Characters in Books Have Too Much Money

I'm going to say it straight out: lots of book characters have too much money. Throwing extravagant parties, going on huge shopping trips and maxing credit cards... I mean, what is this??? It might be the reality some people live, but it's certainly not realistic for most. It's going to cause your readers to question how realistic your book is to actual life, and more importantly, for a lot of people, it's just going to seem unrelatable.

So let's talk about how you can fix this, using... wait for it... a list!!!

   1. Think about the characters you already have.
Do your characters extravagantly spend money, or expect their parents to do so? Is your MC upset because her parents haven't bought her a car yet? Perhaps she could be altered to having her parents match what she makes and putting it toward a car, or she could even earn it all herself!

   2. They don't all have to be the same.
Not all of them can be rich, and not all of them have to be dead broke. Don't make your less wealthy characters martyrs or token characters, but let's see a broader scope here. There are the people that can't afford candy bars, and there are the characters that pay for their own music lessons, and there are the characters that just can't go traveling to Paris at the drop of a hat. Diversity.

   3. It doesn't have to be spotlighted.
Now, just because I'd like to see some differing incomes between characters doesn't mean I want every story to become 'A Christmas Carol'. You don't have to make a big deal about it or even make it seem like a hindrance to so-and-so's life. Just a little comment in passing is enough.
       Example: Chris turned to Erica. "By the way, we're all going to Disney this summer if you want to come."
       "Heck no," Erica laughed. "Theme parks are expensive."
See? A slight hint as to her financial situation without making it weird. It's only weird if you make it weird.

   4. Think about how they deal.
Do they feel sorry for themselves? Or do they accept it as a way of life? Here's a hint: Looking on the bright side is more enjoyable for everyone. It's fun to laugh with your friends about how broke you are and see what interesting food combinations end up with sometimes when the groceries get low. The character will be more likable if they're content, but the character's intricacies are determined solely by the story.

   5. Consider if this embarrasses them.
Everybody deals with things differently. Do they refuse to talk about their financial situation? Do any of their friends know? Or do they not really care?
       Example: "Wow that's a big cut. Did you have to get stitches?"
       "No." He shook his head. "It wasn't that bad. I dealt with it myself." He was currently trying to         pay the bills; he didn't have the who-knew-how-much it would cost to go to the doctor just to 
      have a cut looked at.

It's not that hard to do if you just make an effort. I feel like this is a big part of the world that books these days miss, or worse... something that the books of today don't want to discuss. It would be great to believe that everyone has enough money to afford whatever they want, and it fits better within people's comfort zones, but plenty of people are being excluded from modern literature, and it needs to be talked about more than it is. Just seeing a character hesitate before plunking down a hundred dollars or being outraged by the price of lipstick these days would be FABULOUS. 

All right, I've said my piece. Stay tuned for next week, which is something I might end up turning into a tag!


Have you noticed this issue in books? Know any books that tackle this subject? Let me know in the comments!

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