Information is currency. Stop tipping strangers with it.

Details about your life have value, and most of them get handed out free because talking is pleasant and silence feels awkward. Where you live, what you earn, what your family is dealing with, what keeps you up. Given to the right person, that builds trust. Given to whoever is standing nearby, it is spending something you cannot get back.

Before you answer a personal question from someone you barely know, ask whether they have earned it yet. A vague true answer is not a lie. Keep the detailed version for the handful who would still be around if things went badly.