28 Things Poor People Could Afford To Do And Have, Until The Rich Folks Ruined It, As Shared Online

Article created by: Monika Pašukonytė

Let’s admit right away that customs and fashion are definitely a two-way street. Throughout the centuries of human history, the rich and famous often came up with something that “mere mortals” then happily adopted. Even if following these trends turned out to be detrimental to the state of their wallet.

But there are many reverse examples – when the powers that be were inspired by the aesthetics and hobbies of ordinary people. And I must say, far from always has this inspiration led to something good. Often the opposite happens. And so, in this viral thread on the AskReddit community, netizens recall cases when moneyed people adopted the hobbies of the poor, thus nearly ruining it for them.

More info: Reddit

Volunteers wearing masks packing food bags under a tent, illustrating things poor people could afford to do. Food banks. My local food bank put out a news article basically saying that rich people need to stop using the food bank as a “life hack” to lower their grocery bills.

ConfidantlyCorrect , Ismael Paramo Report

Colorful eBay sign surrounded by flowers and greenery outside a corporate office building with trees nearby. Ebay.

It used to be so useful to get all kinds of cheap or unique things. Then more and more big commercial sellers joined the club and eventually ebay itself forgot about what and who made their platform a success in the first place.

onesmilematters , Mike Knell Report

Woman working on laptop with open book and smartphone on white table, illustrating things poor people could afford before. It’s interesting reading all of the responses here. Really the underlying issue is, you guessed it – the Internet.

Lots of the things here used to be cheap because the market for them was inefficient… e.g. they were things only known by people in certain communities (certain cuts of meat, thrift stores, certain travel destinations, etc.)

Basically the internet enabled the masses to “discover” all of these things and drive demand, and thus the price, up for all of them.

oSuJeff97 , Vlada Karpovich Report

Plate of fries and a burger topped with a fried egg, illustrating things poor people could afford to do and have before rising costs. Many ethnic foods in the US. The really tasty stuff might be dirt-cheap and off the beaten path until the yuppies and hipsters get wind of it, then it’s found in every strip mall at an inferior quality for $30 a plate.

Atheist_Alex_C , Spencer Davis Report

Wide view of a makeshift camp at sunset, illustrating challenges poor people could afford until wealthy changes impacted access. Burning Man, Collectable Card Games, Retro Video Games, GOING TO CONCERTS…like seriously, just pick a hobby. Once the re-sellers get into it, prices go through the roof, and nobody can afford to do anything.

divine_shadow , Hawaii Savvy Report

Customers enjoying drinks at a bar, illustrating things poor people could afford before rising costs and changes by rich folks. Proper local pubs, affected by expanding cities ( Manchester in my case). Ruined by greedy breweries trying to attract upmarket clientele, or selling out for demolition and the building of apartments that locals cannot afford…

Appropriate-Bad-9379 , ELEVATE Report

Aerial view of rural farmland and small villages, reflecting poor people’s affordable lifestyle before wealth-driven changes. Unrestricted land

Everything gets an HOA now, and they try to force you into their jurisdiction.

My family fought an HOA targeting my grandmother’s house. She had lived there for 10 years before the HOA was even an idea, or the new area with big houses was cleared for construction before that.

We ended up having Rock in her houses, skirting, and rock in under her deck due to not having the money to fight an HOA she never signed on to.

If an HOA comes out where I live (which might happen in the next 15 years), I will fight them tooth and nail for spite alone.

LionOf89 , Digital Buggu Report

Man in striped shirt counting cash, illustrating financial challenges faced by poor people before changes by the rich. Life. “poor” people I knew were always happy with the simple pleasures. Now even this simple pleasures are almost impossible to afford unless they’re necessary and your break your back to pay for them so you almost resent them. Rich people are literally ruining life.

wenisdan , cottonbro studio Report

Two young men playing soccer on a green field illustrating affordable activities before rich folks changed it. Football (soccer). It used to be a working class sport played by and watched by working class people. Then money came into it and the working class was priced out of watching.

robertodurian , Janosch Diggelmann Report

McDonald's fast food restaurant at night with cars parked outside, illustrating things poor people could afford before rising costs. McDonald’s. It was originally a place for a quick eat because it was cheap, but now it’s just mid food for high prices.

DrMcSpicy32 , Shahbaz Ali Report

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