Hi, I’m Celine, and I need to vent about something that’s been bothering me for a while. My husband, Kris, and I make over $200,000 a year, so we’re not exactly pinching pennies. However, Kris is extremely frugal to the point of hitting up local food banks, pretending we’re in financial need.

The first time I caught him, he walked in with bags full of food and said, “I saved us a bunch of money.” Despite our fridge being fully stocked, he continued this habit. I showed him social media posts from food banks struggling to meet demand, but he shrugged it off, saying, “There’s enough to go around.”

When I opened our fridge one day and found it packed with fresh produce and meat, Kris admitted, “I went to the food bank again.” People were already commenting on the Facebook post, asking if any food was left. I decided to teach him a lesson.

I reached out to the local food bank director, explaining the situation. They suggested putting Kris to work the next time he showed up. When he did, they greeted him warmly but ushered him to the back to help sort donations. He spent the day working and listening to the stories of those who genuinely needed help.

That evening, I invited friends who had benefited from the food bank to share their stories with Kris. After hearing them, Kris admitted, “I never realized… I saw the food bank as a way to save, not as a resource for survival.” He proposed matching our ‘savings’ with donations, and we started volunteering together. This experience transformed our perspective and deepened our commitment to supporting our community.