Dear Dáithí: Work whip-arounds are endless. Am I being stingy if I don’t contribute?

Not a month goes by where I'm not contributing to cards, sometimes for people I really don't even know

'I don't want to not contribute and earn a reputation for being tight, but I feel it's getting excessive.'

Dear Dáithí,

Am I being stingy by not wanting to contribute to every whip-around at work? Like a lot of other people, I’m finding things tighter than I would like. I’m careful with money and follow a budget every month to make sure there’s enough there for all the bills etc. I leave a bit of money for miscellaneous bits and socialising.