true or false... expensive homes,expensive cars,expensive jewelrys...

[Dancing Fire]

always go hand in hand?
in an expensive neighborhood.....do you always expect to see people driving expensive cars and wearing exspensive jewelrys? say....if i move into an expensive neighborhood,should i feel odd when my neighbors see me driving around in my old Toyota truck?

 

[WTNLVR]

False. Most people I know that have really expensive homes don''t have expensive cars. We live in the most expensive area in our town and we and all our neighbors drive regular cars i.e. Toyotas, Hyundai''s, Nissan''s. There is 1 Lexus. Of course, I''m in the burbs with horses everywhere so there are alot of trucks around and SUV''s galore. But nothing fancy or terribly expensive. It depends on where you live. I''m in a small suburb outside of Boston. I''m the only jewelry obsessed person I know. Nobody around here has very expensive jewelry, smallish (by Pricescope standards) e-rings, around 1 carat or under and 99% are in YG. When we first moved in we had an ancient Ford F250 in the driveway, so don''t worry about it- LOL.

 

[neatfreak]

I don't think so...people put different things as priorities. Some people think all those things are important, some thing only the car is important, some think the house is important, etc.

If I saw someone in a wealthy neighborhood driving an old Toyota truck I would think that they probably are very good with money and that is how they made it where they are!

On the contrary, when I see people with fancy EVERYTHING it makes me wonder if they are just trying to show off ya know?

 

[lyra]

True and false. True for the Joneses. Always false for us. We do our own thing. Our last neighbourhood was highly snooty. A couple of Mercedes or BMW''s in every drive. Landscapers, pool people, people to put up your Christmas lights, no Rec Vehicles allowed, etc. I hated the attitude of about 90% of the people there. We got along with the normal people, like us. We knew nothing of the neighbourhood before we moved there because we''d moved across country. Suddenly we heard the word "prestigious" a lot! It bugged us, because to be honest, these people were just ordinary people. We didn''t see why they''d think they were special based on where they lived. Oh well. Not for me, thanks!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

We live in a very nice neighborhood and most people have nice, newer cars. However I don''t think it is a white and black issue. In our old house (starter house) our neighbors were renters with a BMW. People spend money differently. I much rather spend my money on my house than my car.

 

[VegasAngel]

My neighbors across the street have a nice big house, both husband & wife are veterinarians, they both drive old Hondas. I agree with neatfreak everyone''s priorities are different.

 

[FrekeChild]

False. My parents live in a high end neighborhood with custom houses (I think one is 13,000 sq ft

with an indoor basketball court) and they drive a '01 Toyota Avalon, and a '97 Nissan Maxima. Their neighbors drive top of the line, brand new Mercedes, BMWs, Lexus, Infiniti, Jaguar and others, but with a owner of a Toyota dealership across the street who only drives Toyotas (obviously) they don't look too out of place. And the most expensive piece of jewelry is the 1.5 ct princess on my mom's hand-thats also the only expensive piece of jewelry they've bought.

I've always been conditioned to think that those who are comfortable with their socio-economic status will do as they please, and not give a rats bum what other people think, while those who do, will buy items exclusively to show off to other people, so they buy things to please other people, not themselves.

I say rock your old Toyota truck in some fancy neighborhood, and if anyone asks why you don't have a nicer car, answer "Why do I need a fancier car when this one works just as well?" and then don't talk to them any more, because those people are not some that I'd want to associate with. I imagine they'd be very much the "keeping up with the Jones' type" and competition over material goods is never fun.

I think neatfreak said it well.

 

[KimberlyH]

The don''t always go hand-in-hand, but I do think quite often people expect them to. We live in an afluent neighborhood and people are often shocked when they find out where I live, probably because I drive an older pick up truck, have a comparitively small engagement ring (which is my best/nicest piece of jewelry), and look younger than I am, on top of the fact that most of the people who live in my neighborhood are at least 10 years older than I am.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Ditto Neatfreak and Frekechild! I think in an upper-middle class neighborhood it''s not common to see nicer homes with not-as-nice cars. Why invest in a depreciating asset, you know? Same with jewelry--you always hear that jewelry is an investment, but we all know it isn''t because you''re not going to sell it and if you do, you won''t get as much as you paid. I figure that if somebody is willing to spend $100,000 on a car or piece of jewelry for no other reason than it brings them joy, then they''ve either done very well for themselves and $100k is a drop in the bucket or they are seriously in over their heads.

 

[Fancy605]

True and false. There are some neighborhoods that are filled with "keep up with the neighbors" types. And there are other neighborhoods that are filled with "I do what I want regardless of how others perceive it" types.

I like what Clark Howard (I listen to him a good bit) says about the matter: live in as nice of a house as you can afford and drive something that goes and gets good gas mileage. It makes sense really because new cars depreciate in value as soon you get them off the lot. A house (even in today''s market) has a greater chance of maintaining value. I personally am not a car person though, so that may be something to do with my feelings on it.

I say drive that truck like it''s a BMW.

 

[Pandora II]

False!

All depends on people's priorities, backgrounds and interests.

My father's a doctor and he drives a Citroen 2CV - he's on this third one, hardly a plush car...

I work with a lot of extremely wealthy people in my day job (sadly none of them want to adopt me

). Some have chauffeur driven Bentleys, one goes everywhere on public transport or a bicycle, lots of them have very modest cars.

I know people who have the most fabulous houses and jewellery collections because they have inherited them.

There are some who have all of those things of course, but I wouldn't assume it.


If I won the lottery, I'd buy a nice house and some very nice jewellery. But I'd continue to track my clothes down on ebay and would buy a very environmentally friendly car.

Things like the ability to pay for private education for my kids would come way, way before any car.

 

[erica k]

My parents used to live in a gated community in the OC. They sold their house right before the housing collapse for a little over $1 million (ridiculously inflated prices, they bought it for half that 6 years earlier). Anyway, my husband (then boyfriend) and I were waiting behind another car to go through the gate (code-activated) during the early evening. We were driving his 1990 Honda Civic. The car in front of us went through the gate, did a U-turn, went out and then back again, right behind us. It was a nice Lexus SUV, typical of the neighborhood. It followed us for two blocks and then turned down a different street. Maybe I have an overactive imagination, but I thought it was really strange that someone with remote control access (i.e., didn''t have to punch in the code), would turn around, exit, and then drive behind a shabby looking car. Maybe they thought we didn''t belong? Maybe I shouldn''t have been skeptical of their motives?

Anyway, in general, no, they don''t go hand in hand, but there are definitely people out there who believe they should. Silly people! Books and yummy food are so much more important than flashy jewelry, a fancy house, and an expensive car.

 

[GemView]

Date: 6/7/2008 3:00:03 PM
Author:Dancing Fire
always go hand in hand?

in an expensive neighborhood.....do you always expect to see people driving expensive cars and wearing exspensive jewelrys? say....if i move into an expensive neighborhood,should i feel odd when my neighbors see me driving around in my old Toyota truck?

False. I don''t see a lot of consistency in such matters. Rather, there are typically areas where people will spring for the best whereas in other areas they may be downright stingy. For some, the financial emphasis is on the house (hence the number of people in foreclosure, sadly). For some it is all about the wardrobe. Another person might insist on wearing a fine watch paired with thrift store clothes. Somebody else buys the best sporting or outdoor gear money can buy but barely has any furnishings in their house. Another is satisfied with the biggest big screen TV in the neighborhood. One person I know buys every major movie that is released on DVD (that''s not cheap after collecting 800+ titles over the years). Somebody else may opt for a sound system that is worth more than his or her car. Another fellow tricks out his ride. (Some of the nicest cars are found in dangerous neighborhoods, ironically.) Some women collect high quality jewelry, and others harbor a shoe or handbag addiction. You just never know.

I once encountered an art gallery owner who said some of their highest value transactions came from people who were not dressed much better than bums off the street. Because of that, he said that he had to train his staff not to make rash assumptions based on the way someone is dressed. Similarly, I once met a guy who drove an old truck but was actually an unassuming multi millionaire. So I would say that, if anything, wealthy individuals may be inclined to intentionally mislead in appearances so that they will not attract false friends or thieves.

 

[FrekeChild]

Date: 6/8/2008 2:56:33 AM
Author: GemView
I once encountered an art gallery owner who said some of their highest value transactions came from people who were not dressed much better than bums off the street. Because of that, he said that he had to train his staff not to make rash assumptions based on the way someone is dressed. Similarly, I once met a guy who drove an old truck but was actually an unassuming multi millionaire. So I would say that, if anything, wealthy individuals may be inclined to intentionally mislead in appearances so that they will not attract false friends or thieves.

Oooo!!!I have a shoe addiction but you''d never know it because 99.9% of the time I''m wearing my green Crocs, my blue winter Crocs or my Croc flip flops.

Going along with that I always dress like a scrub when I am out and about, unless I''m going somewhere nice or it''s a special occasion. I have lots of beautiful clothes in my closet, but I just chose not to wear them. I dressed up one time for school, and my two friends were SHOCKED, and one didn''t recognize me at first. Anyway, my point here, is that I''ll go into snooty, upscale or preppy boutiques and stores in sweatpants, sweatshirts and crocs-and get ignored, followed around like I''ll steal something, or treated like I can''t afford something-even if I walked in there looking to purchase something expensive (usually shoes!). If someone treats me like cr4p, they no longer get my patronage-which in a shoe store can be mighty significant, because we don''t have a lot in the way of decent shoe stores here. But, I would rather be treated like cr4p and learn people''s true intentions that get my butt kissed because I look like I can afford stuff.

Another thing I didn''t mention, my mom dresses in clothes from walmart-sweatpants and t-shirts for everyday stuff and an upscale boutique for nicer stuff. But when she goes to the grocery store or something she gets treated like butt until they see her bling-then their either think it''s fake (if she''s not at the grocery store by our house) or their demeanor completely changes because it''s bigger than average and they treat her differently(the grocery store by her house).

It''s very revealing about human nature to see someone dress below their socio-economic status. Looking at my mom, not noticing her diamond, you would never imagine my mom lives where she lives.

So basically, what Gemview says is very very true.

I still say, rock your truck like it''s an Bugatti Veyron 16.4.

 

[ursulawrite]

Very false. My husband is a partner in a NYC law firm and owns a Prius. Property, however, is *very* important to us. No whopping McMansions here, though--we both happen to like centuries-old homes and quaintness and detailing over 8,000 sq. feet and his ''n'' hers hot-tubs.

 

[gailrmv]

At our old starter home, we saw many people whose luxury cars (if they owned them outright) were worth probably half of their house. In our new neighborhood (a couple steps up, price wise) we see lots of older, smaller, cheaper cars. Like Tacori said, I'd rather spend money on my house than my car and I think a lot of neighbors here are the same way.

 

[Deelight]

False, I can think of many people living in poor areas living well beyond there means and many people living in quite affluent areas just living comfortably.

I live in a middle class area if I travel 2 minutes up the road houses will jump around 50k in price if I travel 2 minutes down the road houses jump down about 10-15k. I have worked in the more affluent areas and drive through them fairly often it would be rare for to see anyone so called flaunting there wealth either through jewelery or cars. I don''t know if it is because people around here are laid back as a rule or people just don''t care.

Freke, I agree with you I go shopping looking like a bum in my jeans and a shirt and if people choose to treat me crappy because of this me and my money will just keep on walking .

Gemview I agree even my FF said the same thing when he worked previously in sales one of his regular customers would come in looking almost homeless and yet was rolling in the money, looking at him you would never know.

You can''t judge a book by it''s cover .

 

[scarleta]

False, only the people who want to show will try their best to show off.

 

[bar01]

Not in our area. Although we live near one of the wealthiest parts of the Midwest, people here are very low key - they don't dress up, or have flashy jewelry, or drive flashy cars. Lots of domestic and standard import type sedans and SUVs.

The only time you recognize how wealthy some of them are is when you get to see their homes, or hear stories about them taking their jet to their "other home" in St. Thomas.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 6/8/2008 2:56:33 AM
Author: GemView

I once encountered an art gallery owner who said some of their highest value transactions came from people who were not dressed much better than bums off the street. Because of that, he said that he had to train his staff not to make rash assumptions based on the way someone is dressed. Similarly, I once met a guy who drove an old truck but was actually an unassuming multi millionaire. So I would say that, if anything, wealthy individuals may be inclined to intentionally mislead in appearances so that they will not attract false friends or thieves.

you never know...

back when i was doing coin shows a gentlemen stop by my table (sloppy looking) want to look at some coins in my show case. i show it to him, he ended up spending like $25k purchasing 4 coins from me,then he said....let me show you the other coins i brought here at this show.he then show me 14 coins that''s worth over $100k.

 

[GemView]

Date: 6/8/2008 2:39:44 PM
Author: Dancing Fire

Date: 6/8/2008 2:56:33 AM

And I bet he laughed all the way home (turning all those preconceived notions on their heads and watching jaws drop). I love it!

 

[Miranda]

Haha - I guess that depends on what your opinion of expensive is.

 

[LitigatorChick]

I think it is just a matter of people''s priorities. I love cars, so I spend a bit more there than my neighhbours. I love bling, but can''t stomach spending as much as I likely can afford. We are wayyyyy under-housed, although I plan on fixing that in the next year. But we don''t spend a lot on vacations and other things.

I think it is also a matter of people''s debt. I know that a lot of people are living way beyond their means, and it is all show with no substance.

I am constantly treated like I can''t afford anything. I look young (well, I am young - 31) for a professional with a very good income. On weekends, I wear yoga pants/jeans with hoodies or tanks. My casual clothes are quite young. So I usually get ignored at high end shops when I am dressed that way.

 

[diamondfan]

I may fit that bill, as I live in a fairly pricey suburban area, drive a nice (but not extravagant) car, and like to buy designer clothes and jewelry. However, it is NOT always like that. Some people prioritize spending on their homes, and could care less about their cars and clothes, while others love fancy cars and nice clothes but do not need a large or expensive home, or do not care about jewelry. Others love a nice home and fancy vacations, or own more than one home, but are happy in simple clothing. It really depends, and it is often not financially driven. My husband does not buy bling except for watches, and he likes nice cars. Our home is for both of us so he has definite input. I like all of the above, but with kids and carpooling I do not need an expensive sports car. Most days, I am in casual clothes but have nice handbags and shoes, and do like to buy certain things for dressier occasions. But our taste is NOT about showing off money, it is what we like and can afford. Many people in my area, the Main Line, are very old money. They can be worth tens of millions of dollars and they drive simple station wagons and dress very casually, you would never know they are wealthy til you drove up to their mansion. And many of these families have other homes, and vast art collections, but they do not drive Rolls Royces and wear a lot of jewelry.

In Los Angeles it used to be the joke that people drove really expensive cars and lived in small apartments, because they got more attention from driving around in a Porche or Maserati or Ferrari and most people did not see their home.

 

[Madam Bijoux]

False. There is a book called "The Millionaire Next Door" by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko that deals with this subject.

 

[pennquaker09]

My reply basically mirrors that of diamondfan''s. For me it''s definitely more about what I like and what I can afford. We''re now a 4 person household, so our spending habits have definitely changed somewhat. I''ve been looking at a getting a new car but I just can''t seem to justify buying a Mercedes SUV when we currently have an SUV. I''ve lowered my sights to a sedan that I can run errands in. We like nice things, but we like in moderation basically. I don''t really care about what anyone else has. Material things really aren''t that important at the end of the day.