In Which I Rage Against the Wrong Kind of Cheap

Each morning I babysit for a friend's daughter. It's too far to walk, so I either take the bus or the train. Taking the train is faster. It means I can sleep late if I want. Taking the train is a nicer experience. The seats are softer. The other passengers are more pleasant.

However. When you take the train you have to pay for each time you ride on it. There and back. If I take the bus yes it takes a lot longer, and I have to sit on a very crowded bus in close contact with homeless people who smell, but you get a transfer when you get on the bus, and it's good for a certain amount of time. Which means I can use it when babysitting is over and it's time to come home.

So if I take the train it costs $3, but if I take the bus it only costs $1.50. I am cheap enough that I deal with the bus to save that money. Even if I were working (never mind that if I were working I wouldn't be able to babysit each morning) I'd still probably take the bus if I had the time. I always like saving money.

I feel it's acceptable to be cheap in certain ways. Nothing wrong with walking into a clothing store and immediately going straight to the clearance or sale racks first. Nothing wrong with being upset if you don't get enough coupons in the Sunday newspaper to justify the cost of the newspaper.

However (oh yes, here we go)! There is most definitely a line that should not be crossed when it comes to cheapness. I saw that crossing this past Sunday. Here's the story.

I went to meet a friend at the local skating rink. We sat in the bleachers while her daughter took an ice skating lesson and participated in the "free skate" session. We chatted and watched the kid. Okay and I laughed at the people who fell. Because you know, it's me, and that's what I do.

We were sitting on these bleachers with bags and umbrellas all around us. A man kept picking things up and asking if they were ours. He and his people kept banging into me, standing in front of us (blocking our view of the ice). Then we figured out what was going on. The guy's son was having a birthday party at the ice skating rink. But instead of going to the office and scheduling a birthday party through the rink, they just had all the kids do the free skate, and then light candles on cupcakes and open birthday presents right there in the bleachers.

They did not pay to rent out the birthday room. This seems to take cheap to a whole new level. An unacceptable level. My friend and I did not tell on these birthday people, but I am sure if the ice rink knew what was going on, they would not have been pleased at all. And I say this as someone who worked at a sports place that hosted birthday parties on weekends.

I hope that kid enjoyed his party. No I don't. That's a lie. That little fucker stepped on my foot multiple times and he was like ten, old enough to know better.

Look, I know firsthand that times are tough right now. Money is tight all over, and I understand parents still want their children to be able to have fun things, like birthday parties. I get that. Really. But this. Takes cheap to an unacceptable level.