In the movie People Like Us, they show many different things that people buy that represent their social class such as a Tuscan style kitchen, a 4 foot Mitsubishi TV, a Volvo. What possessions do you or your family own that represent your social class? Do you think that class is related to the things we own? Think about a possession that you own that could be much cheaper or much more expensive - why do you have the one that you have and not a cheaper/ more expensive one? You can go to the following website and take a quiz about how the things you prefer represent your class:
Chintz or shag
We also see a guy who goes into Williams & Sonoma and says that the store represents upper middle class because of the things it sells. Then we see Karen Hess (bread expert) who says the bread we eat reflects our class. We develop tastes that reflect our class. What stores do you shop at and what types of bread do you eat? How do your possessions reflect your own social class? You can visit the following website and take the quiz "Identify this" or "Name that class" and see if your values represent a class:
Identify this
Here's a quick example from W & S:
It is a set of wooden utensils - but not just any wooden utensils, "Canadian inventor and designer Tom Littledeer is known for his beautifully carved kitchen tools with fluid shapes inspired by canoe paddles. Each of the tools in this set is handcrafted from a single piece of North American maple..." $99.99 for a set of 5.
Those kitchen tools are pretty, but they seem to fit the theme of "Is it worth it or are you showing off?" I shop sales racks everywhere and I eat Dominicks bread usually, though I'm not above the occasional whole grain or potato bread loaf. I think they reflect my class as far as how I feel someone should live within their means. I don't think eating bread with flecks of gold in it is practical, but I don't think Wonderbread is really either, so by avoiding that ubiquitous culture of extremes, class values become more common sense values and then it becomes apparent who has more cents than sense(hah!) So I'd say money has to do with class as far as what you can afford and such, but it isn't the end all be all. I think REAL class, societal class, isn't about money but is more about how you carry yourself with the money you have. For example a millionaire having 27 cars is ridiculous, but if he has a nice yacht then it's still an expression of money and it's more practical and down-to-earth of an investment. On the same token, if a lower middle class person is struggling to pay the bills on a McMansion and doesn't have much furniture, I think it makes more sense for them to have a smaller house that actually can become a furnished home. So it doesn't matter where your wallet is, all about where you head is.
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