If you want to build a calmer financial life, the goal is to stop spending money as emotional first aid.
We don’t like to admit it, but money is emotion, identity, and the story we tell ourselves about what we “deserve,” what we “missed out on,” and what we need to feel okay.
That’s why this topic gets spicy fast because if you grew up lower-middle-class (or live there now), some purchases feel like tiny, hard-won proof that life isn’t all bills, stress, and waiting for the next surprise expense.
Meanwhile, many wealthy people look at the exact same purchases and shrug like, “Why would anyone pay for that?”
Before we go any further, I want to be super clear: This isn’t a “poor people are dumb” rant because that take is lazy and cruel.
This is about psychology, incentives, and what feels comforting when you don’t have a cushion.
I used to work as a financial analyst, and I’ve sat across from people with very different incomes who had the same core problem: they were spending to soothe a feeling.
The feeling just wore a different outfit depending on what their life looked like.
Let’s talk about seven common splurges that often show up in lower-middle-class households, and why wealthy folks frequently see them as a total waste:
1) Brand name everything
Have you ever bought the “good” version of something just to feel… safer?
Not always because it’s objectively better, but because the brand name gives you a little hit of relief.
When money is tight, a bad purchase stings more.
If a cheap blender dies in two months, you didn’t just waste money, you wasted hope, time, and the tiny mental energy you had left.
So, lower-middle-class spending often leans toward brand names as emotional insurance: Shoes, bags, jackets, and even pantry items.
The logo becomes a shortcut for “I’m making a smart choice” and sometimes “I belong.”
Wealthy people, though, often don’t buy the logo.
They buy durability, convenience, or whatever solves the problem with the least friction.
They’ll pay more for quality, sure, but many of them quietly avoid status branding because it can read as trying too hard and they’re usually not relying on the purchase to protect them from financial pain if it fails.
If you catch yourself reaching for the logo, ask: Am I paying for quality, or am I paying to feel less anxious?
2) Upgrades on cars that don’t change your life
I’m anti-car-payment-that-eats-your-breath.
One of the biggest splurges I see is stretching for a car that looks impressive or feels “finally nice,” then tacking on upgrades that don’t really change daily function.
Bigger rims, sport trim, premium sound, and a model that’s newer than necessary.
If you’ve ever driven off a lot feeling like a new person, you already know why this happens.
A car is visibility, self-worth, and the one big thing people see.
When you don’t feel in control financially, a car upgrade can feel like control.
Wealthy people often do the opposite as a lot of them treat cars like appliances: Reliable, safe, and low headache.
Some drive very average vehicles because they don’t need the validation, and they’re focused on protecting cash flow for investments, businesses, or opportunities.
The reflective question here is simple: Is this car serving my life, or is it serving my feelings?
3) Overspending on holidays, birthdays, and “show” moments
This one comes from love, not stupidity.
Lower-middle-class families often splurge hard on Christmas, kids’ birthdays, weddings, and milestone events.
Sometimes even when they’re behind on bills, especially if they grew up with scarcity and swore their kids wouldn’t feel it.
I’ve heard versions of this a hundred times: “I didn’t have much growing up, so I want them to have the magic.”
I get it, I really do, the problem is that the pressure is endless.
One birthday becomes the new baseline, or one big Christmas turns into an expectation.
Social media makes it feel like everyone else is doing more, even when they’re secretly drowning in credit card debt too.
Wealthy people tend to value experiences and traditions over flashy spending because they’re not trying to prove they can afford joy.
They can, and they also know something lower-middle-class households learn the hard way: the memory fades, but the payments don’t.
A gentle challenge: What if “magic” was a ritual, not a receipt?
4) Expensive shoes and clothing that don’t last
This one is tricky because it’s mixed with real class reality.
When you’re lower-middle-class, how you look can affect how you’re treated.
People judge; employers, customer, and even strangers judge.
Dressing well can feel like armor.
So, it makes sense that some people splurge on outfits, shoes, and accessories that signal “put together” and “doing okay,” even if it hurts.
Here’s the catch: The splurge is often on trendy items.
A pair of shoes that looks incredible but wrecks your feet, a jacket that’s stylish but falls apart, and a closet full of “outfits” and nothing that actually works together.
Wealthy people, when they care about clothing, often spend on tailoring, timeless basics, and fabrics that hold up, or they outsource the whole thing and keep it simple.
Either way, they’re usually buying to reduce decision fatigue.
If you’re going to spend, spend in a way that buys you time: Fewer items, better fit, more re-wear, and less “panic shopping.”
5) Everyday convenience spending that quietly becomes a lifestyle
Let’s talk about the little daily splurges that don’t feel like splurges:
- Food delivery
- Coffee runs
- Grab-and-go lunches
- Convenience store snacks
- Subscription services you forget you have
- Rideshares instead of the bus
- Paying for speed because you’re exhausted
This is one of the biggest gaps between lower-middle-class spending and wealthy spending, and it’s because wealthy people can do it without it eating their future.
When you’re stretched thin, convenience feels like relief.
It feels like a break from cooking, planning, packing, or thinking.
If your life is already packed with stress, you’ll pay for relief.
That’s normal human behavior; wealthy people also pay for convenience, but they tend to do it strategically.
They outsource things that free up high-value time, not just time, and they’ll notice when convenience becomes a leak.
Try this: For two weeks, track every “I’m too tired” purchase.
Just collect the data, and you might be shocked by what you find.
6) High-interest financing for “nice” things
This is the one wealthy people really side-eye.
Financing furniture, electronics, and a phone upgrade; “No interest for 12 months” deals that turn into interest grenades, and buy-now-pay-later on non-essentials.
Here’s the emotional logic: If you can’t buy the nice thing outright, you can still access the nice thing now.
Now feels important when your life has been a lot of waiting, but wealthy people tend to see debt as a tool, not a treat.
They’ll borrow for things that grow value or produce income such as a house, a business expansion, sometimes education; they usually don’t borrow to decorate a life they can’t yet afford.
The hard truth is that high-interest debt doesn’t just cost money.
It costs options and steals your ability to pivot, rest, take a risk, or handle an emergency without panic.
A simple rule I like: If it depreciates and it’s not necessary, don’t put it on a payment plan.
7) Trying to look “rich” instead of getting financially stable
Let’s just name the pattern.
Sometimes splurging is about escaping the identity of struggle, like a designer belt, luxury perfume, VIP seats, bottle service, and the newest phone.
The goal is the feeling of not being the person who worries about money.
Yes, this happens across income levels.
Plenty of high earners do it too, but it’s especially seductive for lower-middle-class folks because status can feel like protection.
If people think you’re doing well, maybe they’ll respect you more, won’t look down on you, or you’ll finally feel like you made it.
Wealthy people often see this as a waste because they understand something most people learn late: Real wealth is quiet, buffers, boring choices, and not needing to explain yourself.
If you’ve ever spent money to avoid feeling “less than,” know that you don’t need to buy your way into dignity because you already have it.
The more useful question is: What would actually make me feel secure?
“Secure” comes from having breathing room.
Final thoughts
If this article made you feel defensive, that’s okay, it might mean you found a tender spot.
If it made you feel seen, that’s okay too.
Splurging isn’t always bad because, sometimes, it’s necessary or the only bright thing in a hard season.
However, if you want to build a calmer financial life, the goal is to stop spending money as emotional first aid.
Here’s a small reflection to end on: Which of these splurges gives you the biggest mood boost, and which one gives you the biggest money hangover?
Your answer is your starting point.
The good news is, once you can see the pattern, you can change it without hating yourself in the process.
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