9 signs you've shifted from frugal to cheap

There was a time when your friends admired your money-saving ways. Yet now you’re starting to work most of your friends’ and coworkers’ last generous nerve. Why?
Because you left frugal behind and are now as cheap as those yellowed greeting cards you pull from your closet for special occasions. Friends and family members know you’ve crossed the line into the cheapskate lane. But do you?

You won’t go out for a full-priced meal

It’s smart to hit lunch specials or use restaurant coupons, but when you constantly turn down invitations to dine out with others if no discount is involved, you may want to loosen your cheapskate standards.
If you’re always turning down invitations, those offers will cease, and your social circle will shrivel like the raisins you buy at the discount grocer. Try setting aside part of that money you save with all those fast food coupons so you can still splurge with friends occasionally.

You never offer to drive

If you have an old car and the seats are covered with dog hair, that could be a good reason for not offering to drive. But not wanting to burn gas driving your friends to a movie isn’t.
Yes, gas is expensive but that’s true for your friends, too. You can spare a few gallons of gas to drive next time if you schedule most of your weekly errands into one or two trips that use less gas.

You’re a stingy tipper

If you stiff the restaurant server to save money, you should just stay home next time and eat a bowl of generic cereal while pondering your bad karma. Even worse than no tip, however, is an insulting tip.
No server wants your $1 tip on a $20 check. Either cough up a 20% gratuity or stay home.

You bring your own condiments to restaurants

Yes, most Mexican restaurants typically charge too much for a dollop of sour cream. But that doesn’t mean you get to bring your own. And don’t even think about pulling a pint of guacamole out of your purse.
If you’ve dropped to this level of cheapness, cut back on the meal itself, ordering ala carte to save money so you can afford condiments and appetizers.

You’re that person always holding up the grocery line

If you quibble over a coupon’s fine print to save 25 cents while people in line glare holes into the back of your head, you may be taking coupon cutting too far.
Choose cashier battles wisely. Getting $5 off $15 may be worth annoying everyone if the coupon doesn’t ring up properly. On the other hand, if a coupon for a tiny discount isn’t working, let it go.

You cut your own hair

Okay, maybe some people are good at cutting their own hair. The thing is, you’re not one of them, so stop taking a hatchet to your head to save a relatively small amount of money every couple of months.
Instead, ask friends and coworkers for referrals to a good hair stylist or a barber with fair rates.

You take back wine after a dinner party

It’s bad enough that you brought a bottle of $5 wine to Thanksgiving dinner. But when you have the nerve to grab the unopened bottle to take home when you’re leaving, you’ve gone way past cheapskate territory.
You’re now in the land of people who never get invited to dinner again. Next time, buy a bottle of better wine on sale and leave it for the people who fed and entertained you.

You hang on to your old car way too long

It’s smart to hang on to a paid-off car so you can wring as much use out of it as possible. Yet all good things must eventually end.
If your vehicle is missing most of the trim, held together by tape and glue and is known for making mysterious noises, there’s a reason nobody takes you up on an offer to drive. Save your money for a good down payment and get a new ride, you big cheapskate.

You’re too cheap to hire movers

When you’re in your 20s and struggling to save, it makes sense to ask your friends to help you move. After all, you’ve done the same for them. There comes a time, though, when enough boxes have been moved for all concerned.

Hire a moving company next time but resist your urge to hire the cheapest. You get what you pay for, and relocating on the cheap is one move you’ll surely regret.