Everyone loves a cheerful giver so the story goes, and giving isn’t limited to just the ones we know either. During these holiday months many will enjoy spending time with love ones, friends, and acquaintances while eating out, (frugally eating out) of course. However, remember the ones who are so busily tending to your needs during those visits. When the meal is over and your getting ready to leave a tip, this isn’t the time to practice being frugal.
The going rate these days for tipping is 20% of your meal ticket. The least you’d want to leave behind is 15%. Make sure that a gratuity hasn’t already been added to the bill before you leave your tip. This usually happens when you’re with a large crowd because that person isn’t able to gather tips by working other tables. You can at this point get up and leave after paying your bill or you can leave a little bit more behind if the service was great and you were tended to well.
There are many other areas when tipping shows an act of appreciation. The hairdresser, the pizza delivery person and so on. While their pay isn’t centered around the tips they make, it is good to remember the time and effort these people take in seeing to your needs.
When it comes to the hairdresser, a two or three dollar tip is nice, depending on what you had done. If you had a high dollar style done, then tip accordingly. Tipping is a good way of forming a customer/hair dresser relationship. No one is going to be more busy than the postman/woman. They work in inclement weather, deal with pesky animals, and frustrated people. A nice friendly face and tip will make their day.
You’re a frugal shopper, so you know when the occasion is right to be more frugal. If the service is truly bad and no amount of friendliness on your part seems to work, then reconsider the type of tip you’ll be leaving.
Remember the holidays are about kindness and enjoying those moments of giving, so don’t be a frugal scrooge when it comes to tipping.