Polish people are miserly??

I have noticed during my stay in Poland that polish are very miserly and they hate to spend money and sometimes this makes them illogic like traveling to Mexico with 2000zl!! I back to Germany now but this subject is still confusing me

All the richest people in the world are great savers including Warren Buffet. I had a period of my life when I loved money saving and although I spend quite a lot this days I still hate overpaying for anything which the habit from the past, a good habit in my opinion.

In a country where you have to work hard to make your money, thrift is a virtue. During even harder times Poles had to make do and mend, and this mentality prevails. Why blow money you've sweated for? btw, how many people did you base your opinion on?

All over the world people are working to save money except the stupid once. But poles.... Common they crossed all limits because they can blame all day about 2zl and quarreling... I spent 1 year in Poland and I couldn't tolerate this behavior

Considering that you don't speak Polish and have bad command in English it must have been a hard time for you.

My English doesn't bother me because I speak more better than a lot of polish people :)) and no wasn't hard time for me because I enjoyed my stay and please focus on the main subject aha! I forgot you poles are arrogant as well

Actually, many visitors to Poland complain of the Poles' excessive, arm-bending hospitality, forcing
food and drink on a guest despite his protests. It is about the Anglos (Brits, Yanks, Cannucks) that Poles have coined the saying: "Nalał po kieliszku wódki, resztę schował do lodówki!"

Accordimng to Polish custom, it is mean and miserly to recork an opened bottle -- it must be drained at a given sitting.

For a huge amount of people, wages are terrible in Poland, thus you gotta be a bit more careful with your money.


Many Polish people say this about themselves. It's strange. Hospitality in Poland is no different that any other country I've ever been too. Most people (when you're a guest in their homes) are hospitable regardless of where they're from.

@Polonius: in ALL countries, people act this way re food and drinks and refusing may be an insult (have you tried Arabic homes, for instance?) It is particularly so in very poor countries where people often have nothing but almost kill themselves to please foreign guests. Polish people have nothing special and if talking about people in developed countries, I can say from experience that Americans are the most generous. In America, in cas of a problem, everybody will try to help one way or the other whereas in Poland (for instance), most people don't give a sh###t

And even more Polish people speak better than you.


So far you only mentioned that you couldn't tolerate something.


We are nowhere near to Germans at that.


Sure. You either met passionately tight people or having financial problems ones, there is no shortage of those in Poland.

@Smurf: of course! I say the same too. Polish people are no more hospitable than any other people. I have lived in 7 countries and visited close to 30 of them and it's the same everywhere (in some places, it's even rude to refuse, for instance with Arabs). As I said, Americans are from my experience the most generous (they don't only give food/drink).

When the subject turn about money poles become miserly, jealous, arrogant specially if you are foreign and you were able to get a well paid job and a luxury life in their own country.

@Atwood88: true! I personally can't stand new rich mentality of many Poles

This happens in every nation. You can even observe it here on this forum how certain British people are jealous about me having a good life in their motherland. You shouldn't complain about it because to me it's quite amusing.

Very much so. Just the same.

Worth remembering that many people are asset rich and cash poor, meaning the two flats in town, the bungalow in the countryside, the over-expensive car and the iPhone may make them look like they can afford to buy a round of drinks but in fact they're living on kielbasa so they can make the credit payments.

I haven't noticed any jealousy expressed, Wulkan. Could you give examples?

You can't be serious !
The English are a very jealous bunch since their decline.
The Poles are excelling every day and are very happy about it.

I guess you haven't visited Random chat lately.


That's truth

One thing that's long irritated me is certain people I know in PL who have fancy smartphones but either can't afford to use them (just sending those sygnałki which are downright rude) or have to change their sim before sending a text message so they get it free.

In some cases, yes, it's meanness. In other cases, no, because people do often have tight budgets in PL and without that thrift they wouldn't be able to afford a holiday.

Why would people pay for smartphones? Mine cost nothing. I get a new phone every two years, and my account is nothing fancy. I pay about 70PLN/month.

I buy mine because I'm not tied to a network. I think people in PL often do the same, or alternatively. they have contracts like 'mix' where you often have to pay something if use over a small limit or want the latest or the blingiest model. Without actually having enough money left to make calls or use date transfer on them. Most people in PL would want to pay less than 70zl a month.

All about show really. Not really miserliness, more keeping up appearances against a background of necessary thrift. Still annoying sometimes.

LOL this is true that Polish (most of us) are pretty,well, stingy.We even give the proverbial Jews good run for the money in that respect.But I don't see it as a bad trait (as long as I don't have to deal with other Poles lol) as every dollar saved is a dollar I can spend on other things e.g vacations in Phillipines.(already cannot wait!).

They say wire was invented by a Krakowiak and a Poznaniak fighting over a 1 grosz coin.


Not złotówki?

No, they pay dollars here.Oh and btw I am not envious about what someone else drives or has as I can walk in a dealership at any time and pick pretty much any car I want except some really expensive exotics.At the same time I am using adress from taxfree state to save $10 on my phone bill.LOL.

Ha, nonsense. i never saw miserly Pole. Not even female. Males are even overconfident