"For me" or "To me"?

[thincat]

Hi,

I always have some doubts regarding the usage of "For me" and "To me" at the beginning of a sentence to express my views. Some local teachers here claim that there are differences in their usage but I do not understand what the differences are as their explanations are so vague...

I would be grateful if I could get some help from native teachers regarding the differences between these two phrases, if there really are.

Thank you!

[Rover_KE]

Write a complete sentence or two for us to comment on.

[thincat]

I think of a few sentences:

For/To me, it is a waste of money to buy the book.
For/To me, movie A is a much better choice.
For/To me, what he said is just a lie.
For/ To me, I would choose book A.

Thank you very much!

[emsr2d2]

I don't see much difference between them but I have a feeling I might use them slightly differently!

To me, that house looks like it needs a coat of paint.
To me, Djokovic appears to be the better player.

For me, the past simple would be the better choice of tense.
For me, chocolate is preferable to cheese.

I honestly can't quite work out how I decide which one to use. The best I can come up with at the moment is that when I use "To me", I mean "It appears to me that ..." so I seem to have something visible or tangible to base it on. "For me" is more like an opinion which simply forms itself in my brain or might be based on something other than sight.

Don't try to use that as a rule though. I'm still trying to work it out myself and for all I know, no-one else might feel the same.