Stinginess – Part – 2

Stinginess can sometimes be genetic, but it can also be a learned trait or something that develops over time. Most people have to be careful with their money and this does not make them stingy. Furthermore,It turns out that people who are struggling financially to finish the month are more likely to be generous than wealthy people.

My husband had neighbours before we got married who did very well for themselves. However, they were very stingy. The husband Rick, is a lawyer and a co-founder of a medium sized law firm. His wife Cheryl is a physiotherapist and had her own clinic. They lived in a small townhouse in a average area, even though they could afford something much larger and ostentatious in an exclusive neighbourhood.

The family lived quite modestly, which is perfectly fine. They didn’t go on large shopping sprees for new clothes every few weeks. As well, they had an old TV and old appliances. So far everything sounds normal right?! Here is the but…., they didn’t like to spend money on clothes, and wore the same clothes until they were worn out. They would drive cheap cars. In fact, they only had one car that the entire family shared. They used to say they were doing their best to fight air pollution by driving just one car. Still, this didn’t stop them for regularly asking my husband if they could borrow his car or if he could give one of them a lift to work or somewhere else……… :-):-):-)

They could afford to take expensive vacations anywhere in the world, but they never did. Instead, they would spend a week or two in the summer at his parent’s cottage at a nearby lake.

They used to knock on the doors of their neighbours and ask if they could have basic things like food, cigarettes, paper towels, laundry detergent, etc. They were never too shy to ask, yet they never returned the favour.

Something else that drove my husband crazy was they would always ask him to buy things for them at the grocery store as this would save them a trip. They knew his shopping schedule and used to say they never had time to go to the store. To some extent, this makes sense. But when he would ask to be paid back, they never had any cash on them. No matter how many times they said they’d pay him back by the end of the week, it never happened.

Rick and Cheryl would spend hours looking for coupons and discounts, and would proudly say they never bought anything at full price. My husband would tell them they are spending too much time on their “research,” and that they didn’t end up saving much money anyway. Rick would always say it was a hobby for him and he never really took it too seriously. But everyone around him knew that although he tried to make light of it, and say he was only having fun, he was very serious about keeping as much money in his pocket as possible……. 🙂 🙂

Rick and Cheryl’s children complained all the time to anyone who would listen at how cheap their parents were. They always had to work during the summer breaks to pay for their cellphones, designer clothes, or pay for their trips out of town with their friends.

Rick always complained how much he had to pay his employees, and how generous he was with them. At Christmas time, he would always give his employees the cheapest present he could find or gifts that did not cost him anything.

Here is a great example. Rick’s clients would bring him all kinds of presents at holiday time. His office would be full of goodies such as chocolates, food baskets, bottles of alcohol and wine, etc. He saw these gifts as an opportunity to save money on buying end of the year presents for his employees. Also for friends and relatives who invited them for the holidays. He would put together small gift baskets and hand them out to everyone working in the office. Rick would always say how happy he was to recycle his gifts and save money. 

Another example, they would turn off the lights on the main floor of the house on Halloween and watch TV in the basement. The kids in the neighbourhood thought that because the lights were off, there was no one home. This way they didn’t have to spend money on candy for the kids who would knock on their front door.  😦 😦

People would also mention how he would conveniently disappear from the table when the waiter delivered the bill for a meal. By the way did I mention that Rick came from a well to do family, and were well known in the city?! Anyway, Rick had some good qualities as well. He was a very likeable guy with a good sense of humour, and a fun person to be around. However, my husband could never understand why he behaved this way.

He used to tease Rick all the time and ask him “why are you such a cheapskate? It’s not very nice you know?! Both you and Cheryl are working full time in good professions, and are both earning a good living, what’s the matter with you?” Rick would always flash a huge smile, start laughing and say” Oh come on man, you know how I am. I just don’t like spending money when I don’t have to.”…….. 🙂 🙂