People Who Were Raised Around Money Can Always Spot These 11 Small Details In A Home
They're quickly made aware of their privileges.
Andrii Iemelianenko | Shutterstock Being a child from an affluent family or background isn't always the positively privileged situation many people predict it will be. Research, like one study from Child Development, suggests that these children often face higher pressures to achieve, a heightened risk for substance concerns, and isolation from their parents. They may have the money to buy time, access, and privilege, but on a personal level, they're just as prone to psychological and social struggles — prompted by their hyper-aware and environmental experiences.
However, one thing that sets these children apart from their lower-income counterparts is their home environment and economic upbringing. They may not have had to struggle from a financial perspective or take on the money stress of others, so they grew accustomed to little luxuries and experiences right from their living spaces. From decorations, to clothing, and even the vibe of a space, people who were raised around money can always stop these small details in a home.
People who were raised around money can always spot these 11 small details in a home
1. The artwork
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The way we decorate our homes, the artwork we choose to hang in our busiest living spaces, and the self-expression that comes through all of those choices are often easily recognizable by the guests we invite over. Whether it's personal artwork, trending pieces from social media, or meaningless decorations that don't speak to a person's true vibe, people notice.
Many people feed into trends and decorate their homes with trendy artwork to feign a sense of belonging — they're either struggling to connect with their own identity or feeling lonely and looking for an outlet to connect with others. Some even feel a "feel of missing out," according to a study from the Journal of Business Research, that prompts them to overspend and fall into our consumerist culture.
While people who grew up with money are still prone to these personal and social dilemmas, they often have the money and time to experiment with self-expression through home decor in ways that other people do not. That's why people who were raised around money can always spot these small details in a home.
2. Fake plants and flowers
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Of course, people with the money and time to buy plants and care for living things in their personal lives may reap some of the benefits of owning them, like a study from the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health suggests.
From a greater sense of peace at home, to psychological benefits from nurturing plants, and even an aura of calmness that's sometimes lacking from homes plagued with financial uncertainty, children from affluent backgrounds grew up around real plants with all of these subtle benefits. That's why they immediately notice when someone's home is decorated with fake plants and flowers.
Even if they don't recognize the roots of this difference — that lower-income homes and families tend to have less free time to spend on intentional and active hobbies, like caring for and nurturing real plants — it's one of the things they instantly notice when entering someone else's home.
3. Silverware
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Silverware has always been coined as a "symbol of wealth," with materials like silver and gold flashing brightly from the wealthiest families' dinner tables and kitchens. Even though it's become more modernized, affordable, and common for families of all income levels to use in the modern age, it's still one of the things people who were raised around money can always spot in a home.
They likely have silverware sets that are made from truly quality materials — they're heavy in the hand, polished on a regular basis, and washed with care. However, other low-income homes may rely on single-use products to avoid wasting water on dishes, using plastic cutlery and cheap silverware for their meals.
It's one of the less obvious things that the average person may not notice or care about, but one that adult children from affluence can't ignore.
4. Books
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Reading books that actually resonate with you and that you enjoy is one of the most effective ways to relieve stress in your daily routine, boosting productivity, mood, and general well-being. Of course, those novels and genres look different for every person, which is why it's so much fun to look through someone else's bookshelf — it gives you a moment to look into their soul and truly understand what they enjoy.
That's why people who were raised around money — often with a million books, performative literature, and decorative novels on display — always spot these small details in someone else's home. For the people that only have the money to buy one book every few months, the choices they make and the way they choose to display them is powerful and profound.
It's a glimpse into a person's personality and interests, but also into their soul — books are more profound, especially in someone's sacred living space, than many people give them credit for.
5. Quality versus quantity
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Wealthy people often have the money when they're making a purchase to prioritize things like quality materials, sustainability, longevity, and durability — spending more money up front to save them money in the long-term and add to the quality of their lifestyle. Whether it's furniture, silverware, home decor, or appliances, they can spend more money to invest in higher quality products for their homes.
This difference between quality and quantity is also one of the small details in a home that people who were raised around money can always spot. Even little things, like the thread count in someone's sheets and the comfortability of their living room couch are obvious for them, considering they grew up with the best-of-the-best.
Some things, like brand-name versus generic groceries or cleaning supplies may not actually be that different — other than their price — but for other larger things, like furniture, it's almost always obvious right away.
6. A mattress
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For guests who grew up with money spending the night in someone else's home, the quality of the mattress they're sleeping on is almost always noticeable from the second they wake up in the morning — if not, right when they lay down to go to sleep.
The quality of a mattress is directly related to the quality of sleep someone gets at night, impacting their mood throughout the day, productivity at work, and academic performance in educational settings. So, even if it seems subtle to a person who's always had a cheap mattress or an uncomfortable bed — reaping the consequences of poor sleep, fatigue, and exhaustion regularly — it's one of the first things someone who was raised around money notices in a home.
7. Noise
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Many wealthy people even leverage their financial freedom to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life — taking vacations, buying country homes, and escaping the city for a few days to avoid the noise and chaos.
However, lower-income people, who are often geographically restricted in their homes and communities, tend to suffer disproportionately from noise pollution, according to a study from Environmental Health Perspectives. They don't have the money to buy their own space, escape from noisy environments, or seek preventative care for the damage noise pollution can cause over time — it's rooted in their socioeconomic experience.
People who were raised around money can always spot the noise when they enter another person's home — whether it's completely silent or bustling with sounds from children at home, neighbors in apartment buildings, or city sounds in a busy community.
8. Snack options
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According to a study from the Journal of Marketing Research, wealthy people often invest in individually packaged snacks and unsustainable grocery options because they feel entitled to the higher price tags and luxury of the items.
While low-income families rely on the convenience of fast food and other less nutritional items — just one explanation for the interconnectedness of health and income — their affluent counterparts overspend on unsustainable snack options and luxury groceries.
People who were raised around money can always spot these differences in food options and snacks in someone's home. Whether it's a lack of expensive products, individually packaged snack options, or simply food in the fridge, their privilege shows when they're around low-income people who struggle to put food on the table and afford groceries consistently.
9. Broken things
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For wealthy people, everything is fixable — or, at least, replaceable — which is why broken things are one of the small details in a home people who were raised around money can always spot. They may not even understand why someone keeps a broken couch in their living room or a faulty fridge in their kitchen, because they have the privilege and money to get rid of it without reservation.
However, considering the bottom 60% of Americans struggle to afford the most basic necessities in their lives — from groceries, to rent, and utilities — it's not surprising when you look at the big picture why they're holding onto broken things until they're actually unusable.
10. Coordinated home decor
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Whether it's matching towels, a color scheme, or themes across the rooms in a home, the vibe of home decor is one of the things people who were raised around money can always spot in someone else's living space.
Growing up around money means they likely had the privilege of living in a curated and "aesthetic" living space — decorating their bedrooms however they wanted and using matching hand towels in every room of the home.
Even if they didn't recognize it as children, going to other people's houses as adults — where they're focused on practicality, rather than aesthetics — makes it obvious.
11. Clutter
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People who were raised around money likely had help in their homes growing up, whether it was landscapers cutting their grass, babysitters and nannies offering childcare, or a housekeeper deep cleaning their living space regularly.
They never had to do their own chores, worry about cleaning up clutter before guests arrived, or sit alone at home as kids and entertain themselves — all of this physical and emotional labor was outsourced. That's why people who were raised in affluent homes can always spot clutter in other people's homes — it's not only obvious visually, it also tends to negatively affect the vibe and mood of the people living there.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a staff writer with a bachelor's degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.
