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Sign up with Google Sign up with FacebookQ: What's the worst thing to be stingy about in China?
If you had to choose one thing NOT to skimp on in China. The one thing that, no matter what, you don't ask questions and you just put whatever money is asked, what would it be?
My pick would have to be milk.
Giving to the poor~ for many many reasons!!
kchur:
Ah, man, you know they'll just spend it on iPhones. You're not helping them by giving them change.
Air/Heat. I don't keep it running when I'm not home or anything. But I don't want to have a horrible night's sleep just because of the temp of my room, or be willing to pee in my bed because the fear of freezing to death if I left my blankets long enough to run to the bathroom.
ironman510:
Man, so funny, what city are or were you in that made you that cold?
Cerveza. It is my one indulgence. I splurge on Budweiser & Henieken & San Miguel. Not the best beer in the world, but I like it a lot better than Qing Dao.
and like the other guy, I use electricity as much as I need, I'm not gonna freeze in my own habitat.
Laundry. I live in a serviced apartment with a washing machine but I can't bring myself to use it, so I send my laundry out.
4 days to dry some things, and crusty socks, underwear shirts and jeans...no thanks.
I usually spend 400rmb a week on laundry.
Hot water for sure. Nothing is worse than being met with a freezing cold shower before heading out for the day
Coffee... although, really, I think heating and hot water probably really come in ahead
Taking every cent back from the Chinese for cheating everyone else so much and finally getting caught
i kinda splurged on a lot of things! Including everything already mentioned above except the laundry.. they only stay crunchy until i walk out of my apartment and get immediately sweaty!
i just came back from home and freezing to death in my apartment in shanghai. the air con on 30 degree is still cold
hell yeah why the fuck are no heating systems installed in shanghai? so much money for an apartment and you get a pile of shit
ironman510:
I'm with you on that man, I was pissed during my first winter in Shenzhen, it was 2c and I found out our school, taxi's and buses never used heaters during this time of the year... Another reason I loved buying car in 2011..
dom87:
oh yeah was in guangzhou the same when i lived there half a year, but i had a air con that produced hot air at least... and still in gz was always like 6-10 degree in winter so not that cold. but in my gfs parents home its like -10 degree and no heating so showering is a torture
Coffee, I'm addicted to it. I buy those large metal cans of Nescafe soluble. Once in a while, when my boss is away for business, he comes back with high quality coffee for me
I decided to not spend a dime on heating my flat, most of the energy would be wasted due to the non-existing insulation. Plus, it's coal-made electricity. I would just feel wrong doing it, it's absurd. I just put on more clothes and more bed sheets. If it was *my* flat, I would invest heavily into insulating it (centimeters of glass wool inside the walls, double glazing, floor & ceiling insulating panels, solar boiler on ceiling/balcony)
Scandinavian:
I'd say you're being cheap on coffee. I have a proper drip coffee maker (Euro breand), proper ground beans (Yunnan organic) and brew it with mineral water (or maybe it is tap water filled in containers by some industrious dude down the road)
DrMonkey:
@Scandinavian Yes, it's really about cheap caffeine. I'm a "xiao xi guai" :D A part from the samples I got from my boss, I receive quality coffee from my parents, and I've a simple Italian-style coffee boiler thingy for such occasion. I drink my coffee black, no sugar, no milk, so the so-so taste of the water in Suzhou is not an issue ^^
Hakupatasa:
same here. Instant coffee is like going out for a 'quick happiness/release." On the other hand, filter coffee (Drip brew) is like having a having a loved one and you 'go on and on and on" thousands and thousands of times.
I am up for spending money on roasted coffee. Well, I usually get if from back home. or I buy whenever I am out of China. Or, I run to carrefour and they have a range of coffee.
Scandinavian:
I used the Nescafe myself for a while. And it sure is better than many of the other options available. The 2+1 crap would not exist if I was dictator of this country. And where instant fails in taste, it does have one big advantage in China. It is easy to bring around and have coffee anywhere, because all places have a "watercooler" that can only heat water.
juanisaac:
I love a good cup of Java as well. If you want to get a good cup of coffee here in China you just have to pay for it- 15-30 yuan per cup.
But after learning the ropes, I can get 5 bottles or bags of good quality coffee from overseas. I just pay four dollars per box and I get at my school in 4 weeks! Take that all you coffee shops in town!!! I make my own now....
Getting use to girls having under arm hair took me a few years not to be too stingy about.
ironman510:
Before I married my Chinese wife, I noticed this weekly that my female Chinese coworkers had tons of thick hair under there, and I was like: "well thats a turn off", then my Mexican coworker friend relaxed my thoughts about.
But yeah I told my wife she could keep it or shave it, so better yet she got it removed by a laser hair removal specialist.
dom87:
during winter is worse... they forget to shave because "no one can see me except you" YES ME WTFFFFFFFFFF
ironman510:
, I've never worked in the North of China yet, but man I have never thought about that, that is funny.. My god it must be a forest under there.
Hulk:
Wife's underarms are naturally bald. Same with the last 2 girls I dated... no idea where this stereotype is coming from!
icnif77:
I don't sweat extensively, but I found out I smell less, if I shave my armpits. Reason for that is probably hairy armpits get soaked with the sweat, and odor stays on till the next contact with soap and water.
I sold that 'theory' to my (ex) GF, and she was shaving all the time.
ironman510:
@ icnif77,haha Good theory, I'll sell that with my coworkers.
@Hulk, Coming to you from Shenzhen, China, BTW my stereo doesn't work out here, God I miss the type of FM Rock stations I use to listen to, and thank you for bring up a rather painful part of my daily morning drive Hulk.... Thats it for our show today folks.
icnif77:
You might start your line with 'Did you know, you can conserve water,...if..........
O2,O2......
I think mine's milk too, I get it from the local foreigner supply store and it's got a six month shelf life. 'Must' be good quality.
icnif77:
I got my milk from the farmer direct. Once I boil it and cool it down, milk became sticky. When milk is 'two days old' it's sticky like 'thick, white saliva'. Western milk doesn't age that way. 'After extensive 'a-na-lyze'', I can 'see', my farmer mix real cow's milk with the powder milk and (who knows, what kind of) water. Hong cha, no sugar or milk, 10 days already.....
''Hello 'MY' cow-girl in the 'XINJIANG' sand......…'' My new fav tune….
Booze. Not bars and stuff, I prefer to have at home.
In the winter I cant live without coffee & Baileys. I go through about a bottle a week.
The rest of the year, I need my rum and coke when i get off work.
Thats my indulgence. Other things I dont bother much with.
mike695ca:
Oh, I guess one more, in light of the original post.
Hotels, I never go stingy on hotels in China. Im not a snob or anything, and in other countries, I couldnt give a damn. But the beds are so hard here, and the hooker culture is so open, Ive had some really bad experiences. So I just bight the bullet and pay for an international 5 star.
Its been quite worth it. I signed up for the sheraton rewards program, and every city i go to has a sheraton brand hotel and by the end of this one year. I had enough free points to stay 3 nights free in Dalian this past week.
Water.
Barrels of water are poisoned. A lot of bottled water is as well. You can't really boil the sinfulness out of Chinese water. You need treatment, son. TREATMENT. I just defaulted to buying bottled water for my wife and myself.
icnif77:
I agree, buTT.....what do you do if 'you import bottled water from Swiss Alps', and then you step out of your apartment, and get killed while 'crossing the street on green' by speeding car?
Malone in 'Intouchables': 'You got to die of something!'
Heat/hot water for me too. Most houses here have solar power water and no heating here in Kunming. But that's okay! It's only cold for three months of the year! Yeah right...
Deodorant for the GZ summer. I would pay 300 RMB for it if I had too.
And air-con too of course. So I don't need to use so much deodorant
I say apartments...I can't control all the bullshit outside of my home but man do I love coming home to a modern, comfortable, quiet, clean, fully climate controlled apartment with dryer, dishwasher, fully equipped bathroom etc. No excuses about doing as the Chinese do; for my home...China stops at the door! You have to pay about 20% more to get one furnished like that (vs. the same apartment with standard furnishings), to me it's worth it.
There are a good number of choices which makes it hard to choose... I have a roommate from the middle east who has no reliable income except for a measly scholarship every month xD He skimps on :
1 heating in winter (this is bearable)
2. )air conditioning in the BLISTERING SUMMER (opens the window to cool which only lets in mosquitoes)
3.) drinking water. He buys Chinese tap water that was run through a filter to save on water.
4.) showers (showers 3 times a week)
5.) eating. (eats 2 meals per day, same thing for each meal)
the worst thing to skimp on would be the AC in the Summer I say.
Mateusz:
About the water, I wouldn't be so quick to condemn the filtered tap water. Given Chinese regulations with food, the bottled stuff isn't necessarily perfectly trustworthy.
South China = AC in Summer
Central China = Heating in winter
Scandinavian:
you know. here in south China, when it is 8C outside, and 8C inside, then heating must be applied too.
Windscreen wipers- only turned on when visibility of the outside has been nil for 5 minutes
Hot/cold A/C, bottled water. I bring toothpaste,shampoo, Advil, and eye drops from Canada every year. I don't even trust the bottled water. Call me paranoid, but I boil the water from the jug before I have coffee. I drink lots of coffee.
jetfire9000:
Don't you need to boil the water before making coffee anyway?? Why boil the water from the jug only to reboil water for coffee again?