Wealth & Money Quote by Oksana Baiul

Baiul’s line lands with the offhand clarity of someone who’s seen how priorities shift once the spotlight dims and real life fills in. “People really do” isn’t decorative; it’s a mild protest against disbelief, the kind you hear when someone realizes they’ve become the person buying orthopedic beds and boutique food for an animal while delaying their own dentist appointment. The surprise is the engine here: not that we love pets, but that we’ll budget for them with a seriousness we refuse to grant ourselves.

As an athlete, Baiul is speaking from a world built on disciplined self-investment, where the body is both tool and asset. Against that backdrop, “sometimes more then themselves” (grammar aside) reads like a cultural inversion: the caretaker neglecting the caretaker. The subtext isn’t just consumerism; it’s self-worth. Spending on a pet can feel easier than spending on your own needs because it’s morally uncomplicated. It’s generosity without ego, care without the awkwardness of admitting you deserve it, too.

There’s also a quieter comment on modern loneliness and chosen family. Pets have become emotional infrastructure: constant, nonjudgmental, reliably present. Money follows intimacy. In an era when many people can’t count on affordable healthcare, stable relationships, or even time, the pet becomes the one commitment that feels both manageable and meaningful. Baiul’s observation is less a scold than a snapshot of how affection, anxiety, and identity now show up on a credit card statement.