I am totally addicted to this 2+2 thread “Stingiest Thing You’ve Seen Someone Do“. In between some stupid arguments about tipping and such, there are some truly jaw-dropping stories:
my ex gf’s mother finds overripe fruit at the store, takes it home and removes all the good parts, then drives back with the rotten parts and demands her money back. she cycles stores so she can do this on a regular basis.
Since it’s nearly PCA time, this seems like an opportune moment to recount a tale of my own stinginess, which began with me winning a seat in last year’s tournament (well I guess technically it was January of this year). The PokerStars Caribbean Adventure is hosted at the Atlantis Resort and Casino, which, unbeknownst to me at the time I won the satellite, is an outrageously expensive resort. It’s essentially its own self-contained world, and everything costs a gajillion dollars: continental breakfast $25, barely functional internet $13/day, sandwich $16, etc. Had I known how high the incidental costs would be, I probably would not have played the satellites in the first place.
The package that I won was worth $15K, only 10 of which was for the buy-in. Something in the neighborhood of $3000 went towards accommodations, and an additional $1000 tab was available for expenses at the hotel. Any unused portion of the $1000, less a ~$20 convenience charge, would be put in your Stars account months later. I imagine most people didn’t know this or just looked at it as an excuse to spend $1000 on food and drink, which of course was the idea, but I was determined to get the majority of that money back. I succeeded in retaining nearly $700 despite buying internet and fitness center access every day.
My secret? I brought peanut butter, jelly, bread, and dehydrated backpacker meals with me. For breakfast I bought a muffin and a piece of fruit ($10), for lunch I made sandwiches (bartender was happy to provide plastic utensils), and for dinner I heated up water in the coffeemaker and used it to prepare my backpacker meals.
Of course while I was there I was playing poker for thousands of dollars every day, and it’s not that I couldn’t afford a week of resort living. I would argue that it’s not even a matter of being stingy, per se.
In my other life, I work with kids who come almost exclusively from low-income families. I give very generously to charity, and I would simply feel obscene spending on myself in one day what many families spend on groceries in a month. In my opinion, anyone who spends money with that sort of reckless abandon has entirely too much of it, and if they are inclined to give it away, they ought to find a more deserving recipient than a resort.
This is the reason that I barely even tried to qualify for the PCA this year. I say “barely” because I did play one satellite. There’s plenty to criticize about the Atlantis, but they do have a bomb-ass waterpark. And I did get at least one good story out of it.
I’m glad to hear this story, and really you encapsulate one of the reasons I like following your blog… although you have had your share of success playing poker, you still are in touch with the real world. There’s nothing wrong with treating yourself or celebrating, but day-to-day life can’t be all champagne and parties.
When I visit Vegas, I’ll spend about $2500 on the trip and tournaments, but I’ll also bring a case of powerbars, a few bags of jerky, and then hit up Walgreens for a case of water and keep a few bottles in my backpack for when I walk around. I try to restrict the eating out I do to the buffet the hotel room gives me a coupon deal for. It’s good to hear even people playing a $10K (as opposed to my silly Venetian $150) are just as conscious about excessive spending.
Thanks! FWIW there is some really good food in LV. Some of it (off-strip) isn’t that expensive, and some of the expensive stuff is worth it. But yeah I definitely bring granola bars and other snacks to Vegas.
I suspect some those stories are, you know, stories. 🙂 Especially the ones involving ex-gf’s mums. It’s truly amazing how many guys’ ex-gf’s mums are the worst persons in the world.
Anyway, I’m not sure your story qualifies as true stinginess. I think there has to be some component of mean-spiritedness, pettiness, risk of illness/injury, false economy, mental illness, and/or general stupidity.
Agreed. I think there’s a huge difference between undervaluing your own time (driving around looking to save 2c/gallon on gas) and trying to angle shoot other people (refusing to buy rounds, under-tipping, etc.).
With what gas costs, isn’t driving back and forth from a grocery store to get money back from fruit basically breaking even at best? Not to mention the miles put on the car. I can see why it’s an ex-gf, I’d want nothing to do with that gene pool. Anyway, good post.
Yeah, the consensus seems to be that, if this story is true (and Lin makes a good point), this is more psychotic than stingy.
Agree with Sean G (great name BTW). You just seem like a level headed guy with priorities on what’s important to you in life.
I’m not sure I could do what you did though. I like eating to much. 🙂
Keep up the great blog posts!
Thanks 🙂
Honestly from what I heard the restaurants weren’t even that good. I am not averse to occasionally spending a lot of money on good food and have had a few quite expensive meals in Las Vegas and elsewhere. What I am averse to is getting gouged for mediocre food because a resort knows that it has me by the balls. It’s weird, these places are supposed to be relaxing, but I feel like I have to constantly be on guard or they will bilk me at any opportunity. Feeling like I’m being taken advantage of really ruins a vacation for me.
some of those posts are just absurd / hilarious
“I worked for AT&T wireless and received a call from some guy “What is this 0.10 text message charge?” I told him how text messaging works and how he’s on pay per use, 0.10 per sent text message, free incoming. “I never send text messages, TAKE IT OFF!” i took 0.10 off his bill, he was happy. I checked the notes and he made that same call every month, he sends 1 text message and calls us to have it removed. Random customer 1 – AT&T 0!
in retrospect i should have removed the feature from his plan”
wowwwwww
Haha I hadn’t gotten to that one yet. The guy paying for Little Debbies in separate transactions to avoid an extra penny of sales tax struck me as one of the most absurd.
Yeah I saw that one too. One posted today about SunnyD and Minute Maid is quite good too 🙂
The Vegas stinginess thing gets my wife every time — “how can you be pissed at paying $14 for internet when you just blew $XXX gambling …” — and she does not get my (contrived?) nuance between blowing money of my own volition vs. being chisled. Ah, marriage.
Yeah, the ego affront of being blatantly ripped off is a huge element in all of this.
Keep keeping it real Drew.
Edit: I don’t want to see that word on this website, not even as a joke.