Comments on: How to Watch Your Wallet With High-Rolling Friends

By: frugman

frugman — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:09:24 +0000

Great article! I use to be the guy who can’t say no to events, drinks, dinner, and social gatherings that cost a pretty penny. I find that having a GF that is money conscious helps- and if anything you can just throw her under the bus (as an accuse that is) to escape costly outings! Be firm and hopefully your friends will understand. And if they don’t… then hey you guys aren’t on the same page right now with finances- big deal (at least you get it).

By: Cat

Cat — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:39:46 +0000

My two cents:
Do not underestimate the entertainment value of cooking out on the grill with your friends instead of going out!

My partner and I used to eat out a lot with another couple that we’re good friends with. Our friends bought a house last year and they have a great porch with a nice grill. We’ve been eating over at their house a lot this past year and taking turns with buying food, beverages, etc. One of our friends is a wonderful cook and I prefer her cooking to a lot of the restaurant food! I don’t drink, but the other three do, and it’s a lot cheaper for them to split a bottle of wine or make mixed drinks at home than it is to order drinks out at a restaurant. Now that it’s fall, we have added another layer of clothes and continued to grill

By: Credit Card Chaser

Credit Card Chaser — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 23:27:24 +0000

Great topic and I think the key is to plan ahead and broach the subject in a way that doesn’t sound as if you are simply cheap or not willing to be gracious and sharing with friends but yet still convey that you are trying to adhere to a budget.

By: Live for Improvement

Live for Improvement — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 18:32:50 +0000

Great post.

Here are some of my old tricks.

1.) Eat dinner at home, and only order apetizers at the new trendy restaurant. You could even skip dinner all together, and meet your friends out later at the bars.

2.) With my friends, alcohol was always the expensive part. Try being the designated driver, you save money by not buying drinks, and if your friends chip in a few bucks for gas, you might even make money.

By: Matt Jabs

Matt Jabs — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 21:14:09 +0000

This is a great topic.

What works for me is to embrace being the one who stands out from the crowd and focus on bringing sound money management to light among your sphere of friends. You’ll be surprised how many of them agree with you once you take a stand.

Avoid being presumptuous and judgmental, but make your position clearly known so that you don’t have to go over it every time you’re around them.

Trust me… after awhile most of them will jump on board with YOUR plan. Why? Because you are doing the right thing!

Even if they don’t admit it… everyone needs sound financial principles in their life, and encouraging your loved ones is an honorable work.

By: Jason

Jason — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 20:48:24 +0000

I’ll be completely honest; I think it’s rude whenever someone suggests to split the check evenly. Nowadays I’m usually the guy who overspent (I’ve taken a shine to top shelf liquor, and that adds up) and anytime someone suggests this I usually throw out there that some of us spent more than others (knowing that *I* am probably one of the ones who spent more) to save the people who had water and a caesar salad. We don’t all make the same money and we don’t all make the same choices, it’s not fair to split the cost evenly.

By: Ben

Ben — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 20:18:13 +0000

It’s a trap that you can easily find yourself in, because you won’t want to be the “cheap guy”. I think you can avoid these situations before that awkward point where you have to say something and make everyone uncomfortable. Know who you’re going out with and ask where they want to go. If they name really expensive places, then just pass on going out altogether.