Heirs of the $10 billion Purdue Farm and the $12 billion Sheraton Hotel Empire held their hands and still took the subway, flying the economy

• Mitzi Perdue, a double century at Sheraton hotel and Perdue FarmI grew up with help and received public education. She quickly pulls out the pursuit by living in a modest apartment on the flight economy, a subway ride despite sitting on a fortune from a $2 billion American company. The 84-year-old journalist and philanthropist say it helps you understand the “real world.”

The idea of ​​a billionaire lifestyle is Amazing Gatsby I bought a mansion with a drop of hat and set it up in a jet. However, the lives of heirs of the $2 billion-wealth American corporations look quite different.

Mitzi Perdue was born in a Sheraton hotel family, and at age 26 she and her brothers inherited the business control of her father, Ernest Henderson. Her family’s success $12.2 billion The hospitality company meant she was sitting on a pretty nest egg.

Her fortune only swelled after she married her late husband, Frank Purdue, the “chicken king” who led America’s biggest chicken producer. Purdue Farmbrought it 10 billion dollars Last year’s revenue. Double Hayles has the wealth to retire and live a luxurious life, but it is her nature to see wealth differently.

“The Hendersons and Purdue did not encourage luxury,” Purdue said luck. “In either family, no one wins in designer clothes. ”

The 84-year-old has access to trust from his family’s billion-dollar business, alongside the wealth of Perdue Empire. Still, she still lives just like everyone else. Instead of buying shoes, I wear shoes, ride the subway, fly the economy, and instead live in modest apartments.

Perdue has lived a double life. He has enormous privileges and access to money from two business empires, keeping his regular work under control, frug laughing.

“The building in my apartment where I lived for 14 years is very solid middle class and I love it,” Perdue says. “If you’re always going to a private jet, what ink do you have about the real world?”

Her simple and realistic lifestyle: Wear second-hand clothes, fly economy, ride the subway

Perdue was born in 1941 and grew up with her hands as the Hendersons war baby and fifth child. She says she will go to public schools for the rest of her life and later enroll in private schools, pursuing Harvard education. When she was in her late 20s, her father died and opened a flood of her inheritance. But she wasn’t tempted by the idea of ​​throwing a towel and relaxing for the rest of her life.

“We could have put everything in the stock market and let someone else manage it,” Perdue said.

With an interest in agriculture, Perdieu quickly purchased land near the University of California Davis, allowing the university to run experiments in the agricultural area. She spent hours a day managing Rice Farm, but after a few years she decided to become a journalist covering agricultural practices and mental health.

In 2022 she started Cover Disputes in Ukraine and sold her $1.2 million Engagement ring From her late husband, who benefits humanitarian efforts in war-torn regions. She is currently working on developing an AI trauma therapist for Ukrainian victims. For all her work trips, she always skips the economy.

Perdue also has been living in an apartment in Salisbury, Maryland for many years, rubbing his shoulders with working-class residents, including nurses and police officers. She says that rent for a year in her one-bedroom flat is as much as what her New York City friends pay in a month.

“Several Perdieu employees live in the same building,” Perdieu says. “It’s fine, but no one calls it gorgeous.”

And as a self-proclaimed “low-maintenance badass” who frequently visits New York City, she rides the subway instead of booking an Uber. Perdue redecorates your shoes rather than buying a new pair. And the designer’s outfits shrugged. Because she doesn’t want wealth to flash. Her simple philosophy is more than just skin depth.

“I’m not aware of praise for wearing really expensive clothes. You’re the one who’s praised for being an Eagle Scout or working for Habitat for Humanity,” Perdue continues. “I praise you for serving others.”

What you get from Perdue closing her process

Those who are not growing with wealth may wonder why billionaires want to live like other populations. Work 9-5 and protect the subway instead of calling for a private car. The heir and journalists say her reasoning stems from the emptiness of taking and the joy of giving.

“We certainly have a life of an east feast of endless joy, not a person can count five happy days,” Perdue says. “If you want to be happy, think about what you can do for someone else. If you want to be miserable, think about what you’re doing to you.”

Mega-yachts and silk pyjamas do not fill in the blanks for Purdue. A big part of Perdue’s understanding of having wealth for living a wealthy life came from both sides of her family. She said that while it’s rare to find a family business that can last for 100 years, the Hendersons and Purdue were able to make it by moving forward with the best feet.

“Family to learn stewardship at the end,” Perdieu said. “They aren’t there to use it all. They’re there to steward for the next generation.”

This story was originally introduced Fortune.com