Yep, I have a very well-off friend. His dad was a professor and retired sub commander. He got an internship 2000 miles from his college over the summer. His parents paid for his entire life while he was there so he could study and do well at his internship. He got an amazing job because of those summers. He never had anything to fill his time except partying and schoolwork.

My wife makes about half what he does (still amazing money) and in college, she had to work full time or close to it, had to go out and find shitty jobs she could put on her resume as an internship, had to come home and take care of the house, and she'd do her homework while I was having fun. She had maybe a few hours of free time a week. We never had time to party or money for booze.

And now my wife and friend are doing well but what's the difference? Even at half his income, my wife makes more than literally everybody else we know. My family and her family are dirt poor and they always hit us up for money or help in some way. My friend's family is wealthy and he never has to worry about anything at all. If he loses his job it doesn't matter. IT DOESN'T MATTER! If my wife loses her job we are fucked. No back up. No support. We want to leave our city like my buddy (he has been able to live all over the world now) but we can't because we're finally doing ok and there is so much risk involved with moving for us without any support. I fear going back to poverty. I can feel it, all the time. It's always just around the corner. One big disaster or a few weeks without a job and we're right back there, eating beans and rice with hot sauce for dinner because the meal cost 14 cents. Right back to only having the library for entertainment. Back to wearing ten year old holy t-shirts because I have nothing else. Back to going hungry not to drop a few vanity pounds but because there's no food. Having support makes a world of difference.