My dad’s the tightwad/squirreler. His refrigerator is a collection of tiny bits of food in plastic bags, which he never touches again. He keeps every lame promotional freebie giveaway (baseball hats, t-shirts, tote bags… all with logos and cheesy illustrations) that come his way, regardless if he has use for it. Always tries to pawn it off on me like it’s some gift. The other day, he tried to present me with a 20 year old blanket (he “no longer uses”) that had holes in it. I keep telling him, no thank you, no thank you, no thank you, we have plenty of blankets. He has plenty of money in the bank, no debt, his house and car are paid for, and yet he never gives gifts for birthdays and Christmas and always asks his neighbors to drive him to the airport instead of getting a taxi or shuttle. I keep reminding myself that he’s a product of his childhood, but that excuse wore thin many years ago. I mean, the guy’s been living a very comfortable life for the last 65 years. I keep reminding myself that there are more important things to focus on … (can you tell that it bugs the beejeezus out of me?) :-/