Russian attitudes towards money

Lynn Visson’s “Wedded Strangers” explains:

“For Russians, the ultimate sin is being stingy. Americans are considered stingy.”

Russians and Americans have very different views on money. This is understandable considering that the Russians were raised under the Soviet system and the Americans under a capitalist system.

Under the Soviet system, the Russians had money in their pockets, but nowhere to spend it. Jobs, health care, apartments, pensions, the basic necessities one needed for life, were provided by the state.

The problem was that the State decided what to produce. The choice of goods was not available. That was if the product was even available. Goods were scarce. You couldn’t compare stores even if you wanted to.

You didn’t have to worry about spending too much money because there weren’t too many goods to spend money on.

There are stories to illustrate life during Soviet times. When you were walking down the street and saw a line of people, you would get in line, even though you didn’t know why the line was forming and what you were waiting for.

Whatever it was, it was rare and people wanted it, so it was better to queue before you got lost.

By contrast, Americans have more money, but have a thousand choices about how to spend that money. The entire American consumer system is designed so that you spend money on any advertised product. They complement the myriad of options with easy credit.

The trick in the American system is to figure out what is really important to you. It becomes important to make wise decisions because there are so many options available. Buying bargains and good value becomes imperative to surviving American capitalism. Your options are virtually limitless. You could spend millions of thousands of times your income in the United States without a second thought.

The problem is that you would soon find yourself wallowing in consumer debt.

Americans value your ability to negotiate a good deal and find a bargain. They brag about the great deals they get. They pride themselves on their ability to get the most for your money. Living to the highest possible standard of living is the goal of the American consumer society.

For that very reason, American men are proud of their success and the wealth they have accumulated. They think they can attract a Russian woman by talking to her about her ability to keep it.

They brag about their income and wealth to impress her and then turn around and tell her what a good negotiator they are at demanding the best price for things.

These traits are valuable in American society. But all that money talk makes them sound like Ebenezer Scrooge to the Russian woman they’re trying to impress.

To a Russian, who earns a dollar for every fifty dollars an American earns, an American sounds unbelievably cheap when they talk about how hard they bargained to buy something.

You sound more like a miser to them.

When you talk about how you got a great deal on plane tickets to see her, you take the romance out of the picture, as far as she’s concerned. Their meeting takes on the air of a business transaction rather than a romantic interlude.

For a Russian, either you have the money or you don’t. You can afford something or you can’t. You don’t brag about how you undercut someone’s price. You don’t talk about money. It is considered in poor taste.

“First they brag about how much money they have and then they complain about the prices,” Russian women say. “How do they count their money!”

The United States is a corporation. Talking about money is normal for them.

The Russians know that Americans make a lot more money than they do. But they don’t understand anything about the types of expenses that the typical American has.

Russians have monthly expenses for rent, food, telephone, hot water and heating in winter. These expenses may cost them fifty to one hundred dollars a month.

When you tell them you make $3,000 a month, for example, they mentally subtract $100 for expenses and think they have $2900 to spend on the things they want.

The Russians have no idea of ​​the types of payments Americans make each month. They don’t understand that recurring payments like mortgages, car payments, insurance, cable, phone, and other expenses add up to a large chunk of their monthly paycheck.

The average American family has a standard of living accessible only to the highest income class in Russia.

Russians don’t pay personal income tax and don’t realize you have to pay twenty-five to thirty-five percent of your income for income tax, plus property taxes, sales tax and other special taxes.

A Russian woman is definitely interested in your financial situation. She wants to know if you have a stable job and can take care of her and any children you may have by her. Tell him you own your own house. Tell her that you can take good care of her and her children.

Talk about the shops and cultural services where you live. Tell him about the restaurants and cafes. Talk about the weather and local recreational facilities. Tell him about television, movies, and other lifestyle considerations.

Tell him about the schools. Tell him what you like about your job, your family, your home, and the community where you live. Tell her why she will like it too.

Just don’t go into too many financial details. No matter how much you try to explain to her, she just won’t get it. Don’t talk about money unless you have to.