Yahoo Finance I Lived Like a Rich Person for a Week: Here’s What I Learned
For most Americans, the lifestyles of the rich and famous only exist in the shows we binge or the Instagram accounts we obsessively scroll. But for Anna S., a 28-year-old marketing manager from the San Francisco Bay Area, she recently got a first-hand glimpse into how the 1% truly live during a week-long stay at her childhood friend Taylor’s lavish vacation home.
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While Anna comes from a solidly middle-class upbringing, Taylor was born into spectacular wealth as the daughter of a multimillionaire tech mogul. Though they’d been best friends since kindergarten, the gulf between their financial realities made Taylor’s world of rarefied luxury feel like science fiction to Anna.
But after scoring an invite to the family’s annual summer getaway at their palatial Florida compound, Anna finally got to experience the unabashed opulence she’d previously only witnessed through Taylor’s rose-colored social media posts.
“I knew Taylor’s family had money, but absolutely nothing could have prepared me for the over-the-top extravagance I witnessed that week,” Anna said. “I felt like I had officially entered the realm of the ultra-rich.”
Staffed Like Royalty
“The first major culture shock was the obscene number of staff,” Anna said. “There had to be over 20 people waiting on us hand and foot at all times!”
Indeed, Anna quickly learned a small army is required to facilitate such lavish living. Between butlers, gardeners and private chefs, the family employed an army to tend to their every whim and keep the palatial grounds spotless.
“You really didn’t have to do anything yourself” Anna shared. “It was heaven for lazy people.”
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Unreal Amenities
From the grandiose, marble-clad main residence decked with priceless artworks to the (Anna guessed) 15,000-bottle wine cellar, it was clear no expense was spared in crafting an earthly paradise.
“The amenities were like something out of a James Bond movie,” Anna said. “Tennis courts, two pools and a state-of-the-art movie theater – even a bowling alley and practice putting green!”
Most decadent, however, was the large spa and fitness complex that put all-inclusive resorts to shame.
“The spa had a full-service beauty salon and anti-gravity massage chairs! I had three hot stone massages! For free!”
Unusual Transportation
Anna expected Taylor’s family to have a fleet of exotic cars on hand, but this is one area the family kept low-key.
She was surprised that the ultra-rich drove regular people cars around town.
“One day, Taylor’s dad drove his Acura to the store because he liked to do his own grocery shopping,” she shared. “An Acura is a nice car, for sure, but I was kinda shocked it wasn’t a Bentley, or something like that.”
Nonstop Pampering and Service
But what truly blew Anna’s mind was how attentive and preemptive the staff was in predicting and tending to their every fleeting want.
“The service was wild at every turn,” she said. “Before I could even realize I wanted or needed something, there would be a staff member already handing it to me. Need a refill on drinks? Done. Feeling chilly? Towel warmers at the ready.”
It was these small acts that added up to what it means to be rich, for Anna.
Money Is No Object
But perhaps Anna’s biggest epiphany was the extent to which the family viewed money as inconsequential.
“On our second day at the beach, Taylor told me they’d discovered a water pipe leak that would cost a fortune to fix,” Anna recalled. “Like, more than my annual salary! But to her, it was the equivalent of, like, having to get an oil change.”
A False Sense of Security
Overall, Anna came away in awe of this alternate plane of existence where everything she’d ever wanted was theirs for the taking.
“I never wanted to leave ‘The Estate.’ No expense was spared to curate a literal man-made paradise completely removed from the real world’s annoyances,” she shared. “You felt like you were living inside a protective bubble where nothing could go wrong.”
Ultimately though, Anna’s experience left her in humble awe of her good fortune and reassured with what she has.
“For one blissful week, I got to experience what it’s like being part of the 1% of the 1% — and it was absolute heaven. I legit have zero complaints!” she said. “But it all felt a little bit much? Like, at the end of the day, I kinda just want to make my own bed and my own meals. Maybe that’s the working class in me, but I don’t think I could do it for the long haul. Or maybe I could? For now, I’m happy to go on vacay with Taylor!”
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