Tipping
Tipping is nice. It’s a great way to demonstrate to someone working a service job that you appreciate the extra effort they put into assisting you in a cordial manner, and since in many cases the people working these jobs make very low hourly wages you probably already know that tipping is pretty much expected. What do you do when you’re watching your money very closely though? Should you give less tip money for the sake of your personal finances, or is this one area where you should always give generously regardless of how much money you have in your wallet?
The answer to this question is relatively simple: If you’re desperately trying to get your finances in order then you probably shouldn’t go out to eat so much that tipping really becomes a financial issue. Of course, there are always exceptions since some people have no choice but to indulge in meals for social networking or other reasons. If you’re having trouble making end meet, however, whether or not to tip the barista who makes your daily mocha latte should be the least of your concerns.
You shouldn’t use concern for your personal finances as justification on scrimping with tips. Instead, avoid situations when tips will be expected. If you must go out to eat or utilize valet parking, consider the tip as part of the expense and budget accordingly.
Whether or not you tip a rude attendant or snooty server is more of a personal decision and less of a financial one, but rest assured that most people in the service industry expect a tip, so not leaving one is making quite a statement. Do you want to be the person making that particular statement?
One more thing about tipping: Avoid putting tips on your credit card if at all possible. It’s easy enough to just add an amount on the Tip Line when signing your credit card receipt, but unless you pay your credit card balance in full each month it means that you’ve just financed a tip and will probably pay interest on it. It’s better to leave the tip in cash and be done with it.
We won’t even go into why you shouldn’t be financing restaurant meals with a credit card because that’s another topic altogether.
July 26th, 2008 at 10:09 pm
[…] YourFunds.org wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptTipping is nice. It’s a great way to demonstrate to someone working a service job that you appreciate the extra effort they put into assisting you in a cordial manner, and since in many cases the people working these jobs make very low hourly wages you probably already know that tipping is pretty much expected. […] […]