23 Things That Seemed Completely Inaccessible in Childhood, but Are Now Quite Common

When we are little, we are a bit confused about money and don’t know the value of everyday items and services. But our parents make it clear to us how the world works by telling us that they can’t buy us, for example, the latest toy because it costs a lot of money. This is how we learn that there are luxuries that only Richie Rich and others can own.

At Now I’ve Seen Everything we could not overlook the revelations of some people about things that today are quite normal, but that in childhood they thought were of millionaires.

• A fridge full of food. Never had this as a kid, we we super poor, would open it to literally find butter and that’s it. When I went ’round kids’ houses I was so amazed by all the snacks in the fridge. Vowed if I had a family, I would fill the fridge and make life tasty for my kids, and I did. Little wins. © Nixher / Reddit
• Shaving cream and quality razors. Even though we had enough money growing up, my mom insisted on those one-blade bics and soap to shave my legs. I was stunned as an adult to find out shaving cream costs like $3.50, I honestly thought it would be like $25. © mydogisincharge / Reddit
• Going to DisneyLand or anywhere far away as a family. © ForgottenSalad / Reddit

• Going on vacations. I’m not certain my dad ever took more than half a day off in the entire time I lived at home. Weekends included. We were really poor, though, so I guess he felt like he needed to work that much to get by. I’d hear about people going camping for a couple weeks and think they were millionaires. © littleredh***m / Reddit
• Going to McDonald’s. It was a once a year treat for us, if that. I was led to believe that it was too expensive and only something rich people did. I would see my neighbours and friends with happy meal boxes and would be really jealous of them. Their parents worked and mine didn’t, so I assumed it was only for people with money. When I got older and got a job, I realized it was cheap and my parents were just awful with money. © Retrosonic82 / Reddit
• A toilet. A flushable one. We just had a compost toilet in the shed, which was great in summer to watch the swallows teaching their chicks to fly, but terrible in winter. I realized later we were just poor. © comhghairdheas / Reddit

• When I was six or seven years old, I had a particular turn in the understanding of true wealth. We were very poor then, but I still managed to get into an expensive private school: my grandparents helped me. And, naturally, there were very rich children who didn’t even know about my situation. At that time, particular dolls were very fashionable, literally everybody had them. And yes, I got one too. Only my mother sewed all kinds of dresses for her herself, she didn’t buy them. The quality, by the way, turned out to be much better than the ones in the store. Well, once I was invited to the birthday party of a rich student. As a gift, my mother sewed a couple of outfits for that popular doll, because there was no money. And you know what, her mom tried to return the gift and said it was “too fancy”! And then I realized that for those people, the time invested was much more valuable than money. © newhappyrainbow / Reddit
• Having a good sense of style. You don’t have to wear expensive clothes to look good. Most every piece of clothing I have cost $20 or less, but I still look amazing. © jchanceh9lol / Reddit
• Oh, I remember how much I was struck by the colorful scented toilet paper at my grandmother’s friend’s house. We had regular, white, single-ply toilet paper. © karen_rittner54 / Reddit

• Getting a soda at a restaurant. But I’m still not willing to pay $3 for $0.10 worth of Sprite. © PoorCorrelation / Reddit
• One time some people visited us. They had a really nice truck, a trailer, and were talking about getting another jet ski. They talked about the frequent and varied vacations they went on, so I thought they were rich. When my mom said that they made as much as us, I thought she was confused. “Why don’t we do all that?” My young mind pondered. Later on when those people declared bankruptcy, it all made sense. Live within your means. Save money for the future. © KannaKamuiFSN / Reddit
• Making pancakes at home. We were really poor and got most of our food from the food pantry. I thought that only rich people could afford everything that it takes to make pancakes at home. One time in grade school I went to a sleepover and my friend’s mom asked if I wanted pancakes for breakfast. I was really impressed when they could afford that. I said something like, “No that’s okay, they’re too expensive and I don’t want to take them from you.” She then had to explain that they’re not expensive to make at all. That’s when I learned just how poor I really was. © lady_***ter / Reddit

• Having those fridges that dispense out ice cubes, still think they’re rich though. © lewisdream / Reddit
• If you lived in a house. I grew up in an apartment complex and me and my friends who lived in the same complex used to walk by houses and fantasize about living in them. © WaxOjos / Reddit
• To me you were rich if you had a 64 box of Crayola crayons. © MentryTRex / Reddit
• For me, if you had a multicolored pen. © Cubsfan630 / Reddit
• If you had two bathrooms. © megabestfriend / Reddit
• If you had cable TV. © bssm89 / Reddit
  

Is there something that seemed completely inaccessible to you in childhood, but is now quite common to you?