The aristocratic elite often live differently from the rest of the wage earning world like you and me. From buying their way to become members of secret wine cults to paying some brilliant sap to turn their poop into gold, join us as we take a peek into the eccentric lives of the affluent well-to-do’s, our fellow well-to-don’t’s.
10. They Have Their Own Fancy Versions of Ebay
The filthy rich use boutique online marketplaces to trade and sell luxury items. We’re talking real-estate, sports cars, yachts and once in a lifetime experiences like your own private tour of the Antarctic peninsula. Sites like jamesedition.com and dupontregistry.com vend only high-end merchandise that would make the average person’s wallet shrivel up and die.
9. They Drink Spirits That Have Been Poured Over Naked Models
That’s right, there’s such a thing as liquors that are bottled after being poured over the naked bodies of glamour models. G Spirits is a German distillery that peddles high-end vodka, whiskey, and rum with an unusual selling point. Not only are they fine spirits – single malt whiskey, sextuple distilled vodka, 11 year old rum – they come with a guarantee that these divine drops have trickled gently over the hills and valleys of stunning women. Who says the rich are eccentric?
(Source: http://www.gspirits.com/)
8. They Don’t Leave the House to Withdraw Money
Brooklyn Nets forward DeShawn Stevenson installed an ATM in his kitchen for when he can’t be bothered to leave the house to make a withdrawl. According to the New York Post, Stevenson reportedly paid $3,500 for the machine. The personal cash dispenser gets refilled 4-6 times per year and holds up to $20,000 at any one time. He charges his friends and family a $4.50 fee to use the ATM. When he felt he had to defend his flippant folly, he tweeted: ‘For the record, I had to get that ATM cause we used to roll dice nonstop and I was sick of loaning people money!’
(Source: http://nypost.com/2012/06/02/home-court-atm/)
7. They Join Secret Wine Fraternities
When you’ve got so much money that you have no shot at spending it in your lifetime, all that’s left is to join a cult-like wine club. The Confrerie des Chevaliers du Tastevin, translating to ‘Fraternity of Knights of the Wine-Tasting Cup,’ is an exclusive fellowship devoted entirely to expensive Burgundy wine. It boasts chapters worldwide, with its members coming from society’s elite: politicians, businessmen, luminaries, doctors, military leaders and athletes.
The exclusive organisation holds elaborate dinners that can run into the tens of thousands of dollars, all showcasing rare and expensive Burgundy wines. New members must be referred and pay an undisclosed initiation fee, followed by $1800 in dues, and must host of one of the aforementioned lavish dinners.
(Source: http://www.tastevin-bourgogne.com/en)
6. They Have Kidnapping Insurance
Being incredibly rich has its perks, but it also comes with considerable danger. Whether you own a coveted slot in the top one percent or just happen to have an overburdened wallet, there’s a chance you’ll attract the attention of some unsavory characters looking to cash in on your ransom. For exorbitant fees, insurance firms can monitor their clients and respond to any threatening situation.
(Source: http://www.economist.com/blogs/schumpeter/2013/06/kidnap-and-ransom-insurance)
5. They’ve Got The Midas Touch (Sort Of)
When the filthy rich aren’t busy being CEO’s who are making big deals while chartering private jets or poppin’ bottles in the VIP section of clubs you’ve never even heard of, they’re most likely taking big, golden dumps. Yep, there’s a 24 karat pill that will make your poop shiny and golden. Costing $425 per capsule, these auric solubles will turn anyone into the goose that laid the golden egg.
(Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/10/gold-poop-pills-tobias-wong_n_2272605.html?ir=Australia)
4. Sixty-six Of Them Have Unlimited Air Travel
In 1981, American Airlines offered those who were cash endowed a chance to have unlimited air travel. For just US$250,000, one could fly all over America at a moment’s notice for the rest of their life. That was a bargain back then, because by 2004 the price tag had risen to US$3 million. Worse (or better in a snide way for us lowly peons), AA has since stopped accepting new members for the foreseeable future. There are only 66 people in the world who still hold the exclusive fly-all-you-want pass.
(Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AAirpass)
3. They Buy Exotic Pets
Owning a dog or cat is so blasé. For the rich and famous, even their pets have to make a statement. Rare and exotic beasts can cost a fortune in maintenance and licenses, but hey, it sure beats going to the zoo, right? Mike Tyson’s three Royal Bengal tigers cost him US$4000 per month in upkeep, while Nicolas Cage spent a staggering US$150,000 on an octopus that he claims helps him with his acting skills (which we have to admit explains a lot).
(Source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/5-most-expensive-celebrity-pets-4929303)
2. They Buy Ridiculously Expensive Art
You can’t truly call yourself an elitist, rich snob until you’ve phoned in a last minute auction bid to Christies in New York. Outrageous sums of money change hands in the blink of an eye as wealthy, often anonymous buyers, vie for a Rothco or Cezanne. In fact, the most expensive piece of art ever sold was Nafea Faa Ipoipo (When Will You Marry?) by Paul Gauguin. It went for a mind-melting US$300 million to an unknown buyer. Word on the street is that the State of Qatar purchased it.
(Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_expensive_paintings)
1. They Leave Earth
Space tourism is the act of leaving earth in a spacecraft for recreational, leisure or business purposes. During 2001-2009, seven wealthy space tourists made eight flights to the International Space Station aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. The flights were brokered by interstellar tourism firm Space Adventures for a cool US$20-40 million.
(Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_tourism)
