Growing up lower-middle-class teaches you to find satisfaction in activities that wealthier people either outsource or never think about at all - and those patterns stick even when your circumstances change.
My partner grew up wealthier than I did. Not rich, but comfortable enough that certain things were just handled without much thought.
When we moved in together five years ago, they watched me spend an entire Saturday afternoon fixing a broken drawer instead of just buying a new one. They couldn't understand why I'd waste time on something so cheap to replace.
I couldn't understand why you'd throw away something perfectly fixable.
That's when I realized how much my lower-middle-class upbringing in Sacramento shaped what I consider normal. The hobbies and activities I default to, the ones that feel satisfying and worthwhile, often look strange or pointless to people who grew up with more financial security.
Here are eight examples.
1) Fixing things instead of replacing them
When something breaks, my first instinct is to figure out how to fix it. Furniture, appliances, clothing, whatever. I'll spend hours researching repair methods and attempting to restore something to working condition.
People who grew up with more money don't do this. They replace things. The cost-benefit analysis of their time versus the replacement cost makes repair seem inefficient.
But when you grow up lower-middle-class, you learn that things are expensive and your time is free. Fixing becomes a default approach to broken objects, and that pattern persists even when your income changes.
I've repaired the same coffee maker three times. My partner thinks I'm being ridiculous. I think throwing away a machine that still works with minor fixes is wasteful.
Neither perspective is wrong, we're just working from different baseline assumptions about value and worth.
2) Collecting and organizing coupons and deals
I still check for promo codes before making any online purchase. I compare prices across multiple sites. I wait for sales on things I don't need immediately.
My partner finds this baffling. They just buy things when they want them.
But growing up, every purchase required calculation. Is it on sale? Do we have a coupon? Can we wait until it goes on clearance? Shopping wasn't about wanting something and getting it, it was about strategic timing and maximizing value.
That mentality doesn't disappear just because you have more disposable income now. The satisfaction of getting a good deal feels like winning, even when saving fifteen dollars doesn't materially impact your life.
People who never had to think this way don't understand why you'd bother. People who did think this way can't imagine not bothering.
3) Meal planning around what's already in the pantry
I look in my fridge and pantry first, then figure out what I can make with what's there. Only then do I make a list of what I actually need to buy.
My partner starts with what they want to eat, then buys the ingredients.
This difference reflects completely different relationships with food and resources. When you grow up lower-middle-class, food waste feels almost morally wrong. You use what you have before buying more.
This turns into a kind of hobby—the challenge of creating meals from random ingredients, the satisfaction of using everything before it goes bad, the creativity required to make something good from whatever's available.
People who grew up with more security don't find this satisfying. They find it restrictive. Why limit yourself to what's in the pantry when you can just buy what you want?
4) Shopping at thrift stores even when you don't have to
I still check thrift stores first for clothing, furniture, kitchen items, whatever. Not because I can't afford new things, but because the hunt is part of the appeal.
Finding a quality item for a fraction of retail price feels like discovering treasure. The randomness of what's available makes each visit feel like a possibility rather than a transaction.
My partner buys things new. They find thrift shopping exhausting and time-consuming. They want to go to a store, find what they need, and leave.
But when you grow up thrifting out of necessity, it becomes a skill and eventually a hobby. You learn what to look for, how to spot quality, when to go for the best selection. That knowledge and the satisfaction of using it doesn't evaporate when your financial situation improves.
5) DIY projects that save marginal amounts of money
Making your own cleaning products. Sewing your own curtains. Building furniture from raw materials instead of buying it assembled.
These projects take time and often save relatively little money compared to just buying the finished product. But they feel satisfying in ways that purchasing can't replicate.
When you grow up lower-middle-class, DIY isn't a trendy hobby, it's how you get things. You learn to make what you need because buying it isn't always an option.
Even when that's no longer true, the satisfaction of creating something yourself persists. The sense of capability and self-sufficiency feels valuable beyond the money saved.
People who grew up wealthier often see these projects as inefficient. Why spend hours making something you could buy for thirty dollars? But that misses the point. The making is the value, not just the end product.
6) Obsessively researching purchases before buying anything
I can't buy something without reading reviews, comparing specs, checking multiple retailers, and generally over-analyzing the decision.
A friend who grew up wealthier recently bought a new laptop on a whim because their old one was slow. The whole process took maybe an hour. They saw what they wanted, checked that it had the features they needed, and bought it.
I spent two weeks researching before buying my last laptop. Spreadsheets. Comparison charts. Reading user forums about long-term reliability.
This comes from growing up knowing that major purchases were serious decisions. You couldn't afford to get it wrong because replacing a mistake wasn't an option. Every purchase required research and careful consideration.
That caution doesn't disappear when you have more money. The stakes might be lower, but the pattern of obsessive research before purchase remains.
People who grew up with more financial security don't understand this. They see it as overthinking. But for people from lower-middle-class backgrounds, it's insurance against regret.
7) Keeping and organizing things "just in case"
I have a drawer of cables and cords I might never use. Boxes of random hardware. Extra buttons that came with clothing. Plastic containers saved from takeout.
My partner thinks I'm a low-key hoarder. But everything in that drawer is something I've needed at some point.
Growing up lower-middle-class teaches you that throwing something away means buying it again later. You keep things because replacement costs money, and you never know when you'll need exactly that specific item.
This turns into a hobby of sorts—organizing and maintaining your collection of potentially useful things. Knowing what you have and where to find it. The satisfaction of needing something obscure and having it already.
People who grew up wealthier don't do this. They throw things away and buy them again if needed. The cost of storage and mental clutter outweighs the small expense of replacement.
Neither approach is objectively better, but they reflect fundamentally different relationships with scarcity and abundance.
8) Finding free entertainment and activities
I actively seek out free events, concerts, museum days, community activities. Not because I can't afford paid entertainment, but because finding quality free options feels like beating the system.
My partner's default for entertainment is to look at what's happening and go if it sounds interesting, regardless of cost. They'll suggest concerts or shows without checking the price first.
I automatically filter for free or cheap options before considering anything that requires significant money.
This comes from growing up where entertainment had to fit into a tight budget. You learned where the free concerts were, which museums had free days, how to have fun without spending money.
That skill becomes its own satisfaction. Finding the free alternative that's just as good as the paid option feels like winning. It's problem-solving and resourcefulness turned into a hobby.
People who never had to think this way often don't even know these free options exist. They don't see the point of seeking them out when they can just pay for convenience.
Final thoughts
None of these hobbies are about being cheap or unable to afford alternatives.
They're about patterns ingrained by growing up in circumstances where resourcefulness, careful planning, and making do with what you have weren't optional.
Those patterns stick because they're not just about money. They're about competence, self-sufficiency, and the satisfaction of solving problems creatively.
My partner and I have completely different instincts about consumption and resource management.
Neither of us is wrong. We just grew up with different baseline assumptions about scarcity, value, and what's worth your time.
Understanding this helps explain why certain activities feel satisfying to some people and pointless to others. It's not about logic or efficiency. It's about what feels normal based on the circumstances that shaped you.
These hobbies might look weird to people who grew up wealthier, but to those of us from lower-middle-class backgrounds, they feel like common sense. They're how we learned to navigate the world, and that foundation doesn't disappear just because your bank account changes.
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