to think we aren't stingy?

[pencilpotted]

DH and I went to the cinema today, we went online to book and the tickets at all showing today were £5, so we buy our tickets and go about 12pm. We've just had breakfast at home and the food at the cinema isn't to our taste so I just fill our water bottles and we see the film and don't buy any snacks etc.

Then after the film we left the cinema and drove to a local place we like for lunch. We each order a main, a soft drink and a platter of sushi to share. All this cost about £50 with the cinema being another £10.

On the way home we dropped in on DH's parents and his sister was there with her family. We tell her what we had been up to and she enquires about what we had and how much it costs and then tells us that it's because of people like us being stingy that places are struggling and closing down and that these days it's expected that you order a bit more, buy food from the concession stands at the cinema.

All we wanted was to see the film, I don't want to drink a large fizzy drink or eat a hotdog or ice cream right after breakfast. It wasn't my fault the cinema tickets were discounted. The cinema was empty only about 8 people in the screening but it was early.

If I go for food we order what we want but I'm not ordering extra drinks and sides I don't want just to please the restaurant? Does anyone actually do this?

We do try to be intentional with our spending but that doesn't make us tight fisted?

She's insane

First post nails it

I wouldn’t order extra food just to please the restaurant.

but my pil were stingy, and taking home filled water bottles out to the cinema/ab attraction is the sort of thing they’d do. They’d also refuse to buy any drinks while out anywhere - any drinks of any type.

You sound sensible! Ignore the family.

Cinema concessions have always been humungously over-priced.

And at the one we go to, they bring the popcorn in once a day in massive sacks from the back of a van. It's not even fresh, so I'm really not going to be buying that.

@Octavia64 If I wanted a coffee or a fizzy drink at the cinema I'd get one but I didn't I just take the water bottles everywhere with us as we live in an area with lovely soft water and I prefer not to drink out of plastic bottles. We do get drinks if that is what we want but we also don't buy things just for the sake of it.

I always eat before the cinema due to the silly high prices. Yes I know they have overheads etc etc but....

Well you have opened yourself up for criticism by going into detail on how much you spent.

I would have just said that ' if you get tickets on line they are £x ' and not gone into detail about drinking water and how much food cost. You could have swerved answering that.

I dont buy snacks at the cinema or take them in with me. The smell of hotdogs and the crushing of dorritos annoy me. I dont het why people cant go a couple of hours without mindlessly snacking.
On future tell your sister to stay in her own lane if she starts going on how tight fisted you are and while your at it the cinema and food place did get your business despite a COL crisis going on.

@shellyleppard @GiantTeddyIsTired I worked at a cinema as a student so I know how grim the food there is, slopping out the plastic nacho cheese or warming up the bin bags of popcorn.

She asked us in detail, I didn't see any reason not to tell her, I thought she was thinking of going to the same place for food herself the way she was talking.

She isn’t worth the headspace. Does she make people buy in-season British produce? Buy from local markets rather than supermarkets? It’s not anybody’s responsibility to keep other people’s business afloat.

I don’t mind paying for a meal in a pub or a restaurant, but there’s no way I’d buy the crap they serve up at a cinema, overpriced muck. I used to buy a carton of salty popcorn but since the fun police got at them it’s not even tasty.
These days we take our own snacks, and if they’re lucky we’ll get an ice cream. But that’s the price of grossly overcharging the public is losing their custom.

She asked us in detail, I didn't see any reason not to tell her, I thought she was thinking of going to the same place for food herself the way she was talking.
OK, well lesson learned,keep it vague next time unless you want another lecture! 😆
I'd not be remembering how much i spent on purpose!

It's not 'expected these days', what is she on about? They don't like you taking in your own sweets or whatever (so we always hide ours!) But it's not stingy to carry a water bottle for heavens sake!

@pencilpotted another reason not to buy snacks 🤢

@TotHappy Well I wouldn't think so and full disclosure I have a medical condition that means I may have to take emergency medication at any time and so I always carry my water bottle with me. DSIL knows this as well.

Shes right in as much as the cinema needs every penny it can get in profits from sweets, food and drinks sales.

However she is wrong to suggest you should but overpriced shite you don’t want or like to keep them in business!

They should discount their food. The prices are ridiculous. Most of us avoid it. You’d think theyd want to compete with the fast food chains that are generally next door and do a basic meal for around £6 but no. Oh well bye bye…..

Cinemas can absolutely piss off with the amount of money they charge for their sweets, food and drinks. Those are insane prices.

I only go to the cinema because we get the sky vip tickets. So 2 free tickets and I pay for 1 tickets as there's me and my 2 kids that go, DH rarely comes with us.
We park in the local supermarket and go in there to get whatever snacks they want as its far cheaper.
Sainsbury's prices is usually about £10 for drinks, popcorn and sweets.
Pay for the same in Vue and it would easily be over £20 and im not paying that.

I dont see anything wrong with what you have done though i would have probably had a glass of wine with lunch and let DH drive.

'We spent what we needed to have a lovely time'. Then change the subject.

She is bonkers, I go to the cinema twice a week and always take water, a can of Diet Coke and every other time I spend about £1.70 on a mini pick a mix.

My cinema used to have signs saying this but then since Covid its fine to take our own sweets and drinks in.

Our local cinema serves cocktails and alcoholic drinks to your seat for the same price as the bar next-door. They offer olives, cubes of cheese, cocktail sausages, coffee and apple pie etc as well as the usual cola and popcorn.
The place is thriving!

I think I would have been unable to remember how much things cost or I'd have told her some ludicrous price like 37 p or £8000.

I know it's difficult for restaurants, cinemas etc, but you'd be insane to buy things you don't want or think are poor value for money out of some perceived altruistic duty. MN often tells people to not set themselves on fire to keep others warm so that would be something that's good for her to remember. Is she one of those who mindlessly splashes money around like water but then complains she's always skint?

@Bjorkdidit Actually yes she is like that a bit. She thinks we are rich because we don't have debt and says we need to get a better car for example. Thank god she doesn't know what we have in savings!

She shouldn’t have asked if she was going to be so judgy.

It’s not our jobs to spend more than we want to keep companies open. They either price to stay open or they don’t. Too expensive and I won’t pay. It’s their fault then if they shut down from lack of custom not mine. A tub of popcorn is hardly an essential.