Have you ever been accused of being *cheap* ? If so, what did you do ?

canabiz · 04-28-2009, 02:55 PM

As per the title, have you ever been accused of being *cheap* and what was your reaction ? There is a fine line between being cheap and being frugal and certainly different folks interpret things differently.

I have been enjoying the free coffee at McDonald's during breakfast hours recently. I also plan to bring my wife to Milestone's tomorrow night as part of the Free Date night promotion. These are perfectly reasonable things that I feel no problem doing but when I bring them up at the office for conversations, some colleagues do (jokingly) think I am cheap. *Accused* here might be too strong a word but I think you guys catch my drift.

Have you run into these kinds of situations before and what did you do ?

1. Ignore said comments and carry on. You live your life after all.

2. Try to explain the differences between being frugal and being cheap to said persons.

3. Pause and take their inputs into consideration. They may actually have a point.

Robillard · 04-29-2009, 01:24 AM

I think I usually opt for option #1, though I think I find that more often than not, I'm the one referring to myself as cheap, as opposed to co-workers. One of them though has told me that he things it's foolish to be savings money and putting it into the markets. He thinks I should be spending it up while I'm still young and stupid (the stupid part is an embellishment on my part).

iherald · 04-29-2009, 07:56 AM

I've been acsued of it and I usually try to explain the difference between frugal and cheap, but usually I give up and go back to work.

MoneyGal · 04-29-2009, 08:35 AM

Oy! This may sound harsh, but my take on it is: I don't compare myself to my neighbours (in spending and saving habits, for sure!).

Why not? It's the wrong point of comparison.

And why is that? Because most of them are not building wealth.

blackjacques · 04-29-2009, 09:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by canabiz

I have been enjoying the free coffee at McDonald's during breakfast hours recently. I also plan to bring my wife to Milestone's tomorrow night as part of the Free Date night promotion. These are perfectly reasonable things that I feel no problem doing but when I bring them up at the office for conversations, some colleagues do (jokingly) think I am cheap. *Accused* here might be too strong a word but I think you guys catch my drift.

Enjoying promotions is not cheap in the least. Cheap is when you:

Stiff your dinner companions with the tip.
Constantly get out of using your car for road trips.
Charge a good friend top dollar for a used item!

Frugality rules!

Rob

faq · 04-29-2009, 11:18 AM

I ususally go with #1, however what I found irony is that those people who accused others of being cheap actually is doing the same thing from time to time , or even "cheaper" by their defination ...

FrugalTrader · 04-29-2009, 12:02 PM

I've been called cheap more than once!

For me, I just roll with the punches and laugh along.

Quote:

Originally Posted by canabiz

As per the title, have you ever been accused of being *cheap* and what was your reaction ? There is a fine line between being cheap and being frugal and certainly different folks interpret things differently.

I have been enjoying the free coffee at McDonald's during breakfast hours recently. I also plan to bring my wife to Milestone's tomorrow night as part of the Free Date night promotion. These are perfectly reasonable things that I feel no problem doing but when I bring them up at the office for conversations, some colleagues do (jokingly) think I am cheap. *Accused* here might be too strong a word but I think you guys catch my drift.

Have you run into these kinds of situations before and what did you do ?

1. Ignore said comments and carry on. You live your life after all.

2. Try to explain the differences between being frugal and being cheap to said persons.

3. Pause and take their inputs into consideration. They may actually have a point.

Sampson · 04-29-2009, 12:46 PM

My wife call's me cheap

.

But that's ok cuz there are others around us who are even Cheaper - just like everything in life, just as long as you aren't the cheapest one around.

lazy cdn · 04-29-2009, 01:40 PM

Frugal is when you do it. Cheap, is when your neighbour does it !

mfd · 04-29-2009, 03:08 PM

My friends call me cheap all the time but they aren't exactly frugal. They tend to look at the price of things after they've ordered them.

04-29-2009, 01:40 PM	#9
lazy cdn Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 16	frugal or cheap !!!!! Frugal is when you do it. Cheap, is when your neighbour does it !

04-29-2009, 03:08 PM	#10
mfd Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Toronto, Ontario Posts: 192	My friends call me cheap all the time but they aren't exactly frugal. They tend to look at the price of things after they've ordered them. __________________ My Findependence Day My Wealth, Savings and Investing Goals to Reaching Financial Independence

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04-28-2009, 02:55 PM	#1
canabiz Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Posts: 183	*Have you ever been accused of being cheap* ? If so, what did you do ?** As per the title, have you ever been accused of being cheap and what was your reaction ? There is a fine line between being cheap and being frugal and certainly different folks interpret things differently. I have been enjoying the free coffee at McDonald's during breakfast hours recently. I also plan to bring my wife to Milestone's tomorrow night as part of the Free Date night promotion. These are perfectly reasonable things that I feel no problem doing but when I bring them up at the office for conversations, some colleagues do (jokingly) think I am cheap. Accused here might be too strong a word but I think you guys catch my drift. Have you run into these kinds of situations before and what did you do ? 1. Ignore said comments and carry on. You live your life after all. 2. Try to explain the differences between being frugal and being cheap to said persons. 3. Pause and take their inputs into consideration. They may actually have a point.

04-29-2009, 01:24 AM	#2
Robillard Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 175	I think I usually opt for option #1, though I think I find that more often than not, I'm the one referring to myself as cheap, as opposed to co-workers. One of them though has told me that he things it's foolish to be savings money and putting it into the markets. He thinks I should be spending it up while I'm still young and stupid (the stupid part is an embellishment on my part).

04-29-2009, 07:56 AM	#3
iherald Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 99	I've been acsued of it and I usually try to explain the difference between frugal and cheap, but usually I give up and go back to work.

04-29-2009, 08:35 AM	#4
MoneyGal Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 1,045	Oy! This may sound harsh, but my take on it is: I don't compare myself to my neighbours (in spending and saving habits, for sure!). Why not? It's the wrong point of comparison. And why is that? Because most of them are not building wealth.

04-29-2009, 11:18 AM	#6
faq Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 6	I ususally go with #1, however what I found irony is that those people who accused others of being cheap actually is doing the same thing from time to time , or even "cheaper" by their defination ...

04-29-2009, 12:46 PM	#8
Sampson Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Calgary Posts: 396	My wife call's me cheap . But that's ok cuz there are others around us who are even Cheaper - just like everything in life, just as long as you aren't the cheapest one around.