Snobbery- many different forms

You never know what people have by what they buy or how they live. My granny lived very frugally, carrying wood home for the fire, making rag rugs, lino was very worn. People used to give her coats to keep warm. She owned 7 cottages all rented out and died leaving almost £1m. She gave money to several people but it was always anonymous cash in the post.
I've worked for a few millionaires as a carer and some are in mansions, others in small houses.
I've found that very wealthy people buy once, buy good and don't replace until totally worn out. Poorer people are always redecorating and changing the furniture

Years ago I thought people who professed not to ever drink instant coffee, rather lofty. Now, if only instant is on offer, after years of drinking capsule or ground coffee, I'd decline! I also like my coffee out of a nice smallish cup, not a big mug, it's the quality not the quantity. Bone china for tea a must!

As for chocolate though it's bog standard Cadburys for me, even though it lost something when Kraft got their hands on that brand, albeit never as bad as what passes for chocolate in America, I'd definitely choose Belgian over Hersheys and the lik.

Nanna8 you have cheered me up !! Your account of your chuck out venture is so funny! I know exactly what you mean! I had major disruption to sanity and even sleep pattern issues when I ditched my 'work' wardrobe in '06!!the chain store stuff? No probs! The expensive stuff? Laurèl /yarrell/ Gerry Weber/Betty Jackson et Al? I was traumatized! It was as if I was throwing away my entire life up to that point. I think it was because I had to work very hard to afford 'good stuff' to look the part at my work. It wasn't just clothes it was the memories those items held too. But at base level ,it was the bloody money I spent!!😅

Vampirequeen - that just about sume it up! Horrible people are horrible no matter how they try to hide. You can't polish a t* but you can roll it in glitter as they say.

I’m a coffee snob, I freely admit.
I don’t know what sort of accent I have but I don’t like people assuming I’m English or Scottish, though I’ve lived in Scotland for most of my life, I’m VERY proud to be Irish. There are some accents I don’t like, they grate on me, but does that make me a snob? If it does then I’m an accent snob as well as a coffee one!

Me too sazzl. The seriously wealthy nlive astonishingly nfrugalmlives! They're not hung up on others' opinions and stuff they get has to earn it's cost, until death do they part! Also- they're usually charming as hell......and always " forget" their wallet/card/cash/ but being so charming, hell! Us mugs would always pay THEIR way without a grumble!! Who's daft?

Gabrielle56
😁
They sit at the back of my wardrobe, hoping to be worn and are always rejected so why do I leave them there, thinking that I might wear them one day?

My friend said she hangs on to everything in case she might need them when she goes into the old people's home! No, she won't, it will be elasticated trousers and pull-on tops.

I just hate the misuse of the term'snob' !! Always have. It's not someone who has been well brought up and has good manners, nor is it someone who happens to have access to more funds than others. It's someone who. For some unknown and non obvious reason thinks themselves somehow 'better' or more worthy than others. We had elocution and deportment training as small children and were privately educated as my Ma hated the Manchester accent her being a Scot and she was a huge snob, wanting us to go into 'high society ' and mix with what she imagined were the upper class. On pretty good but not great salary of civil service Pa!!! Result? I left school at 14+ no bits of paper. Married a foreigner(!) Then my own (adopted) cousin!! But I'm better off than she ever was via bloody hard work! No help/favours etc. Her Snobbish ways now raise a good laugh as we did call her Hyacinth in older years!!

Many of us enjoy the good things in life. I don't think that's snobbery.

I also have an eye for the top quality end of everything, but also possess that elusive talent of " I can replicate that for next to nothing" by mixing fabulous fake and real jewellery /accessories/clothes/makeup in fact anything and everything. I remember Joan Collins saying she always wore massive FAKE jewellery in case she was robbed/mugged/ burgle, then she'd have no issues just buying it all again and conning the baddies too!!🤣🤣 I do exactly the same and you know? Nobody knows the difference between a 5carat diamond and a 5 carat - look CZ ring!!

I like beautiful clothes which usually cost more (but not always), intelligent drama (don't watch mainstream telly very often), good quality chocolate, love classical music and also rock, jazz and blues but don't like mainstream pop, hate rom coms and blockbuster films. However, I am happy to drink instant coffee and drink medium priced wine. Where we choose to holiday can also be telling (but not always) .Aren't we all different?

Of course, accents are fascinating. How dull it would be without them, if we all spoke with the same accent. Most people speak standard English with an accent, some a mixture of standard English with elements of local dialect included. Now strong dialect, that’s quite different and can seem like a completely different language to those who don’t know it.

It’s understandable wanting to hang on to the better labels, nanna8
I’ve realised reading your post that I might be a bit of an ‘academic’ snob, too. I’m surprised at myself, because I really enjoy interacting with (most) people!

They are fascinating to study as well, though (dialects I mean). They vary so much, even within a relatively short distance.

Gabrielle, your mother may have been, not a snob, but a realist about the world being a snobbish place. You did well to get where you did by sheer hard work, however your mother was wanting to make life easier for you.

Having a personal preference for something instant/ real coffee, butter/margarine, Cadbury bars/Belgian finest chocolate has absolutely nothing to do with snobbery.

It is ony snobbery if you look down on the people who have different tastes to you.

The big problem is people who call other people snobs because their tastes happen to be more expensive than theirs and is a form of inverted snobbery - the kind of person who is proud of having brown sauce on everything and will demand it in a Michelin starred restaurant

I'm a plant snob e.g. coloured primulas no thank you. There are others...

MOnica, regarding demanding brown sauce in a posh restaurant, wasn't Basil Fawlty a tremendous snob!

I've never understood why brown sauce is seen as common

No bacon buttie is complete without brown sauce.
😁

Actually, in the Basil Fawlty episode I think the bottled sauce may have been salad cream which the common boy preferred to Chef's handmade mayonnaise.

JaneJudge

I've never understood why brown sauce is seen as common

At least it used to have a photo of the houses of Parliament on it. Though we always had Ideal, not H.P.
My mother-in-law always informed people it was bad for you as you could clean pennies in it. A bottle must have been bought for that experiment.

Vinegar must be bad for you because it can be used to clean all sorts of things.

It's funny that we can talk about our likes and dislikes and go into such detail eg "I'll only drink out of a fine china cup" or "I dislike people who wear down at heel shoes", and "love to wear cashmere"
I feel very thankful to have most of what I need when so many have so little and are struggling at present - in this country and around the world.
Come on lovely gransnetters show a little humility.

We all have preferences. It's not snobbery to like what one likes. I drink PGT tea, Stella beer, Acqua water - taste good to me.