Of Extravagance and Parsimony

First, extravagance:

Thanks to Tsvi, who let me know about the Jewish couple that won the lottery. Perhaps you read this? They bought a magnificent mansion in East Hampton and filled it with the finest art and contemporary furnishings. Then they decided to hire a genuine English butler through one of those agencies. They even flew to London to interview the candidates before choosing one.

The day after the butler’s arrival in East Hampton, they instructed him to set up the dining room table for four — they were inviting the Cohens to brunch.

Then they went shopping.

When they returned, they found the table set for eight.

Why, they asked the butler, when they had specifically instructed him to set the table for four, had he set it for eight?

“The Cohens telephoned,” he explained, “and said they were bringing the Bagels and the Bialys.”

I thought you should know this.

Now, parsimony:

Click here to read about a guy who grabs used soft drink cups and pop corn containers off the movie theater floor, washes them out in the restroom, and then goes to the counter for “his” free refill. (Thanks to John Bakke for alerting me to this by Michelle Singletary in the July 2 Washington Post.)

You can never be too rich or too thin, but you apparently can be too cheap. (I had not known this.)