Do we all have someone like this in our lives?

I have mentioned this person on here before and they've remained my friend because of the good times we've had, the good times we still have...BUT over the years she's developed an ego the size of a small planet! There doesn't seem to be a single shred of modesty left inside this person.

The latest thing is the money..everything has a price tag, well of course it does, but most of us don't mention it.

Last night I had a particularly edifying evening (it was fun as well) but....,..

I learned how much she spends in Sainsburys every week

that the plastic travel mug she uses for work cost £17

They went to the garden centre last week, was it Saturday, or was it Sunday?....she then interrupted a conversation her husband was having with another member of the party, and asked "The garden centre?, was it last Saturday, or was it Sunday?"...Saturday, I think babe....she turned back to me....."Last Saturday we went to the garden centre 'cause I wanted to buy some plant food...well we saw some gorgeous garden ornmanents...one was £40 and the other was £70....it could have been more....Brian...how much was that bird bath?.....oooh £75 quid I think babe...she turned back to me...."yeah, I thought it was more"...So last Saturday,we went to the garden centre to spend about £4 and ended up spending more than £100!!!!!...that seems to happen all the time doesn't it babe....."er what?" "I was just telling Suz that we always end up spending far more than we set out to"....."We certainly do Babe!"...She gave a that smug look, I hurriedly said....mmmm, it's easily done isnt' it!

Being fairly sunny yesterday afternoon, I'd been wearing my sunglasses in the garden, and had forgotten they were still perched upon my head, my mate plucked them off my head, I immediately thought she was trying to be helpful, until she started examining them....."Primark" I guess, she said....Somewhere like that I said, I can't remember to be honest....."Oh, I thought so.......I only like to wear Oakleys or Rayban.....actually knowing I had a pair of Raybans in my handbag, I fished them out and said "what, like these?" Her face was a picture, especially when I added, but I only like to wear them on special occassions!!! That soon shut her up, well fairly soon after she tried to tell me that she'd ordered some prescription sunglasses....."Brian, those glasses I've ordered were they Red or Dead, or D&G?"...."Red or Dead I think babe"..."yeah, they're red or dead...."Brian...were they £275 or £375? - I'd see the doctor about that amnesia you're having!...I didn't say that I'm (sadly) far too polite!!!!


Do we all know someone like this? AGGGGGH!!!!

How on earth do you put up with that, I'm afraid I would'nt be as polite as you she would be an X friend by now lol

Poor Brian. If I did know anybody like that, they wouldn't be in my life.

I hate that, when people say 'now what day was it? I think it was Wednesday, no, no, tell a lie, it was Tuesday because.......' does it matter for feck sake

A saddo I'm afraid. Pity their need to brag about absolutely everything and the stress that causes them. Ever the need for an audience to validate their petty lives. Sit back, look relaxed and be smug in your own world of notkeepingupwiththeJones's happiness.

Mommabear said:

Poor Brian. If I did know anybody like that, they wouldn't be in my life.

I hate that, when people say 'now what day was it? I think it was Wednesday, no, no, tell a lie, it was Tuesday because.......' does it matter for feck sake

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Brian loves it! You can sure tell who wears the trousers in that household. Brian is a very succesful businessman, he never boasts about it, he just lets her do it for him!!!!

She asked me what I was doing tomorrow (today) I mentioned I'd be taking my mates dog out for a walk, doing some housework, making a cake....when I said make a cake, her interest level rose..."what sort of cake?, ginger I said...."Ginger, that's my speciality"...."Brian, she's making a ginger cake tomorrow, she winked and gave him a simpering smile" Rather than just punch her in the face, I said, and I'm sure it won't be anywhere as good as yours"...."mmm, I'm sure it'll be really yummy, are you using fresh ginger...I always use..........blah blah blah!

I know a couple who are the exact opposite of that , going on about how poor they are and halfway through the month they are down to their last few quid in the bank. I honestly do sympathise about people in that situation as it must be really tough with 2 kiddies but..........both work, both have admitted to me they are on just above the min wage, run 2 cars and a motorbike, both have iPhones on contract, have 3 laptops, an iPad, their recycling boxes always has lots of wine bottles and Pizza Hut delivery boxes in them. Recently they have bought a HUGE 3D telly and a gas BBQ which she paid a fortune for!!
And then they moan that they cant afford a few tins of paint to do the outside of the house.
Some peoples priorities are all wrong!!
Sorry for the rant, it just annoys me x

My friends ex husband (who was a prat) used to brag that he had this and that so a group of us made up an imaginary Japanese make of camera. One night when we were all out together he started bragging so we mentioned this camera, 'oh I've just got that' he said. We let him carry on a bit and then told him it was made up, well I wished I had got a camera at that moment! My friend divorced him not long after, we weren't surprised! Oh and Merryone, get rid of her, I would. :happy:

I was laughing my head off reading the description of your friend because I think I know her sister. People like this tend to lack in other areas of their lives and try to buy contentment which we all know you can`t do. Also they tend to be people who buy things to excess, never satisfied with one of anything and always buying the newer more up to date version.

Can I add into the mix of toxic people, the "illness top trumpers" My out-laws drive me to distraction. I desperately try not to ask how they are but it's a really difficult topic to avoid. They'll trap me by asking how I've been and I'll try to say "Fine thanks" but they'll press me for a specific answer about my joints or whatever and I can guarantee whatever answer I give they've got/had something worse. After a couple of days trapped with the medical encyclopaedia trio I'm ready to self harm. I now don't react to their medical tales but they're not discouraged, however we now use it as a reason not to sleep at their house (too much work for them in their state!) and the cost of a hotel is money well spent.
Anyone got suggestions of how to deal with hypochondriacs, funny or sensible suggestions gratefully received?

Akimbo said:

Can I add into the mix of toxic people, the "illness top trumpers" My out-laws drive me to distraction. I desperately try not to ask how they are but it's a really difficult topic to avoid. They'll trap me by asking how I've been and I'll try to say "Fine thanks" but they'll press me for a specific answer about my joints or whatever and I can guarantee whatever answer I give they've got/had something worse. After a couple of days trapped with the medical encyclopaedia trio I'm ready to self harm. I now don't react to their medical tales but they're not discouraged, however we now use it as a reason not to sleep at their house (too much work for them in their state!) and the cost of a hotel is money well spent.
Anyone got suggestions of how to deal with hypochondriacs, funny or sensible suggestions gratefully received?

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I am so sorry to hear you are having hassles with the out laws. Where I am long term sick I always try and stay positive and not bore my friends and family to death so that when I need to bend their ear (which is rare) they don't mind.

It is one of my pet hates, self absorbed people. They should look out at the world.

Got no advice I am afraid but I will pray that they stop being so selfish and less annoying to you x

I'm in a similar position PJ: 2 hereditary "syndromes" that affect me physically, IBS and long term depression which I rarely mention unless it's to help explain why I can't do something (I hate this) or to offer help or advice to someone else with something similar. I get no pleasure in attending GP or hospital appointments but they seem to revel in it! I think the best way to approach any of these self-absorbed people whether they're medical or money bores is to pull their legs. They don't always see that you're amusing yourself at their expense but it keeps me from saying something hurtful which I'd hate myself for.

Some people don't need a theme for tedious talk: a lad I worked me told me every morning about his sandwich, not just what was in it but where he bought the bread why he prefers Sainsbury's wholemeal to Hovis, why he doesn't use low fat may because of the sugar content...bear in mind this was 20+ years ago and he's still wasting my brain cells remembering this carp!

You are so right about looking outwards - if you have something to talk about people will find you interesting. It doesn't have to be deep philosophical stuff but boasting and oneupmanship about money, possessions, ailments or whatever gets tedious very quickly.

Suz you're doing your best to preserve your friendship in spite of her self-absorbed money talk. Time to buy a few more bits of diamonique (believable stuff) and when she asks how much you or your fabulous partner spent (or however you want to play it) say you couldn't possibly say. But this might be too subtle to make any difference to the way she thinks but you'll have fun playing with her obsessions. In the meantime you should consider writing a sitcom or something, you have a skill for writing vivid dialogue.

Akimbo said:

Can I add into the mix of toxic people, the "illness top trumpers" My out-laws drive me to distraction. I desperately try not to ask how they are but it's a really difficult topic to avoid. They'll trap me by asking how I've been and I'll try to say "Fine thanks" but they'll press me for a specific answer about my joints or whatever and I can guarantee whatever answer I give they've got/had something worse. After a couple of days trapped with the medical encyclopaedia trio I'm ready to self harm. I now don't react to their medical tales but they're not discouraged, however we now use it as a reason not to sleep at their house (too much work for them in their state!) and the cost of a hotel is money well spent.
Anyone got suggestions of how to deal with hypochondriacs, funny or sensible suggestions gratefully received?

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OMG JUDE....She's one of those too...everything from headaches to period pain, the little pack of anadin extra I have in my handbag "won't even TOUCH the sort of pain she experiences!" And seriously, once I'd been prescribed some tablets for backache and it came up in conversation and she asked me to tell her what they were, I had them on me, so I showed her, and I kid you not, she opened her handbag, and slapped out an enormous box of pills and slapped them on the table and said proudly these are what I have to every day!

How to deal with hyprochondriacs...perhaps you should go along with them and say...oooh yes it doesn't sound good does it, mmmm I'd be worried too! Bit mean maybe, but I think it would get them saying...oh it's not that bad!

I think the title of your thread is correct - we all have someone like this in our lives! I worked with a social climbing friend for years and years but gradually she faded out of our circle of friends because we weren't good enough for her. I wonder if we will be now she's fallen on hard times? Whilst I feel for her being in "reduced circumstances" it's hard to feel genuine sympathy for someone who's looked down on us and our little lives for so long while she was off going to balls and on tropical holidays.

I also have a hypochondriac friend who has been the same for the almost 30 years I've known her and it's like crying wolf - she is now having real health problems and we are all quite numb after the years of exaggerated aches and pains we've had to hear about! However, her kind nature and sense of humour in other ways have outweighed this aspect of her personality and we have stayed good friends throughout.

I suppose we all have to decide whether it's worth putting up with people's characteristics. I bet I've annoyed people over the years but no-one's ever told me my bad points so I'll never know apart from my ex-husband, of course and he doesn't know what he's talking about haha!

So Merryone, if she really drives you to distraction, dump her. Otherwise, just try to see the humour in her, if you can. At least you've got an outlet here and I for one have enjoyed reading your thread about her. Perhaps you could turn it into a novel and make some money from it - I'm sure we could all come up with a title or two.

I think she behaves like this because she hasn't got anything major wrong in her life to deal with, therefore she has no empathy for anybody else. I encountered some real prats on my recent cruise, well put it this way I was thinking keel hauling would be too good for them, they were that annoying!!!! As for the illness trump card, silly cow should be grateful she has nothing major gone wrong, I really don't understand how anyone can enjoy presenting themselves to the GP or hospital for anything other than a check up appointment and playing the my head hurts worse than yours is pathetic.