29. Pretending To Be Upper Class
A lot of middle-class people aspire to be rich. They want to drive a brand new car, live in a big house, and wear nice clothes to feel like they live the same lifestyle as a wealthy person. When someone asks how much money they make, they might lie and inflate their income to be more than it is. To them, having a lot of money is how they measure success. Many of these “fake rich” people are always worried about how they will pay for their bills to keep up with their lavish lifestyle.
Wealthy people were able to grow wealth because they were smart with money and lived within their means. Many real millionaires don’t care about looking rich because they care too much about their business. They often buy their clothes and other items on sale because frugality was part of how they built up their wealth. They also don’t try to flaunt their wealth to other people and often, at least at first glance, appear to be very average people with very average lifestyles. But because they have been smart with their money, they can afford the things they want instead of worrying about buying the things that will impress other people.