Do you have a cheap friend or acquaintance? - Page 2

There might just be several kinds of cheep. I don't know anyone who really does something unsanitary just to save a buck but I do know those who are cheep in that they don't have a handle on there spending.  Its why I have learned that family and money don't mix and to not be fair when it comes to buying gifts. When you spend $30 on a gift and the person giving a gift back spends $7 it seams like they are being Cheep when they could buy themselves all kids of stuff.  I know I have to be cheep with gifts I have had to scale way back from what I used to spend. But I have also talked to those we exchange gifts now so the prices are at least even. 

Still where is the line between Cheep and frugal. It can mean different things to different people 

I guess I see Cheep as in buying the lowest price product and frugal as in buying the best quality you can afford. 

No friends but MIL is extremely cheap. Does a grandma that hasn't bought you so much as a lollipop in 9 years count as cheap? She will cut the mold off food and will not throw out expired food.  She tried to give dd jelly that had expired 3 years prior.  She soaks stale licorice in water to soften it, which causes it to mold.  She used to come to our house at dinner time every Sunday.  She never offers to cook at her house, because we won't eat there.  On top of eating here, she thinks dh is going to pay when we eat out.  He stopped that, he asks her if she brought her purse. She will ask the waitress if she can get her food cheaper if she doesn't take a side ?? She and FIL often share meals.  PS  Her husband retired from a 6 figure salary and pension.  She also has retirement from her bank job plus BIL pays her for land he bought from her every month.  Point being, she doesn't need to be so cheap.

My mother grew up at the end of the depression and although she can afford whatever she wants now, she tends to try and be thrifty--but it comes off as cheap.  She's very similar to many of these stories about not tossing food when it goes bad.  However, she'll give us kids money at the drop of a hat and showers the grandkids with gifts.  So she may seem cheap, but I just think it was how she grew up.