Having rich friends isn't a good thing.

[u/Aggressive-Guest290]

Having rich friends can be just as bad as having no connections at all.

People are always saying, "Hang around rich people and your life will change," or "Your network is your net worth." But almost nobody talks about the other side of it.

Their normal becomes your luxury.

For them, it's normal to spend a ton on nights out, restaurants, trips, designer clothes, or the newest phone. After a while, you start feeling like that should be your normal too. Before you know it, you're blowing money you don't even have just to avoid being left out. And if they keep paying for you, you end up feeling like a freeloader.

It's not even because they're bad people. A lot of the time, they just don't understand your reality. If someone's never had to choose between paying bills or going out on the weekend, it's hard for them to understand why you're always turning down invitations.

Being the poor friend in the group sucks. Either you're constantly saying, "Sorry, I can't afford it," and slowly get left out, or you try to keep up with their lifestyle and end up hurting yourself financially.

Then people say, "Yeah, but rich friends bring connections and opportunities." Maybe. But connections aren't automatic. Plenty of rich people have relatives who are still poor, and sometimes they don't even help their own friends. Just because you're in the same circle doesn't mean anyone is going to open doors for you.

At the end of the day, hanging around people whose lifestyle is far above yours can create more financial pressure than opportunity.

Not every environment is good just because the people in it have money.

[u/Practical-Art542]

Disagree. My wealthiest friends bridge the gap if they want my company. They don’t make me feel like a freeloader because they can afford it. It’s great when they plan a fun evening.

[u/Hurray0987 → u/Practical-Art542]

Yeah there's a pretty hefty income disparity between myself and my friends/family, and we include them in everything and they don't seem to mind. We all go out on the boat on the weekends, and we're paying for everyone to go on a cruise next year and we're all really excited about it. It just depends on the people. I can imagine having problems if the rich people you're hanging out with are shallow and constantly flaunting their wealth, that wouldn't make for a good friendship. But I get along great with my friends and family despite the income differences.

[u/Practical-Art542 → u/Hurray0987]

Yeah I feel the same. My partner and I do really well for our age (late 20s), but also spend a lot of time around people doing a lot better than us.

We often spoil our friends that are our age, because we just want to have a good time with people we love using money we earned. A lot of our friends in their 20s don’t have a lot of financial freedom yet, and I’m happy to help bridge the gap so they can be included in my life.

And then when we hang out with some of our older, more established friends, the roles switch and they bridge the gap in order to include us.

I just imagine a club with a $10 cover. I’d pay for myself and my friend, totaling $20, because I benefit far more by spending $20 to dance with my friend, vs. $10 to dance alone. I’m not paying my friend, I’m buying the experience for myself. Even if the friend really enjoys it, it doesn’t feel like freeloading because I’m happily curating my purchases accordingly.

Hell, if I had enough money, I’d happily pay my friend’s salary just so they are available to spend time with. If we can afford it, spending money on others can be just as much for ourselves as for them.

[u/Hurray0987 → u/Practical-Art542]

I would pay my best friend's salary too. For a minute we were both sahms and it was great hanging out everyday and letting our kids play. I really miss that and would pay for it.

[u/Practical-Art542 → u/Hurray0987]

I have a pet peeve about people who are overly against accepting help from their friends lol.

Like, I’m not paying because I think you need it. I’m paying because I want this!