The way I see it, I continue to be confused and befuddled by our English language.
Earlier this week, I was at a particular business place, paying a necessary monthly bill. As I spoke to the lady in charge, she reminded me of another required aspect of payment and asked me if I was going to pay anything towards it. I thought quickly, because I had already established my budget and included in this month’s payments were three different insurance payments for house, vehicle and family. So, I knew that things were, to put it mildly-TIGHT.
However, I responded: ‘Okay, I will add another $100.00 to that.’ Her immediate response was: ‘You cheap!’
Now, this is not the first time that I have been called CHEAP but it made me definitely take an introspective look at myself. When I got home, I asked my good friend GOOGLE for the meaning of CHEAP and got this response:
Cheap Synonyms: Inexpensive · low-priced · low-price · low-cost · economical · economic ·competitive · affordable · reasonable · reasonably priced · moderately priced · keenly priced · budget · economy · cheap and cheerful · bargain · cut-rate · cut-price · half-price · sale-price · sale · reduced · on special offer · marked down · discounted · discount · rock-bottom · giveaway · bargain-basement · slashed · going for a song · dirt cheap · bargainous
Antonyms: Expensive
Charging low prices.
“A cheap restaurant”
Inexpensive because of inferior quality.
“Cheap, shoddy goods”
Synonyms:
2. Of little worth because achieved in a discreditable way requiring little effort.
3. “her moment of cheap triumph”
Synonyms:
Despicable · contemptible · low · base · immoral · unscrupulous ·
Well I know myself well and I don’t consider myself to be low priced; immoral nor unscrupulous.
I may be ECONOMIC
So I checked out ECONOMIC and this phrase caught my eye:
COST EFFECTIVE
So, I looked up COST EFFECTIVE and found this:
‘Cost-effective definition is – producing good results without costing a lot of money.’
Okay, so I may be guilty of that because I think that I normally tend to produce great results, without costing a whole lot of money. So, I do not think that I should be embarrassed about being that way. Well, I newa!
I think I told you all previously that some time ago, a young lady approached me while I was conducting business at the Nevis Cooperative Credit Union (Incidentally my favourite financial institution) and after telling me one of those really SAD stories, asked me to loan her $300.00. She was ‘going to pay me back as soon as she got paid the following week…’
I listened to her and told her that I was sorry to hear about her situation, but that I just could not help her at the time. (A lot of these people when they come SOLICITING, don’t care to find out that your current story maybe even SADDER than theirs). She blurted out: ‘Somebody told me to ask you but they done tell me that you cheap.’ My response then was immediate: “Okay please tell the individual that I may be CHEAP but I can only be cheap with what I have worked hard for.’
So, back to the case this week. The only thing I can figure out is that the young lady was disappointed that I did not give more to her institution for the transaction, because maybe she would have received some sort of a gratuity or something for her good work and so because that was not forthcoming, then I am CHEAP.
Thanks be to God, my wife knows better. I do not believe in hoarding money. Every year we save to go on a well-earned vacation and those cost money-serious money too and I won’t reserve money and starve myself either and I love to eat at home, but occasionally we go out to dine, but you know that every time you eat out, it’s a chance you are taking, because you simply do not know the history of the food and its preparation, before it got to your plate.
So, it’s not that I am afraid to spend money. It’s just that I am really choosy about how I spend my money—the little I have.
I am really sorry for the politicians. I remember one of them telling me one day that he could not go into any village, without somebody or bodies, harassing him for money….and their usual line is that ‘remember I vote for you..’ He says he knows that half of them did not even vote for him. He said he devised a plan. Whenever he went to a public function, like for example the PARK, to watch Cricket or something, he would change a $100.00 bill into all $5.00 bills and whenever someone came to beg, he would just say okay this is what I have today and give them a $5.00 bill.
Well, I am not a politician and don’t care to be one either and neither am I wealthy and so I will continue to return a faithful tithe and offering to God, first and foremost, as he requires me to; look after my family well and assist others whenever and however I can.
If that makes me CHEAP then to God be the glory!
That’s the way I see it. How do you see it?