Member-only story
The Scarcity Mindset of the Miser
A look at the dark side of extreme thrift
“There is no joy in possession without sharing.” — Erasmus
A recent debacle with my tight-fisted landlord got me thinking about what it means to be a miser. Naturally, this was not my first experience with her penurious ways. Given her incessant complaining about myriad medical afflictions and a garage piled to the rafters with all sorts of flotsam and jetsam, her manic efforts to dodge the deductible in her property insurance for necessary repairs shouldn’t surprise me.
Predictably, her scheme did not go as planned. After all, there are housing laws in Quebec, and I, too, have property insurance. More so, however, the backlash was not just in terms of monetary cost, but rather in terms of our relational dynamics. I will no longer extend my generosity to a person like this.
As one who endured poverty throughout my childhood, I respect a sensible approach towards spending and saving. Appreciating the value of money means understanding its worth the effort required to earn it, its purchasing power and its role in financial stability and long-term well-being.
Moreover, the sensible managing of money and spending with temperance signifies a recognition of the effort made through time, skill and labour to attain financial…
