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.
#1
I have a relative by marriage who buys land so no one can develop it.
Image credits: witchwithflyinghead
#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…
Image credits: Ashleym527
#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.
Image credits: Shinotochi
#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.”
Image credits: 7ofalltrades
#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.
Image credits: Eddie_Hitler
#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.
Image credits: seeteethree
#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.
Image credits: bigjamg
#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.
Image credits: RedBarnGuy
#9
Using the term “Summer” as a verb.
Image credits: pelican737
#10
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.
Image credits: Back2Bach
#11
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.
Image credits: SheaRVA
#12
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.
Image credits: Churn
#13
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.
Image credits: momo88852
#14
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.
Image credits: tourettes_on_tuesday
#15
I had some family friends growing up that had a handmade monopoly table.
It was wooden with silver pieces, and they used real cash.
Image credits: ohgreatitsryan
#16
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.
Image credits: Tarheel6793
#17
Legally watch current theatrical films in the privacy of your own home theatre.
Image credits: pokerstar420
#18
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.
Image credits: NathuramGodse
#19
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.
Image credits: The_Brain_Fuckler
#20
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.
Image credits: Chocolate_Eruption
#21
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.
Image credits: BlatantConservative
#22
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.
Image credits: haffbaked
#23
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.
Image credits: all-you-need-is-love
#24
Buy property in London and dig out the basement 2-3 stories for conversion to luxury living.
Image credits: LazerBeamEyesMan
#25
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.
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Image credits: -whostolemyusername-
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