One Man's Cheap is Another's Frugal

[AllDone]

I won't pay for food on an airplane. I'd rather starve.

I've never replaced a car that was less than ten years old, nor has my spouse. On our first date, I told him his Festiva was a deathtrap. On our second date, he arrived in a brand new car for which he had paid cash (that along with consistent handwashing after using the bathroom strongly suggested a keeper) and then I felt obligated to say "yes" when he wanted to get married. He now claims that he had been waiting for a bonus to buy the new car, but I prefer my hypothesis.

 

[easysurfer]

Paying for parking at places like doctor's offices, hospitals, or really, almost anywhere is a huge pet peeve of mine. Having to put my credit card into that little machine at the gate so I can get out of the parking deck just makes my blood boil, even if it's only $5.

...

Used to really bug me paying a valet to park my car especially where some cities pretty much don't have streets for regular parking.

But the older I get, the more I don't mind valet parking (and cranking up the A/C in my car, even on a not hot day).

 

[Mulligan]

Paying for parking at places like doctor's offices, hospitals, or really, almost anywhere is a huge pet peeve of mine. Having to put my credit card into that little machine at the gate so I can get out of the parking deck just makes my blood boil, even if it's only $5.

ATM fees, too, but I'll go way out of my way to avoid them, so I almost never pay them.

Another one I can think of that may not be too common is the flat fee I'm charged every month by my city for trash pickup. I live alone and there are some weeks where I don't even have enough trash to take down to the curb, so my usage of the trash pickup services is quite minimal. Yet I have to pay the same $22/month that a family of 5 down the street pays to pick up their mountains of trash (two big overstuffed and overflowing bins) every single week. Galling.

Paying for parking at hospitals and doctor offices never has gotten my blood to boil because I have never heard of such a thing until you posted this. But, I promise you this if that "trend" ever happens in this neck of the woods, yes it would me too!


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[Walt34]

Paying for parking at hospitals and doctor offices never has gotten my blood to boil because I have never heard of such a thing until you posted this.

That doesn't happen here, I guess land is still cheap enough. But where we used to live near Washington, D.C. it was pretty much standard. The problem is that the doctors don't own the building, they rent space in it so the decision is not up to the doctors. Apparently the building owners felt they weren't making enough money off the doctors so they started charging the patients for parking.

So it's just one more hand in your wallet if you get sick or injured.

 

[Mulligan]

That doesn't happen here, I guess land is still cheap enough. But where we used to live near Washington, D.C. it was pretty much standard. The problem is that the doctors don't own the building, they rent space in it so the decision is not up to the doctors. Apparently the building owners felt they weren't making enough money off the doctors so they started charging the patients for parking.

So it's just one more hand in your wallet if you get sick or injured.

Its nice to know "The Suites" have enough time to create additional ways to reach into our pockets. The one last free thing on Vegas strip is going away too, as they now are charging for parking there at some of the casinos.


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[braumeister]

Paying for parking at places like doctor's offices, hospitals,

I'll see your doctor's office and raise you a county courthouse. Jurors have nowhere to park except in a lot or a garage where the daily fee is far higher than the tiny stipend they give you for jury duty.

 

[NW-Bound]

No, never have to pay for parking at doctor offices or hospitals here.

And the courthouse downtown has a high-rise parking garage. It costs money, but jurors have a voucher for free parking. Additionally, there's a bus to drive them the 1/4 mile between the garage and the court.

 

[mpeirce]

Paying for parking at hospitals and doctor offices never has gotten my blood to boil because I have never heard of such a thing until you posted this.

I've only seen this in fairly urban settings. Kind of a "city tax".

My doctor has free parking, but I've taken my DS to an ophthalmologist downtown and you have to pay for parking. They do validate, but it doesn't cover the entire parking fee.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

I used to do nearly all my grocery shopping at Safeway, until I discovered Trader Joe's and suddenly, shopping for groceries stopped being dull as dishwater.

I like Trader Joe's, too. We have some staples we get there, like organic popcorn and DH likes Trader Jose's beer.

 

[NW-Bound]

Buying food at a nice store with a good variety of food items with some exotics is an outing.

Buying food at a large chain store with aisles and aisles of bland and homogenous food is a boring errand.

 

[MichaelB]

I'll see your doctor's office and raise you a county courthouse. Jurors have nowhere to park except in a lot or a garage where the daily fee is far higher than the tiny stipend they give you for jury duty.

That was my case when I did jury duty so I took the train. The only time I ever really commuted. I think many people here live in suburbs or smaller cities or towns. When you live in a medium size or large city parking is always an expensive additional cost.

 

[NW-Bound]

My "town" is a metropolitan area with 4.6 million people.

Thanks goodness we still have more land than people, giving it a density of 308/sq.mi. over all. Counting only the urban area, the density rises to 3,165/sq.mi.

Parking space galore!

I never took public transportation, not even once in my 40+ years here. It would take forever to go anywhere because of the sprawl. Everybody drives, and that's the main drawback. Still no problems with parking.

 

[lemming]

That doesn't happen here, I guess land is still cheap enough. But where we used to live near Washington, D.C. it was pretty much standard. The problem is that the doctors don't own the building, they rent space in it so the decision is not up to the doctors. Apparently the building owners felt they weren't making enough money off the doctors so they started charging the patients for parking.

So it's just one more hand in your wallet if you get sick or injured.

Hate to defend the practice but it keeps out the people who are not using the building but are just looking for a place to park.

 

[GravitySucks]

paying for wireless in a hotel? seriously what a joke - every time I stay in one of those I chew out the front desk

Really. WTH, a $45.00 room at Red Roof gets great wifi for free, but you want to ding me $10 for wifi at a $300 business class hotel?

Don't take it out on the front desk though, they don't set policy, but they can override most anything.

 

[Totoro]

Hate to defend the practice but it keeps out the people who are not using the building but are just looking for a place to park.

Have vouchers for free parking at the doctors place.

It's what supermarkets and hotels do too to keep unwanted visitors out (including nighttime illicit activities). Free exit vouchers available when you shop/stay.

 

[easysurfer]

Surprised no one has mentioned all the tack on fees for flying. The best investment I get when going on a trip was a portable luggage scale. A friend had to do the "empty and reshuffle" dance to get her luggage under the weight limit.

 

[Mulligan]

Surprised no one has mentioned all the tack on fees for flying. The best investment I get when going on a trip was a portable luggage scale. A friend had to do the "empty and reshuffle" dance to get her luggage under the weight limit.

I think I am already beaten down by that process. Besides the 4 airlines I usually fly I already have the internal calculator working to add/subtract fees for comparison purposes... Flying is becoming such a demoralizing experience I can only muster the energy to do it 4-5 times a year. But the actual total cost over the years to me is still a relative bargain for getting me from point A to B.


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[GrayHare]

Nickel and diming when I'm already paying a large sum. I'd contracted for several thousand dollars worth of work on a software project, then they wanted $35 more to FedEx me the result on CD. Umm, no. Use a couple stamps and mail it.

 

[mpeirce]

I think I am already beaten down by that process. Besides the 4 airlines I usually fly I already have the internal calculator working to add/subtract fees for comparison purposes...

That's a big reason I stick with Southwest. They don't really play games with add ons. And they happen to have a couple of nice direct flights from Columbus to the Bay Area and Florida (our main domestic destinations).

Obviously they are not an option for international travel, so we deal with the other airlines for that. We've had a couple of good and a couple of bad experiences doing that. It basically keeps me going back to Southwest for domestic flights.

 

[HFWR]

Re: groceries, I buy store brands when the quality is acceptable, which is often, and always wander by the 50%-off, about to expire meat display.

Most clothing comes from Kohl's, and always with a 15-20%-off coupon.