You know someone grew up without money when they do these 8 things at grocery stores-and they have no idea how obvious it is - Silicon Canals

"Growing up working-class outside Manchester, I learned early that money shapes not just what you buy, but how you buy it. My father worked in a factory, my mother in retail, and every trip to the grocery store was a carefully orchestrated mission. Now, decades later, I catch myself doing things at supermarkets that immediately give away my background. The interesting part? Most of us who grew up without money have no idea how obvious these behaviors are to others."

"Even when I can now afford my groceries without worry, I still find myself comparing the price per ounce on different brands of pasta sauce. It's automatic. My hand reaches for the item, then pauses mid-air while my eyes scan for that little number. This is a deeply ingrained survival mechanism. When every pound matters, you develop a mental calculator that never switches off."

Early experiences of working-class life turned grocery shopping into a strategic exercise in cost control. Childhood grocery trips were planned and frugal, producing automatic behaviors that persist into adulthood. Those behaviors include scanning every price tag, calculating price per ounce, pausing mid-reach to read labels, and keeping a running mental tally of allowable spending. These habits can persist even when financial worries have eased, providing psychological control rather than strictly saving money. Observing others who shop without checking prices highlights how visibly different shopping styles can be and how many people carry hidden cues of past scarcity.

Read at Silicon Canals