Pearl Nash
The other day, I chanced upon a reel of basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal talking about pressure.
It was a life lesson he learned after his dad showed him a homeless family living under a bridge to drive home the point that what Shaq thought was “pressure” was nothing compared to what people with very little money have to endure.
I found it so relatable because, as someone whose family didn’t have much money, “pressure” takes on a whole new meaning indeed.
Now, our situation actually wasn’t as bad as homelessness and we always had three meals a day, thank God. But neither did we have anything left for extras. There was a constant struggle to make ends meet and life definitely wasn’t easy.
But – it does have a bright side. Us kids did develop some strengths that have served us well now that we’re adults.
Here are 8 qualities people who grew up without much money tend to develop later in life:
1) Toughness
I’ll start with the very thing I was talking about in the intro – toughness. Resilience.
Anyone who has gone through financial hardship knows what it’s like to bear – and sometimes almost crumble under – the weight of an empty wallet (one of the world’s most cruel ironies, for sure).
No two ways about it – living in poverty is intensely stressful. Even just being broke is.
Money is always top of mind; you’re always thinking about what to eat, how to pay the bills, how to make sure your kids get their needs met…
During a particularly hard time, I remember once complaining, “I hate that we’re so poor!”
My mom looked at me and said, “You know, your words have power. If you always say you’re poor, you’ll always be poor. Better to say, ‘Budget is just tight right now.’”
I remember rolling my eyes at her then, but as I grew older, I began to use her suggestion more and more.
I realize now that she was teaching me to be tough. To see the lack of money as merely a temporary state. And to use my words to shape my mind so I can rise above the situation.
True enough, we all weathered through those tough times, worked hard, and we’re now in a comfortable place.
But that trait of being steel-minded, of knowing how to handle stress, that’s ingrained in us now, thanks to that empty wallet I used to complain about.
2) Resourcefulness
If you know someone who grew up with little money, you’ve probably noticed a remarkable thing – they’re insanely resourceful!
People who grew up not having much know how to survive on very little. They become experts at stretching every dollar and using what they have in inventive ways.
For example, when prom season rolled around, we never had any money to buy a proper prom dress. But my mom would take old curtains or sheets and transform them into a beautiful gown so I could attend prom.
For Christmases and birthdays, we’d create gifts from scratch instead of purchasing them because like I said, there often wasn’t enough left for buying unnecessaries.
So we’d knit or bake or craft (fortunately, we’ve all been touched by the creative gods this way) and give those as gifts.
There are so many ways people who grew up without much money make do with what they have. And it’s a skill they still use even when they’re adults.
3) Discerning consumer
When you’re working with a tight budget, you become more careful about how to spend it. Every single penny counts.
That’s why people who come from this kind of background are very savvy shoppers. It’s very clear to them what’s a necessity and what’s a luxury.
Not only do they just buy things that they need (and only when they need it), they also have a keen eye for value.
So, they often:
- Wait for sales
- Use coupons
- Buy certain items in bulk
- Frequent thrift stores, garage sales, and online marketplaces
- Choose generic brands over name brands
- Squeeze the most they can out of a product to avoid wastage
They become masters at spotting deals and recognizing when a second-hand item is just as good – or even better – than buying new.
(Case in point: I got my coffee maker at half the price of a brand-new one at an online marketplace. And since the original owner used it only five times, I thought it was a pretty sweet deal!)
4) The hustle mindset
I often think of the angst-ridden state of not having enough money as the ultimate bootcamp for developing an excellent work ethic. I definitely got mine from it!
When you’ve known what it’s like to not have enough, it lights a fire under you. You hustle harder, aim higher, and make sure you never end up in that tough spot again.
You also learn to spot opportunity. For instance, I have a friend who can look at a situation, see a need that must be addressed, and steps in to fill that need. This has led her to create a few businesses and work her way to financial stability.
The hustle mindset is about making things happen, even when the odds seem stacked against you. It teaches you to turn every challenge into a chance to step up.
That’s something people who grew up without much money naturally develop.
5) Patience
Speaking of traits that naturally develop as a result of not being rich, patience has got to be one of them.
Folks like us didn’t have the good fortune (quite literally!) to have the things we wanted handed to us. If we wanted a new toy, we had to save up for it, sometimes for months.
If we wanted new clothes, we had to wait till Christmas or birthdays. We couldn’t just go to the shops any old day of the week and walk out with new outfits.
Our parents were also busy hustling out there, so if we wanted their attention, it wasn’t always right at our fingertips.
We had to wait in almost every aspect of our lives. But with that, we learned that good things take time and effort, and that made us appreciate everything so much more.
This brings me to the next point…
6) An attitude of gratitude
When money isn’t overflowing, you learn a very important lesson – to never take what you have for granted.
People who grew up without much money know just how precious money is. It doesn’t come easy. So when it does, they feel so blessed and they truly appreciate it.
It’s a far cry from the stories we hear about rich, spoiled kids who pout when the car their parents give them for graduation isn’t the right color (oh, the horror!). Or kids who can’t appreciate a gift they get if it isn’t fancy.
Scarcity teaches you to value every little thing. You find joy in the simple pleasures and learn to be grateful for what you do get.
And you know what? That’s actually one of the best gifts anyone can get in life – the ability to find joy in simple things sticks with you and shapes how you see the world.
7) Non-entitlement
Sociology professor Rachel Sherman talks about entitlement this way:
“…to be ‘entitled’ is to believe you are more important and deserve more than other people, to imagine the rules don’t apply to you, and to be unaware of your own advantages.”
Well, if you grew up without much money, it’d be hard to believe you’re more important than others. How could you, when your whole life has been a struggle?
For people who grew up without much money, there’s none of that sense that they “deserve” this or that. They know that if they want the good stuff, they’ll have to work hard for it. Nobody’s going to hand it to them on a silver platter!
Of course, there are still exceptions. Some poor people do feel entitled to welfare, for example. But generally, you won’t find a mindset of entitlement in folks who grew up with financial struggles.
In fact, if anything, what you’d find is heaps of…
8) Empathy
I can’t count the number of social media posts and reels I’ve come across that talk about how it’s so funny that ordinary people leave bigger tips for service staff than rich people do.
I suppose it boils down to empathy – they know how hard it is to hustle. Even when they’re now financially comfortable, people who grew up without much money never forget the struggle.
They remember what it’s like to work long hours for low pay and to rely on the kindness of strangers. What it’s like to live in uncertainty, feeling like the world is such an unfriendly place.
So, when they see someone working hard, they feel a connection and want to show their appreciation. It’s a way of paying it forward, of encouraging the other person to go on.
When money is tight, life becomes infinitely harder, that’s for sure. And if we have the chance to help ease someone else’s burden, why shouldn’t we?
