Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

The Most Surprising Things People Discovered After Marrying Someone Poorer Than Them

The Most Surprising Things People Discovered After Marrying Someone Poorer Than Them
man and woman hands holding
Photo by aranprime on Unsplash

"For Richer or poorer".

Vows people make to their soon-to-be spouses, though likely hoping their situation will only be "for richer".

Indeed, money remains one of the most divisive issues between two people, even spouses.

Particularly when one spouse came from a far less financially stable upbringing, and thus has very different views on money.

Namely, how to spend it.

As a result, the half of the couple who came from a slightly more stable upbringing begin to learn more and more about their spouse, and how their financial situation changed them.

Not only their spending habits, but their views of the world.


Redditor knakworst36 was curious to hear the many things people learned about their spouses, or just learned in general, after marrying someone with far less money than them, leading them to ask:
"Rich people of reddit who married someone significantly poorer, what surprised you about their (previous) way of life?"

Planning A Budget

"Making financial decisions based around the three paycheck month."

"If you're paid every two weeks, most months you get two paychecks, and all of your monthly bills and budgeting is based on those two paychecks."

"But twice a year there are three paydays in a month, and that's when you can actually solve problems."

"That's when you can get the car registered, or fix the dryer, or get the cat spayed."

"The other 10 months you're doing maintenance and trying to scrape by."

"Three paycheck months you can actually try to fix problems."- appleciders

Intimidating Food...

"More of a funny incident, but I was the poor one."

"My husband, at the time still boyfriend, took me out to a very nice restaurant."

" Waiter ask if I want pepper on my Caesar salad that was just made table side. I said sure and he goes about it."

"Thing is, I didn’t know you had to say stop."

"My husband slowly realizes this, but decides to see it play out."

"He did eventually say that I need to say stop."

"I just thought a Caesar was had this way as it was my first time even eating a salad that wasn’t just iceberg and ranch dressing."

"It still tasted fine, just a little bit too much pepper haha."- singlewhitewolf

Vegan Vegetables GIF by Dan WoodgerGiphy

How The Other Half Lives

"I was adopted at age 7."

"I lived in extreme poverty and then all of a sudden I lived with a doctor who bought gifts for birthdays and Christmas."

"I didn’t know that was a thing."

"I didn’t know you could go to the store to get food."

"I just thought you went to the church and had to pray before they give you a bag of food."- 0slinedupon24hrclock

Speaking In Code

"When the family had people over for dinner, if they ended the prayer before the meal with 'F. H. B., Amen'."

"It was a signal to let the children know that they don't have enough food for everyone, so take smaller servings and let the guests get a regular serving."

"FHB = 'Family, hold back'."

"They were always generous to their friends and didn't let their lack of funds embarrass themselves when doing so."- Cartoonlad

Classic Conditioning

"Honestly, food insecurity."

"When we were first married she would get visibly uneasy if the food in the house was running low."

"She never overate or anything, she was just always concerned about it."

"A lot of times when she was younger, she went hungry."

"On the humorous side though, she hates camping."

"Her answer is always the same: 'I camped because it was fun, she camped because they couldn't afford hotels'."- r-cubed

It's Always The Little Things

"She and her mother lived with her grandfather to not be homeless because her grandfather owned a house."

"She was putting community college payments on her credit card and building debt with it."

"I paid off her credit cards when we were dating and she cried from me being so nice."

"It was only like 1,300 bucks."

"I bought a condo, then we got married, then we bought a house."

"I never really considered myself rich until i started dating her and learned that a trip to Wendy's was a treat."

"I grew up middle class, and we are currently middle class, heh."- Amazingawesomator

Simple Pleasures

"My wife was born and raised in the Soviet Union."

"She still goes crazy for fresh fruit like it's the most extravagant luxury."- TheDJFC

Coverage

"The prevailing mindset in his community growing up that insurance was something only rich people had."

"Not health insurance, mind you, well, not just health insurance."

"Auto insurance."

"Going without it was a way of life for most everyone he knew."- captainslowww

Old Habits Die Hard

"I am not well off but my stepfather is."

"I was raised by a single mom who spent money on everything and bills were always behind."

"She just couldn't manage her money at all."

"In her 50's she met and married a multi-millionaire."

"We are in middle-America so that goes further than maybe in a lot of areas."

"They have given themselves $10,000 a month budget to live on, living on interest."

"Own their home."

"Anyway once my mom met him and they got all her finance situated and paid off."

"She won't spend a penny."

"He spends like it is going out of style."

"He has actually begged me to take her shopping to get clothes and accessories."

"She won't do it."

"She spent more when she was a single mom with nothing."

"It makes no sense to me."

"At least buy a new outfit."

"She is hell bent to not use a penny of his money. "

"They barely even have any groceries."

"If they have anything it is because he buys it for them."

"She is a retired nurse that gets a retirement and SS but she won't spend anything."

"She lives poorer now than any other time in her life."- danapca

Many people dream of marrying into money, and being able to buy extravagant things and go on extravagant trips.

Others however, are only grateful that after getting married, they won't have to struggle to pay a utility bill, or worry about whether or not there will be food on the table.

Though, of course, when madly in love, money is often the last thing people think about.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Ramy Youssef and Elmo
@sesamestreet/Instagram

MAGA Is Predictably Melting Down Over Video Of Elmo Learning New Arabic Words For Arab American Heritage Month

A clip released by Sesame Street on Thursday, April 16, showed Elmo with Egyptian-American actor, comedian, producer, director, and Golden Globe winner Ramy Youssef to celebrate Arab American Heritage Month.

The 41-second video showed Youssef teaching Elmo the Arabic words "salamu alaykum" and "habibi."

Keep ReadingShow less
Nancy Sinatra; Donald Trump
Jim Spellman/WireImage; Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

Nancy Sinatra Fires Back At Trump With Four Powerful Words After He Uses Her Father's Song In Cryptic Post

Singer Nancy Sinatra, the daughter of the iconic crooner Frank Sinatra, criticized President Donald Trump after he posted a video featuring her father's version of the song "My Way" to Truth Social amid his ongoing war and negotiations with Iran.

"My Way," a song about an individual looking back on their decision to live life on their own terms, was one of the late Sinatra's signature hits. Trump posted a video of Sinatra singing the song with no comment or explanation.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Pete Buttigieg; Donald Trump
@Acyn/X; Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Pete Buttigieg Explains Why Trump's AI Jesus Post Was So Offensive To Christian Conservatives In Viral Video

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg condemned President Donald Trump for posting an AI-generated post depicting himself as Jesus Christ, describing it as "insulting" to both people's faith and their intelligence.

Earlier this month, the Pope criticized Trump's widely unpopular war in Iran and called on the world "to reject war, especially a war which many people have said is an unjust war, which is continuing to escalate and is not resolving anything."

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Donald Trump
@atrupar/X

Trump Dragged After Gushing Over His Own Signature In Ultra-Cringey Viral Clip

President Donald Trump was super proud of himself after he signed an executive order to make certain psychedelic drugs more available to treat mental health conditions, taking an opportunity to boast about his own signature.

Trump's order approves $50 million in federal funding to expand access to certain therapies and directed the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to fast-track its review of drugs like psilocybin and ibogaine. He was joined by the likes of podcaster Joe Rogan and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in the Oval Office.

Keep ReadingShow less
Charlize Theron (left) responds to Timothée Chalamet’s (right) controversial comments about ballet and opera.
Steve Granitz/FilmMagic; Jamie McCarthy/WireImage

Charlize Theron Gives Timothée Chalamet A Blunt Reality Check About His Future After His Comments Insulting Ballet

Timothée Chalamet declaring that “no one cares” about ballet and opera was always going to age poorly. It just happened faster than expected.

Enter Charlize Theron, who didn’t just disagree—she flipped the whole argument, suggesting that while centuries-old art forms will endure, Chalamet’s own career may be far more vulnerable in the age of artificial intelligence.

Keep ReadingShow less