Quote:
Originally Posted by Katsunami
He just keeps complaining and not doing anything about it 'because it's so expensive'. With his savings, he can replace that geyser with something more modern thrice over and STILL not notice the expense. I wonder why so many old people become frugal to the point of being miserly, even if a heap of money is staring them right in the face.
|
I went through things like that with my mother decades ago when I still lived at home.
For instance, she was a British expatriate, who emigrated to Canada with her family when she was a young girl, and she met my father in the US during WWII. She drank a lot of tea, and always had a kettle on the stove to produce hot water. She always bought the flimsiest, cheapest ones she could get, because she had a bad habit of forgetting the kettle was on, and letting it boil dry and char before she realized it, and the cheapest ones were cheapest to replace. We had several conversations about "You know, mom, if you spent the money and bought a
good kettle, you wouldn't
have to replace it if you forgot and let it boil dry, and long term you'd
save money!"
But she was totally focused on the immediate expense and never did get the concept of life-cycle costs. I eventually gave up and stopped arguing about it, as it was just a waste of time.
She and my father both grew up during the Great Depression, which marked those who did in odd ways.
______
Dennis