You touch on some some interesting points, Chris. I have had people tell me I got “ripped off” when I paid the equivalent of $15 in Mexico City for a ride to the airport. A ride that would cost $65 here… and which was no more or less enjoyable. As you say, I measure value, and if I’m overpaying in the local currency, or if there is a cheaper alternative, I don’t really consider that being “ripped off”.

I suspect that some people perceive minimizing what they pay for something to be as much of a competition as maximizing how much stuff they have. They do this even when the cost drops below a threshold that any reasonable person would consider insignificant. And I guess I never had that drive: I actually feel *good* when I pay someone well for something I enjoy. Paying less purely for the sake of paying less feels to me like I’m diminishing both the person and the item or service.

And I guess that might be just the point. The process of diminishing the value of someone or something else is the only way for a percentage of the population to feel better about themselves.