How stingy or extravagant can we be?
“Money makes the world go around,
the world go around, the world go around,
A mark, a yen, a buck or a pound,
a buck or a pound, a buck or a pound,
Is all that makes the world go around,
that clinking clanking sound,
Can make the world go round”
“ Money, money” Ontario Tenant Toronto Tenants
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Just since you’ve been born, you achieve the life knowledge: it’s all about the money! Well, at least some people are brought up like this. No wonder that those people are slightly, let’s say, careful. It’s not that they are mean, oh no, they just know how to organize budget.
Of course, that’s what they think. For typical people it’s not saving or organizing money it’s simply being scrooge. Paradoxically, stingy people are those who would never suffer from poverty. What’s even more interesting, a lot of milliners are known to be a bit greedy. The most important question is if they got their fortune because they were stingy or did they become stingy because of their fortune?
As a perfect example of a greedy milliner we can consider Ingvar Kamprad, a founder of well-known furniture business Ikea. The company is famous in 32 countries for comfortable stylish furniture. It is said, that the annual business turnover is 14 000 €. It seems that the owner has all the predispositions to be a philanthropist, so what’s the reason that stops him? Friends of Ingvar don’t have doubts: he’s a real miser. They claim that he is know for asking his employees to remember about writing on the both sides of paper each time. What’s more, he’s this kind of a person who goes to the cheapest hotels and refuses to use mini-bar in room, because he can buy the same water in the nearby shop cheaper. What is really shocking, especially for men, when he’s being asked why he would drive old Volvo, he would respond it’s new, only 15 years.
When do you start becoming a scrooge? If you start rolling a knife along the toothpaste to make sure you used all of it or when you turn off the gas while you’r turning the pancake over :P
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The stingest thing you’ve ever heard of?
A guy who have two tv’s, set one on the other,one with no sound and the other with no picture.
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In oppposite there are people even worse: extravagant. It’s commonly know, that the more you earn, the more you spend, but there are some limits, for sake! Have you heard about programm “Sweet sixteen”? It’s about teenagers who organise thier lavish birthday party with parent’s money. No wonder they end up with three dresses for 15 000 $ each, famous raper on the stage and brand new car with red ribbon on it. Everything with parent’s acceptation. What is even more scary, one of the girl’s wish for her birthday present is a grill instead of a car. Not a simple grill, but grill on teath made from white gold and decorated with diamonds. Only 10 000 $ for one.
How rich do you have to be to buy a whole island for someone as a birthday present? Well, you have to be undecently rich J A futball star, Maradona, have just bought a small island Harris Island in Scotland for a 4 500 000 $.
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His only concern now is how expensive bikini gift he should buy: the one with 70-carat diamonds for 5 000 000 $ or the one with ruby roses
and gold for 10 000 000 $ and obviusly how to wrap the island up with a tape and a ribbon on it :P
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ReplyDeletehmm mayby I am scrooge but I do that thing with toothpaste... But for me it's symptom of common sense rather than miserliness :))Someone buck me up??!! please :P
ReplyDeleteI admit it's fine red line between being reasonable and being mean. I don't think I'm mean but I'm person who is rational in making decisions. But I think also that if all people were reasonable companies wouldn't make money ;)
The stingest thing you’ve ever heard of? - once I heard about parents who didn't wash daughter's clothes but they threw it away and bought new...
First of all, I must totally agree with you that the most stingy people are rich people. But I assume, that they are stingy, because they know how hard you must work to earn these money. I don’t think that being a little bit mean is bad for you. I always admire people, who respect money and who can save money. In the other hand, sometimes it’s really nice to splash out on something, but I think that buying an island is too extravagant. It’s essential to keep the balance between meanness and extravagance.
ReplyDeleteI agree that rich people are stingy. They have money that can't be spand. For example: what can You do with few million euros in cash? Build a palace or two? Drive Ferrari on MOnday, Rolls-Royce in Tuesday, Maybach on Wendsday etc? Buy a private island? And what next?
ReplyDeleteOf course it is easy to critisize rich peopole for their stingy. But we forgote, that they (or most of them) have earned their money is honsest
I think I am not stingy and extravagant..But..When I go to shop with juwellerys I have never left its without something bright. On the other hand when I must buy something to eat I choose relatively cheap groceries.
ReplyDeleteYou said that rich people are stingy. Not all. Many wealthy people a large amount of money pass on charitable fund.
When you switch on MTV you will see program"Sweet sixteen" which is pure madness. We can meet the kids who are determined to go all out to mark this major turning point in their lives, the parents who lavish every wish, and find out first hand what it's really like to turn 16 these days. It is crazy and so extravagant!
In my opinion, it doesn't depend on how much money somebody have but on ones character for someone to be stingy or not. Many rich people are stingy that's true but also many people who are not very wealthy are mean.
ReplyDeleteEvery person has many faces;) If I like somebody I will be generous for him, but if I don’t like forget about it! All people have conflicting impulse to be both stingy and extravagant. Everybody has natural needs safety and everybody wants save a lot of many for the future. They want to feel that nothing will imminent them and their children-this is parental syndrome. On the other hand, everybody wants to help people in the worse situation than us. However, if we don’t help for everybody, we will have humane instinct to help though the nearest family and friends. If in somebody is more one drive than the second, its popular assess that somebody is stingy or extravagant.
ReplyDeleteIt is very important to realize that money exist for being spent. I think that it is essential issue now, when we suffer from financial crisis. We hear in media that we have to be careful with spending money, that it is better not to buy things which we don't need. I'm not an economist, but I think that the worst thing people can do trying to defeat crisis is kepping their money away from the market, in wallets or in jars buried in the ground...
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't say that writing on both sides of the paper is something wrong or stingy - in fact, I always collect printed or one-side written papers to use it once again. It is also a matter of ecological safety and as I suppose, extravagancy is often connected with thoughtless devastation of our planet. How many women are thinking of natural environment destruction and ecploited african tribes connected with precoius stones extraction when buying diamonds' jewellery? On the other hand, i must agree that spending money on consumer goods is stimulating for economy and generally makes society enrich.
ReplyDelete"A stingy planter gets a stingy crop; a lavish planter gets a lavish crop." If you are giving sth to sb in 80% you will be paid back... I am trying to live like this (with a good results).
ReplyDeleteOh, I dream about being stingy! Every time when I think how many money I have spent, I feel very guilty… The worse is that I spend all this money for nothing! I even do not know what could be so expensive – food, clothe or something else? It is really difficult to manage with spending too much money especially with nowadays life :(
ReplyDeleteI agree with the BEETLE :):):) small bitelsik ;p I don't know where is my money. I buy things which I really need it but I still don't have to much money. About rich stingy people...I disagree because in my opinion it depends on character.
ReplyDeleteI think about the song:
"Money, money, money it's so funny
and the rich is good" :)
What you think about it?
Being stingy is not bad thing, if it is not exxagerate. Someone who is stingy often earn his money by hard work and he can appreciate other people's work. But often being stingy depends on people's characters, not how much money they have.
ReplyDeleteIt is really ineteresting subject. I would like to know where are my money in every end of moth... Suddenly, we pay for everythin, to live to eat and there is no other way. In addition to this, :) everybody have hobbies and needs. Women like shopping :) as a man have expensive cars or other hoppies. I think that it is better to be westful and have a lot of enjoyment rather than be stingy :)
ReplyDelete