Brits: Are we frugal or just tight?

Beetlemama

Isn't number 7 the entire point of these boards?

dktreesea

I wouldn't say Brits are frugal or tight - just poor.

Too late to be reading this list. Just looked at
"5. Refusing to leave a tip"
All I could think of was Brits taking stuff to the tip and then refusing to leave until they had filled up their cars with free/exchange stuff....

kboss2010

dktreesea wrote: »

I wouldn't say Brits are frugal or tight - just poor. .

That's true. The cost of living in the UK is very high and the amount of disposable income we have is very low compared to many Western countries.

A case in point was a bus driver I met in San Jose. He was earning $74,000 a year (apparently that's an average wage for bus drivers in California) and owned two properties, one of which was a 5 bedroom house with a pool.

My mum's cousin was an IT guy (nothing fancy) for an office in Vancouver. He was earning $60000 a year and over 50% of his wages was disposable income to spend on holidays, cars etc.

I know a woman in Australia on welfare (she's a Full time carer for her kids) and she can afford to rent a house, buy a car and save for a house deposit at the same time.

The UK is pretty rubbish when it comes to Western standards of living. The only good thing we have is the NHS.

Justamum

PasturesNew wrote: »

Well, she's just rude/weird. I'm afraid I'm with Smithy from Gavin and Stacey on food: "If you want X, you order X. This is MY X. If you wanted it you should have ordered it".

Or Joey from Friends - "Joey doesn't share food!!!!!"

kboss2010

Justamum wrote: »

Or Joey from Friends - "Joey doesn't share food!!!!!"

Didn't Friends address this issue? I remember Pheobe, Joey and Rachel complaining to Monica, Chandler and Ross that they were fed up with splitting the bill when they went out for meals because the latter had really good jobs and could afford it but the former couldn't?

Idiophreak

PasturesNew wrote: »

Shouldn't THEY be the ones declaring "I'm going for the king prawns and all the extras, plus I'll be sinking lots of wine - I'm looking forward to everybody else paying my way".

In my book, expecting other people to pay your way isn't the way to go about it, by springing it on people when the bill arrives.

Oh come on...it's not a surprise when it happens, surely?

9/10 you get to the end of the meal and there's the awkward silence before someone says "shall we just split the bill, or...?".

Generally, people who only want to pay for their food are too shy/polite to stick their hand up and say "actually, I think we should just pay for what we had" (myself included, on occasion) and so it goes....everyone splits the bill, half the table don't think any more of it, the other half spend weeks badmouthing the other half of the table for being so "rude".

Personally, when I go out now, most of the time I just say "is everyone OK to just pay for what they order?" at the start of the meal, then everyone knows where they stand and can order just what they want without fear of feeling short changed come the end of the meal...

As B&T said, the *end* of the meal isn't the right time to decide who's paying for what...

Idiophreak

kboss2010 wrote: »

Didn't Friends address this issue? I remember Pheobe, Joey and Rachel complaining to Monica, Chandler and Ross that they were fed up with splitting the bill when they went out for meals because the latter had really good jobs and could afford it but the former couldn't?

Ah yes...Five Steaks and an Eggplant...

lazer

How far do you go to save money? The 'tight tactics' employed by money-saving Britain:

1. Saving coupons / using vouchers - only keep if I know there is actually a good chance of me using them

2. Making your own lunches to take to work - Yes, its healthier as well as cheaper

3. Only boiling enough water for cups of tea and coffee you're making - yes

4. Parking on a road further away from the shops so you don't have to pay - I always do this one - usually know the closest free place to park, but it also depends on why I am going to the shops - if its an all day shopping trip, I'll definately do it, if I am just going for something specific I will use the on street parking at £1 for an hour.

5. Refusing to leave a tip - A tip is for good service - I will not automatically leave a tip

6. Only heating rooms you use - This is sensible - the radiators i mine spare rooms are permanently off unless I have friends staying

7. Using internet/phone apps to find cheapest place to buy items - yes, yes, yes

8. Shaking the end of a petrol pump so you don't leave any in the hose - never even thought of doing this one, but might start it, I used to always get £20.01 of petrol as they never charged you the extra penny.

9. Saving used wrapping paper to re-wrap presents - I do this out of laziness more then moneysaving - always good to have paper in the house

10. Driving slower to preserve petrol -- yes, on long journeys when I'm not in a hurry - and yes it really works, the difference between 70moh and 60mph is a lot of petrol

11. Keeping/reusing old cartons/ jam jars etc. / cereal boxes -only if i have a use for it

12. Used a calculator (or phone) on my calculator in a restaurant to work out the bill - no, but I do spilt bills in my head

13. Scrabbling on the floor for a dropped penny coin - sometimes

14. Sharing bath water/ having a shower rather than a bath
- sometimes share a bath - but not really for moneysaving...

15. Not contributing to a colleague's birthday present - no, but would sometimes contribute very little if I don't know them well - perhaps only 20p or 50p and that way you are still putting something in the envelope

16. Filling up the car with half a tank of petrol as it's economical - No

17. Save dish/ bath water to use on the garden - no, but then my water isn't metered so wouldn't save money

18. Making birthday cards/ presents - not really, would buy gifts and then make them into hampers.

19. Sneaking your own bottle of wine into the theatre / pub - wine is too big to sneak in, a quarter bottle of vodka in handbag is much easier

20. Posting parcels/ Christmas/ Birthday cards through work - no

21. Re-using teabags - only if I have ran out and am on my last teabag

22. Returned clothes I have worn - no

23. Demanding 5p or 10p change from the person you sent to buy your lunch - no, but if I was buying it for someone would make sure and give them their change, even if only 1p

24. Keeping cling-film to use again - don't use cling film, but do re-use tinfoil

25. Buying the last round in a large group safe in the knowledge you won't have to get a second one in. - no

26. Asking for petrol money on a journey you would be doing anyway - depends, sometimes. for example if I'm going to a football match a fair distance away and people are coming with me then I think its only fair we spilt the cost. Just becasue I am going anyway doesn't mean I should pay all the cost and they go free. But this works vice versa too, if my friend drives us to the cinema, we will buy her ticket etc.

27. Leaving the pub before it's your turn to buy a round - no, unless its a coincidence

28. Saying ' I don't want to break into a twenty' so someone else says I'll get these' - no

29. Rounding up people's change in your favour - no, as above I always give people their change

ash28

How far do you go to save money? The 'tight tactics' employed by money-saving Britain:

1. Saving coupons / using vouchers - no, I can't remember ever using coupons, but I was going to have a look on the couponing thread

2. Making your own lunches to take to work - have done this many times when there were no facilities....and hate to pay £3 for a sandwich that cost around 50p to make.

3. Only boiling enough water for cups of tea and coffee you're making - I do this...on the other hand OH boils enough for the street.

4. Parking on a road further away from the shops so you don't have to pay - no

5. Refusing to leave a tip - always leave a tip for good service unless the service charge is included.

6. Only heating rooms you use - sometimes.....often have unused on frost setting.

7. Using internet/phone apps to find cheapest place to buy items - yes, especially large items, recently bought a new integrated fridge freezer and the difference between the dearest and the cheapest (same brand) was over £200, same for flights and holidays

8. Shaking the end of a petrol pump so you don't leave any in the hose - stops petrol splashing on the car and me.

9. Saving used wrapping paper to re-wrap presents - no. I rip paper off presents and it's only fit for the bin.

10. Driving slower to preserve petrol - on the motorway wen I realised what the difference in petrol consumption was between driving at 70mph as opposed to 90mph......

11. Keeping/reusing old cartons/ jam jars etc. / cereal boxes - sometimes, jars not packets

12. Used a calculator (or phone) on my calculator in a restaurant to work out the bill - no, we're early retired and if we go out for a meal it's usually with children and young grandchildren and we normally pay, if it's with my siblings then we take turns....we paid the last time we went out with my sister and her OH they'll pay the next time. I go swimming with a friend once a week and lunch afterwards, we take turns paying.

13. Scrabbling on the floor for a dropped penny coin - no

14. Sharing bath water/ having a shower rather than a bath - no rarely use the bath..showers for us.
15. Not contributing to a colleague's birthday present- no

16. Filling up the car with half a tank of petrol as it's economical - sometimes

17. Save dish/ bath water to use on the garden - no...the garden usually has to take it's chances unless were growing tomatoes.

18. Making birthday cards/ presents - no - totally talentless

19. Sneaking your own bottle of wine into the theatre / pub - no, but if I take the grandchildren to the cinema I usually buy them something to take in....prices are astronomical.

20. Posting parcels/ Christmas/ Birthday cards through work - no never have

21. Re-using teabags - don't drink tea though OH does and no.

22. Returned clothes I have worn - no never unless they have been faulty, but I have a friend who does and has does as long as I've known her

23. Demanding 5p or 10p change from the person you sent to buy your lunch - no...I used to get 3d for going to shops for our neighbours (a lot of years ago)

24. Keeping cling-film to use again - how?

25. Buying the last round in a large group safe in the knowledge you won't have to get a second one in. - no

26. Asking for petrol money on a journey you would be doing anyway - no

27. Leaving the pub before it's your turn to buy a round - no

28. Saying ' I don't want to break into a twenty' so someone else says I'll get these' - must be small rounds then...but no

29. Rounding up people's change in your favour - no

Only about 7 or so.....some of them are a tad dishonest and other just a bit mean rather than frugal.

bellaboo86

In regards to splitting the bill I have had some bad experiences.
I remember a couple of years ago I went out for a friends birthday meal in December. OH was ill so it was just me. I ordered a garlic bread starter and a cheap pasta dish. Drinks wise I had 1 vodka and coke and one coke.
One couple both had steaks with sauces and extras 2 bottles of wine and shots.
When the bill came and I was horrified. 'My share' was going to substantially cost more than if I paid what I had. Luckily my friend spoke up and suggested that I didn't pay as much because of what I had had.
The bloke form this couple then turned around and said that him and the Mrs had had a lovely evening and would be happy for them to pay more. This made me feel so cheap. However when I got home and was stewing over it, I realised that actually everyone else had subsidised their lovely evening and even with the extra they had contributed they still had a pretty good deal.

Now I always make sure people that don't drink or only have a lasagne don't subsidise other people. I also think I may as well have that extra drink or starter if the bill is going to split.