The Generous Miser

You want a character who is genuinely difficult about money and yet gives freely in forms that cost them far more. You get the specific currency of their real generosity, the history that explains the contradiction, and one scene that lets the reader see both sides at once, so the character reads as a person rather than a trick.

I want to write a character who is genuinely careful with money to the point of being difficult about it, and who also gives freely in forms that cost them more than money. Design the specific currency of their real generosity, what explains the contradiction historically, and one scene that lets the reader understand both sides at once.