50 Normal Things That Felt Like Peak Luxury When We Were Kids

The most common indicator of wealth, even though it’s pretty deceiving, is, of course, the pool. Despite being an indicator of luxury, around 10% of US households have at least one. This number increases to around 17% for the cohort aged 18-29, which makes sense, as younger people tend to prefer more activities in the sun. 

This number decreases to 16% in the next cohort, 30-49, but in general, this means more than one in ten households has this item of great luxury. Now, pools come in all shapes and sizes, and one can have a sizable, above-ground inflatable pool as well, but the idea of a pool by the home is obviously pretty attractive to a kid. 

Summer vacation, as a kid, was a joyous, gleeful time, for the most part. Even more special were those times your family actually went somewhere, maybe abroad, or to a more exotic location within the country. National parks, resorts, and amusement parks are all staples, though some families also insisted on taking young children to old battlefields, museums, and other historical sights which they no doubt had zero appreciation for. 

Statistically, most US adults went somewhere on vacation about four times over their whole childhood, so the idea of going every single year was absolutely a sign of wealth. If you have ever encountered a person who unironically asks you “Where do you summer?” then know you are in the presence of (mostly) inherited wealth. Nevertheless, most American adults do think a summer without a trip is a waste. 

Of course, some things were not so much a sign of wealth, but that the family had less impulse control or just a sweet tooth. Easy access to soda, particularly cans in the fridge is not actually that hard to do, but a child tends to overfocus on small luxuries, candies, video games, and, yes, soda, over larger things, like healthcare and housing. So sometimes a family just using a different brand may seem luxurious. 

In fact, this would extend to so many things. One respondent said that foreign holidays were a sign of wealth. Without additional details, we must conclude that they encountered a family from a minority that happened to be wealthy at the same time and the reputation stuck in their head. Others talked about juice from a carton instead of a can, despite cardboard being a less premium material. It seems that the grass really always is greener.