which I upgraded to a 1992 Smurf-blue Ford Escort. Being surrounded by wealth and wealthy friends, but never being wealthy is an interesting feeling. Generally positive, because I know that I have the connections and support to get out of a bind if absolutely necessary
Flash Henry 2 years ago
I really relate to that last one. We shared a high school with the town next to my hometown, and most of those kids came from super wealthy families. Senior parking lot was a sea of Mercedes, BMW, Lexus, and the occasion Porsche.
#26
There's a Russian mobster who lives in either Great Neck or King's Point (two towns very near one another on Long Island), I forget which, who designed his house to be a miniature version of the Palace of Versailles. My friend and his daughter drove up to look at it when it was still being constructed, and two heavily-armed guards came popping out of the bushes at them. My friend's daughter speaks Russian, so she says something like, "My dad and I just wanted to see the house", so one of the guards gets on his walky-talky, and then comes back and says to them, "My boss says the girl can come inside, but her father has to stay out here."
My friend's daughter said HELL TO THE NO, and they drove off.
I've never seen the house from the front, but I've kayaked past it and the guy has giant statues in his backyard.
#27
Having house managers at all of their properties. These people coordinate all the domestic staff, and manage the properties so that they are instantly liveable at a moment's notice (down to the flowers of choice in every room) even if the owners only come in for a week or two in a year.
Their secretaries will usually call the house manager the day before saying "oh they'll be in london for a few days" and the manager will arrange everything from the pickup from the airport in the cars he knows each member prefers, coordinate with the secretaries to figure out any appointments they may have, instruct the chef to make their favourite menus.... all of this is done without any input from the owner. That's what they pay for.
#28
I used to work for a travelling Performing Arts company. We had a performance in Boston and while there a board member wanted to take the entire company of about 20 people to her favorite Italian restaurant. At the same time there was a boil order on the local water because of a broken water main. Even though the pasta would have been cooked in boiling water and therefore been safe, that was not good enough. Instead, all of the pasta was boiled in Perrier. Let me tell you, that was some of the best damn pasta I've ever tasted!
#29
Buy property in London and dig out the basement 2-3 stories for conversion to luxury living.
Pat Bond 2 years ago
It's well known and really not that easy anymore. An ex city trader has just been awarded £533K from the builders of next doors iceberg basement as it encroached on his land and did damage to his property. I expect that firm to go bust and like a miracle, the phoenix will rise again from the ashes debt free with a slightly different name. Robbie Williams & Jimmy Page went to war over Williams' plans for an underground complex, the judge ruled he could have the swimming pool but the excavations must be done manually (by hand) so as to not damage Jimmy's Grade 1 listed Manor house.
#30
The following is a true story based on real events
"Hey -whostolemyusername- you wanna fly down on my jet to Myrtle Beach and Golf tomorrow?"
"uh...I have work...sorry"
Some context: This was years ago. I was 17, the kid was 19 and his Dad owned an oil company - yes, an oil company. They were going to Myrtle Beach for business and invited my Dad and I who couldn't go because we actually had to work for money.
What do you think ?
Plumstrickin 2 years ago
This whole thread made me feel depressed. I have to decide if I want to buy ramen for the week or put gas in my car to get to work. My mother can't buy medication. In retrospect- I wish I wouldn't have read it.
Mistiekim 2 years ago
I just want enough to pay off my mortgage, car loan, bills, and have some left to get me through until I’m an old lady. I think I would still work part-time and get some more tattoos. I would help my family and charities. That’s it.
Unaffected 2 years ago
Same.I'd help my kids, have a break from work for about a year and go back. Love my job!
Load More Replies... Cowws 2 years ago
I think it's interesting to consider how these people are to us is how we are to large parts of the world. What practices do we do that they would laugh at or even be disgusted at?
Chich 2 years ago
"You have small animals that you keep in the house? and buy little coats for?" That kind of thing?
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KindaSketchy 2 years ago
What do you call an Irishman who stays outside all year? Pati'o Furniture
Brobro McDuderson 2 years ago
Ngl, kinda’ surprised how positive many of the comments were. Expected nothing but justified vitriol in comments, and found a lot of “that’s cool!” Or “I’d love to do that!”.
Horatio Jay 2 years ago
This reminds me of Gemini-Apollo astronaut Michael Collins' blue-blooded wife's comment about when he said he was going to the Cape, as NASA folks call Cape Canaveral. "Everyone knows 'the Cape' means Cape Cod."
Awsomemom52 2 years ago
My brother once disassembled a (10 year old) kitchen for his boss, which cost at least €25,000 to buy. It was unused... except for the sink and fridge...which was only used for drinks. They had a "utility kitchen" where the housekeeper cooked all meals. Intact furniture can be collected here (Germany) by the "garbage collection" and resold cheaply or given away. My brother and his colleague went to great lengths to carefully dismantle the kitchen so it could be picked up. The next day they found everything in a dumpster...destroyed and unusable. Even the electronic devices were destroyed... When asked why, the boss said it looked too messy in his driveway.
Cassie 2 years ago
I knew a woman who bought a new faux Christmas tree for every room in her house every year. I asked her why she didn't just reuse them each year and she said it was too much of a hassle to store them. I made a comment in passing about how that must be how there are always so many Christmas trees at Goodwill just after Christmas. It hadn't occurred to her to donate them, she just threw them out in the trash! She loved the idea, though, so hopefully she donates them instead now.
Plumstrickin 2 years ago
This whole thread made me feel depressed. I have to decide if I want to buy ramen for the week or put gas in my car to get to work. My mother can't buy medication. In retrospect- I wish I wouldn't have read it.
Mistiekim 2 years ago
I just want enough to pay off my mortgage, car loan, bills, and have some left to get me through until I’m an old lady. I think I would still work part-time and get some more tattoos. I would help my family and charities. That’s it.
Unaffected 2 years ago
Same.I'd help my kids, have a break from work for about a year and go back. Love my job!
Load More Replies... Cowws 2 years ago
I think it's interesting to consider how these people are to us is how we are to large parts of the world. What practices do we do that they would laugh at or even be disgusted at?
Chich 2 years ago
"You have small animals that you keep in the house? and buy little coats for?" That kind of thing?
Load More Replies... KindaSketchy 2 years ago
What do you call an Irishman who stays outside all year? Pati'o Furniture
Brobro McDuderson 2 years ago
Ngl, kinda’ surprised how positive many of the comments were. Expected nothing but justified vitriol in comments, and found a lot of “that’s cool!” Or “I’d love to do that!”.
Horatio Jay 2 years ago
This reminds me of Gemini-Apollo astronaut Michael Collins' blue-blooded wife's comment about when he said he was going to the Cape, as NASA folks call Cape Canaveral. "Everyone knows 'the Cape' means Cape Cod."
Awsomemom52 2 years ago
My brother once disassembled a (10 year old) kitchen for his boss, which cost at least €25,000 to buy. It was unused... except for the sink and fridge...which was only used for drinks. They had a "utility kitchen" where the housekeeper cooked all meals. Intact furniture can be collected here (Germany) by the "garbage collection" and resold cheaply or given away. My brother and his colleague went to great lengths to carefully dismantle the kitchen so it could be picked up. The next day they found everything in a dumpster...destroyed and unusable. Even the electronic devices were destroyed... When asked why, the boss said it looked too messy in his driveway.
Cassie 2 years ago
I knew a woman who bought a new faux Christmas tree for every room in her house every year. I asked her why she didn't just reuse them each year and she said it was too much of a hassle to store them. I made a comment in passing about how that must be how there are always so many Christmas trees at Goodwill just after Christmas. It hadn't occurred to her to donate them, she just threw them out in the trash! She loved the idea, though, so hopefully she donates them instead now.
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