Friend talks about money

Decide if you want to stay friends or not. If you decide to stay friends then start to educate her. Say things like ' I don't find prices interesting, I like to know why you like it.' keep up the broken record - ' I don't find prices interesting' with a suitable phrase attached. Gradualy she may realise that price is not a topic of conversation you enjoy.

Thought you might like something lighthearted on this thread. Yesterday I took my two grandchildren into a discount store to spend some money their mother had given them as a special treat. My granddaughter (9) spent 3/4 of her money ... a framed picture for her bedroom, a diary, a small toy and some paint holders for her artwork. Her brother (7) bought a bottle of orange juice, some confectionery snakes and a bouncy ball. He had 3/4 of his money left. When we asked why he spent so little, he replied with a straight face "I'm a cheap guy." 7 years old!!! ?

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I don`t understand people who talk about money.
You either have enough to live on or not,maybe she has nothing else in her life to talk about,sad really.
I never tak about money to anyone except dh.
I think it`s a private matter.

Let her carry on, but don’t get drawn into discussing your finances. We don’t discuss our finances with anyone, it is our private business. We are all different.

I’d find this difficult to listen to as it’s rather private isn’t it,
If she’s a good friend I’d change the subject.

There are many people like this in the world.
I had a friend (no longer) who would never buy a drink and do her utmost to cut costs. We would go out to eat wherever there was an offer on.
Another friend and I then found out that she rented out her villa in Nice for over £1000 per week and we'd spent all that time buying her drinks that were never reciprocated!
One reason that cut off ties with her!

Just politely nod and smile. Change the subject if possible.

We have a couple we are friends with, and she is overly focused on money. Granted, they have quite a bit of it, but I think every penny was squeezed! We have learned not to go to restaurants with them because we find it embarrassing to agonize over the bill. Either that or we will foot the bill before it arrives so it can't be agonized over. We have chuckled over the arguments where she gave her husband trouble about over tipping while we were driving home together, then arguing about how much to pay the babysitter (this was when the kids were small). It is easier to go to each other's house for dinner. Love them, but don't need to be in those situations with them.

That old saying comes to mind"she knows the price of everything but the value of nothing" lts her own short comings making her so obsessed be kind and change the subject when she starts.

I am also a nosey person ! ha ha .....but I would be tempted to, for instance, say 'Oh THAT (picture, furniture, whatever !) I gave one like that away .....or I saw one of those on Antiques Road Show ...you never know, might be worth a fortune ....or Oh yes, I saw one just like that for half price ...I hope you didn;t pay too much for it ..............just join in and don't take it seriously !

I would be so embarrassed if I was said friend being discussed on a forum such as this. Surely if it’s a true friend you could just make a joke out of it.

I think you should quote Lady Grantham - she of Downton Abbey. Lady Grantham commented that the new hospital was a cottage hospital but quite well equipped.

When Isobel Crawley asked "who pays for it", Lady Grantham replied...

"Oh good, let's talk about money"... with her usual withering disdain.

Next time she brags about her money, ask her for a loan!!!

i wouldn't bother with such people.
why do you, OP.
don't collude in such nonsense.
that's one of the things i would do differently.
not waste time on worthless people.
seems a bit harsh to say worthless, but were certainly worthless in terms of my time, part of the precious resource/gift my life, being wasted in their company.

Is she boasting or just sharing to possible say, “ if we can do it” to motivate and show the possibilities in life

Buffy, that's exactly how I felt about my aunt, and I felt so sad that she felt the need to do it.

My sisters constantly try to out do one another about their money and possessions. It used to annoy and embarrass my Mum , so much so that she interrupted their bragging to tell them that she’d decided to make a new will leaving everything to me. That silenced them.

Too boring for me I’m afraid, I wouldn’t be interested in how much anyone earns, or spends, that’s private as far as I’m concerned !

My late Mother-in-Law was fanatical about money, despite being very comfortably off.
At Christmas and birthdays she would give very small gifts and always left the price tag on, but she expected to receive good quality and expensive gifts from her children, because, as she frequently reminded them, she had given them life.
One Christmas, I crocheted a lovely evening wrap for her, as she had to go to some function or other to do with her Parish council.
Some weeks later, my SIL asked me where I had bought the wrap, as MIL had being touring the stores trying to find out how much I'd paid for it.
I replied that it was handmade, but the yarn had cost such and such (it was VERY expensive!). I never heard whether she was satisfied!
The crunch came when I was admitted to hospital for emegency surgery, and she looked after my two baby sons for the afternoon until DH could get home.
On the day I was discharged from hospital, she handed me an itemized bill for two jars of baby food and 1pint of milk which her own grandchildren had consumed!
I was going to buy her a 'thank you' present for looking after them, anyway, but after that, I kind of forgot.

She obviously has an inferiority complex.

I don’t talk about money but I don’t mind if someone tells me how much something cost, as long as it is not in a boasting way. If they are telling me about a bargain, I am glad for them. I don’t see anything wrong with trying to be careful with money as long as it doesn’t result in being mean when you don’t need to be. “Look after the pennies, and the pounds will look after themselves,” is a saying I was taught. I can remember my mum crying once when she ran out of housekeeping money. ( she didn’t have any other sort). There are too many people who don’t have enough to make ends meet even now.

Is she northern? I had a Lancashire aunt who used to take us round the house when we visited and point out anything that was new and tell us what it cost. We used to joke about it later.

One of my friends is an accountant and she is always talking about money and how much she has etc. Understandable in a way because she was very poor as a child so I guess there is some insecurity there. I don’t see her that often these days because it gets a bit wearing and irritating. Fine in small doses, though!

I recall an old school friend many years ago telling me 'I haven't come to see your house, I've come to see you'. I was offended as I wasn't boasting, I just assumed she'd be interested and pleased to look around, as I was when she moved. Maybe your younger friend is just excited and wants you to be pleased for her. I don't know how much younger she is but it sounds like she sees you as a mother figure or aunt that she can confide in.

Ask her if she’s ever watched Keeping up Appearances.