Is anyone here a Yuppie brave enough to come out of the closet? (Humboldt: homeowners insurance, living)

[Banx]

Yuppies:
Urban Dictionary: yuppie

Hispters:
Urban Dictionary: hipster

[MannheimMadman]

I like the first entry, lol.

It reminded me that I'm out of PBR, and need to get another case. I'm no hipster, just a a cheapskate. Good beer is not something I spend my money on.

[scarletneon]

HIPSTER BINGO!

hipster bingo

Go down to Logan Square or Ukrainian Village or Pilsen and have a rousing game of bingo!!

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by ConceivedinKY51

What's the difference between a yuppie and a "spoiled rich kid?" I personally have never known anyone who was a yuppie who didn't start out being a spoiled rich kid.

Some friends of mine are yuppies and did not grow up rich. Shockingly they are more of a yuppie than most yuppies that did grow up rich.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by Avengerfire

Some friends of mine are yuppies and did not grow up rich. Shockingly they are more of a yuppie than most yuppies that did grow up rich.

People who have something to prove are the ones who often go over the top.

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

People who have something to prove are the ones who often go over the top.

It is also somewhat like someone who has won the lottery. They do not know how to deal with having way more money than they have been used to for all of their life so they go all out.

[ajolotl]

One thing I've always admired about Chicago (compared to Miami and Latin America) is that people tend not to be this way -- they are more grounded and secure and don't feel the need to show off materially. Of course there are exceptions but as a general rule more substance and down-to-earth values runs deeply through the fabric of the entire area, even where people have money. In Miami I literally knew adults whose entire life (and paycheck) revolved around what car they drove. I don't see Chicago ever being like that.

[Humboldt1]

My dad has always said that there are 4 levels of wealth:

1.) Poor people who worry about the clothes they wear

2.) Less Poor People who worry about the cars they drive (they have plenty of money for clothes, and obsess about their car)

3.) Even Less Poor People who worry about the house they own (they have plenty of money for clothes and car and obsess about their house)

4.) Wealthy People who worry about their investments, knowing they have adequate funds for whatever clothes, cars, houses, they want, but do not necessarily buy, because this is not a priority.

I aspire to be in the 4th category, though I may break down one of these days when I have a family and buy a nice house in a good area, but not for me, for my family.

I see those who are truly wealthy and have nothing to prove being less materialistic than those who are living beyond their means to promote some image of financial success that may or may not be there.

[cubssoxfan]

What's the difference between a yuppie and a "spoiled rich kid?" I personally have never known anyone who was a yuppie who didn't start out being a spoiled rich kid.

Not true at all. I grew up in SE Evanston and S. Skokie. Was middle-class. Had to work doing yard work, repairs and cleaning. Dad was Blue Collar. Did I grow up poor? No. Did I grow up spoiled rich kid? No. Why am I affluent and proffesional enough to be categorized Yuppie? Because my parents wanted a better life for me with more opportunities involving less manual labor and a higher standard of living than they had. Unreasonable? No. Many parents want their children to suceed. The key was to link the odds of financial sucess to getting good grades and getting a college degree. Working retail during HS and college cemented this link. I could tell from personal experience I would have a harder time earning money to afford a house, a car and retirement if I went the non-college, retail career route.
Final thing taught by my parents. Do not live above your means. Preferably, try to live below your means. Your earnings could be really high but if your spending is also really high you have nothing left. Yet with a modest income, you can save money if you play good defense with your spending.
In Texas they call this mentality "Small hat, big cattle" I call this mentality being frugal. Frugal=new definition of being "cool".

[SJaye]

Would living below your means make you not a YUPPIE? Has this long thread established a clear distinction between a YUPPIE and a non-YUPPIE, because all I know so far is that it stands for Young Urban Professional. There is a tendency for YUPPIEs to not have kids, and have a lot of money to just spend on themselves, but must you spend your money in a certain way to earn this classification?