Frugal vs Mooching

[kindthatjingles]

There is a difference between frugal and mooching!!

I had a friend I haven't seen for years calls me at my work today to see if I can "score" them some seats to the CWS.

Apparently they saw my employers tent with the food etc down there and thought I would "comp" them.

Told them it is only for our clients etc and she hung up on me...

She thought we were better friends that that.

She also told me to say hi to ( name of x-husband) becasue she didn't know we were even divorced.... Some friend

So my question is where does frugal cross to mooching and has this happened to you?


And No, I can't get any of you into the games.

[Deleted]

You don't need friends that are "always there when they need you".

What does CWS stand for? (Maybe I need seats! )

[reader79]

For me, frugal is someone asking if I can buy them something with my employee discount - and they give me the cash. Mooching is when they want to drop by and see what I have on my desk, and can they have it pretty please?

FWIW, I don't understand why they don't just go to Amazon - most items that we have are cheaper online even after the discount.

[kindthatjingles]

College World Series

[zibazinski]

Mooching would be me always asking my friend if she can score me seats to her husbands concerts. She always does. This time I said I already had the tickets and just wanted to see her, her husband, and her kids.

[midjd]

So my question is where does frugal cross to mooching and has this happened to you?

I think on a broad spectrum you go from "frugal" to "mooching" when it starts actively costing others to hang out with you

E.g. frugal = using a Groupon to save money on lunch with some friends.
Mooching = ordering $10 worth of food and throwing $5 on the table as your contribution.

[kindthatjingles]

Jun 19, 2012 13:57:58 GMT -5 zibazinski said:

Mooching would be me always asking my friend if she can score me seats to her husbands concerts. She always does. This time I said I already had the tickets and just wanted to see her, her husband, and her kids.

I think what was most off-putting was that she just resurfaced out of no where and expected the tickets and drinks and free parking.... I have invited people to be my plus one at the games I have tickets for or gave away the ones I couldn't use.

[midjd]

^ I don't know if I'd count it as "mooching" since it's less of a tangible asset, but in the first year or two after our wedding, DH had relatives he'd never even met calling him to see if I'd give them some free legal advice.

I didn't mind being asked, but it did piss me when they seemed to EXPECT me to drop everything and help them. Would I go to bat for his parents, sisters, grandparents? Of course. But when his third cousin by marriage calls and wants me to represent him at a hearing 3 days away, it's a little annoying. (Luckily my job prohibits me from practicing law on the side... best excuse ever ;D )

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

Where do you get free parking at the CWS?

[swamp]

Jun 19, 2012 14:08:54 GMT -5 midjd said:

^ I don't know if I'd count it as "mooching" since it's less of a tangible asset, but in the first year or two after our wedding, DH had relatives he'd never even met calling him to see if I'd give them some free legal advice.

I didn't mind being asked, but it did piss me when they seemed to EXPECT me to drop everything and help them. Would I go to bat for his parents, sisters, grandparents? Of course. But when his third cousin by marriage calls and wants me to represent him at a hearing 3 days away, it's a little annoying. (Luckily my job prohibits me from practicing law on the side... best excuse ever ;D )

DH and I had our engagement announcement in the paper. Immediate after that DH's relatives started calling for free legal representation. One actually said, "since we're family now, I thought you'd do it for free." I charge my cousins that I like, and why wouldn't I charge DH's cousin whom he wouldn't know if he fell over you?

I do some collection work, and have a judgment against one of the mooching cousins. I should have kept her on the line and asked where she worked so I could do an income execution.

[kindthatjingles]

Jun 19, 2012 14:10:28 GMT -5 NomoreDramaQ1015 said:

Where do you get free parking at the CWS?

A lot of the bars down there let you park there and they shuttle you over. Most of our vendors handed out parking vouchers.

Capital Bar is one of them.

DQ, when they first said someone in IA won the lottery.. I thought of you.

[kindthatjingles]

Jun 19, 2012 14:12:53 GMT -5 swamp said:

Jun 19, 2012 14:08:54 GMT -5 midjd said:

^ I don't know if I'd count it as "mooching" since it's less of a tangible asset, but in the first year or two after our wedding, DH had relatives he'd never even met calling him to see if I'd give them some free legal advice.

I didn't mind being asked, but it did piss me when they seemed to EXPECT me to drop everything and help them. Would I go to bat for his parents, sisters, grandparents? Of course. But when his third cousin by marriage calls and wants me to represent him at a hearing 3 days away, it's a little annoying. (Luckily my job prohibits me from practicing law on the side... best excuse ever ;D )

DH and I had our engagement announcement in the paper. Immediate after that DH's relatives started calling for free legal representation. One actually said, "since we're family now, I thought you'd do it for free." I charge my cousins that I like, and why wouldn't I charge DH's cousin whom he wouldn't know if he fell over you?

I do some collection work, and have a judgment against one of the mooching cousins. I should have kept her on the line and asked where she worked so I could do an income execution.

My Uncles had a bar for years... Everyone was shocked I paid for my drinks there... Not goign to be in business long if people don't pay for the drinks

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

I wish I won the lottery!

I would have been tempted to say "Sure, I can get you free parking" and then direct her to Old Market, we drove by on Sunday and lot fees were up to $10.

[alabamagal]

I like to think I am frugal in many areas. One are though that maybe I was a moocher is that I used to have a 2-seater sports car. At work, when we would go out as a group, I would never be asked to drive. It was always those with the super big SUV who "volunteered" to drive.

[Deleted]

Frugal people take care of themselves. They dont' expect others to pay their way or do them favors. They might not be able to afford certain luxuries so they foregoe them. They don't make others foot the tab.

[kindthatjingles]

Jun 19, 2012 15:06:07 GMT -5 @shooby said:

Frugal people take care of themselves. They dont' expect others to pay their way or do them favors. They might not be able to afford certain luxuries so they foregoe them. They don't make others foot the tab.

I like that explanation. I think the expect carries a lot of weight

[kittensaver]

Jun 19, 2012 15:06:07 GMT -5 @shooby said:

Frugal people take care of themselves. They dont' expect others to pay their way or do them favors. They might not be able to afford certain luxuries so they foregoe them. They don't make others foot the tab.

Agreed! Frugal people accept responsibility for themselves and their financial choices. Moochers are looking for others to pick up their tab . . .

[Formerly SK]

Jun 19, 2012 15:06:07 GMT -5 @shooby said:

Frugal people take care of themselves. They dont' expect others to pay their way or do them favors. They might not be able to afford certain luxuries so they foregoe them. They don't make others foot the tab.

I was just going to say the same thing. Frugal is not buying ketchup until it is on sale. Mooching is stealing handfuls of the ketchup packets from McDonalds to take home for future use.

[mollyanna58]

Jun 19, 2012 17:54:57 GMT -5 Formerly SK said:

Jun 19, 2012 15:06:07 GMT -5 @shooby said:

Frugal people take care of themselves. They dont' expect others to pay their way or do them favors. They might not be able to afford certain luxuries so they foregoe them. They don't make others foot the tab.

I was just going to say the same thing. Frugal is not buying ketchup until it is on sale. Mooching is stealing handfuls of the ketchup packets from McDonalds to take home for future use.

That's so funny! I was talking to someone today, comparing hoarding parents, and she said her mother had a drawer full of ketchup packets swiped from fast food places.

[973beachbum]

I like to think I am frugal but I do have a baggie full of ketup and soy sauce etc packets in my fridge.

In my defense I didn't take them or even ask for them. I usually get take out and no matter how much you say you don't need anything they shove bunches of them in the bags anyway. I just don't like throwing them out so I save them for later.

So does that make me frugal or a moocher?

[mollyanna58]

Frugal

[Formerly SK]

Jun 19, 2012 18:48:40 GMT -5 973beachbum said:

I like to think I am frugal but I do have a baggie full of ketup and soy sauce etc packets in my fridge.

In my defense I didn't take them or even ask for them. I usually get take out and no matter how much you say you don't need anything they shove bunches of them in the bags anyway. I just don't like throwing them out so I save them for later.

So does that make me frugal or a moocher?

That makes you environmentally conscious. Far better to use something than throw it away.

[NastyWoman]

Mooching is a SIL who couldn't bother to come to her brother's (xH) birthday's or just to for a visit in 3 years, but the moment we moved to a rather exotic location in SE Asia, she started to make plans to come visit. Nuhuh, I am not running a hotel and I told H that in no uncertain terms. Other siblings who used to visit just because they wanted to see H were more than welcome in he new location as well. I think xSIL never forgave me, so who cares

[skubikky]

Jun 19, 2012 13:50:06 GMT -5 kindthatjingles said:

College World Series

I don't think there's any risk that I'll want to "mooch" tickets.

[happyhoix]

I work for a company that makes personal care products and I get requests from people I barely know for product - sometimes large quantities of product. A big one is requests for products they can put in goodie bags to hand out at weddings - so they want maybe 200 - 300 units.

One person was just a casual business acquaintance. She argued that we would get 'free advertising' having our stuff in her goodie bags.

Umm, wouldn't really be free, would it?

[973beachbum]

Jun 19, 2012 20:04:36 GMT -5 Formerly SK said:

Jun 19, 2012 18:48:40 GMT -5 973beachbum said:

I like to think I am frugal but I do have a baggie full of ketchup and soy sauce etc packets in my fridge.

In my defense I didn't take them or even ask for them. I usually get take out and no matter how much you say you don't need anything they shove bunches of them in the bags anyway. I just don't like throwing them out so I save them for later.

So does that make me frugal or a moocher?

That makes you environmentally conscious. Far better to use something than throw it away.

Hooray, I'm not a mooch.

[kindthatjingles]

We all keep any take out goodies for my Mom.

Ketchup packets silverware wrapped up with a wet nap etc.

She put them in my Dad's lunch.

That kind of stuff I have no problem with.


We have had to lock up the K-cups at the office becasue people were fillign their purses for home. ( the customers)


We also had to stop making the Spunkmeyre cookies. People were comign in with their kids just for the cookies and hanging out. We were making 2dz a day.

[973beachbum]

Jun 20, 2012 10:50:19 GMT -5 kindthatjingles said:

We all keep any take out goodies for my Mom.

Ketchup packets silverware wrapped up with a wet nap etc.

She put them in my Dad's lunch.

That kind of stuff I have no problem with.


We have had to lock up the K-cups at the office because people were filling their purses for home. ( the customers)


We also had to stop making the Spunkmeyre cookies. People were coming in with their kids just for the cookies and hanging out. We were making 2dz a day.

My Mom stopped having lunch with a couple of friends, who are ironically millionaires, because they would stuff their purses with stuff like food from the buffet even when they didn't eat from it. My Mom said it was the most embarrassing thing she had ever had to watch.

[hockeygrl]

Maybe that's why they are millionaires?

[cronewitch]

Frugal means getting your money's worth either because you can't afford to waste or because you like getting a good deal. When you are frugal you like to share your finds and help others be frugal. Frugal people don't like waste so might ask for something to save it from being wasted but are just as likely to tell you how not to waste it.

My niece for example loves a salad dressing she can't find in store so ordered on Amazon but had to buy a case. It is near the expiration date and she was saying it was expensive so didn't want to waste it but couldn't use it all. She offered me and her mom some but I didn't want any. I asked if she could use it as a marinate and she said it was great that way. I suggested she buy some raw chicken and freeze it with the dressing in the bags. This saves tossing it and her chicken will be ready to cook when thawed. A mooch would have taken dressing they didn't want because it didn't cost anything. A frugal person might have found the dressing they didn't want locally cheaper and let her know or gifted her with a few bottles.