'Walkable neighborhoods': 20 Luxuries that used to be a sign of poverty

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Jesse Kessenheimer • Writer and Editor
Jun 14, 2026 5:45 PM EDT

How do I earn enough money to afford to live in the penthouse suite? 

Well, you're probably more likely to stumble upon a time machine that brings you back to an era where you could afford the penthouse. Back in the day, the rich weren't going to walk up a million flights of stairs to reach the top; that was for the poor. The peasants, the paupers, and the help were the ones expected to migrate all the way up 20 flights up stairs to reach the top floor units, leaving the desirable low units to the rich. 

Let's all just go back in time for a second to enjoy the little luxuries of today, because the only way we'll ever have a lobster dinner from the top floor suite of a high-rise building is to travel back to the 1800s, before elevators existed and before lobster was more than just a sea rat and a poverty meal.

Apparently, lobster sandwiches are called po'boys for a reason. Once upon a time, lobster was the meal for the peasants and the "poor boys," and it certainly wasn't being charged by Market Rates or $30/pound minimums. Although being in the lower classes is never truly enjoyable, at least if our current selves were able to teleport back to an era we could afford, we could cosplay being rich. What's funny is that the quality of the items never changed; it's just the mindset around them. Penthouses are still penthouses; they just have an elevator and better wallpaper. Lobsters are still sea bugs, but they pair better with a $250 bottle of crisp chardonnay. 

If we could just shift the perspective of our current situation maybe we could all stand to enjoy a few luxuries in our lives, regardless of the price tag. Keep scrolling to enjoy this list from Reddit's r/AskReddit sub where people weighed in on the greatest luxuries that were once a sign of poverty. Live life up to the max, folks, because you never know if that Cup of Noodles ramen bowl is going to be worth something one day. 

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  • Cheezburger Image 10638397696
    via Pexels (Nadin Sh)

    Woman eating lobster for lunch. 

  • What used to be a sign of being poor, but is now a luxury or status symbol?
    via the-main_guy-here
  • ericnagel Living in the upper floors of an apartment building. "Before elevators, the wealthy lived on the lowest floors to avoid walking stairs, while servants were
    via ericnagel
  • pushed to the top. The upper floors were reserved for the working poor and servants. They were hot in the summer, freezing in the winter, and required exhausting, daily climbs.
    via ericnagel
  • When safety elevators arrived in the 1852, this dynamic flipped."
    via ericnagel
  • Cheezburger Image 10638397952
    via Getty Images (bojanstory)

    Woman looking over the railing of her balcony. 

  • lee24k. Lobsters, oysters and caviar
    via lee24k
  • Domonero · Being very slim. During very old times if you were obese you were well fed & rich
    via Domonero
  • iteachag5. Ripped jeans.
    via iteachag5
  • dortiek ⚫ Walking everywhere. It used to be seen as something people did because they couldn't afford a car. Now people pay good money to live in walkable neighborhoods.
    via dortiek
  • onelittlebug Living in a van
    via onelittlebug
  • HappycatAF ⚫ Being unemployed for several years. Not owning a phone. Living downtown in a major city.
    via HappycatAF
  • KorgiKingofone ⚫ Lobsters used to be seen as the rats of the ocean. It used to be served to prisoners before the rich adopted the dietary trend.
    via KorgiKingofone
  • Cheezburger Image 10638397440
    via Pexels (Mynor)

    Woman on her balcony overlooking the city. 

  • ILL_Show_Myself_Out ⚫ Pulling up in a new F-150. Owning a pickup was a sign of being lower middle class, "working man" they were actually an affordable vehicle. Now they're as
    via ILL_Show_Myself_Out
  • expensive as everything else and more likely to be a "pavement princess" hockey dad cosplaying as a construction worker
    via ILL_Show_Myself_Out
  • Henri DeToulouse • olive oil on rustic bread
    via Henri DeToulouse
  • Sjnoefje ⚫ Having lots of kids.
    via Sjnoefje
  • Cheezburger Image 10638397184
    via Pexels (Nadin Sh)

    Woman enjoying a plate of pasta.

  • Doughnut Diva ⚫ Skirt steak please give us poors back this cut of meat. This is why we can't eat nice things.
    via Doughnut Diva
  • 2-timeloser2. Having a horse. Rich had cars, poor had horses. Now it's the other way around.
    via 2-timeloser2.
  • Axin_Saxon Making your own cooking stock. Used to mean you weee using every last scrap of food but now it means you have the free time to sit and simmer a pot for hours.
    via Axin_Saxon
  • Mobile Cable8922. Caviar used to be prison food, before the rich made it scarce.
    via Mobile_Cable8922.
  • Giant_leaps ⚫ Bieng pale skinned, it used to mean u didn't have work manual labor under the sun but now it means you can't afford to take vacations or go to the beach
    via Giant_leaps

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