People who grew up in a different socioeconomic class as your significant others, what are the notable differences you've noticed and how does it affect your relationship (if at all)?

I'm upper middle class. My boyfriend grew up in various trailer parks.

The little things:

He likes canned soup, cheap TV dinners and junk food. Everything he likes is really plain or loaded with preservatives.

I'm all about wholesome, healthy foods. Also, I like trying exotic foods (Thai, Indian, Japanese, Greek, etc.) and he is reluctant and a little ignorant to the point of being unknowingly racist. Like he doesn't trust Vietnamese, or "weird Korean food" and taco trucks, because hey, they must be serving dog.

Cleanliness: I can be a little OCD, so that's my fault. I like things tidy and clean.

He, on the opposite spectrum, is a slob. I put a garbage can right by his desk and there'll still be garbage all over it. There's gross brown marks on the wall too because he puts his feet on the wall while playing video games. His family lives in a dump, and that's fine with him and them because they "don't care." My standards are higher.

The bigger things:

He is okay with very little, thus he has no ambition. I honestly don't mind, as long as he goes to work and pays bills. But I'm in college and pursuing a B.A., I have straight A's and I'm very goal oriented. For other people in my situation, I assume some would care.

He has trashy manners. I can't blame him though. When I tell him something isn't polite (like whispering in the presence of others or drinking to the point of being sloppy stupid or talking up a storm with a mouth full of cream cheese GROSS), he is genuinely surprised and I realize nobody taught him these things. It is very unattractive, and it makes it hard for me to take him anywhere.

Regardless:

I lend him money a lot, but he always pays me back. He is also a quick learner (when I try to inform him of manners related things, etc) and a good person ... he is attractive and knows how to dress. He is not the most refined person, but that's okay.

His life has made him humble and easy-going. Accepting in ways other guys are not. I like that I can be comfortable around him and don't have to have my make-up and hair done 24/7. :)

/r/AskReddit Thread