Upper Middle Class  I feel like I'm more swayed by rampant consumerism these days because I actually have money of my own whereas throughout my teen and college years, I mainly used my parent's money for necessities like textbooks, groceries, and the occasional lunch out with my friends. Even if I did treat myself to something, I was always careful with my spending since I was under the impression that this was their money and not mine so I have to be responsible and reasonable with what I was spending my money on and how much it was for. And I don't think this is a bad thing, quite the contrary. But I guess it's hitting me that even though financially I'm upper middle class both in terms of my own income, how it compares to my bills, and my savings and I have grown up upper middle class for most of my memory, I'm not socially upper middle class. And I think that I have this sense of morbid curiosity towards the spending habits of some upper middle class people that i guess I could afford but wouldn't do myself because I don't prioritize the same things.  Even though I grew up with financial security without having to worry about how I'm going to pay for college and how I would deal with any emergency, including health emergencies, and I could afford most things, I could not relate to the other upper middle class people I went to college with. I think there is some diversity among upper middle class upbringings. A lot of the people I grew up with and the people I'm cool with now, they might be upper middle class but they had more of a middle class upbringing because 1. they were around some degree of socioeconomic diversity and 2. their parent's had middle class habits and life styles because they lived below their means and passed that mindset on to their kids.  In other words, they have touched grass.  Sometimes I walk into stores and feel like I don't belong there. I will use Sephora as an example. Like... who tf do I look like spending $25 on lipgloss and $50 on skincare for one thing?!?! And it's not like a feeling of inferiority. It's more of not being able to relate to a certain life style or habit of consumption. Like that $50 is gas money. I'm not spending that on a moisturizer when I found a moisturizer that works great and lasts me for 8 months for like $12 at Walmart. Then there is Wholefoods. You can get the same shit from the organic section of a grocery store like Target, Walmart, and Sprouts and have it taste the same for less money. There's also the bougie hipstery restaurants. You know, the places where they use arugala for their burgers, you have to order on a pin pad and the customer service people probably won't talk to you and will ask for a tip on the ipad they're using to run you up. Also, they don't accept cash and their burgers are like $20 and aren't really all that, and they all have the same generic Instagramable hipster vibe. It's not a question of authenticity. You can have hipster and fusion places that are unique and interesting and that make good food. But a lot of them just scream gentrification and they give me the same vibe as a Millennial from like 2013 with a moustache tattoo that is lecturing you on craft beer.  There's the people who can Doordash 3x a week and comfortably be able to afford that. Even if I could afford (and I can), it's just so financially wasteful. Everytime I open the app, I immediately delete it after rethinking my life choices when I see a McDonalds meal that is like $20 after delivery fees and tips. I have occasional days where I crave something that I can't really replicate or I just really don't feel like cooking but in my mind, if I don't want to get up and get it myself, I say to myself that I don't want it enough to justify having it delivered through a food delivery app.  There's the normalization of various beauty treatments for women who are upper middle class that's like getting your brows done, getting waxed, getting your nails done etc. And all I can think of is how much that shit adds up when you're doing it twice a week on repeat. I get wanting to treat yourself every now and then or if you have a special occasion, but when this is your regular, it just doesn't compute in my mind and the priorities I have with my money because you can literally do all of this by yourself for a fraction of the cost. And with social media there are people who are getting medical grade facials monthly which can run you like $100 to $200 each and botox is getting normalized like they're a pair of acrylics.  Speaking of social media and the over consumption there, I feel like there is so much more social capital to be had with mindless consumption for the sake of trends for those who are upper middle class as opposed to those who are middle class and lower. I'll use the Stanley cup as an example, a $40 water bottle. I feel like lower middle class people and lower will see this as absolutely ridiculous. Middle class people will see it as overpriced and ridiculous but might get like 1 or 2 (1 for the house and another for the office) if they really like it. But they'll think about it first due to the price and they know it's not that deep. Upper middle class people will buy a collection of this so they can coordinate with their outfits and so they aren't like left out of their peer group since EVERYONE has one and spending that kind of money isn't really a big deal. I'm obviously stereotyping here but basically, I think upper middle class people are more prone to overconsumption because they actually have the money to participate in such trends and if enough people in their social circle are doing something, they just give in because it won't hurt their wallet.  Financilly, I can afford that type of hyper consumerist life style to a certain degree. If I wanted to, I could get my eyebrows done and nails done 2x a month, get doordash 2x a week, and buy random shit I don't need but I'm not about that life because I believe in living below your means when it comes to consumer spending. I might have an entry level job but I'm fortunate enough that I don't have student loan deb and I have a car that is paid off because I'm using a hand me down from a relative. And I live in an affordable area. But I don't even want to engage in that life and it feels weird that people in my social class has normalized things like this because I can't relate and I feel out of place despite the fact that the math is mathing on paper as far as income and assets go.