Rich people seem to be a constant sore in the eyes of certain people. They invoke a flurry of envy, greed and attempt to emulate. We all know that life is for living and not for peeping over the fence to see how the Joneses fare, but it seems that the temptation is too strong for some. Newer, bigger, more up-to-date things conceal insidious attraction that invites to spend more money than it is reasonable. It goes without saying that the life of the rich is in many ways easier than that of most of your neighbors, so what if we try and look like we were rich? In some ways, for some people, it may turn out to be a gratifying idea. So, if you are not, at least look like you are!
There are ways to make use of the budget you have so you can appear richer than you are. But this is a different proposition. This is about people who rather endanger their credit history or get by without necessary things but will purchase things that create the impression they are richer than they really are. Some of these ways are undoubtedly stupid – like these.
Buying grossly expensive things
The owner of an expensive item should be rich – or so people are inclined to believe. Funny, but it doesn’t go for saving to buy designer clothes or accessories, or even treating yourself to a meal in a high-class restaurant. The grand design is to get an item that is a social status symbol – a luxury car, a fur coat, a really costly watch, real diamonds, all the things that have been associated with wealth through centuries. The wish to possess such things may become an obsession. The whole idea is very superficial. Many rich people are not this ostentatious. They do not make a point of sporting their wealth. They will be the first ones to see through the desire to display expensive items. Nor will you gain more respect in other circles, either.
Making out that your fakes are real designer items
Another way to acquire some luster of prosperity is to purchase a knockoff and pass it off as a genuine item. The friends whose bags didn’t cost them thousands of dollars won’t recognize the difference, anyway. Although you can’t always rely on that – there are enough perspicacious buyers who can tell an original from a fake at one glance, no matter whether they are rich or not. But even if you are sure that your friends and colleagues won’t be able to place your newest acquisition, they know your financial position fairly well to understand that you can’t afford such items – so you’ll have to pass them off as gifts, eh?
Playing the part
The obvious answer is, if you behave like a rich person, people are apt to take you at your face value. Fake it, they say, until you make it. Fine, but how exactly you are going to play the part? Go on endlessly about the stock markets and your collection of cars and a house by the sea? Keep yourself informed what is fashionable at the moment, cultivate polished manners and know how to use forks and knives at the table? Or the simplest way, to make everyone within earshot know that you have money to burn and that you buy everything that comes your way? Any way you choose, once you have gone overboard with it, others will get wise to what exactly you are doing.
Pulling legs by social media postings
The rich are sure to lead a life full of pleasures and entertainment – at least, many people like to believe they do. Today’s media are able to exhibit no end of pictures of rich celebs enjoying themselves on tropical islands and winding down at the most popular and expensive clubs. Those who like looking at these kinds of photos slide to the belief that if they show the world they are leading such a life as well, everyone will be taken in and become sure they have just as much money. So they arrange to make pictures showing themselves engaged in pastimes they think will make other people envious. They may even be sure it’s an impervious disguise, a cover impossible to blow. True, nobody is going to blow it: people know the trick and are no longer taken in by it.
Inviting comments
Social media allow one to indulge in many different fakes which can seem impregnable. Since they get themselves up as wealthy, they have to keep up the pretense. The main reason for their put-up show is the right kind of response from other people, and they must feed new proofs and validations periodically to elicit comments. They post pictures and ask provocative questions of the kind: “What an awesome place to be, don’t you think I am lucky to be there?” or “Want to stay in such a place?” Would a person who is enjoying himself seek validation from others of how good his life is? Whereas people who are keen to convince you what fabulous life they have are always looking for confirmation.
Pretending that you can do things better than the next person
The sure sign of spotting a person who wants to put one over on you and impress you with their non-existent wealth is the way they interact. They just can’t shake off the habit of accentuating the fact that whatever the conversation steers round to, they turn out to have/do/wear/drive something better than you have, etc. Their house is always bigger, their car is faster and their latest party cost them more than yours cost you. Unless you are really dealing with a very pompous person, you can usually smoke them out by asking questions intended to draw out exact information about the price, the make, the location and so on. You begin to get evasive answers and after a while the other fellow will try to put you off the topic and change subjects.
Not saving money
If rich (and pseudo-rich) people wear some things on their sleeves, other things remain in the background. For instance, having a savings account. If you are driven to buying resplendent things that cost the earth, you will hardly have one. As soon as you get some money, you go and spend them so as to sport a new item that you believe every rich man has. Of course it doesn’t mean that all people without a savings account or a retirement account are trying to pull the wool over your eyes about their earnings. Sometimes life turns out the way when you have to eke your paycheck out until the next one comes. But pseudo-rich people often can open a savings account – when they stop trying to impress other people.
Holding on to things until the end
So, those who make themselves out as rich people buy up items that are meant to convince others of their limitless wealth. But if they tend to disregard the fact that one has to pay for the glory, they can run out of money for payments and finally have the expensive item taken away from them. Even when they realize they won’t be able to keep the item, such people don’t give it away but wait until it is repossessed legally. They just haven’t got it in them to part with it voluntarily.
Wrecking credits
The habits described above usually lead to the same result: an arduous pursuit of false pretense ends up with ruining your credit. Large payments need large replenishments, and when payments are exorbitant and replenishments are insufficient, sooner or later payments stop, and the wonderful things you bought are lost forever. Then you are left with a sunken credit, which means rejection in many things with yet more payments and unprofitable interest rates. What an infamous ending.
Leaving a really nice lifestyle behind
People who are too intent on impressing others about their enviable life are usually so caught in the pretense that they forget about many other facets of living. Really, the bother it takes to run around searching for items convincing enough for creating the superficial effect, make up and post all these photos on the social network sites and answering the comments, steer every conversation to where you can mention your new gadget covered with diamonds. All these things can leave a hollow feeling inside, because while people get busy with that, they turn their backs on their own lives and their true goals. Is it worth your while, after all is said and done?
