Are you frugal or a cheap b@$t@rd?

[Grizz]

Signs that you are frugal include....

1. go shopping or to a movie on a Tuesday (10% off day here)

2. go to the auto wrecking yard to get a part for their car.

3. cut coupons

4. take in empty bottles for refund

5. buying a car that has already depreciated a bit


Signs that you are a CB include....

1. Buying something with the intent of using it once for your purpose then returning it to the store.

2. Not offering to pay for gas when someone goes out of their way for you.

3. Returning borrowed items broken or out of gas.

4. Not giving a reasonable tip for good food service.

5. Finding a way to get out of paying for a "round" when it's your turn.

6. Buying whatever beer/wine/pop is on sale not because you like it, but because it's cheap (don't try to lie to yourself on this one)

In short, I enjoy being around frugal people. They tend to be the classiest, most inventive and courteous of all the people that I've ever met. Remember....you can't buy class.

I've also know a couple of CB's. They tend to not care that they are hoarding their money in ways that are either dishonest or harmful to others. I hope Karma comes around soon.

That's just a start, feel free to add to the lists.

 

[CourtneyC]

A couple more for the CB list:

-Re-gifting presents.

-Under tipping, or paying less than your share at group meals out.

-Holding a garage sale to sell your company's free customer gifts (golf balls, etc.).

 

[Donzo]

Frugal: Enjoying and taking care of the things you buy.


CB: Eating all the best appetizers at a friends party (saw this one - good friend put out shrimp skewers along w/ the usual appetizers and a CB we have know for years decended apon them like he had'nt eaten in years - it was very noticed and pretty funny....) His nickname is "alligator arms" -- his arms arms are to short to reach his wallet :>).

 

[Eyerishgold]

So far, I'm 6 for 6 on the frugal list and 1 for 9 on the CB list.

I'm going to defend my decision to buy whatever is on sale instead of what I really like. If I have a coupon for something or it's on sale, of course I'd buy that over my normal purchase.

 

[HFWR]

Frugal: buy your underwear at Walmart;
CB: buy your underwear at Goodwill...

 

[Moemg]

Frugal - give less expensive presents

CB - avoid all gift occasions

 

[Kwirk]

Frugal: buy your underwear at Walmart;
CB: buy your underwear at Goodwill...

CB: Who buys underwear?

 

[Grizz]

So far, I'm 6 for 6 on the frugal list and 1 for 9 on the CB list.

I'm going to defend my decision to buy whatever is on sale instead of what I really like. If I have a coupon for something or it's on sale, of course I'd buy that over my normal purchase.

Ok, point taken. In hindsight, that one probably shouldn't have been on the CB list since it doesn't harm anyone else or make you look like an idiot. I just can't bring myself to buy beer that I find sub-par regardless of price. For the record, the same goes for ketchup (or catsup)

 

[Coach]

A couple more for the CB list:

-Re-gifting presents.

-Under tipping, or paying less than your share at group meals out.

-Holding a garage sale to sell your company's free customer gifts (golf balls, etc.).

Courtney, personally I consider re-gifting frugal rather can CB. If only because it's the only CB nominee so far I'm guilty of.

Coach

 

[HFWR]

CB: Who buys underwear?

Good point!

 

[Danny]

Signs that you are frugal include....

1. go shopping or to a movie on a Tuesday (10% off day here)

2. go to the auto wrecking yard to get a part for their car.

3. cut coupons

4. take in empty bottles for refund

5. buying a car that has already depreciated a bit


Signs that you are a CB include....

1. Buying something with the intent of using it once for your purpose then returning it to the store.

2. Not offering to pay for gas when someone goes out of their way for you.

3. Returning borrowed items broken or out of gas.

4. Not giving a reasonable tip for good food service.

5. Finding a way to get out of paying for a "round" when it's your turn.

6. Buying whatever beer/wine/pop is on sale not because you like it, but because it's cheap (don't try to lie to yourself on this one)

In short, I enjoy being around frugal people. They tend to be the classiest, most inventive and courteous of all the people that I've ever met. Remember....you can't buy class.

I've also know a couple of CB's. They tend to not care that they are hoarding their money in ways that are either dishonest or harmful to others. I hope Karma comes around soon.

That's just a start, feel free to add to the lists.

Good stuff!

I've known a few FCBs in my life, too! One of them has all my Moody Blues Albums, which she some how forgot to return...guess that makes her a FCB of the female persuasion..yes there are FCB that are female!

 

[Cattusbabe]

A couple more for the CB list:

-Re-gifting presents.

-Under tipping, or paying less than your share at group meals out.

-Holding a garage sale to sell your company's free customer gifts (golf balls, etc.).

Uh, sorry but that is frugal. There is no need to add to ones clutter collection by keeping a gift one does not need or want. I do this all the time.

 

[skyline]

Ok, point taken. In hindsight, that one probably shouldn't have been on the CB list since it doesn't harm anyone else or make you look like an idiot. I just can't bring myself to buy beer that I find sub-par regardless of price. For the record, the same goes for ketchup (or catsup)

Some friends of mine that were fairly vocal about the quality of the beers they drink (not quite 'snobs', but getting there) were recently talked into doing a blind taste test between some discount beers and some higher quality beers. It seemed the cheap brews were picked about as often as the more expensive ones of the same type. The only ones that were picked more consistently were the ones with very distinctive tastes (i.e. super-hoppy Sam Adams) Obviously not a scientific test, but there seemed to be no correlation at all. I was part of the test group, and I was fairly enlightened as well.

I myself drink whatever light beer is on special, hopefully no one thinks I'm CB!

 

[Grizz]

Some friends of mine that were fairly vocal about the quality of the beers they drink (not quite 'snobs', but getting there) were recently talked into doing a blind taste test between some discount beers and some higher quality beers. It seemed the cheap brews were picked about as often as the more expensive ones of the same type. The only ones that were picked more consistently were the ones with very distinctive tastes (i.e. super-hoppy Sam Adams) Obviously not a scientific test, but there seemed to be no correlation at all. I was part of the test group, and I was fairly enlightened as well.

I myself drink whatever light beer is on special, hopefully no one thinks I'm CB!

No, not at all. I find the more mainstream brands to be pretty much clones of one another, and I'll agree with you that Old Milwaukee tastes just as good as most of 'em. I wish that I enjoyed the lighter colored beers. It's unfortunate, but my brand is a darker ale type beer that is nearly double what the cheaper brands cost.

The point that I wanted to make is that there are certain things that I will not worry about the price of. For me it's beer. For you maybe it's a type of shoe that is a bit pricier but really feels great.

 

[TromboneAl]

Beer is a weird thing. A lot depends on what you get used to. In solidarity with DW during her pregnancy, I drank only non-alcoholic beer. When I went back to Miller Lite, I didn't like it -- too much alcohol taste.

After a party at my house, someone had brought a six-pack of Wolaver's Pale Ale. By the end of that six pack, I was almost converted. But I was able to get back to liking my Busch Natural Light, which I can sometimes get for $11.99 for 30 cans. Phew, that was close.

But seriously, there is some kind of a habitation process that is especially strong with beers. Drink one kind for a while, and you get to like it.

-------------

Also agree that there's nothing wrong with regifting. The distinction between frugal and cheap bastard, is the unfairness aspect (making someone else pay for your savings).

 

[REWahoo]

But seriously, there is some kind of a habitation process that is especially strong with beers. Drink one kind for a while, and you get to like it.

Ahh HAH! So that's what this "acquired taste" thing is all about...

 

[Khan]

My frugality only affects me.

 

[Nords]

I used to be frugal, but now I'm just modeling good behavior for the next generation.

Signs that you are frugal include....
... or to a movie on a Tuesday (10% off day here)

We have "Monday Morning Mommy Movies" (great way to meet hot chicks) and "11 AM for the [-]Unemployed[/-] ERs" which allows me to get home before school's out.

2. go to the auto wrecking yard to get a part for their car.

Hey, I tried to buy the dealer's front crossbar for the roofrack on our '94 Ford Taurus wagon and was told that Ford no longer manufactures or stocks it. So a junkyard is the only place I'll be able to find it! I have to make sure I don't park the Taurus too close to the junk-car dropoff zone, either.

3. cut coupons
4. take in empty bottles for refund

Our kid gets to keep half the profits from clipping coupons, and all of the HI-5 recycling rebates. It works out to a couple extra bucks a week.

Note for you metal hunters: Our kid has noticed that many high schoolers are very wasteful of spare change. They tend to leave it on counters, drop it in parking lots or in the grass, and generally not keep track of the dimes & quarters (let alone the pennies). She picks up nearly a buck a week from the carelessness of others, and she's been threatening to fix up the metal detector for an hour or two on the grounds of the local high school.

BTW we're regifters from hell. We even make sure that we tag the name of the giver so that we don't accidentally regift it to them or to someone in their social circle. Spouse even picks up cheap holiday gifts at garage sales (glass jars that can be filled with candy) for the kid's gift exchanges.

Not gonna touch the underwear comments...

 

[Sue J]

I had an aunt and uncle who I always thought were frugal. He worked hard in his own HVAC business. They lived in a small, well kept house in a good neighborhood. My aunt never had anything new, she always made do with what she had, shopped at 2nd hand stores, accepted hand-me-downs. She raised 4 kids, cutting corners everywhere she could, thinking that was the only way to get by because they really didn't have much.

I admired their thriftiness until after he died. My cousins told me some disturbing things about their family. Their father was abusive to their mother. He was abusive to them. Their father was so "frugal" that he did embarrassing things like only paying for one plate at a buffet restaurant and letting his wife eat off his plate, so that he didn't have to pay for her meal. The restaurant asked them to leave. He got cited for dumping his household trash in a dumpster at a shopping center.

A few weeks after my uncle's funeral my aunt called my Dad. "Can you come over and look at some papers? I'm very confused about some things. I just don't understand some of the paperwork."

My Dad went over and looked at her paperwork. It turns out that my uncle was one of those people just like in the book, "The Millionaire Next Door". He built his own business, lived WAY below his means and had socked away about $6,000,000. My aunt had NO IDEA. It was one of those marriages where he handled all the financials and she was kept in the dark, living all those years thinking that they could never afford anything better than he told her she deserved.

Knowing my aunt, even if she would have known about the money, she wouldn't have splurged on anything extravagant, but maybe she could have bought some new clothes (on sale) or enjoyed a decent vacation every few years.

She lived a few years after he died, but I think she wasn't all that comfortable with her wealth. She still lived on the basic necessities, was still the super frugal woman she had always been and when she died she left it all to her 4 children.

So it turns out that my uncle may have looked like he was "frugal", but in fact he was a "cheap b@st@rd" and he hurt a wonderful woman who deserved to know that their efforts together had grown into a comfortable nest egg.

 

[Texas Proud]

When I saw the title... I was thinking... 'why not both'?

But, with the definitions... I can see where you come from... I know (or should I say KNEW) a cheap bastard that would make your list look like frugal...

He would want to go out with the guys, order something very cheap and then eat off everybody's plate if he could... and NEVER, and I mean NEVER leave a tip (heck, he might not even pay his bill with tax!!!)..

He borrowed money from another friend and did not pay him back for many years... finally my other friend got tired and asked for the money... the CB said, 'you have plenty of money and don't need it'... and refused to pay it back... FINALLY my friend saw how bad this guy was and stopped talking to him also... BTW, this guy is such a CB that he has lived at home for the last 20 years, waiting for his parents to die and take the house... and they don't have much either...

SO, I am just frugal, and only in some of the ways listed....

BTW... I buy soft drinks... and can wait until MINE go on sale and stock up enough to get me to the next sale.... that is not CB...

 

[Fireup2020]

Hmmm...is there a category for spendthrifty frugal bastards? Not quite sure where I fit now (Used to take pride in my frugality, however with my grovelling for discounts I am now a CB, but also tend to be a spendthrift with some other items!)

 

[CourtneyC]

Re-gifting is rather tacky in my opinion, but it does depend on the situation and the original source of the gift.

 

[pedorrero]

I knew a guy in my 20s who was a world-class CB. If he needed a part for one of his many stereo units, if the same model was still available, he'd buy a new one at the store, take whatever part(s) he needed from it, and return it to the store. To me that's stealing, just shoplifting with a lot more paperwork.

 

[Fireup2020]

I knew a guy in my 20s who was a world-class CB. If he needed a part for one of his many stereo units, if the same model was still available, he'd buy a new one at the store, take whatever part(s) he needed from it, and return it to the store. To me that's stealing, just shoplifting with a lot more paperwork.

Geez, why did he not just return his old one in the new one's box, since he was sinking THAT low? I agree with you! Ultra tacky!

 

[youbet]

Uh, sorry but that is frugal. There is no need to add to ones clutter collection by keeping a gift one does not need or want. I do this all the time.

Uh, sorry but that is ultra-CB! You don't want the gift? It's cluttering up your space? Toss it! Don't pass it along to another with the intention that it become clutter/junk to them.