When most of us think of “rich people stuff,” we tend to imagine boats with helipads and separate houses for every season, perhaps with a jet or two sprinkled in. But the truth is that fancy toys are just the beginning. If one has the right amount of money, there are goods and services out there most of us have never even thought of as a possibility.
Someone asked “What’s something money can buy that we poor people don’t even know of?” and people shared their best examples. So get comfortable as you scroll through, upvote your favorites and be sure to share your own thoughts and examples in the comments section below.
#1
I do IT for the hilariously rich in LA. My favorite thing you can buy is a $300,000 theater streaming device that allows you to watch just released movies directly into your home theater. It requires a background check and a huge amount of money, but then any movie released in theaters is directly uploaded into your system and then you can watch at home in your own little movie theater.
Image credits: Big-Routine222
#2
There are companies that sell books by the foot. Usually leather bound. It’s for decorating so your in home library is stocked with books. Normally you can pick genres or just let the company fill your shelves, you just give them the length of your shelves and your color scheme and they send you books to fill the shelves in bindings that harmonize with your rooms color pallete.
Image credits: buck746
#3
Kidnapping insurance.
Image credits: LuckyyLavender
#4
Private island getaways—imagine a whole island to yourself where the only worry is which beach to lounge on.
Image credits: biancanoenter
#5
The biggest thing is time - need to get to London for a meeting? Leave for the airport and your plane/charter waits for you. Need a haircut? A person comes to your house to do it for you. Imagine a lot of the things you go out to do on a daily basis and imagine having people to do all that. Need a new phone? Peter will get you the latest iPhone, programmed l, and working the way yours was before. Drop it in the toilet? He bought 5.
Image credits: Delicious_Oil9902
#6
Personal concierge services. Pay an annual fee of several thousand dollars, and be able to request help getting.... whatever. Hard-to-get concert tickets, dinner reservations, you name it.
Image credits: halfslices
#7
In some countries, rich people hire poor people to serve prison sentences for them.
Image credits: Cgk-teacher
#8
1) concierge medicine. You get your own dedicated doctor, perhaps your own whole clinic. You never wait for tests. You never wait for an appointment. Your doctor will make house calls and even diagnose and prescribe over the phone.
2) concierge banking. You don't go to the bank to withdraw cash on the rare times you need cash. You call the bank rep and they will courier the money to you.
4) family offices. The legal and financial equivalent of a private clinic of your own. One or more lawyers, one or more CPAs, both with the usual staff. Want to buy a property? Just call the office and they will handle all the paperwork. Even spin up a numbered Delaware company and sign deeds for you.
5) bespoke cars. At the lower end, this means you sit down with a Rolls Royce rep and going over choices. They will arrange a custom paint colour and guarantee no other car will get that shade. Ditto for upholstery, dash treatment etc. In the middle, the likes of Lamborghini and Koenigsegg have lists of billionaire car collectors. When they come up with a concept, they consult with the members of that list before any metal gets shaped. When they release the latest hyper car and say only 25 will be made, that's because only 25 billionaires said they wanted one. Being able to say you have a 1 of 25 car is valuable over and above the car itself. At the very high end, you can call them and pitch your own concepts and they will build a complete 1 of 1 car for you. The Sultan of Brunei famously had a lot of total one off cars made to his exact specifications from many different manufacturers. The "Rainbow Sheikh" Sheikh Hamad bin Hamdan Al Nahyan has also done this numerous times.
Image credits: Barbarian_818
#9
Pet cloning. Ex boss was getting his dog cloned for $100k.
Image credits: CharmingGaze2
#10
Citizenship in other countries. Costs about as much as a house for less desirable countries, and about as much as starting a small business for the nicer ones.
Image credits: CampusTour
#11
More money.
Once you have enough money you can pay people to use your money to make more money. And enough money to pay them and you still end up with more money.
Image credits: DoomFrog_
#12
We all know that a lot of wealthy people own nice yachts. What a lot of people may not know is that many of these yachts aren't taken across the ocean. Wealthy people hire yacht transportation services to move their yachts around. A larger ship will pick up the yacht and ferry it to the desired location. The wealthy person will fly to that location on a private jet, then head over to the yacht to party.
Image credits: rocketmonkee
#13
Time.
It's the greatest thing money can buy. Lawn care, maid service, personal chef, home repair, personal shopper, chauffer, concierge services other folks mentioned, etc.. Some things like that aren't too expensive... some of them are wildly expensive. You may be perfectly capable of doing these things yourself, but they take time and effort.
If you can get past the cost (and afford it), what they all can do is free up your time to do the things you actually want to do... whether it's family time, playing sports, watching sports, video games, traveling, whatever.
Time is really the true currency of life.
Image credits: Byaahh
#14
Access. Friends and I flew from DC to Dallas to watch a Redskins/Cowboys game before they moved to the new stadium. Last minute a friend joined and didn’t have a ticket to the game. My well connected friend picked up the phone and called someone and next thing we know some guy is standing at the stadium with a sign with our names on it to hand us our tickets.
It should be noted that 3 of us had tickets and he didn’t. Since he couldn’t get a ticket to sit next to us he just bought 4 tickets in even better seats for all of us. To pay it forward we let someone in the nosebleeds take our original 3 seats.
Image credits: schaudhery
#15
“Punishable by Fine” just means “Legal for Rich People”, if that helps.
#16
I saw this while installing cabinets in a mansion. Espresso machine in the bathroom.
Image credits: PNW35
#17
A supreme court judge.
Image credits: KleosIII
#18
Getting jacked, legally and in a healthy fashion. Any guy over 40 in rich areas who is ripped is likely supplementing testosterone because they can afford to go to the doctor regularly and keep it monitored. Paired with private trainer and personal chef, you can be super fit.
Image credits: 18voltbattery
#19
The majority of my clients are in the $10m+ club and many are worth well over $100m. They buy services, things that save them time. Subscription to a company that comes and fills up the gas tank to all your cars every morning. Car delivery service that goes and picks up the Ferrari you wanna drive from the warehouse and brings it to you. Stuff like that.
#20
Bulk. I'm not boasting because what's the point? It's anonymous. I'm financially stable now, not wealthy but I'll probably never have to worry about money.
When I was really poor I would buy part worn tyres for my car because I never had the money for new tyres. But I'd have to replace them more often.
Now I have some money I can buy good tyres that last longer. When I see dishwasher tablets on offer I buy about £100 worth and that's me set for a few years. I bulk buy anything on offer which isn't perishable when it's on offer. It's like I'm looking after my future self.
I can also be incredibly irresponsible with money too. I'll be frugal for myself and won't spend more than £100 on a coat or £80 on shoes, but I'll spend far more on a gift for a relative.
And I'm not saying that to sound like a great guy, I'm just an average guy. But one with a s**t load of dishwasher tablets.
#21
Safety and contentment.
#22
I'm not sure what the correct term is, but I think the best term would be a *Household (Family?) Manager*
I grew up with a kid whose parents were extremely well-off because they owned a chain of casinos (you'd probably know the last name). Every single thing in their lives was managed by some lady and her assistant/team. When I mean everything, I mean *everything*. Foreign trips, domestic trips, doctors appointments, dinner reservations, sports practices, meetings with attorneys, business meetings, grocery delivery, household duties, get-togethers, every. single. minute. detail.
Their entire days were pre-planned from start to finish--weeks and months in advance
All they had to do was just... exist. Their lives were essentially on auto-pilot.
#23
I didn't know self opening and closing microwaves were a thing until I house sat for a friend in a gated community.
Image credits: Rabid_Stormtroopers
#24
Worked in employee benefits consulting.
There are doctors who exist who only see people who are executives at their companies.
If you aren't in the c-suite, then you don't have enough money to see these doctors.
Oh and emergency evac insurance. One of my clients had this specifically for their executives. So that way if an executive was off in another country and things started to pop off or the executive gets hurt, a helicopter goes and gets them. Anywhere in the world. 24/7.
Edit: only because I'm still getting responses. This evac insurance came with armed guards who were ready to drop bodies if needed. I'm guessing all of your helicopter insurance you keep telling me about doesn't include this service.
#25
You get access to people, business opportunities, politicians, services.
Back in the 1980s my dad was appointed CEO of a mid size financial institution. Salaries back then were not as high as today but still well above average. We lived in a large house, best neighbourhood, had live-in maid, a company car with a chauffeur, gardener, cook, cleaners etc.
After his appointment suddenly I started being invited to parties, received free membership to exclusive nightclubs, met the kids of some truly wealthy individuals who had private jets, yatches, holiday properties in NY and Paris.
Banks give you priority, you reveive end of year gifts (paintings, watches, tv).
At Uni, the lecturers gave me better treatment and grades (sorry to admit), other students were keen to assist with assignments. You don’t even know who real friends are anymore lol.
Famous artists go to these after parties and dinners and you meet them.
Nothing is ever difficult, the secretary gives a call and all of the sudden that hard to get (whatever) becomes available.
I got, through acquaintances, to see what money can buy and the lifestyle it offers. It’s pretty good….
#26
Most major airports have a special VIP terminal for special rich VIPs who get to bypass all of the riff raff in the main terminals and wait for their private jets in luxury.
I am not talking about a first class lounge. Those are for the wanna be rich people. I am referring to a more special setup for the chosen few that is almost never discussed or advertised. But they are usually there.
#27
IVs for hangovers/bad days.
Image credits: Flanman1337
#28
Vengeance.
My boss is a very decent man but don't rip him off...
Married in family member once ripped him off for maybe 100k but it it the wrong nerve as he was "family".
So he put a team of lawyers on it and a year later the other guy was divorced, bankrupt and vannished from all social media and LinkedIn.
It's been 10 years and I still look him up at times but just vanished.
#29
Buying a house for $6m, and the scrapping it and turning it into a soccer pitch because there isn't one close enough to your house.
Image credits: erichappymeal
#30
Death by super yacht or submarine.
#31
Special hospital suites. When I worked for a major medical center they had a special floor for rich people who could afford to pay more. It was nicer with more up to date equipment, had connected rooms for visitors, and even a dedicated cook and dietician who would tailor every meal to the patient's specific tastes within their medical diet (such as liquid, mechanically soft, low sodium, etc, and accounting for allergies, vs normal hospital food that isn't even really seasoned to avoid stuff like allergies).
I was on psych off in the oldest building on campus so I never even went there but I do know one of our patients was the parent or child or spouse or sibling or something of some big shot doctor who insisted they be moved there while they were getting their first few rounds of ECT (electroconvulsive therapy) because while the patient absolutely wanted it and would have gone outpatient without issues, we never do the first few rounds outpatient in case they have an adverse reaction. Our psych docs stood their ground and said the patient had to stay on psych, even just the lower acuity unit, because our nurses cared for ECT patients every day, and they didn't trust the fancy suite nurses to do the aftercare for that.
It was an entire d**k-measuring contest that went on for a few days that was absolutely hilarious to hear about when I got pulled down there from the acute unit. Like oh boo f*****g hoo our psych units aren't good enough for your loved one maybe you should have thought about that when y'all were making the budget and decided that building full of mold was good enough for my mostly poor and homeless psych patients. Some of those c-suite f*****s could really stand to sleep one gotdamn night on one of the p**s soaked mattresses they gave us s**t for throwing out. I spent 2 years working an all-male correctional psych unit with convicted r*pists and I still don't think I've met a single person as sadistically evil as a hospital CEO.
#32
You can rent out Disney. Like the whole park.
Image credits: Bird_Brain4101112
#33
Getting out of pretty much any legal trouble imaginable has got to be pretty high on the list.
Also- there’s an echelon of notoriety when you just start getting very expensive free things given to you. Obviously under the assumption that you buy more or wear it as promotion- but you get a lot of fancy shwag thrown at you.
#34
Denial. I have an ex who doesn't ever worry about paying car insurance, or getting tickets, or driving through red lights. There is a family accountant who pays all the fines and files all the past paperwork. She thinks she is a great driver. Whenever she gets stopped she goes off on the cops like it is a civil rights violation. One day, one hopes, she will go too far. But in 56 years of bad driving and record keeping it never has.
#35
Someone super rich my in laws know allegedly paid to have themselves wiped from the internet. Their words not mine. Like when you google them nothing comes up I guess? I was like "lol I don't think that's actually possible". some dude just saw someone offering them a bunch of money and was like "yeah, sure I can tottaalllyyyy wipe you from the internet.".
#36
Stem cell therapy. It’s an incredulous thing but costs a fortune. Rich people routinely have the procedure and it literally keeps them healthy for longer.
#37
Relationships.
I once worked at an Olympic horse ranch in Colorado, and the owner was from Seattle and was friends with someone that played guitar w Kurt Cobain. Then talking to one of the riders, they had been to a party over the weekend that March Zuckerberg was at. That’s when it hit me - when you’re rich, you just know everyone, or knows someone that knows them.
Six degrees of separation is only for the masses. The elites is closer to two or one.
Image credits: FloralFantasyy
#38
I used to know someone who worked for a rich family who had a room in their house just for wrapping presents (obviously someone else did the wrapping), and another who had a snow room.
#39
Seeing the titanic firsthand.
#40
Private jet timeshares. For those not quite rich enough for their own private jet, or those rich people wanting to be a bit frugal.
#41
Humans. Most people don’t realize there really is an illegal trade of people, mostly young children based in south East Asia.
#42
My Dad’s next door neighbor has a stereo worth like $30,000.00 or some craziness. Some high end name I cannot recall but he’s a cancer surgeon so he’s probably drowning in money.
#43
Therapeutic Apheresis. There was a very exclusive medical tourism hospital I used to work for called TE-PEMIC that sold a 2 hour treatment for $30k. Clients had to have a minimum net worth of $25m and go through a round of medical health screening that cost about $15k. A half hour consultation with me and a few of the docs cost $12k.
The website was taken down in January of 2020. In February of 2020, an FBI agent had a little conversation with me about money laundering, clandestine overseas activities run by the CIA, and some very interesting things going on inside US borders.
#44
A platinum retriever.
#45
In most states, you don't need car insurance. If you put up a bond with an amount of money equal to the minimum required insurance coverage, you can forgo car insurance entirely.
#46
Human bones, my parents have some Tibetan dude's skull in their collection.
#47
Three ply.
#48
Poor people.
#49
A $33 hot dog at AM PM, because you overdrafted.
#50
“Justice”.
