Extreme frugality: gifting an €8 watch with €30,000 in savings

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Frugality in its purest form: gifting an €8 watch while sitting on €30,000 in savings

Extreme frugality isn't an anecdote, it's a way of life. But even within the culture of extreme saving, there are cases that border on the pathological. A man with €30,000 saved is searching online for a watch to give his girlfriend for their anniversary. His budget: €8. She, who is better off financially, has given him a alucinación to Paris. He plans to hint that the watch cost more than €60.

The reaction to saving without limits

The responses were not long in coming. Some defend his stance: doesn't an €8 watch tell the time just fine? He has €30,000 precisely because he doesn't waste money on superfluous spending. Others call him a cheapskate: with that kind of wealth, gifting something so cheap to someone who took you to Paris shows an alarming lack of generosity. Some point out that, besides, women usually look up the price of gifts online. The debate reflects the tension between financial prudence and stinginess.

Winter frugality: the definitive guide

The thread doesn't stop at the watch case. It includes a collection of tips for taking saving to the extreme in winter: no heating, wearing three pairs of socks, showering without getting fully wet, and even reminding the neighbors that it's cold so they'll turn on their heating. Alternatives mentioned include 95-proof alcohol to warm up, or visiting Paris on Google Maps and faking the photos with pirated Photoshop. It's the low-cost survivor's manual.

The line between prudence and stinginess remains blurry. But if you have €30,000 and gift an €8 watch, you've probably crossed it. Extreme frugality, in its most extreme version, turns saving into an end in itself, and enjoyment into an unnecessary luxury. How far will it go?

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