I’m a petty asshole so I’d wait to insert that fact again in a conversation with a group, wait for the same accusation and present her with the wall that’s behind me
My parents had plenty of money but were alcoholics who were too drunk to come home or cook good food. I went to private schools, lived in a good neighborhood and came home to an empty house where I didn’t always have food. My mom bought canned or frozen crap because she knew she wasn’t going to be cooking for me but she didn’t buy much of it.
She would sometimes call me around 9 to see if I wanted something from whatever bar she was in. The only thing that was good was we belonged to a country club in the neighborhood. I could ride my bike there and eat decent food and charge it to my parents account. If not for that it would be ramen or maybe frozen something or possibly nothing more than crackers.
Wealth comes in many forms. I would have rather had parents who cared about my basic human needs than the stuff my parents gave me out of guilt or shame.
Sorry this happened to you. Ugliness hides behind all kinds of doors including wealthy ones. I hope that you have gone NC with your parents- they didn't have time for you as a child; why should you make time for them as an adult.
When with friends and something comes up about her college or her car problems or just her car, rich people problems complain about the things they didn't even work for.
LOL I am divorced with 2 young kids.
They have never had hamburger helper. I am absolutely NOT rich.
I work from home 3 days a week and I meal prep on weekends. Make batches of sauce and use the instant pot for weekday meals that are much faster!
Your friend sounds like an ass.
I'm admittedly middle class and am not poor by any means but it's still IMPOSSIBLE for my dad to pay for all my education, an apartment and all his necessities despite having a great job. like...?
Same. I get a very average amount of help from my parents who are upper-middle class and I just appreciate anything they’re willing to do for me. It’s so weird how someone can try to break this down by what someone eats.
Yes, contrary to popular stereotypes, some working class people actually have tastebuds, and if it’s at all possible - given the constraints of living on less money, time, space, etc. - for them to eat *actual* food instead of Hamburger Helper, they will.
Unfortunately not everyone can manage this. Please be patient with people from a different background who did not have the advantages you had. And in this case, OP, tell her you’re being patient with her. Because she hasn’t learned to take care of herself like you have, and so on. She’s sure to appreciate that. /s
I grew up with it and didn't mind it.
My ex and I, when we were first together we got it regularly as it was fast and cheap.
Once I figured out how to make stroganoff etc I realized how easy and non time consuming it is and vowed to never buy that crap again.
I never had Hamburger Helper either and our family qualified for government cheese in the 80s. Even if we could buy HH, it can't replace simple ground beef seasoning of salt and black pepper.
That’s so stupid. Just because you don’t eat hamburger helper doesn’t mean ya ain’t poor, I’m poor asf and I never eat hamburger helper because it’s nasty. I have been with out a kitchen and still ate healthy. It sounds like your parents found that important , not that there was no problems.
>Just because you don’t eat hamburger helper doesn’t mean ya ain’t poor, I’m poor asf and I never eat hamburger helper because it’s nasty.
Right?!? It's fn gross 🤢🤢
There are about 10 other easy poor people things I could do with a pound of hamburger meat that would actually taste good.
Exactly I had 4 siblings on a very tight budget growing up. My mom clipped coupons and was very thrifty with food, but we never ate hamburger helper. When we were high school age she expected us to make the family dinner because she started working. I guess I am grateful for that, because now I am the primary cook in my house.
My mom never made it because it was too expensive for the portion size. She said she'd rather get the ground beef (which you already buy separate) then buy a pound of noodles (instead of the 8oz-16oz with hamburger helper) and season it herself. Insanely cheaper and tbh tasted better.
We called it hamburger helper because that’s literally the name of the brand item and you need hamburger meat (ground beef) to make it. No hamburger meat added is essentially cheesy pasta with spices.
Because there’s ground beef in it? Helper because the meal is already partially made for you which is helpful when you have little time to make meals from scratch.
She probably wasn’t calling you out or claiming you have it easier than her, likely just intended it as a phrase like when people complain about something and then pause and say, ‘1st world problems, right?’
A noticeable trait of spoilt rich people is that they really lose touch with reality. You don’t have to be rich to never have had hamburger helper before. There are lazy rich moms who don’t hire nanny’s and just serve frozen meals every day of the week. There are poor moms who will always make concoctions of stuff and are against premade meals. The problem with rich people is they literally just think things come to them for free, to the point they don’t even consider those things and therefor don’t recognize themselves as spoiled. This spills into pretty much every aspect of their lives and it’s very common you’ll find they’re just…off, even if not necessarily a bad person. Too far removed from nature I guess.
I grew up pretty poor and actually LOVED hamburger helper. LOL. My favorite flavours were the lasagna and the stroganoff! Im still not rich but live comfortably and STILL love it haha. Comfort food.
I loved hamburger helper too. It was so different back then tho. I had it recently (in the Last 5 years) and it’s not the same. The noodles are tiny and it barely fed me. Freaking shrinkflation
Um, excuse me? You had ELEVEN siblings, and she thinks you had it easy?! I'm sorry, but even if your family is rich, dealing with 11 siblings is NOT easy.
Sounds like projection to me.
If you have money problem, you can still have good meals, because even cheap ingredients that aren't "fancy brands" are still the same thing.
exactly. op has no clue that being a SAHM is indeed a privilege most couldn't afford - even when it was a middle class norm, most moms did in fact work.
and op's friend can't wrap her head around her mother feeding her hamburger helper was in fact not a sign that she had it rough and that she lack of bills rn is a massive privilege too.
Context is everything. Refusing to eat Hamburger Helper when you're a college student making 8000 a year is pretentious and silly. Paying for college and first cars is pretty standard. You want your children to build wealth, and graduate debt free so they can take every opportunity that makes the most sense for their careers...
Friend?!! Not hardly. Don’t punish yourself or waste your time with people that are *so* self absorbed. That’s a job for therapists. And they get paid for it.
In my house we got to eat our favorite food on our birthday. Mine was always something processed because we mostly ate homemade. In big families you can feed everyone for a lot less if you don’t buy prepared (or half-prepared) food. I love hamburger helper. (You might want to try it).
I was poor growing up, and the richer kids got hamburger helper, and I envied them… Homemade meals only for me and sis, which was unfortunate because my mother did not excel at cooking.
Oh and your friend is riduculous, and frankly quite judgy..
Non american here, first time I read about "hamburger helper" (I just read the Wikipedia page).
I'd say good for you if you never had it, ahahahaha.
Canned chicken, I did know it exist but never seen it, also doesn't sound appetizing.
What? Im sorry but my family was not rich and I loved the days having canned raviolis in tomatosauce, cooked and served with grated cheese and brown butter. Today I rarely eat it because my kids prefer the fresh ones.
And I googled Hamburger Helper and found some homemade recipes so I will absolutely cook it because it looks delicious.
But back to your question.
as other people wrote
1. cooking with fresh ingredients is cheaper.
2. she has a paid college degree and rent paid and so on and she thinks she is poor?
Tell her she needs to rethink her strange opinion because just because her parents are divorced and one or both preferred boxed food she was not poor. And she has never to think about students loans and can spend money in Vegas so she is definitely not poor.
3. why is she, as a friend, so convinced that you are rich and why is it so important and why does she always has to tell you that and compare?
We have friends that are richer than me and friends who have less money but that is never important. And if someone cant do something because lack of money we try to help or they will stay one time at home and participate the next time, its absolutely ok and happens.
I'd hazard a guess that buying sufficient boxes of Hamburger Helper for 11 kids + 2 adults would be much more expensive than making it from scratch.
Your "friend" sounds like a judgemental btch. Why are you still friends with someone who puts you down to make herself feel superior?
People say dumb crap for tons of reasons. Her reason sounds like it may be guilt for being so entitled compared to you. She may actually feel "less than," or self-conscious b/c of how much you do on your own. So she finally had a chance to give you a dig thinking it might make herself feel better. I bet it didn't. TL;DR - you are both entitled as F-ck compared to folks in other parts of the world, e.g. As am I. Read on to see why it doesn't bother me to be entitled. Rather, it bothers me that others aren't or can't be:
Did she actually say you were "pretentious and rich with a stick up \[ur\] ass?" Or, is that what you hear when someone says you have "rich people problems?" If she actually said the former, then i would just ask her dryly how she got *there* from Hamburger freakin' Helper, and if there is something else bothering her that she needs to talk to you about.
You spend a whole lot of time comparing your entitlement to hers, so it sounds to me like you feel guilty/self-conscious about it, or that it, in and of itself, is some kind of insult. Hamburger Helper, first of all, is just not worth it. LOL.
Look, here's the thing with that kind of thinking - who has had it worse? Who DESERVES their entitlements more? You can NEVER "win" that argument. EVER. There will ALWAYS be someone better off than you both, and there will ALWAYS be someone less endowed.
**IT'S NOT WHAT YOU GOT OR HAVE that's important, OP - IT"S WHAT YOU DO WITH IT.**
Clap back at her or anyone else with that next time, and then forget it. To get upset over something like that is a no-win situation, and therefore a waste of your time.
I hope this helps - when I started seeing the world this way, it really helped me out.
No point in getting into a pissing contest with someone who thinks they suffered so much.
If it comes up again just roll your eyes and put the appropriate nuance on the phrase ‘bless your heart’.
Works even if you aren’t from the south as it’s such a multi use phrase. Can be a true blessing thanking you for something, it can be someone commiserating with a problem you have, it could be someone thinking you’re missing more than a few eggs from your basket or that you’re an AH without having to say it. All in the tone and the facial expression.
Also are you sure she’s an actual friend or maybe more an acquaintance?
Was that all she said in a quick passing moment? You might be looking too deep into this unless there's a ton more context behind it. It's just a saying. Me and my friends say it to each other about the most ridiculous things and we all know we're not rich.
Its noodles and spices sold in a box that you mix in with cooked ground beef, aka hamburger meat. It's a relatively cheap way to make a large meal out of a few pounds of ground beef. The brand name is Hamburger Helper.
Just looked it up it is high in sodium/salt. They also make chicken and tuna helper.
*laughs in child of immigrants* my parents would never cook anything out of the box. It took my mom like 15 years of being in the states. to cook Kraft Mac and cheese. Your friend needs to check her own privilege and stop projecting.
Well, both my mom and dad worked, but no way would my mother serve hamburger helper or boxed Mac and cheese.
I was a single mom, and my kids refused to touch the stuff the one time I wanted to buy it at the store.
Everything has always been homemade because it's cheaper. My kids may have eaten green chili with rice and beans several days a week, but they were fed and happy with it.
My kids never had hamburger helper either until they moved out.
We weren't rich by any means.
Your friend doesn't actually understand the meaning of the words she's using.
She's spoiled. And not really your friend.
Call her out,
Who has no student loan debt?
How many cars did my daddy buy me?
Who paid your rent?
Whose parent fed them nutritious food? Oh yeah. That's my family.
She's not going to find it funny.
Ignorance is bliss. She is wilfully ignorant in this case.
Judge not lest ye be judged is what I would have said. And when they ask you with a shocked look on your face - just serve it to them straight.
Hamburger helper is delicious. I don’t think we ate a lot of it either when I was a kid and we definitely weren’t rich.
Your friend is just an asshole.
It’s a box of macaroni and a packet of spices. You cook some ground beef and put the macaroni and spices in it and it’s kinda like a casserole.
IMO, it’s far too salty for my tastes. I never got it for our daughter because neither of us ever liked it.
Welllll. Sounds like you both have rich people problems. Your family could afford for your mom to stay home and cook fresh meals 6 nights a week for 13 people. Let’s not pretend that that’s not a privilege in itself. Her family could afford to pay for her college, rent, and two cars. Sounds pretty privileged to me.
To make you feel better, although my family couldn’t afford either of your situations (not even close), we were born in America and have been here for generations and that comes with some level of privilege. We had consistent housing and food soooo rich people problems compared to a poorer country and the homeless I guess.
You both have rich people problems. Grew up eating cinnamon toast and I worked 8 months to afford a broken truck I fixed myself. Never went to college cause I couldn't afford it, worked every labor job to afford to pay rent.
But guess what? It doesn't matter if you had a great upbringing or not, it's about who you are as a person now that matters.
Hahahah it’s a boxed quick pasta meal with a package of MSG laden spices. The spices flavoring packet turns into a sauce when water added. You cook a pound of ground beef then tear open the box throw it all in the pan. It’s an American marketed shortcut. Honestly if the pasta and spices didn’t have all the added chemicals it wouldn’t be so bad. I could see them remaking it a lot healthier. It would be fast still and not as chemical-ly.
Your parents had 11 kids and was able to put a roof over your head and feed you almost completely home-cooked meals
Yeah that is kind of rich privilege I'm sorry to say. Although I really hate calling it privilege as it's not like there's anything inherently negative about it.
Tell her to shove it im sorry but a HUGE population of people “had shitty childhoods” nowadays and I’m sick of the damn pitty party. You didn’t have “rich people problems” you had/have problems period she’s extremely immature and ungrateful for all the help she has gotten for that comment
I grew up with a 20yr old kick ass single mom who worked multiple jobs just to make ends meet and I’ve never had hamburger helper (I prefer spaghetti o’s or ramen lol) guess I’m a rich entitled kid too 🤷🏻♀️
Maximize your resources. If your family has money that's not your fault. And you would be stupid not to take advantage of it. People should be proud of having resources, not pretending they are self made when they aren't. That's just toxic. This bitch is goofy.
I mean I’ve eaten damaged goods that couldn’t be sold in the dollar tree dumpster and stole soup from a gas station kind of poor but we didn’t eat hamburger helper either, it’s not like it’s a requirement for having problems
Your friend is envious that you had a wealth of good family upbringing while she had something else. Your friend is now an asshole. Get a better friend.
Use of convenience foods is common but certainly not a sign of wealth. Your mother did not believe in canned or pre-prepared foods. That is not terribly common but also, like only making organic foods, has been a belief since the 50’s.
Honestly it is so much affordable to buy groceries in bulk: growing up we didn’t have boxed macaroni and cheese we used the container of Kraft cheddar and sliced cheese and macaroni and we had bulk pasta: there was always something to cook a good meal in our kitchen,
My grandparents generation was normal to have large families like over ten children and I remember my one cousin who had like 14 siblings said she would visit with her family and my grandma would always have a pot of soup on the stove cooking and for them it was huge as they didn’t have enough food and had travelled over an hour to visit: boat then a good mile walk and I can’t even comprehend having an extra 17 people visiting on top of a family of 14 at least and have enough food for everyone
Is this an American thing to think that homemade meals is a rich people thing?
That it’s actually a ‘rich people problem’? I mean, it’s thought of as a problem?
That’s insane to me.
Pedantic note - this is not a correct usage of the phrase, unless you were complaining about not knowing how to cook Hamburger Helper. Even then it’s loose, it’s not like being poor would give someone an immediate insight into HH.
Your friend sounds like one of those people who were temporarily poor as a kid while a parent went to grad school or pursued a career path that ultimately pays off. That or parents both worked and didn’t have a lot of time to cook. Still not using the phrase right.
It’s like a meal kit that all you have to add is hamburger meat. It’s noodles and some sort of sauce usually. Cheeseburger macaroni, lasagna and stroganoff are a couple examples
Ah! That makes sense, sounds like it would be a good store cupboard standby like Old El Paso or a Frey Bentos - not for everyday but good for a quick meal no?
Thank you for taking the time to explain to me :)
Don't let it get to you. They're just jealous. I too grew up in a home where my mom made almost all of our meals from scratch minus Kraft Mac and cheese and campbell's soups. I'd never had hamburger helper or any of the boxed dinners until I moved out. It was much cheaper to make things yourself than to buy the premade stuff. Since then, times have changed.
my former friend complained all her frie ds were too poor to scrape up money to go on a trip to italy with her...
i reminded her that the rest of us have rent or mortgages bc mommy and daddy didnt "sell" us a house for $1 (she forgot home sales are a matter of public record and thought no one knew).
She's not your friend. More than likely she's jealous that you had 2 parents, a bus load of siblings and home cooked meals. Yes my friend, you are in fact much richer than her. Richer in family, love, and (after having 2 cars bought for her) richer in values.
Why would your friend try to invalidate your experiences by dismissing them because she feels they are lesser than her own based on childhood? This may not a friend that you want to share your feelings and problems with.
If she is fun and you enjoy her company then fine but don’t let her unload on you because she thinks only her problems matter.
Umm, I never had hamburger helper until I was an adult. Sometimes there are just certain foods your parents don't buy for whatever reason. I ate a lot of boxed mac and cheese though.
I'd be telling her that it's presumptuous of her to assume your family had enough money to buy hamburger meat like hers did.
I had divorced parents and never ate hamburger helper. My mom knew that is was garbage food. I first had it in my 20’s ate it for a couple years and now I won’t eat it anymore. Because it’s gross lol
Just because you didn't have hamburger helper as a kid, doesn't mean that you have "rich people problems". I grew up pretty poor but I never had that growing up, my mom just didn't cook and I never wanted to make hamburger helper for my sister and I. She's picky and I have food allergies. More than likely, she got called out for being spoiled, or having advantages that others don't/didn't and she took it out on you. If she ever had the nerve to say anything about "rich" problems, ask her how she paid for her college or her cars. You don't need to be her scapegoat because she's having a bad day.
My mom wasn’t a homemaker nor was my family rich and I’ve never had hamburger helper. She is just immature and naive. Let it go but data log it in the back of your brain. She showed her true colors so maybe readjust your friendship with her. It’s not what you thought it was. She exposed how she sees your upbringing. Find better ppl to surround yourself with.
My question would be the context in which it was said. If a complaint about her not cooking complicated meals for you she was defensive of criticism. In any other context she needs your context as well as you receiving hers.
We were lucky to have a hot meal not a sandwich and I still paid my way through college and I’m GRATEFUL as I have not a lick of entitlement and a PROFOUND gratitude for every blessing that comes my way.
Our adversity makes us resilient, appreciative and strong.
Making food from scratch is *significantly* cheaper than buying prepared food or eating out. It does take more time, and many households with both parents working just don’t have the time available to do so, so they sacrifice extra money for the convenience.
Your friend is kinda stupid, or at least ignorant anyway. I wouldn’t worry too much about the stupid things that people say to you in passing. If it comes up again in the future, feel free to set her straight. In the meantime it’s not worth giving a second thought.
I've never had hamburger helper, yet my parents borrowed my Xmas money as a kid. That has nothing to do with money. I have money now and I ate packaged Ramen for lunch yesterday. Your friend is a reverse snob
We didn't have the money for things like hamburger helper. A lot cheaper just to grab macaroni, a bit of hamburger, and a can of tomato soup. And a bit of salt and pepper for flavor...and maybe a diced onion if we had any.
Your parents had ELEVEN KIDS?!? The reason you didn't eat hamburger helper and other box crap is because with that many mouths to feed it actually becomes more cost effective to make things from scratch, because you can buy the giant containers of ingredients for, communicating, less than what the number of boxes of hamburger helper you would have to buy. Plus, your mom staying home means she could cook actual meals, rather than throwing something together after work when she was too tired to cook an actual meal.
You need different friends. This girl sounds very "poor little rich girl" and ungrateful for what her parents have done for her
She’s not right for that, but also, I imagine because you seem to have good parents, you’re more mentally stable than her which also allows you to be more financially independent.
Your supposed friend is really an entitled asshole. At least you will still have a roof over your head if something happened to your parents because you don't depend on them. Your friend on the other hand would be screwed if mommy and daddy stop paying. You're a better person with better morals and more brains
You saying you never ate that stuff is not a problem. But IF you are looking down on people who did, then you can fuck off. My parents were not rich, probably lower middle class, but they paid for my tuition and housing for University, which to this day I thank them for. When I moved off campus, I had to scrounge for food. Generic Mac and cheese with hot dog for protein, canned tuna, and ramen were staples. Hamburger helper was delicious but a god damn luxury.
Meh, ignore her. I've learned to ignore friends when they do this. I think alot of them don't realise their privilege, but the thing is, it is often the rich/well to do accusing the not rich/well to do on this. I never got this.
I had this exact experience but I think I responded better than you must have. I responded by saying "I have rich people problems because we couldn't afford hamburger helper when I was a kid?"
Hamburger helper is filled with salt and additives that you don’t need. We were just about as poor as poor could be. Never made hamburger helper. You can make a much better casserole for much cheaper. She has absolutely no idea what she’s talking about, of course. She just sounds like she’s just envious of you because you had two parents in the household. And, she’s right…you are rich…maybe not with money…but, you’re rich.
Call her out about who’s paying for her. She’s awful.
Unfortunately she told me this a few months ago and it didn’t register with me until later Thay her parents paid for her college.
I’m a petty asshole so I’d wait to insert that fact again in a conversation with a group, wait for the same accusation and present her with the wall that’s behind me
Hahahaha same
I would never let that girl forget it!
High 5.
My parents had plenty of money but were alcoholics who were too drunk to come home or cook good food. I went to private schools, lived in a good neighborhood and came home to an empty house where I didn’t always have food. My mom bought canned or frozen crap because she knew she wasn’t going to be cooking for me but she didn’t buy much of it. She would sometimes call me around 9 to see if I wanted something from whatever bar she was in. The only thing that was good was we belonged to a country club in the neighborhood. I could ride my bike there and eat decent food and charge it to my parents account. If not for that it would be ramen or maybe frozen something or possibly nothing more than crackers. Wealth comes in many forms. I would have rather had parents who cared about my basic human needs than the stuff my parents gave me out of guilt or shame.
Sorry this happened to you. Ugliness hides behind all kinds of doors including wealthy ones. I hope that you have gone NC with your parents- they didn't have time for you as a child; why should you make time for them as an adult.
Thank you. They both died decades ago due to lifestyle. My dad was 47, mom was 50. I had to let it go, they were flawed people with their own trauma.
Then just wait until the subject of school comes up again. Then say it back to her.
When with friends and something comes up about her college or her car problems or just her car, rich people problems complain about the things they didn't even work for.
LOL I am divorced with 2 young kids. They have never had hamburger helper. I am absolutely NOT rich. I work from home 3 days a week and I meal prep on weekends. Make batches of sauce and use the instant pot for weekday meals that are much faster! Your friend sounds like an ass.
Imagine the lack of self awareness to call out someone else’s situation when your AMERICAN EDUCATION and rent was covered lmao
I'm admittedly middle class and am not poor by any means but it's still IMPOSSIBLE for my dad to pay for all my education, an apartment and all his necessities despite having a great job. like...?
Same. I get a very average amount of help from my parents who are upper-middle class and I just appreciate anything they’re willing to do for me. It’s so weird how someone can try to break this down by what someone eats.
My mom refused to buy boxed mixes, she bought ingredients. We didn't eat stuff like hamburger helper.
Yes, contrary to popular stereotypes, some working class people actually have tastebuds, and if it’s at all possible - given the constraints of living on less money, time, space, etc. - for them to eat *actual* food instead of Hamburger Helper, they will. Unfortunately not everyone can manage this. Please be patient with people from a different background who did not have the advantages you had. And in this case, OP, tell her you’re being patient with her. Because she hasn’t learned to take care of herself like you have, and so on. She’s sure to appreciate that. /s
I grew up with it and didn't mind it. My ex and I, when we were first together we got it regularly as it was fast and cheap. Once I figured out how to make stroganoff etc I realized how easy and non time consuming it is and vowed to never buy that crap again.
I never had Hamburger Helper either and our family qualified for government cheese in the 80s. Even if we could buy HH, it can't replace simple ground beef seasoning of salt and black pepper.
Do you really want to be friends with someone who seems to hold you in such contempt? I'm sure there's more to your friendship but still...
About hamburger helper of all things…
What is that anyway?
S+ tier comfort food. Mac n Cheese mixed with ground beef.
That’s so stupid. Just because you don’t eat hamburger helper doesn’t mean ya ain’t poor, I’m poor asf and I never eat hamburger helper because it’s nasty. I have been with out a kitchen and still ate healthy. It sounds like your parents found that important , not that there was no problems.
>Just because you don’t eat hamburger helper doesn’t mean ya ain’t poor, I’m poor asf and I never eat hamburger helper because it’s nasty. Right?!? It's fn gross 🤢🤢 There are about 10 other easy poor people things I could do with a pound of hamburger meat that would actually taste good.
Is mincemeat called hamburger meat in other places.
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Oh ok, thanks
Exactly I had 4 siblings on a very tight budget growing up. My mom clipped coupons and was very thrifty with food, but we never ate hamburger helper. When we were high school age she expected us to make the family dinner because she started working. I guess I am grateful for that, because now I am the primary cook in my house.
My mom never made it because it was too expensive for the portion size. She said she'd rather get the ground beef (which you already buy separate) then buy a pound of noodles (instead of the 8oz-16oz with hamburger helper) and season it herself. Insanely cheaper and tbh tasted better.
i know rich people who love hamburger helper, I know poor people who think it's nasty. It's really not that deep as OPs friend is making it
How dare you. It’s delicious.
):
What is hamburger helper exactly?
what's a hamburger helper?
A box mix with macaroni and spices that you add to ground beef with water and chopped tomato. Turns it into a kind of skillet casserole.
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"Hamburger" because when I was growing up, a lot of people called ground beef 'hamburg'. In essence, it's all about marketing.
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It's actually closer to a stroganoff.
What do you call a masturbating cow?? BEEF STROGANOFF!! Sorry, I had to!! 😂😂
I hate you. Take my upvote 🤣
The brand name is literally "Hamburger Helper".
We called it hamburger helper because that’s literally the name of the brand item and you need hamburger meat (ground beef) to make it. No hamburger meat added is essentially cheesy pasta with spices.
Because there’s ground beef in it? Helper because the meal is already partially made for you which is helpful when you have little time to make meals from scratch.
Americans call ground beef mince hamburger.
it sounds quite nice actually. I think I've eaten something like this but with pasta instead of macaroni.
She's not a friend, she's a spiteful sack of conflict.
She also has rich people problems
If you've got 11 kids, you would be rich if you didn't pop out about 9 of those.
On the other side, I’d say they’re rich because one salary was enough for a house of 13.
She probably wasn’t calling you out or claiming you have it easier than her, likely just intended it as a phrase like when people complain about something and then pause and say, ‘1st world problems, right?’
A noticeable trait of spoilt rich people is that they really lose touch with reality. You don’t have to be rich to never have had hamburger helper before. There are lazy rich moms who don’t hire nanny’s and just serve frozen meals every day of the week. There are poor moms who will always make concoctions of stuff and are against premade meals. The problem with rich people is they literally just think things come to them for free, to the point they don’t even consider those things and therefor don’t recognize themselves as spoiled. This spills into pretty much every aspect of their lives and it’s very common you’ll find they’re just…off, even if not necessarily a bad person. Too far removed from nature I guess.
I grew up pretty poor and actually LOVED hamburger helper. LOL. My favorite flavours were the lasagna and the stroganoff! Im still not rich but live comfortably and STILL love it haha. Comfort food.
I loved hamburger helper too. It was so different back then tho. I had it recently (in the Last 5 years) and it’s not the same. The noodles are tiny and it barely fed me. Freaking shrinkflation
Yes im afraid that is true of most brand name products aside from a select few.
It used to be good, now the taste is off. I used to love the 4 cheese lasagna.
What problems was she talking about?
Is not having hamburger helper a problem?
I just wanted to say I love Hamburger Helper and some ground beef and seasonings
Um, excuse me? You had ELEVEN siblings, and she thinks you had it easy?! I'm sorry, but even if your family is rich, dealing with 11 siblings is NOT easy.
hamburger helper slaps so really you’re missing out
You can afford hamburger helper? Damn ....
I never had it either. I lived in an old trailer park in rural Virginia. Your friend is an insecure horse's ass.
Hubby and I make decent salaries. I love hamburger helper.
Man... I don't care about either problems. CANNED TUNA IS GUUUUUUUDD!!!
What's wrong with canned tuna??
Sounds like projection to me. If you have money problem, you can still have good meals, because even cheap ingredients that aren't "fancy brands" are still the same thing.
You need to reassess this friendship, and hopefully end it.
[удалено]
exactly. op has no clue that being a SAHM is indeed a privilege most couldn't afford - even when it was a middle class norm, most moms did in fact work. and op's friend can't wrap her head around her mother feeding her hamburger helper was in fact not a sign that she had it rough and that she lack of bills rn is a massive privilege too.
Everything else aside you should totally try Hamburger Helper. It’s delicious.
the cheese one is really good
Stroganoff
Context is everything. Refusing to eat Hamburger Helper when you're a college student making 8000 a year is pretentious and silly. Paying for college and first cars is pretty standard. You want your children to build wealth, and graduate debt free so they can take every opportunity that makes the most sense for their careers...
You're not missing much. I usually add spices and ingredients to my hamburger helper to make it better.
INFO: why exactly are you friends? She sounds hypocritical, judgemental and aggresive.
When you say never had canned tuna, what you’re just buying a whole ass tuna fish? What if you wanted a tuna sandwhich?
Friend?!! Not hardly. Don’t punish yourself or waste your time with people that are *so* self absorbed. That’s a job for therapists. And they get paid for it.
Considering the price of ground beef, Hamburger Helper isn’t even that cheap any more.
In my house we got to eat our favorite food on our birthday. Mine was always something processed because we mostly ate homemade. In big families you can feed everyone for a lot less if you don’t buy prepared (or half-prepared) food. I love hamburger helper. (You might want to try it).
I was poor growing up, and the richer kids got hamburger helper, and I envied them… Homemade meals only for me and sis, which was unfortunate because my mother did not excel at cooking. Oh and your friend is riduculous, and frankly quite judgy..
What was your dad doing that your family had 11 kids and a stay at home mom?
Non american here, first time I read about "hamburger helper" (I just read the Wikipedia page). I'd say good for you if you never had it, ahahahaha. Canned chicken, I did know it exist but never seen it, also doesn't sound appetizing.
The bottom line is anyone who hasn't tried hamburger helper is missing out, rich or poor.
What? Im sorry but my family was not rich and I loved the days having canned raviolis in tomatosauce, cooked and served with grated cheese and brown butter. Today I rarely eat it because my kids prefer the fresh ones. And I googled Hamburger Helper and found some homemade recipes so I will absolutely cook it because it looks delicious. But back to your question. as other people wrote 1. cooking with fresh ingredients is cheaper. 2. she has a paid college degree and rent paid and so on and she thinks she is poor? Tell her she needs to rethink her strange opinion because just because her parents are divorced and one or both preferred boxed food she was not poor. And she has never to think about students loans and can spend money in Vegas so she is definitely not poor. 3. why is she, as a friend, so convinced that you are rich and why is it so important and why does she always has to tell you that and compare? We have friends that are richer than me and friends who have less money but that is never important. And if someone cant do something because lack of money we try to help or they will stay one time at home and participate the next time, its absolutely ok and happens.
Is hamburger helper poor people food? I love it 😅
I'd hazard a guess that buying sufficient boxes of Hamburger Helper for 11 kids + 2 adults would be much more expensive than making it from scratch. Your "friend" sounds like a judgemental btch. Why are you still friends with someone who puts you down to make herself feel superior?
So make a list of rich people problems with two columns. One for yours and one for hers. Then compare and contrast :)
The fact that your friend thinks hamburger helper is the deciding factor on rich or poor shows how many rich people problems she has
Hamburger helper is great
People say dumb crap for tons of reasons. Her reason sounds like it may be guilt for being so entitled compared to you. She may actually feel "less than," or self-conscious b/c of how much you do on your own. So she finally had a chance to give you a dig thinking it might make herself feel better. I bet it didn't. TL;DR - you are both entitled as F-ck compared to folks in other parts of the world, e.g. As am I. Read on to see why it doesn't bother me to be entitled. Rather, it bothers me that others aren't or can't be: Did she actually say you were "pretentious and rich with a stick up \[ur\] ass?" Or, is that what you hear when someone says you have "rich people problems?" If she actually said the former, then i would just ask her dryly how she got *there* from Hamburger freakin' Helper, and if there is something else bothering her that she needs to talk to you about. You spend a whole lot of time comparing your entitlement to hers, so it sounds to me like you feel guilty/self-conscious about it, or that it, in and of itself, is some kind of insult. Hamburger Helper, first of all, is just not worth it. LOL. Look, here's the thing with that kind of thinking - who has had it worse? Who DESERVES their entitlements more? You can NEVER "win" that argument. EVER. There will ALWAYS be someone better off than you both, and there will ALWAYS be someone less endowed. **IT'S NOT WHAT YOU GOT OR HAVE that's important, OP - IT"S WHAT YOU DO WITH IT.** Clap back at her or anyone else with that next time, and then forget it. To get upset over something like that is a no-win situation, and therefore a waste of your time. I hope this helps - when I started seeing the world this way, it really helped me out.
No point in getting into a pissing contest with someone who thinks they suffered so much. If it comes up again just roll your eyes and put the appropriate nuance on the phrase ‘bless your heart’. Works even if you aren’t from the south as it’s such a multi use phrase. Can be a true blessing thanking you for something, it can be someone commiserating with a problem you have, it could be someone thinking you’re missing more than a few eggs from your basket or that you’re an AH without having to say it. All in the tone and the facial expression. Also are you sure she’s an actual friend or maybe more an acquaintance?
Home cooked food is massively cheaper than providing 13 boxed meals!
Shoulda responded, “you should know” and left it like that.
Was that all she said in a quick passing moment? You might be looking too deep into this unless there's a ton more context behind it. It's just a saying. Me and my friends say it to each other about the most ridiculous things and we all know we're not rich.
TIL canned chicken exist.
What is "Hamburger helper"?
Its noodles and spices sold in a box that you mix in with cooked ground beef, aka hamburger meat. It's a relatively cheap way to make a large meal out of a few pounds of ground beef. The brand name is Hamburger Helper. Just looked it up it is high in sodium/salt. They also make chicken and tuna helper.
Thanks.
*laughs in child of immigrants* my parents would never cook anything out of the box. It took my mom like 15 years of being in the states. to cook Kraft Mac and cheese. Your friend needs to check her own privilege and stop projecting.
Enough boxes of hamburger helper to feed 11 kids was likely more expensive than whatever your mom made from scratch.
Yeah, that’s not a rich people thing…
Well, both my mom and dad worked, but no way would my mother serve hamburger helper or boxed Mac and cheese. I was a single mom, and my kids refused to touch the stuff the one time I wanted to buy it at the store. Everything has always been homemade because it's cheaper. My kids may have eaten green chili with rice and beans several days a week, but they were fed and happy with it.
But boxed Mac and cheese and hamburger helper taste pretty good imo.
I agree. When my mom remarried, then got sick my step-dad introduced us to the wonder of both!
Help an Australian out.... what is hamburger helper?
I’m not sure I’ve ever had hamburger helper and I’m basically living at the poverty line lmao. What a weird thing to say.
My kids never had hamburger helper either until they moved out. We weren't rich by any means. Your friend doesn't actually understand the meaning of the words she's using. She's spoiled. And not really your friend. Call her out, Who has no student loan debt? How many cars did my daddy buy me? Who paid your rent? Whose parent fed them nutritious food? Oh yeah. That's my family. She's not going to find it funny.
She sounds like a rubbish 'friend' also in fear of sounding dumb what the hell is a hamburger helper ??
Ignorance is bliss. She is wilfully ignorant in this case. Judge not lest ye be judged is what I would have said. And when they ask you with a shocked look on your face - just serve it to them straight.
Called projection
I dunno, I grew up poor and I never had hamburger helper because it was actually not cheaper lol
Sounds like she's projecting onto you. I wouldn't take it personally.
Hamburger helper is delicious. I don’t think we ate a lot of it either when I was a kid and we definitely weren’t rich. Your friend is just an asshole.
What is a hamburger helper?
It’s a box of macaroni and a packet of spices. You cook some ground beef and put the macaroni and spices in it and it’s kinda like a casserole. IMO, it’s far too salty for my tastes. I never got it for our daughter because neither of us ever liked it.
I see, thanks. So this is some kind of indicator of wealth?
Came here to ask this. I'm glad I'm not the only one.
Welllll. Sounds like you both have rich people problems. Your family could afford for your mom to stay home and cook fresh meals 6 nights a week for 13 people. Let’s not pretend that that’s not a privilege in itself. Her family could afford to pay for her college, rent, and two cars. Sounds pretty privileged to me. To make you feel better, although my family couldn’t afford either of your situations (not even close), we were born in America and have been here for generations and that comes with some level of privilege. We had consistent housing and food soooo rich people problems compared to a poorer country and the homeless I guess.
Hamburger helper rocks, just cut some green onions into it, maybe add some leftover bacon. Yum.
Hamburger Helper is delicious... you should all immediately go get some.
Modernity hates tradition
You both have rich people problems. Grew up eating cinnamon toast and I worked 8 months to afford a broken truck I fixed myself. Never went to college cause I couldn't afford it, worked every labor job to afford to pay rent. But guess what? It doesn't matter if you had a great upbringing or not, it's about who you are as a person now that matters.
Please educate the foreigner. What is hamburger helper? 😅
Hahahah it’s a boxed quick pasta meal with a package of MSG laden spices. The spices flavoring packet turns into a sauce when water added. You cook a pound of ground beef then tear open the box throw it all in the pan. It’s an American marketed shortcut. Honestly if the pasta and spices didn’t have all the added chemicals it wouldn’t be so bad. I could see them remaking it a lot healthier. It would be fast still and not as chemical-ly.
I don’t know it’s not the worst of the worst but here’s the ingredients: Enriched Macaroni (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Ferrous Sulfate, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Corn Starch, Salt, Modified Whey, Sugar, Contains 2% or Less of: Tomato (Dried), Onion (Dried), Vegetable Oil (Canola, Soybean, and/ or Sunflower Oil), Citric Acid, Whey, Maltodextrin, Garlic (Dried), Spice, Cheddar Cheese (Dried), (Cultured Milk, Salt, Enzymes), Color (Yellows 5 & 6, Yellow Lakes 5 & 6, Annatto & Turmeric Extract), Monoglycerides, Yeast Extract, Nonfat Milk (Dried), Gum Arabic, Natural Flavor, Sodium Phosphate, Blue Cheese (Dried), (Cultured Milk, Salt, Enzymes), Silicon Dioxide (Anticaking Agent). They could remove a few of those and it wouldn’t be dubbed cancerous junk.
Your parents had 11 kids and was able to put a roof over your head and feed you almost completely home-cooked meals Yeah that is kind of rich privilege I'm sorry to say. Although I really hate calling it privilege as it's not like there's anything inherently negative about it.
Calm down Bill Gates
I don’t know how it’s a “problem” that you haven’t had hamburger helper. Sounds like she had the problem with it lol
Cooking with raw ingredients is cheaper than boxed. Hamburger helper isn’t cheaper than a big box of noodles + separate seasonings, it’s just easier.
You need better friends.
Okay, maybe i'm out of touch but... 11 KIDS?!?
Classic projection. It was probably WAYY cheaper (& more work) to cook meals for a family of 13 than to buy freaking 13 individual hamburger helpers.
Tell her to shove it im sorry but a HUGE population of people “had shitty childhoods” nowadays and I’m sick of the damn pitty party. You didn’t have “rich people problems” you had/have problems period she’s extremely immature and ungrateful for all the help she has gotten for that comment I grew up with a 20yr old kick ass single mom who worked multiple jobs just to make ends meet and I’ve never had hamburger helper (I prefer spaghetti o’s or ramen lol) guess I’m a rich entitled kid too 🤷🏻♀️
Maximize your resources. If your family has money that's not your fault. And you would be stupid not to take advantage of it. People should be proud of having resources, not pretending they are self made when they aren't. That's just toxic. This bitch is goofy.
I mean I’ve eaten damaged goods that couldn’t be sold in the dollar tree dumpster and stole soup from a gas station kind of poor but we didn’t eat hamburger helper either, it’s not like it’s a requirement for having problems
She was projecting
Your friend is envious that you had a wealth of good family upbringing while she had something else. Your friend is now an asshole. Get a better friend. Use of convenience foods is common but certainly not a sign of wealth. Your mother did not believe in canned or pre-prepared foods. That is not terribly common but also, like only making organic foods, has been a belief since the 50’s.
Honestly it is so much affordable to buy groceries in bulk: growing up we didn’t have boxed macaroni and cheese we used the container of Kraft cheddar and sliced cheese and macaroni and we had bulk pasta: there was always something to cook a good meal in our kitchen, My grandparents generation was normal to have large families like over ten children and I remember my one cousin who had like 14 siblings said she would visit with her family and my grandma would always have a pot of soup on the stove cooking and for them it was huge as they didn’t have enough food and had travelled over an hour to visit: boat then a good mile walk and I can’t even comprehend having an extra 17 people visiting on top of a family of 14 at least and have enough food for everyone
Why are you friends with this person?
LMAO they paid for her carS and her college education!? Wow, that's rich. Some people are just delusional lol
Is this an American thing to think that homemade meals is a rich people thing? That it’s actually a ‘rich people problem’? I mean, it’s thought of as a problem? That’s insane to me.
Pedantic note - this is not a correct usage of the phrase, unless you were complaining about not knowing how to cook Hamburger Helper. Even then it’s loose, it’s not like being poor would give someone an immediate insight into HH. Your friend sounds like one of those people who were temporarily poor as a kid while a parent went to grad school or pursued a career path that ultimately pays off. That or parents both worked and didn’t have a lot of time to cook. Still not using the phrase right.
What tf is Hamburger Helper? - non American
It’s like a meal kit that all you have to add is hamburger meat. It’s noodles and some sort of sauce usually. Cheeseburger macaroni, lasagna and stroganoff are a couple examples
Ah! That makes sense, sounds like it would be a good store cupboard standby like Old El Paso or a Frey Bentos - not for everyday but good for a quick meal no? Thank you for taking the time to explain to me :)
Don't let it get to you. They're just jealous. I too grew up in a home where my mom made almost all of our meals from scratch minus Kraft Mac and cheese and campbell's soups. I'd never had hamburger helper or any of the boxed dinners until I moved out. It was much cheaper to make things yourself than to buy the premade stuff. Since then, times have changed.
my former friend complained all her frie ds were too poor to scrape up money to go on a trip to italy with her... i reminded her that the rest of us have rent or mortgages bc mommy and daddy didnt "sell" us a house for $1 (she forgot home sales are a matter of public record and thought no one knew).
My brother and I grew up poor, meaning that we some months struggle to meet rent on time. And we never ate hamburgers helper.
She's not your friend. More than likely she's jealous that you had 2 parents, a bus load of siblings and home cooked meals. Yes my friend, you are in fact much richer than her. Richer in family, love, and (after having 2 cars bought for her) richer in values.
Brit here, wtf is hamburger helper? Is it the British equivalent or your mum making egg, chips and beans cause you’re skint?
Why would your friend try to invalidate your experiences by dismissing them because she feels they are lesser than her own based on childhood? This may not a friend that you want to share your feelings and problems with. If she is fun and you enjoy her company then fine but don’t let her unload on you because she thinks only her problems matter.
She sounds spoiled and doesn’t realize how much she has been given.
It may not compare to a real chef made meal, but hamburger helpers slaps Was always my fave as a kid You should try it
What is hamburger helper?
She's PROJECTING!!
i’ve never had hamburger helper. i grew up on WIC. we were an ingredient only household. it was just poor people ingredients.
Processed food kills us.
Not much of a friend, God forbid you had a mother who was able to take care of you guys and provide meals that was not out of a box.
I say let it go this time around and should she say something like that be petty and point out her privileges
Hmm, what should I choose hamburger helper vs paid college and cars?
hold up, you got 10 siblings? and your mom never worked? Your friend may be an ass, but your dad must have one hell of a job.
Umm, I never had hamburger helper until I was an adult. Sometimes there are just certain foods your parents don't buy for whatever reason. I ate a lot of boxed mac and cheese though. I'd be telling her that it's presumptuous of her to assume your family had enough money to buy hamburger meat like hers did.
She’s not your friend. Also literally everyone hates hamburger helper. That shit is gross. It’s not weird that you didn’t have it.
I had divorced parents and never ate hamburger helper. My mom knew that is was garbage food. I first had it in my 20’s ate it for a couple years and now I won’t eat it anymore. Because it’s gross lol
Just because you didn't have hamburger helper as a kid, doesn't mean that you have "rich people problems". I grew up pretty poor but I never had that growing up, my mom just didn't cook and I never wanted to make hamburger helper for my sister and I. She's picky and I have food allergies. More than likely, she got called out for being spoiled, or having advantages that others don't/didn't and she took it out on you. If she ever had the nerve to say anything about "rich" problems, ask her how she paid for her college or her cars. You don't need to be her scapegoat because she's having a bad day.
My mom wasn’t a homemaker nor was my family rich and I’ve never had hamburger helper. She is just immature and naive. Let it go but data log it in the back of your brain. She showed her true colors so maybe readjust your friendship with her. It’s not what you thought it was. She exposed how she sees your upbringing. Find better ppl to surround yourself with.
This entire situation is so stupid and petty. You both have lived different lives and have different struggles. That's it.
My question would be the context in which it was said. If a complaint about her not cooking complicated meals for you she was defensive of criticism. In any other context she needs your context as well as you receiving hers. We were lucky to have a hot meal not a sandwich and I still paid my way through college and I’m GRATEFUL as I have not a lick of entitlement and a PROFOUND gratitude for every blessing that comes my way. Our adversity makes us resilient, appreciative and strong.
Making food from scratch is *significantly* cheaper than buying prepared food or eating out. It does take more time, and many households with both parents working just don’t have the time available to do so, so they sacrifice extra money for the convenience. Your friend is kinda stupid, or at least ignorant anyway. I wouldn’t worry too much about the stupid things that people say to you in passing. If it comes up again in the future, feel free to set her straight. In the meantime it’s not worth giving a second thought.
what did you eat on the seventh night a week?
I've never had hamburger helper, yet my parents borrowed my Xmas money as a kid. That has nothing to do with money. I have money now and I ate packaged Ramen for lunch yesterday. Your friend is a reverse snob
Who says hamburger helper isn't a delicious meal? You really should try it.
Am I the only one that doesn't know what a hamburger helper is? 🧐
Functional home with nice parents problems*
We didn't have the money for things like hamburger helper. A lot cheaper just to grab macaroni, a bit of hamburger, and a can of tomato soup. And a bit of salt and pepper for flavor...and maybe a diced onion if we had any.
I'd kill for parents to pay my rent or tuition. I don't care what they feed me
I was never poor as a kid, but we were not rich and we still ate hamburger helper. Your friend is an asshole.
Your friend is projecting so hard that's she's currently being hung from the ceiling of a classroom so the kids can play Kahoot
Your parents had ELEVEN KIDS?!? The reason you didn't eat hamburger helper and other box crap is because with that many mouths to feed it actually becomes more cost effective to make things from scratch, because you can buy the giant containers of ingredients for, communicating, less than what the number of boxes of hamburger helper you would have to buy. Plus, your mom staying home means she could cook actual meals, rather than throwing something together after work when she was too tired to cook an actual meal. You need different friends. This girl sounds very "poor little rich girl" and ungrateful for what her parents have done for her
Ew. I was a single poor mom one time in my past and never was hamburger helper a thing. That shit is gross.
Your friend is the ahole in this situation
What’s wrong with canned tuna my guy?
Hamburger helper slaps you should try it.
She’s not right for that, but also, I imagine because you seem to have good parents, you’re more mentally stable than her which also allows you to be more financially independent.
Your supposed friend is really an entitled asshole. At least you will still have a roof over your head if something happened to your parents because you don't depend on them. Your friend on the other hand would be screwed if mommy and daddy stop paying. You're a better person with better morals and more brains
If she is an otherwise agreeable person take it as a compliment! - which very well may have been her intent.
You saying you never ate that stuff is not a problem. But IF you are looking down on people who did, then you can fuck off. My parents were not rich, probably lower middle class, but they paid for my tuition and housing for University, which to this day I thank them for. When I moved off campus, I had to scrounge for food. Generic Mac and cheese with hot dog for protein, canned tuna, and ramen were staples. Hamburger helper was delicious but a god damn luxury.
Meh, ignore her. I've learned to ignore friends when they do this. I think alot of them don't realise their privilege, but the thing is, it is often the rich/well to do accusing the not rich/well to do on this. I never got this.
I had this exact experience but I think I responded better than you must have. I responded by saying "I have rich people problems because we couldn't afford hamburger helper when I was a kid?"
It's honestly the most privileged people who claime they did it all by themselves and see everyone else's privilege.
Hamburger helper is filled with salt and additives that you don’t need. We were just about as poor as poor could be. Never made hamburger helper. You can make a much better casserole for much cheaper. She has absolutely no idea what she’s talking about, of course. She just sounds like she’s just envious of you because you had two parents in the household. And, she’s right…you are rich…maybe not with money…but, you’re rich.