Cheap Charlie Stories

[weegee]

- ABSOLUTELY!

Im proud to be frugal. My grandmother drummed into me "look after the pennies, and the pounds will look after themselves".
Being smart and thrifty with money is admirable imo. Ive never known an ungenerous Scot, but we have a sense of fairness and dont like the feeling of being leaned on, taken advange of, or taken for granted. Thats not tightness, that self-respect!

Well?...How the hell can you live in Thailand????? You just named three most important criteria for living here....

[arthurwait]

Saw a couple of Indian blokes on Sukhumvit offering a tuk tuk driver 55 baht when he wanted 60.

When I worked in a hotel one of the bell boys ruefully smiled and told me that the German guy whose cases he'd just lugged down 20 floors tipped him 2 baht.

Last time I was on Phi Phi something similar happened. There are no cars on the island so the bell boy will haul your luggage from the hotel to the pier (in a push cart), well three women and I left the hotel at the same time. We we arrived the three women put their heads together and produced 10 baht for a tip.

at the risk of starting a war over"the right amount to tip", frankly I do not consider people who do not tip to be cheap Charlies. There are cultural differences to consider and also maybe the staff damaged the suitcases when dragging them complete with surly faces, who really knows. The real cheap Charlies are the hotel employers who do not pay their staff adequately and do not train their staff that when a tip is inadequate, never blame the customer.

The bell boy lugged his case 22 floors ? Maybe the customer was fed up he paid for a hotel and the lift didn't work.

[arthurwait]

- ABSOLUTELY!

Im proud to be frugal. My grandmother drummed into me "look after the pennies, and the pounds will look after themselves".

Being smart and thrifty with money is admirable imo. Ive never known an ungenerous Scot, but we have a sense of fairness and dont like the feeling of being leaned on, taken advange of, or taken for granted. Thats not tightness, that self-respect!

Well?...How the hell can you live in Thailand????? You just named three most important criteria for living here....

Only if you're old with someone younger.

She's quite a young lady.

[overherebc]

A few years ago in Ban Chang when I was working there, one the bars{Macallisters), run by 'Don', had a free beer if you bought lunch after playing golf if you showed score cards.

The guys who were coming through to BC from Patts to play golf would buy lunch, get a free beer and then obviously stay for a few more. If someone was bought a beer and hadn't finished the one they had then the girl would put a bottle top next to their beer and when the customer was ready swap the bottle top for the beer.

It only took a few weeks for the guys to arrive with a few bottle tops in their pockets and start sneaking them onto the bar to effectively steal a beer or two from the bar. Don eventually had to buy small stone figures to use instead of bottle tops.

[jbrain]

A few years ago in Ban Chang when I was working there, one the bars{Macallisters), run by 'Don', had a free beer if you bought lunch after playing golf if you showed score cards.

The guys who were coming through to BC from Patts to play golf would buy lunch, get a free beer and then obviously stay for a few more. If someone was bought a beer and hadn't finished the one they had then the girl would put a bottle top next to their beer and when the customer was ready swap the bottle top for the beer.

It only took a few weeks for the guys to arrive with a few bottle tops in their pockets and start sneaking them onto the bar to effectively steal a beer or two from the bar. Don eventually had to buy small stone figures to use instead of bottle tops.

Any idea where he bought those stone figures, as I'm looking for the for a few years already .

[overherebc]

A few years ago in Ban Chang when I was working there, one the bars{Macallisters), run by 'Don', had a free beer if you bought lunch after playing golf if you showed score cards.

The guys who were coming through to BC from Patts to play golf would buy lunch, get a free beer and then obviously stay for a few more. If someone was bought a beer and hadn't finished the one they had then the girl would put a bottle top next to their beer and when the customer was ready swap the bottle top for the beer.

It only took a few weeks for the guys to arrive with a few bottle tops in their pockets and start sneaking them onto the bar to effectively steal a beer or two from the bar. Don eventually had to buy small stone figures to use instead of bottle tops.

Any idea where he bought those stone figures, as I'm looking for the for a few years already .

Try Harrods, as is locally known in BC. Big covered area on the other side of the road from Tesco. If they don't sell them no-one does.

[chickenslegs]

uptheos, on 25 Feb 2013 - 20:13, said:

I'm sure no-one makes things up on the forum.

Well maybe just a LITTLE bit.

As Mark Twain said: "Never let the facts get in the way of a good story".

[jocko]

A few years ago in Ban Chang when I was working there, one the bars{Macallisters), run by 'Don', had a free beer if you bought lunch after playing golf if you showed score cards.

The guys who were coming through to BC from Patts to play golf would buy lunch, get a free beer and then obviously stay for a few more. If someone was bought a beer and hadn't finished the one they had then the girl would put a bottle top next to their beer and when the customer was ready swap the bottle top for the beer.

It only took a few weeks for the guys to arrive with a few bottle tops in their pockets and start sneaking them onto the bar to effectively steal a beer or two from the bar. Don eventually had to buy small stone figures to use instead of bottle tops.

So you can get blood from a stone.

[NoshowJones]

Ask theblether, he's a Scot

I'm a Scot too, but I'm not a Cheap Charlie, although I would rather pay about 150 Baht for LPG to go to the city to the Aeon ATM to avoid giving the cheating bank in my village 150 Baht to draw money from their ATM from Scotland.

Ask theblether, he's a Scot

[NoshowJones]

Why are Scotsmen always the first ones out of the taxi and yet last to the bar?

I'm a Scot and I never use taxis or go to any bars. Besides like me, the Blether comes from Central Scotland while the real mean Scots come from the north ie Aberdeen.

[NoshowJones]

Isn't a tight Scot only a Yorkshireman in a kilt?

I have met people from all over, Aussies, Americans, Englishmen, all reasonable people, except for two who are from Yorkshire, and both of them are poor excuses for humans. One of them expected my wife and me to drive him and his GF to Korat which is a round trip of about 500 Ks, and moaned at me for not filling up the diesel tank, and this is true, he also moaned at me for not buying him an ice cream. The other one is the only other Farang in my village and I have only seen him once in the last 4 years since my mate walloped him for being so ignorant. Today he is a drunk and a very lonely man as most Farangs don't go near him.

[NoshowJones]

Every so often i wash my own bike. But sorry, its not a cheap charlie story, its a quality control story. The wash guys just use a jet washer and the only way i can get certain parts of the base clean is to physically scrub it.

Please keep in mind the average age of readers. You are going to overly excite some of the gents and perhaps cause some to faint as they consider the image of a sultry vixen covered in bubbles in tight hot pants cleaning her motorbike?

Oops! Good thing i didnt mention that sometimes my friend helps too then! Shes very good at polishing off the job.

PMSL.......Someone call an ambulance.

"Glass of water for Mr Grainger"

[NoshowJones]

Ask theblether, he's a Scot

We scots are a warm and generous bunch....even to those less fortunate folks who try to cast us otherwise.

I worked with a Pom years ago who claimed that the 'frugal Scot' thing was actually a Welsh plot, and that it was the Welsh who were tighter than a fishes proverbial. I just try not to tread on Celtic toes where possible - they tend to be attached to large Celtic feet

The true story is, the legend of Scots being tight was a self inflicted wound.......back in the days of the Music Hall a Scotsman called Harry Lauder was a mega star, probably the biggest star in the UK at that time. One of his running gags was a punchline which went this " nearly as deserted as a Flag Day in Aberdeen ".

A Flag Day was a charitable collection day, so the gag was that people from Aberdeen were misers.......unfortunately in the minds of the English audience it came to pass that all Scots are misers.

So thanks for that Harry!!

To be honest it doesn't bother me.....there's far worse things can be said about a country than being careful with money......just ask those Welsh sheep shaggers.

Harry Lauder started that rumor and it didn't help in the 50s when the movie Scrooge come out he was played by the great Alastair Sim another Scottish legend

Harry Lauder, Alistair Sim?? Who were they> I prefered Donovan.

[NoshowJones]

Was with a group of teachers from a very prestigious private school in the UK. We paid business class flights for them from the UK, put them up in a 5 star hotel and arranged a limo and driver to take them to see the sites.

We went out of Bangkok to a small town and were viewing a temple. In the grounds was someone selling fresh fruit juice. I ordered one and paid the 20 Baht asked for. The teachers then went over to the fruit juice seller and came back with a fruit juice and were all cackling about how they'd managed to get it for 15 Baht. Delighted they were that they'd managed to keep 5 Baht from this fruit juice seller.

And on this trip, when we asked them who was coming to discuss business with the company, thinking one or two people would be coming, they sent a list of 12 people and many of them were just husbands and wives with no other relation to the school.

So they got a free luxury holiday and managed to save 5 Baht by beating down a fruit juice seller, but they lost all respect in a wide circle of wealthy Thais who heard about it and I'm sure several Thai parents reconsidered sending their kids there.

Find that a lot with teachers though, pathologically cheap even though they're often very well paid and of course have great benefits.

I am a Scot and I was a teacher. So what does that make me? I think I'll go and lie down.

[charlieboz]

Free pool night at bars in Phuket and a guy would play the game, then leave when he was waiting for his next turn and go to the 7/11 across the road and buy his beers there

[jocko]

Ask theblether, he's a Scot

We scots are a warm and generous bunch....even to those less fortunate folks who try to cast us otherwise.

I worked with a Pom years ago who claimed that the 'frugal Scot' thing was actually a Welsh plot, and that it was the Welsh who were tighter than a fishes proverbial. I just try not to tread on Celtic toes where possible - they tend to be attached to large Celtic feet

The true story is, the legend of Scots being tight was a self inflicted wound.......back in the days of the Music Hall a Scotsman called Harry Lauder was a mega star, probably the biggest star in the UK at that time. One of his running gags was a punchline which went this " nearly as deserted as a Flag Day in Aberdeen ".

A Flag Day was a charitable collection day, so the gag was that people from Aberdeen were misers.......unfortunately in the minds of the English audience it came to pass that all Scots are misers.

So thanks for that Harry!!

To be honest it doesn't bother me.....there's far worse things can be said about a country than being careful with money......just ask those Welsh sheep shaggers.

Harry Lauder started that rumor and it didn't help in the 50s when the movie Scrooge come out he was played by the great Alastair Sim another Scottish legend

Harry Lauder, Alistair Sim?? Who were they> I prefered Donovan.

The Scottish Bob Dylan at least he thought so.

Sad

Edited February 27, 2013 by jocko

[kevvy]

how was the grand canyon formed? A scott dropped one cent down a rabbit hole no offense to all the Scottish people now can tell aussie jokes it is all fun

[Rsquared]

how was the grand canyon formed? A scott dropped one cent down a rabbit hole no offense to all the Scottish people now can tell aussie jokes it is all fun

Ok Kevvy, then what is your explanation for Ayres Rock ( or Uluru)?

This should be good.

Cheers.

[StreetCowboy]

So we were getting the train up to Aberdeen, and the Clippie came round as we were going over the Forth Bridge (actually, the first...)

"Tickets, please"

"There ye go"

"Here's mine"

"Sorry, sir, this is a tuppence platform ticket not good for travel, I'm going to have to ask you to leave at the next station, and make your way to the vestibule"

"Ah've goat a ticket an' Ah'm goi' ta travel"

"In that case, sir, I'm going to have to ask you to pay the full fare to the next station, which is a pound and ten shillings"

Well at the mention of money a fracas ensued, and in frustration the Clippie moved to throw the gentleman's suitcase out the window

"Crivvens, Man! First ye try and rob me, and then ye threaten tae droon ma wee boy!"

[nevets]

Man drops a coin bends down to get it and it hit him on the back of his head.

[NoshowJones]

Ask theblether, he's a Scot

We scots are a warm and generous bunch....even to those less fortunate folks who try to cast us otherwise.

I worked with a Pom years ago who claimed that the 'frugal Scot' thing was actually a Welsh plot, and that it was the Welsh who were tighter than a fishes proverbial. I just try not to tread on Celtic toes where possible - they tend to be attached to large Celtic feet

The true story is, the legend of Scots being tight was a self inflicted wound.......back in the days of the Music Hall a Scotsman called Harry Lauder was a mega star, probably the biggest star in the UK at that time. One of his running gags was a punchline which went this " nearly as deserted as a Flag Day in Aberdeen ".

A Flag Day was a charitable collection day, so the gag was that people from Aberdeen were misers.......unfortunately in the minds of the English audience it came to pass that all Scots are misers.

So thanks for that Harry!!

To be honest it doesn't bother me.....there's far worse things can be said about a country than being careful with money......just ask those Welsh sheep shaggers.

Harry Lauder started that rumor and it didn't help in the 50s when the movie Scrooge come out he was played by the great Alastair Sim another Scottish legend

Harry Lauder, Alistair Sim?? Who were they> I prefered Donovan.

The Scottish Bob Dylan at least he thought so.

Sad

Jocko, if I'm being serious, I think the greatest Scottish singer was Robert Wilson. I only remember listening to him on 78s when I was a small child, I bought an LP of him when I was a teenager, what a voice.

[HeavyDrinker]

Ivor Cutler...

I thought it was Yorkshi*emen who were the tightest in the UK....

[HeavyDrinker]

Some older hands may remember 'Scots Tony" form Chequers and Jools who was a notorious tightwad.

He'd take a dolly out from a bar and if she wanted a bit of somtam or a drink en route back to his gaff, he'd deduct it from her 'wages' the next day.

He never took the same girl twice...

[jocko]

Some older hands may remember 'Scots Tony" form Chequers and Jools who was a notorious tightwad.

He'd take a dolly out from a bar and if she wanted a bit of somtam or a drink en route back to his gaff, he'd deduct it from her 'wages' the next day.

He never took the same girl twice...

Maybe he was giving her 3000b for her services.

Who knows?

[jocko]

Ask theblether, he's a Scot

We scots are a warm and generous bunch....even to those less fortunate folks who try to cast us otherwise.

I worked with a Pom years ago who claimed that the 'frugal Scot' thing was actually a Welsh plot, and that it was the Welsh who were tighter than a fishes proverbial. I just try not to tread on Celtic toes where possible - they tend to be attached to large Celtic feet

The true story is, the legend of Scots being tight was a self inflicted wound.......back in the days of the Music Hall a Scotsman called Harry Lauder was a mega star, probably the biggest star in the UK at that time. One of his running gags was a punchline which went this " nearly as deserted as a Flag Day in Aberdeen ".

A Flag Day was a charitable collection day, so the gag was that people from Aberdeen were misers.......unfortunately in the minds of the English audience it came to pass that all Scots are misers.

So thanks for that Harry!!

To be honest it doesn't bother me.....there's far worse things can be said about a country than being careful with money......just ask those Welsh sheep shaggers.

Harry Lauder started that rumor and it didn't help in the 50s when the movie Scrooge come out he was played by the great Alastair Sim another Scottish legend

Harry Lauder, Alistair Sim?? Who were they> I prefered Donovan.

The Scottish Bob Dylan at least he thought so.

Sad

Jocko, if I'm being serious, I think the greatest Scottish singer was Robert Wilson. I only remember listening to him on 78s when I was a small child, I bought an LP of him when I was a teenager, what a voice.

I had to google that one

But must admit that The White Heather Club was a no go for me

.I was more Alex Harvey , Frankie Miller both weegies of course.

Eddi Reader is a nice singer she makes a good job of scottish songs

[kevvy]

how was the grand canyon formed? A scott dropped one cent down a rabbit hole no offense to all the Scottish people now can tell aussie jokes it is all fun

Ok Kevvy, then what is your explanation for Ayres Rock ( or Uluru)?

This should be good.

Cheers.

it is where all the aussie bullshit is dumped

[canman]

I remember my first trip to Thailand many years ago. I was buying a pair of jeans and haggling with the seller trying to get 10baht off the price. My mate said 'you do realise that you are haggling over about 30 cents don't you?'

He was right and I realised it just wasn't worth my time or effort and that the 10 baht meant a whole lot more to the seller than it did to me. Lesson learnt 1st day in Thailand. Don't get me wrong, if something is clearly over priced i will either get a fair price or not buy. I just can't be bother haggling over pennies.

[britgent]

Having had many Scottish friends over the years and a Yorkshire girlfriend I have got to say that people from Yorkshire are far tighter.

I got to know her family quite well and the lengths they would go to was unbelievable.

I dreaded visiting as I always ended up paying for everything though they had good jobs.

They revelled in the fact they gave nothing to charity.

[Yo Sup]

Ask theblether, he's a Scot

We scots are a warm and generous bunch....even to those less fortunate folks who try to cast us otherwise.

I worked with a Pom years ago who claimed that the 'frugal Scot' thing was actually a Welsh plot, and that it was the Welsh who were tighter than a fishes proverbial. I just try not to tread on Celtic toes where possible - they tend to be attached to large Celtic feet

The true story is, the legend of Scots being tight was a self inflicted wound.......back in the days of the Music Hall a Scotsman called Harry Lauder was a mega star, probably the biggest star in the UK at that time. One of his running gags was a punchline which went this " nearly as deserted as a Flag Day in Aberdeen ".

A Flag Day was a charitable collection day, so the gag was that people from Aberdeen were misers.......unfortunately in the minds of the English audience it came to pass that all Scots are misers.

So thanks for that Harry!!

To be honest it doesn't bother me.....there's far worse things can be said about a country than being careful with money......just ask those Welsh sheep shaggers.

What's wrong with shaggin' sheep? Baaaa

[Yo Sup]

I tease a friend of mine all the time and say he's a "cheap Charlie" but he just laughs at me. Of course, he always pays his own way and he knows what I say is just in jest. He just doesn't waste his money on unnecessary stuff. He would rather sleep in an inexpensive 350 baht room out of town rather than a fancier one down town for 500 baht. He would rather eat noodle soup on the street for 25 baht than an American breakfast in a nice restaurant for 100 baht. He won't buy lady drinks at bars because he doesn't want to take the gals home. But still, the women all like him and are always trying to attract his attention.

But, there is a difference between being frugal and being cheap. Frugal is being sensible; being cheap usually means you don't always pay your own way.

I agree! I saved this article so I would keep it fresh in my mind. In a country like Thailand where all they do is try to squeeze every last satang from you, this is a good defense. TG, BTW is even cheaper than me.

Frugality often gets a bad rap.

Many people misunderstand frugality and assume that it's nothing more than being "cheap" when, in reality,

frugality is making sure that you get the most from the money and resources you have, even if they are limited.

For those who are just beginning to embrace frugality as a part of their lifestyle, here are 10 frugal commandments to live by.

10. Thou shalt not buy things you don't need.

To get the most from the money that you have, it's essential to have a basic understanding of the difference between wants and needs. Chances are that a lot of things that you assume are needs are only wants you have disguised as needs in order to justify purchasing them.

Basic needs are food (including water), shelter and clothing plus the essentials needed to work so that you can provide those basics. That means that the TV (and virtually every other gadget in your house) is a want and not a need. Having the willpower to buy only those things that you really need (being frugal doesn't mean being stingy, but it does mean that any wants you do have are specifically saved and budgeted for as opposed to impulse purchases) is essential to getting the most out of frugality.

Simply put, if you don't need it, don't buy it, no matter how good the price.

9. Thou shalt only buy when you have the money.

One of the basic premises of frugality is having the money to pay for the things that you buy. By budgeting and saving for those things that you want and paying for them with cash rather than using credit, you ensure you aren't paying far more than you should be for the products and services that you buy.

8. Thou shalt purchase by value, not price.

One of the biggest misconceptions about being frugal is that those who are frugal only purchase things that are cheap or the very lowest price. The truth is that those who are frugal always try to buy the best value taking into account other factors such as the life expectancy and additional upkeep costs that come into play beyond retail price. This often means looking at the long term cost of an item rather than just the initial purchase price.

7. Thou shalt be patient.

Those who embrace frugality rarely have the latest and greatest gadgets that have just hit the market. Instead, those who are frugal wait for the early adopters to embrace the technology until the point at which the price falls to a reasonable level as the gadget makes its way to the masses.

Those who are frugal are usually a generation or two behind on the latest gadgets, but they still perform the functions that need to be done and they get them for a fraction of the price.

6. Thou shalt buy used.

A basic tenet of frugality is to get the best value from what you purchase, and this often means purchasing products used. Those who are frugal are more than happy to let someone else pay full retail price and absorb the premium pricing for products that are depreciating assets (think of the difference in price between a brand new car and a two-year-old vehicle, as an example).

Used products are often a fraction of the price of the new models and in many instances perform the needed task just as well.

5. Thou shalt look for alternatives before buying.

If you need something, automatically going out and buying it is not an approach that a true frugal person would take. Instead, before spending any hard-earned money on something that may only be used a few times, consider alternatives.

Is it possible to borrow it from a friend, a neighbor or a place such as the library? Would renting it be less expensive in the long run? Do you have something else already on hand that can be used to perform the same task? Buying is only one of many options when it comes to getting things you may need.

4. Thou shalt ignore the Joneses.

Part of living a frugal life is understanding that life isn't a competition over who has the most stuff. It's important to concentrate on your and your family's needs, and not what others are spending their money on. Just because your neighbors bought it doesn't mean that you need to go out and buy something on par or better.

3. Thou shalt not pay full retail price.

When you are going to make a purchase, you should never pay full retail price for it. There are a number of ways to avoid paying full retail such as using coupons, finding discounts, waiting for sales and negotiating a lower price. With a bit of preparation and forethought, there is never a reason to pay full retail price for anything you purchase.

2. Thou shalt not waste.

One thing that those who are frugal hate is waste. While this obviously includes the waste of money, it also goes beyond money to such areas a wasted resources and wasted time. Efficiency is a frugal person's friend, and those who are frugal tend to follow the green mantra of reduce, re-purpose, reuse and recycle for the things that they do possess.

1. Thou shalt do things yourself.

When something needs to be done, the first choice to perform the task should be yourself rather than hiring someone else to do it. Frugal people tend to be do-it-yourself experts and do not pay others to do things that they can easily do by themselves. When they don't know how to do something, they research it to see if it is something that they can do with the proper instructions or something sufficiently complicated that it's best to let an expert handle.

While it may take some practice at first, getting these 10 frugal commandments down will make your savings account look a lot healthier in the new year.

Edited March 6, 2013 by Yo Sup