What were your "wow we're poor" or "wow we are well off" moments when you were a kid?

I've had the experience of both worlds. Up until the age of 14 we were pretty well off.

We owned a house in the south of france
I had 4 horses
I went to private school

Then the recession came,my mum got ill (she's the earner) my parents went bankrupt and we lost everything.

We had no heating, we all just had to sit round a fire to keep warm

We lived on tomato soup

We went through a stage of hiding whenever someone knocked on the door.

When I was 17 it all got better and my parents got back on their feet, we got a nice house, i got a mulberry handbag for christmas and we were back to our original financial state

However my dad left 7 months ago and took my mum to the cleaners and ditched me and my sister so now we're heading back in the bad direction. My mum got ill again so had to sell everything and now my sister and I are in a bit of a state because she can't afford to have us at home and both of us are students so have no money.


I guess I'm lucky though that I did experience what it felt like to have everything. It's taught me aswell alot of things about money and to avoid my parents mistakes.

I can remember being puzzled when I was little and hearing that people were going hungry in the world and asking parents why they couldn't just go out and buy more food at the shops? The answers didn't seem to make sense. They still don't, actually.

Where I was brought up in Oxford, there are kind of pretty big houses in the bit where we lived, but just down the road and not very far away there is a large council estate, so I was aware from quite young that there were lots of people without the same level of resources. For part of my school years I attended an upmarket school locally and the uniform attracted jibes in the street sometimes, it is known to be posh in the area.

When there's no condiments the house, so you're spreading tomato puree on your bread

This, most certainly isn't a place I'm willing to discuss mine, or my parents misfortune so willingly.

Always someone who wants to be different

It's because it's just been a savage long road, I don't think people would want to hear about my misfortune :P

Ahh it's sad that you got taunted for your uniform just because you went to a more expensive school.

I think privileged people have to live with all the consequences of privilege, which often include the understandable annoyance, envy or criticism of those without the privilege. So I don't think it's that big a deal if you get ribbed for it, but the only thing I would say is that I didn't particularly choose the schools I went to, that was my parents. Later in life though I get to control how I live and what I do with resources.

But that's what this thread is for

I'll spend the next 15 minutes deciding whether I will.. I've always imagined TSR people quite judgemental on peoples upbringing.

I can remember being puzzled when I was little and hearing that people were going hungry in the world and asking parents why they couldn't just go out and buy more food at the shops? The answers didn't seem to make sense. They still don't, actually.

Where I was brought up in Oxford, there are kind of pretty big houses in the bit where we lived, but just down the road and not very far away there is a large council estate, so I was aware from quite young that there were lots of people without the same level of resources. For part of my school years I attended an upmarket school locally and the uniform attracted jibes in the street sometimes, it is known to be posh in the area.

Just seeing people in beat-up, old (More than 3 year-old) cars. Which in contrast to the cars we had, and still have, highlights the situation to a certain extent.

At Christmas my parents would easily spend over £600 on me, one year I got an XBOX 360 with a kinect, several games, a designer bag, as well as countless other presents. They had to put them in 2 rooms because they wouldn't fit in 1. I got paid £100 per GCSE I got and would regularly get expensive perfumes and makeup bought for me.

Wow I feel like an ******* typing that

I went to the second largest school in the country (state school) which bordered 3 of the roughest council estates in the county.

I always felt as though my family was well off in comparison to the struggles that others went through. I've always been treated very well by my parents. I got a car, always got what I wanted for Christmas and birthdays etc. But my thankfulness is not because of the material goods I received, but for the lengths my parents would go to to make sure I was happy.

They aren't millionaires, but I'm eternally grateful for what they've provided for me and intend at some point to pay them back in some respect. I'm financially independent now, which I am glad of. I don't like taking from people.

Pupils from the school which I attend also have this 'uniform problem'. Occasionally, a few people in public will give us 'the look' because we have blazers on.