25 Absurd Luxuries That Mark The Wealthy Experience As Quite Different To Normal Life

Imagine a world where everything is reduced to a minor inconvenience, measured only by cost. In such a place, no crisis can truly shake the lives of the ultra-rich. When you have enough wealth to prevent nearly every disruption by simply throwing money at it, the experience of living in this world becomes fundamentally different from that of people with less.

#1

Image source: gonzalj85, SkelDry

Forgetting that paper money has different values. I landscaped for a wealthy family (billionaires) and he was a nice enough guy. Always tipped us on our weekly visit. He tipped us equally in his eyes, we all got five monies each. He would peel off five bills from a wad of cash in his pocket and we all got the same. You might get $5 you might get $500, just luck of the draw. During the holidays we all got ten monies each. We had a gentleman’s agreement whenever we worked his property that the guy who got the biggest tip bought lunch.

#2

Image source: Zachbustems, freepik

I worked(doing AV stuff)in a customers home that had a kind of operations manager running his house. Her job was basically to schedule and make sure the maintenance of the home was kept, from housekeeping/landscaping/pool guy, to us, coming to replace a tv in his home gym. She sorta flexed by telling us that she was instructed that if something for the house cost less than 5k, to not bother him and just cut a check for it.

On our way home from the job I googled the guy to discover he had made something like 53 million that year(it was during the summer)but was also due some fat bonus by the end of the year, indicating that wasn’t all he was gonna make. Stupid wealthy.

#3

Image source: HarrisonRyeGraham, freepik

Orchid daycare. You send your non blooming orchid in to be taken care of until it blooms again, and exchange it for a blooming one so you always have blooming orchids in your house.

#4

Image source: sewer_pickles, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

I was involved with coordinating a New York press tour for Bill Gates back in the day. Every moment of his time was scheduled down to the minute (because his time was so valuable). In addition to his personal security, we hired some police/military/special services guys to coordinate Bill’s travel route.

I’ve never moved through Manhattan so fast! We went through back doors and walkways that avoided the general public in buildings and took us right to his interview locations. Every step was mapped out and someone was always there waiting for us, just to open an unmarked door that would lead to yet another shortcut. Our unmarked black SUV was always waiting with the engine running and we were quickly whisked from place to place.

That’s the day that I learned the most valuable thing to a billionaire isn’t more money, it’s time.

#5

Image source: Thedeacon161, kasuntharaka93

I worked landscaping for rich folks in the Denver, CO area and I heard of a family that built a miniature town in a sunken location and flooded it with water so they could scuba dive through it.

#6

Image source: Debaser626, zinkevych

I was briefly (and casually) acquainted with a guy who got dropped off at the place we were at in a helicopter.

Apparently, he had to have his helicopter pick him up at some random airport farther away, because the one runway at the nearby airport large enough to support his plane was closed due to a fuel spill.

The closest I’ve come to that, was the time I got stuck renting a Nissan Juke because my flight got canceled.

#7

Image source: KnowsThingsAndDrinks, EyeEm

I wanted a new area rug. I went to a high-end rug store and was pleasantly surprised that the smallest rug they had was in my price range. I couldn’t decide between two patterns. The sales rep said, “Why don’t you just take them both home and see which one you like better?” My flabbers were gasted. I didn’t even have to put down a deposit. Rich people get a level of service that poor people cannot even imagine.

#8

Image source: flyingpiggos, serhii_bobyk

I went to a very expensive jewelry store (think $20k-100k for a single necklace) just to look at sparkly things. Right away they let me try on this $50k bracelet. Even offered to give me a few to wear around the area to see how I liked them on me and in the sun. I got given espresso martinis. I even told them I could never afford anything here and they said it was alright and still treated me with great kindness

EDIT: if there’s any billionaires reading this, I wouldn’t be opposed to being bought the $100k serpenti necklace :) /s.

#9

Image source: Azryhael, prostooleh

The Starkey School of Household Management, colloquially called “Butler Bootcamp.” It’s really a training facility for both personal service (butling/housekeeping/assistantship) and the more business managerial aspects of running a wealthy person’s life/estate. I used to live down the street and did a bit of a dive into their curriculum and alumni, and it’s fascinating. .

#10

Image source: Disgruntled_Beavers, freepik

A friend of mine is an electrician, and was working on an insanely wealthy old woman’s home in the mountains near Boulder, CO. Her bedroom is a special depressurization chamber that mimics the oxygen conditions of being at sea level.

EDIT: it’s technically a pressurization chamber, not a de-pressurization chamber like I originally wrote.

#11

Image source: Psychological-Bad959, StockSeller

One of my friends was friends with a son of some Malaysian Oil Company exec. They had air conditioning on the front lawn.

#12

Image source: bigsnow999, user6699736

Rich people can get poor shamed by richer people.

#13

Image source: thebriss22, freepik

My uncle was a principal for an international private school.

Rich people hire educational agents to represents their kids.

They send those agents across the world to private school fairs and their job is to match the kid (who can be as young as 10) profile with the best school available that matches what the family wants.

Each agents have a portfolio of kids and they get a commission from the schools when they match a kid with them.

Lol.

#14

Image source: hobeast68, Holiak

I know a man who makes very good money managing a yacht for a very wealthy man. The boat is docked in Jamaica most of the time. The owner uses it about 4 weeks a year but its staffed year round. The man I know lives on it with his wife. But they are free to do whatever they want 48 weeks a year.

#15

Image source: sewer_pickles, montypeter

I know a billionaire who wanted swans swimming in the pond outside his home, but was disappointed when their feathers molted and they looked scruffy. He uses a swan rental service that rotates out the swans periodically so that they always look pristine.

#16

Image source: El_mochilero, prostooleh

I work in the luxury travel industry. There are lots of good stuff here that you’ve never heard of.

Invite-only luxury travel collections, like Exclusive Resorts. Think of it like a country club, but for travel. You pay a membership fee upfront (packages range between $100k – $250k). Once you are a member, you have access to a huge network of ultra-luxury rental properties around the world with basically guaranteed availability.

Want a penthouse apartment in Monaco for the Formula 1 weekend? Ski-in chalet in Aspen over Christmas / NY week? Luxury apartment near the Super Bowl/ world Cup Final? Your personal travel concierge will take care of that.

Other services are things like travel Nannie’s for your kids.

Some exclusive operators are things like White Desert that can fly you on a private jet to an ice runway at their camp in Antarctica, and then (optionally) onwards to the South Pole. Starts around $110k per person.

You can charter a luxury polar expedition ship for about $2M-$5M for a 10-day expedition around Svalbard or Antarctica.

Also, helicopter charter on-demand. Own a mega yacht with a heli-pad, but don’t want the hassle of helicopter ownership? However, you do want full helicopter service on your yacht just for the 3-5 times a year that you are on it? There are companies that will match you up with a helicopter/ pilot / crew on a daily/weekly/monthly basis.

#17

Poor people haven’t heard of uber wealthy people.

I used to bartend at this nice seafood place. It was a nice place, but not over the top. This dude used to come in once a week during lunch and have a kettle of clams and some calamari. We talked about all kinds of stuff but nothing important.
One day he tells me he just got back from the Baja 500 in Mexico. I asked if it was cool, he said it was. Told me about driving the course and whatnot. I laughed and said I thought he just went to watch. He said he owned a team and had been doing it for years. I commented that was cool and sounds expensive. He says, “Do you know who I am?” I said, yeah, you’re Gary.” He said check out my last name as he handed me his credit card to pay. It didn’t mean anything to me, so I said I didn’t get it. He told me it’s the same last name as the college sports arena in town. I chuckled. I said yeah, sure. Turns out his dad was a cable guru and he is some kind of crazy billionaire.

Image source: StuckInside420

#18

Image source: Careless_You1424, azerbaijan_stockers

12 years back my wife’s uncle was working for a UAE Sheikh to set up some telecom towers and travelled to Dubai. They were few guys with him who were given desert safari experience along with other colleagues.
While coming back to their hotel in Dubai they were dropped off in spanking new Porsche 911 turbos individually (7/8 of them). The Sheikh had come to visit them next day. While in the meeting one of uncle’s colleague praised the 911 to the Sheikh, next moment the Sheikh said ‘take it with you to your country, it’s yours’
The car was home delivered to his colleague in other country with all duties/taxes etc. paid.

Her uncle flabbergasted thought he should have praised it first.

#19

My uncle is worth about 600 million euros. He has an art foundation that supports artists and curates an art collection, which he loans to museums.
The rent he doesn’t collect on that loaned art is deductible as a gift and he receives subsidies to support his foundation.
Most of the collection sits in museum depots, saving him storage fees.
Because he’s the ceo of this foundation, he gets a management fee, so no income tax.
Best part? His castle functions as a private art gallery, so whatever isn’t on loan just hangs on his wall at home.
He literally lives in a museum.

Image source: notyourvader

#20

Image source: Vicbeans, user6699736

Father in Law works in construction with decades of experience under his belt, been contracted to work with basically a local billionaire and has worked with him for a number of years.
One year, while my FIL was out hunting, a massive flood shuts down highways in my area and he can’t make it home. It was awful, acres and acres of farm land was destroyed.
Local lodges clear out room for travellers stuck, FIL decides to give up his room and just use his camping gear in the bush.
He’s was supposed to work for this rich guy the following day but obviously he can’t make it in so he gives him a call telling him the situation.
Story goes the rich guy is straight up saying “where are you.” And within a few hours a helicopter comes in to extract him out of the area. All the other travellers saw the helicopter come by and thought it was general rescue so they started lining up with their suit cases. Little did they know that the one helicopter was there to ONLY get my FIL out, out of no where basically a dirty bushman (my FIL) comes out of the woods and he hops into the helicopter.
That’s some real money right there. Basically “To hell with the rest of ya, this man has got some work to do” .

#21

Image source: Heavy_Direction1547, Drazen Zigic

Staff/servant issues, fear of kidnapping, yacht and aircraft positioning and maintenance, a constant worry that your social status and relationships are really just a reflection of your financial status.

#22

Image source: UltraDarkseid, freepik

I happen to know one billionaire. He is not famous, but he loves famous people, especially athletes. He’s had all kinds of people over to stay at his vacation home(s) including guys like Tom Brady and Steph Curry. So yeah, maybe people don’t realize it, but if you have enough money you can be casual friends with anyone you want, even if you’re not famous yourself.

#23

Image source: anonymous, adffs455

It’s more common knowledge now, but if your yacht is big enough you also need a support vessel. And if your family is wealthy enough you have a family office who takes care of just about anything because a single PA doesn’t cut it.

#24

I knew a guy who didn’t think in terms of legal/illegal, just in terms of how much something cost. We went to a restaurant and he parked in a “no parking” zone. I said “we can’t park here” and he said “yes we can it just costs $750”.

Image source: ReasonableAd1887

#25

Image source: MardawgNC, freepik

A spare exotic car to drive while the other is in the shop. I was repairing a garage door for a gentleman whose hobby was XKE Jaguars. He had two in his garage and I complimented him on the cars saying the usual things you say about an XKE. Beautiful, I like the lines, I bet they’re fast, V12 must sound wonderful etc. He said yeah when they work. The silver one was his baby, the red one was the spare when the other breaks down monthly.