Welcome to #AskPOPxo. This is a section dedicated to our readers’ questions – anything that’s on your mind and you’d like advice on!
Psst! Have a better solution to the question below? (Contest alert!!)
Think you have a better solution to the question below? Post your responses to this post’s Facebook comments section. The best 2 responses get to win jewellery from Tanishq MIA. Go on, what are you waiting for?
Today’s question: “How can I be friends with my colleagues without spending as much money as they do?”
My colleagues often hang out after work but I can’t afford every place they go to. They come from rich families and get paid well. I, on the other hand, come from a middle class family and can’t afford half the lavish spending they do in a month.
I have been politely declining them so often that they’ve stopped inviting me to these post-work unwinding sessions. This has become a problem since I really like them and would love to hang out with them sometimes (just not all the time!). How do I broach the subject without sounding petty or like I am a miser?
Answer from the POPxo Team
Dear X,
Unwinding post work is very essential, if you ask the POPxo team. We love chilling at new places after work and we always come to a unanimous vote on which place to go to. We come to this decision after asking everyone, and anyone who is broke or low on cash on a particular day always says so. Accordingly, we alter our plans.
Is it possible that they’re not taking your budget constraints into mind because you haven’t talked to them about it? How will your colleagues know what your problems are unless you talk about them? They probably just assume that you’re snobbish and hence have stopped asking you out. Don’t let this become an impression of yourself. Go talk to them. Tell them you’d love to hang out sometimes (stress on the word “sometimes”). Then tell them you haven’t been able to make it to most sessions since you were low on cash and had bills to pay.
Trust us, anyone will understand your situation and empathize with you. The trick lies in being open about your situation. If they pick an expensive place, suggest a cheaper one and say you can’t afford their choice. If you do it with a smile, it won’t look like you’re turning your nose up at and/or discarding their choices.
If they don’t understand your plight and still insist on going to expensive places to hang out after work, they’re probably not worth hanging out with anyway! Going out to expensive places to eat on a regular basis is not practical at all. It is almost like wearing flashy jewellery to work on a daily basis. Subtlety and moderation is key here.
Good luck!
Caroline
And now, for the 2 lucky winners whose answers are better than the one Team POPxo has come up with…
The BEST answer wins this gorgeous pair of earrings (worth Rs 10,128), and the runner-up wins this elegant pendant (worth Rs 8,257) from Tanishq!
Go ON! Get solving! And leave your answer in the comments section on the Facebook post!
* This post is sponsored by “Mia by Tanishq”
Mia by Tanishq has been particularly designed for today’s urban, independent women, who until now did not have much of a choice with formal jewellery. Inspired by the individuality of each woman, it truly projects power, confidence and taste. All the pieces are crafted in 14K gold, making the collection of over 300 designs durable and lighter on the pocket.
Images: Shutterstock
