Indian society is divided into three upper class, middle class and lower class. The upper-class family are rich ones. They can afford anything. They can buy any luxury items they want. The second is a middle-class family, they have money but unlike upper-class people, they don't like to spend unnecessarily. The third is a lower class family, Their family belong below the poverty line. They are people who starve for food. They even don't get a meal daily.
We are the people who belong to the middle-class family, who has happiness in what they have. Even small things can bring lots of happiness in life. But at the same time, they are too protective about the things they buy. They take care of things like a baby and use it till nothing else can't be accomplished other than throwing it. They do some or other jugads to save money. Some of the common jugads are,
By looking at the toothpaste, it seems that a road roller has run on it. You can't dare to ask for a new tube of toothpaste until you squeeze the soul of the old one and use that last small drop
middle-class people can't see anything getting waste and that's why even if a shampoo bottle gets empty or cream or some other product gets finished, we make sure to use even the remaining tiny drop by cutting the bottle or filling water in it and then using that water.
Typical Indian middle-class families don't have the tradition of buying a pocha or piece of cloth to mop the floor and the purpose is solved by using an old T-shirt, towel or any other piece that is of no use now. We just don't waste, remember!
Even though soft drinks are costly in India, we middle-class people make the most of our money by using the bottle after consuming cold-drink. We clean it properly and then fill water in it that can later be used in a kitchen or kept in a refrigerator in summers.
LOL, It may sound weird to rich people but it's damn true for middle-class families. Our moms bring uniforms, and if possible shoes too, one size bigger so that they can be used for one or two years extra and valuable money is saved
That's our mantra of keeping things new and safe! We don't remove the plastic that covers our new kinds of stuff like sofa, chair or TV and for keeping the remote clean and protected, we cover it with a plastic sheet too. Yes, we are somewhere obsessed with plastic!
When parents get a new T-shirt, it's firstly worn by the elder brother and when it doesn't fit him anymore, it's handed over to the younger sibling. When it's dull and faded, it becomes nightwear and at the day of Holi, it's finally worn and given a vidai. But we don't throw it even after that! It becomes pocha and serves the house until it gets pierced into pieces!
Ah, The life of the t-shirt in the middle class is so tough.
You and your siblings attacked the sweets as soon as the guest left. This one was a classic and probably still happens. The choicest of snacks would be served when guests came over, the ones you weren’t allowed a daily basis. You would eye the delicacies all the while the guests sat, and even politely refuse when they offered you some. But the minute they left, it was Sparta. You would break loose on the plates and wipe them clean in no time. It was much embarrassing when the doorbell rang and the same guest came back because he had forgotten something.
When the elastic bands of your socks lost their elasticity, you didn’t buy new ones. You hoisted them up with rubber bands. Yes, and in the afternoon when you got home, you had red ring marks around your legs.
This doesn't mean that the middle class doesn't spend much but they value money. They don't like to spend unnecessarily. Even they don't like to share their money related problem to others if they have any. Their self-respect is greater than anything else. They like to be simple and sober.
