</font><blockquote><div id="quote"><font class="small">Quote:</font>
LMO- how do you handle your friends who it bothers? Do you find it difficult?

</div></font></blockquote><font class="post">

Well, it's not like I'm filthy rich or anything like that... and I've made some mistakes and gotten myself into bad dynamics with friends who I "treated" to meals out a few times after they had complained about money woes, and then it turned into an expectation on their part that I should always pay because they are poor and I'm not. I would say that was the number one biggest problem. I say "was", because it's one of the things I worked through with T; I simply don't schedule meals at restaurants with those friends anymore, except on birthdays and things like that. I try to find activities that don't cost anything, like going for hikes, or potlucks, or watching movies instead of going out. That kind of thing. But it also helps to be sincere and unapologetic rather than pretend that the difference isn't there. It seems that for the friends who are already self-conscious about their financial situation, glossing over my own situation pisses them off.

So to reverse the question, what would help YOU in situations where you find it difficult to be around friends who don't have to worry about money?