Comments on: Am I officially cheap?

By: Funny about Money

Funny about Money — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 02:10:40 +0000

So the question here is not “am I cheap” but “does she think I’m cheap,” right? In other words, what led to this line of thinking is that she was surprised when you didn’t fret about the cost of the hair clips?

Uh oh. This is big. Lordy, this is the WIFE here, not some free-spending drinking pal.

As an amateur marriage counselor whose advice is worth about what you’re paying for it, I’d suggest the two of you need to sit down and talk about what each person thinks of as “cheap” and what as “frugal,” and figure out your respective comfort levels with these concepts. Then work together to come up with a strategy that keeps you on target financially without having either person feel deprived. By that I mean “deprived” either of purchasing power or of opportunities to save money. Bet you can find a happy medium together.

By: Lazy Man

Lazy Man — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 20:14:33 +0000

Mrs. Micah: How I saved money on razors.

By: Mrs. Micah

Mrs. Micah — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 20:11:46 +0000

Responding to Tom, I think the biggest part of cheap is when you know you’re buying unreliable, lower quality stuff.

We were trying to be frugal by trying out generic Mach 3 knockoffs from CVS. Normally CVS is cool, but not this time. It’d be cheap if we bought them again, or if I were always talking to Micah about how expensive it is for him to shave (which it’s not really).

In your case, you were experimenting…and maybe it was cheap if you had reason to believe it wouldn’t be as good, but maybe it wasn’t.

But I know that I probably cross that line on other things.

By: Tom

Tom — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 17:11:11 +0000

I’ve found myself to be cheap sometimes but it has come to bite me in the butt. Recently, I bought an adapter for my xbox that was $30 cheaper than the name brand. I figured Id save the money and with my luck, 45 days later, it broke and I’m out of luck :(

By: Writer's Coin

Writer's Coin — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 11:20:50 +0000

I’ll admit I’m cheap in certain situations but never in others. For example: when I travel I am most definitely not cheap. Traveling is something I enjoy and it’s the reason I’m cheap in other areas of my life. When my fiancee and I go out to dinner (which isn’t often) I’m not cheap either—that’s when I just go out and order what I want and enjoy myself.

By: 2million

2million — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 07:52:56 +0000

Ill admit it — I have crossed the line from frugal to cheap. I just hope I can cross back at some point.

By: Kathryn

Kathryn — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 03:05:50 +0000

What a great simple definition! I think that most people would probably prefer to be frugal but it definitely takes more effort. Cost comparison is time-consuming when you have to consider more factors than just the immediate price of the item. I imagine it pays off in the end, though!

By: Lazy Man

Lazy Man — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 15:26:58 +0000

@ESFG: That’s the point. I didn’t say anything of the sort, but from my reactions to $5 soups from Whole Foods (because it’s more convenient than the other places, not because it’s actually better) she assumed the hair clip thing.

By: East Side Food Geek

East Side Food Geek — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 15:21:45 +0000

If I were you, I wouldn’t tell her that she can buy hair clips because she has long hair. That WOULD make you cheap, because it would mean in your mind you are judging every little thing she buys.

In marriage, cheap is when you stop trusting your spouse to judge her own needs. (It’s a whole different issue if you each have wildly different ideas of what is an appropriate expense.)