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Why are Irish people so stingy?

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135

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    #62
    breezy1985
    Registered Users Posts: 24,789 ✭✭✭✭breezy1985


    Rodney Bathgate wrote: »
    Cavan

    Cork


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    #63
    amadangomor
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,148 ✭✭✭amadangomor


    breezy1985 wrote: »
    Cork

    From Cavan myself but have always been around Cork people in my adult life and we really haven't a look in.


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    #64
    Mr. teddywinkles
    Registered Users Posts: 1,962 ✭✭✭Mr. teddywinkles


    I think the reckless boomtime spending disproves this post


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    #65
    partyguinness
    Registered Users Posts: 8,207 ✭✭✭partyguinness


    Mr. teddywinkles wrote: »
    I think the reckless boomtime spending disproves this post


    Well as my mother always said: "It is easy to be generous with other people's money."


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    #66
    murpho999
    Registered Users Posts: 28,440 ✭✭✭✭murpho999


    ILoveYourVibes wrote: »
    I've noticed this.

    There was a Dutch guy i went to college with. He was now a LOVELY guy would do anything for anyone. However he used to take free ketchup salt sugar and vinegar packets from the canteen home with him. It was his thing. He would stuff 30 packs in his pockets. Cycled everywhere rather than pay bus fare .or a taxi..even at 2 in the morning.

    Yes, the Dutch take meanness to a whole new level.

    Lived there for 7 years and could not stand their meanness. two stories spring to mind.

    1) My wife's grandmother died. Had been staying in a nursing home. 2 days after his funeral, his grieving wife took slippers back to HEMA ( Dutch equivalent to Dunnes) to claim a refund as he hadn't worn them.

    2) Another man I knew had two watches and when he wasn't using one he'd pull the watch button out on the other one to stop the watch and save battery.

    All above is very practical but just show an unreal mentality to me that I've never seen in Irish people.

    In relation to your point about cycling. I wouldn't criticise your Dutch friend for that. In The Nertherlands the cycling culture is huge and completely different to here. People cycle everywhere and even bring their bikes out on nights out so it would be completely normal to a Dutch person to cycle to places. They enjoy it and it's healthy so I don't see how it can be associated with meanness.


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    #67
    Pamsteer
    Registered Users Posts: 29 ✭Pamsteer


    ILoveYourVibes wrote: »
    I've noticed this.

    ...However he used to take free ketchup salt sugar and vinegar packets from the canteen home with him. It was his thing. He would stuff 30 packs in his pockets. ...
    That's theft. If he just took home the number of packs that he would have used with his meal then that's ok but 30, that's stealing, and they are only 'free within limits, the canteen/restaurant has to replace them.
    Ok, it's not very serious but it's worse than stinginess.


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    #68
    gourcuff
    Registered Users Posts: 295 ✭✭gourcuff


    seen some stingyness in Ireland but not overly so, every county has them.

    depends what you consider stingy, is pricing around for a good deal stingy, or do you mean not buying a round?..


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    #69
    partyguinness
    Registered Users Posts: 8,207 ✭✭✭partyguinness


    I have lived in a few different countries and lived with all sorts of different nationalities in my time but the meanest person I ever encountered was a teacher ex g/f of mine from Tipperary. It only lasted a couple of months,


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    #70
    Qiaonasen
    Registered Users Posts: 220 ✭✭Qiaonasen


    Irish people on the whole are not stingy. I have a friend from Germany who once insisted I transfer 3€ for a beer by Bank Transfer rather than just let me buy him a beer two weeks later when we would go out again. This is a bit annoying.


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    #71
    breezy1985
    Registered Users Posts: 24,789 ✭✭✭✭breezy1985


    murpho999 wrote: »
    Yes, the Dutch take meanness to a whole new level.

    Lived there for 7 years and could not stand their meanness. two store spring to mind.

    1) My wife's grandmother died. Had been staying in a nursing home. 2 days after his funeral, his grieving wife took slippers back to HEMA ( Dutch equivalent to Dunnes) to claim a refund as he hadn't worn them.

    2) Another man I knew had two watches and when he wasn't using one he'd pull the watch button out on the other one to stop the watch and save battery.

    All above is very practical but just show an unreal mentality to me that I've never seen in Irish people.

    In relation to your point about cycling. I wouldn't criticise your Dutch friend for that. In The Nertherlands the cycling culture is huge and completely different to here. People cycle everywhere and even bring their bikes out on nights out so it would be completely normal to a Dutch person to cycle to places. They enjoy it and it's healthy so I don't see how it can be associated with meanness.

    The Dutch have gotten the ability to thinly slice cheese down to an artform


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    #72
    partyguinness
    Registered Users Posts: 8,207 ✭✭✭partyguinness


    I have Dutch in laws as my sister is married to a Dutch guy. TBH I have never seen any meanness. In fact the wedding in Holland had a free bar all night.


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    #73
    John Doe1
    Registered Users Posts: 2,921 ✭✭✭John Doe1


    Hibernia93 wrote: »
    People from Donegal in my experience seem to be the tightess

    I'm from Donegal and like to live within my means 😋

    Ulster counties in general may be a bit more conservative money wise due to the influence of Presbyterianism. Also, Donegal,Cavan people are much poorer than most counties so need to be more careful with whay they spend money on.

    The issue of people living outside their means is why we went into recession so it's not the worst thing in the world


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    #74
    partyguinness
    Registered Users Posts: 8,207 ✭✭✭partyguinness


    If I hadnt seen such riches
    I could live with being poor..


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    #75
    Valresnick
    Closed Accounts Posts: 208 ✭✭Valresnick


    Good friend of mine, a real 1 step back merchant when he approaches the bar in a group. Puckers up something tighter than a snare drum when out for meals. Has about 90k in savings. Wouldn’t give you a sausage if you were on your last legs.


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    #76
    fonecrusher1
    Registered Users Posts: 5,700 ✭✭✭fonecrusher1


    In Ireland - Kerry folk are stingiest.

    Germans in my experience are lets just say extremely efficient with their money. (tight as ****)


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    #77
    Qiaonasen
    Registered Users Posts: 220 ✭✭Qiaonasen


    ILoveYourVibes wrote: »
    I've noticed this.

    There was a Dutch guy i went to college with. He was now a LOVELY guy would do anything for anyone. However he used to take free ketchup salt sugar and vinegar packets from the canteen home with him. It was his thing. He would stuff 30 packs in his pockets. Cycled everywhere rather than pay bus fare .or a taxi..even at 2 in the morning.


    The cycle thing is the same here in Germany. To be honest its great. I cycle everywhere even on a night out. If I am drunk I will throw the bike on the subway and take it home that way but in general its the best way to get around.


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    #78
    440Hertz
    Closed Accounts Posts: 651 ✭✭✭440Hertz


    jmlad2020 wrote: »
    Ireland Inc. donate money to charity. Not the people.

    Do you Donate to charity?

    “Nine in ten (90%) people in Ireland participated in at least one charitable or social action in the last year, and more than seven in ten (72%) did so in the last four weeks.

    Three fifths of people in Ireland donated money to charity within the last year (62%) and just under two fifths sponsored someone for charity (38%).

    The median amount of money donated in Ireland within the last four weeks was €30. The most common method of donating was cash (68% of donors).

    The top three causes that people donated to within the last four weeks were homeless people, housing and refuge shelters in Ireland (35%), children or young people (30%) and hospitals and hospices (28%).

    Nearly a quarter of people in Ireland volunteered in the last year (23%), with the level of volunteering higher amongst women (27% vs. 19% men).

    In-person requests for donations are very common in Ireland, whether on the street (49%), on the doorstep (24%) or through family and friends (29%).

    More than half (54%) of people in Ireland either ‘strongly’ or ‘tend to’ agree that most charities are trustworthy.”

    http://philanthropy.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/FINAL-IRELAND-GIVING-2020-REPORT-1.pdf

    Personally, yeah I do give to charity.

    I put money into various different causes throughout the year, particularly Cork Penny Dinners and a few other organisations that make direct impact. I tend to avoid big, corporate charities, but I give to quite a few smaller organisations like that.

    I think you’re confusing the stats with the US. Irish individuals tend to be very frequent donors and fundraisers. In the USA corporate donations are a bigger factor than they are here and a lot of companies tend to want their name plastered on CSR (corporate social responsibility) programmes as it’s good for business reputation, not necessarily always out of altruism.

    Also a lot of Irish charitable giving goes on quietly and without an expectation of recognition. So it’s very much there in a huge way in statistical analysis, but you don’t get people going around shouting about what they’ve given away and how great they are for so doing.

    You’d be surprised at how much money, time and effort people put into things like this.


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    #79
    gourcuff
    Registered Users Posts: 295 ✭✭gourcuff


    our local football team are almost entirely community funded from donations, charity events, local lotto etc..

    i think irish communities, especially centered around football, are incredibly generous.

    So many projects, fundraising initiatives for sick members of the community etc are funded by the generosity of the community...


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    #80
    breezy1985
    Registered Users Posts: 24,789 ✭✭✭✭breezy1985


    gourcuff wrote: »
    our local football team are almost entirely community funded from donations, charity events, local lotto etc..

    i think irish communities, especially centered around football, are incredibly generous.

    So many projects, fundraising initiatives for sick members of the community etc are funded by the generosity of the community...

    That's surprising to hear. I thought FC Lorient would have a bit more money than that


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    #81
    chrissb8
    Registered Users Posts: 1,170 ✭✭✭chrissb8


    partyguinness wrote: »
    Yeah I deal a lot with Asians and they are very hard work when it comes to money. They want a Rolls Royce service but don't really believe in paying for it. I have even had other Asians joke with me about how mean other Indians are. I have had Indians in my office when referring to others go "They are typical Indians."

    Compared with Pakistanis and Bengalis the Indians are by far the worst especially the Indian women....mother of God don't get me started.

    "Is that your best price..." I hear that every week. I mean, I wouldn't have the neck to come out with the haggling mentality. I am in the professionl services industry and they act like we are market traders flogging fruit and veg.

    Most 'white' tradesmen I know will point blank refuse to work for Asians. They know full well that they will not get fully paid. If you agree say £1000 for a tiling job you are only getting £850.00.

    I personally know an Indian who took a full force debt collection case for £40.00 all the way to Court to secure his judgment.

    Worked for a Chinese person and have had friends who have as well and they can be tight when it comes to money it's unreal.

    A few stingy things that come to mind to save money are.....giving out to my friend for using too much table cleaner liquid....in a restaurant. Reasoning it costs a lot.

    Where I worked in a beauty school as an administrator, black and white printing of course material was the norm which took hours to do as you had to print 20 course textbooks for 20 students in a new class, which could have been bought. Each course space sold was over £2k generally and always increasing. So no excuse.

    Doing terrible DIY jobs that were a temporary fix including glueing a bathroom door handle back on. That eventually fell off again (just glue it back on again). Barely fixing the boiler through a Youtube video he found (my boss the Chinese guy), broke down again.

    Then when finally he had to spend money to get a proper fix on something it was the dodgy tradesman who didn't have a real clue what they were doing.

    We also had a salon day where the school would be turned into a salon for a day for students to get practice. Customers had to pay, students didn't get paid but got "invaluable experience". Boss used to freak out if there weren't enough treatments booked in or if we had to call the day off sometimes.

    Then also dealing with any prospective Chinese students there was always a haggling process and same with Indian people as well although this is just a cultural thing I think. It's just to apply that everywhere in clear situations where it's not going to work is a bit odd. Read the room a bit is all. You've asked once, twice...now it's just getting uncomfortable and I would generally at that point be happy if they left without buying a course space.

    Friend again asked time to time if he would come in and do a few hours long after he had quit. When asked what rate he would be paid, less than minimum wage.

    Super money-orientated people I found.


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    #82
    440Hertz
    Closed Accounts Posts: 651 ✭✭✭440Hertz


    This just seems to be another one of these “I think Ireland is a kip / Irish people are terrible and no amount of facts, evidence or statistics contradicting this will shake me from my belief, due to some deeply ingrained negative self-image I have absorbed” threads.

    It’s like the “only in Ireland is water wet” threads.

    We’re usually great craic but we also have a tendency towards wallowing in depressing, often unjustified, self loathing.


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    #83
    The J Stands for Jay
    Registered Users Posts: 5,678 ✭✭✭The J Stands for Jay


    uch wrote: »
    And nearly the furthest from Dublin

    Likely the furthest from Dublin in terms of journey times.


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    #84
    breezy1985
    Registered Users Posts: 24,789 ✭✭✭✭breezy1985


    440Hertz wrote: »
    This just seems to be another one of these “I think Ireland is a kip / Irish people are terrible and no amount of facts, evidence or statistics contradicting this will shake me from my belief, due to some deeply ingrained negative self-image I have absorbed” threads.

    It’s like the “only in Ireland is water wet” threads.

    We’re usually great craic but we also have a tendency towards wallowing in depressing, often unjustified, self loathing.

    Having just come back after 10 years away I can honestly say wet is wetter here than in London. It rains round the same amount but in Ireland it never goes away afterwards and the roads are still wet 2 days later.
    But tight we are not quite the opposite we are frivolous by European standards


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    #85
    440Hertz
    Closed Accounts Posts: 651 ✭✭✭440Hertz


    To be fair, most of Ireland has a lot more rainfall than London.

    106 rainy days in London 583mm vs
    128 in Dublin 714mm
    210 in Cork 1063mm
    232 in Galway 1156mm

    It can go as high as 1430mm averages in parts of the west.

    So it rains a lot more and it’s on average cooler, so it is going to look wet a lot more than London does.

    Anywhere on the Atlantic coast is inevitably wetter than the southeast of England.


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    #86
    Strumms
    Registered Users Posts: 24,924 ✭✭✭✭Strumms


    I doubt there is much difference in the winter weather from my experience overall but the summers in London are on the whole much dryer and much much hotter then here...

    Average July high in Dublin is 20, 23 in London I’m reading. London is further from the coast, more densely populated, more high rise buildings. I’ve found London to not be a very comfortable city to navigate around in July / August.


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    #87
    IAMAMORON
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 9,078 ✭✭✭IAMAMORON


    They should really change the title of this thread to

    " which county in Ireland do you despise the most?"

    am I wrong here?


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    #88
    breezy1985
    Registered Users Posts: 24,789 ✭✭✭✭breezy1985


    IAMAMORON wrote: »
    They should really change the title of this thread to

    " which county in Ireland do you despise the most?"

    am I wrong here?

    Just change the title to " Kerry" then altogether


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    #89
    dotsman
    Registered Users Posts: 3,635 ✭✭✭dotsman


    CageWager wrote: »
    Some people in Ireland are very quick to call you “stingy” if you aren’t up at the bar playing the billy big bollox routine buying rounds of pints on your credit card.

    The question is - why aren't you up at the bar getting a round in?


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    #90
    amadangomor
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,148 ✭✭✭amadangomor


    Work colleague from Eastern Europe was commenting at how generous Irish people are with their time volunteering to coach kids sports and other activities.

    She said in her country most of these events would be run by professionals and have hefty charges.


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    #91
    breezy1985
    Registered Users Posts: 24,789 ✭✭✭✭breezy1985


    amadangomor wrote: »
    Work colleague from Eastern Europe was commenting at how generous Irish people are with their time volunteering to coach kids sports and other activities.

    She said in her country most of these events would be run by professionals and have hefty charges.

    Would be nice to know what country that story is from. Any chance you could narrow half of Europe down a little for us


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