What tight-fisted, miserly habits would you not admit to in real life?

[FluffyHamster]

I know it's very trendy to be frugal in this age of austerity, but sometimes I do things which even shock me in terms of how tight-fisted and frugal they seem...

e.g. I...

• save all the 'return' envelopes you get in junk mail/ credit card bills etc and use them with a sticker over for school letters etc.
  

• pick up the red elastic bands the postman drops
  

• cut up old T-shirts etc to use as cleaning cloths
  

• save anything with a 'blank side' and put it in a 'scrap paper' tray for use as shopping lists/ kids homework scraps etc
  

• always take the pens/pencils/pads from hotels/ conferences etc
  

What about you?

[Bumfuzzle]

Well, they're all just good sense!


maybe not the stealing

I have been known to, erm, reuse teabags

[FluffyHamster]

Er.. I'm not sure the pens/ pencils thing is stealing? When I go to a meeting/ conference the items are usually branded for that event, so just get thrown out afterwards as they can't be reused?

I think Hotels expect you to take their pencils, don't they ? It's part of their marketing effort!

[somersetmum]

Fluffy, I agree - nothing wrong with taking pens from hotels/conferences - and they're far better than the Argos ones (which are a no no) anyway ;)

My kids share the bath water - they take it in turns to go first.

I never buy dishwasher tablets that are not on offer.

Can't think of any more, but there must be many.

[onepieceofcremeegg]

My mum and I share/reuse gift bags. The last bottle of wine she gave me was in a bag that I had previously given her numerous times!

occasionally I cut kitchen roll pieces in half if I only need a bit . (In the US you can actually get rolls that are perforate to enable you to use half or whole sheets)

If we are going on holiday I buy individual kids' drinks (juice cartons etc) in the supermarket in advance, when they are on offer. I really stock up. Then when we are in the shops on holiday and they want me to spend £1 or more on a drink, I get one of the juices out of my bag.

I buy popcorn from Poundland, 6 little bags in a multipack (Butterkist). We take it to the cinema.

I never buy shop made sandwiches. Not just because of the money but because most are horrible. I cut corners with other food, but I don't find it a chore to put a filling between 2 bits of bread myself. :)

We eat a lot of seasonal veg and fruit/veg that are cheap (for example carrots and apples). When we have other more special fruit we really appreciate it.

I make a chicken last for 12 meals. - made that one up actually!

[onepieceofcremeegg]

somersetmum I don't buy dishwasher tablets. I find that own brand powder (5 in one) works out much cheaper. Asda and Morrisons do own brand, so do other shops probably. :)

[duchesse]

I reuse all wrapping paper as many times as possible- depends on how careful the unwrapper has been of course. Not much to salvage after a baby has unwrapped so they get extra-specially ancient paper.

[frantic51]

I do everything already mentioned and I also take the little bottles of toiletries/miniature soaps from hotel rooms and the teabags/sachets of coffee/hot chocolate/sugar etc.

If I am alone in the house in the evening I turn off the heating and snuggle up on the sofa with a blanket (and a hot water bottle if it's really cold). I never have a light on if I'm watching TV. I only use the dishwasher if we have guests.

[Himalaya]

I make the kids take home made popcorn to the cinema.
Tshirts for rags
reuse tea bags.
Actually I'd quite happily admit to all of these

[CliniqueMum]

I used to love to be thrifty before my son was born - now I am too tired to bother a lot of the time. Things I still do are:

If it's just me in the house (who feels the cold) I will put on 2 jumpers and a jacket before I switch the heating on.

I take a carton of juice with me when out with my son to save buying one.

We often split one adult meal between us for lunch with an extra side (as he's three) which is cheaper and gives more options than buying kids meals.

[Fluffycloudland77]

I admit to all my penny pinching in RL. I'm the only one in the family not complaining about the cost of things and how tight money is. As they sit there, smoking, with the heating on full while they wear a t shirt and all the lights on (and not energy savers).

[Bumfuzzle]

Oh no. You're not getting me sucked into a stealing from hotels thing I remember the body lotion thread! It was carnage in there. blood everywhere. People lost body parts!

my was clearly meant to show I was pulling your leg.

[frantic51]

Oooh Bumfuzzle! Where? Where? Must see!

[sheepgomeep]

I reuse tea bags too if I'm short and about to run out
I also reuse gift bags and refuse to put the heating on unless its subzero. I came in from from work the other night to find dp in shorts and t shirt and no socks and a furnace, he had turned the heating on because his feet were cold then forgot about it so voila wasted gas. We ran out the next day. I was not impressed

[Ragwort]

I use those charity sacks that are put through the door all the time as bin liners . Re-use silver foil that has wrapped sandwiches for cooking etc. Use the water from bedtime glass for the iron - that is really mean spirited, think I do it more to save the environment that money . Also re-use wrapping paper all the time; cut up birthday/christmas cards to make tags etc.

[hermioneweasley]

oo, fluffy, I do all of those. I don't regard them as tight fisted! The ones i do but wouldn't admit to

• reuse cling film
  
• cut open tubes when you can't squeeze any more out and scooping out remaining contents
  
• make own popcorn and take to cinema with DS (but that is mainly about the fact only options are salty or sugary)
  
• re use tea bags
  
• only use half a dishwasher tablet
  
• save those charity collection bags that get put through your door and use for rubbish or storage
  -re gift like it's a religion
  
  I think that's it!

[Bumfuzzle]

Sorry frantic. It exploded. I only just got out alive.

[wheresmytractor]

I do all of the above. I also buy stuff in the sales for my 'gift drawer'. Kids pressies, cards etc.
I buy lots of stuff from car boot sales, for example I bought my eldest son a lovely gap sweater this morning for a quid. Its aged 6 - 7 and he is 3 and a half I have bags of stuff that will be grown into. We have an allotment so at certain times of the year we eat whatever is in glut (courgette bread, courgette fritters, ratatoui, the list goes on) . I buy food stuffs that have been knocked down and have no brand loyalty what so ever, if its on offer i'll have it

I'm such a sad muppet, if i get a bargin, i get a buzz!

[FluffyHamster]

Oh yes... some of these have reminded me of others of mine:

• reuse all wrapping paper/ cards as tags/ tissue paper (I've been known to iron that... )
  
• I water the plants with the water from my bedtime glass
  
• we have working lunches often at work with big fruit bowls, and if, at the end of the day it's not eaten it juts gets chucked away, so I'll often say "does anyone want this? If not. I'll take it for DSs lunchbox tomorrow...."
  

DS has school lunches actually .

[onepieceofcremeegg]

tractor I do that with fruit/veg. We haven't got an allotment but my mum and neighbour have too many apples and we get rhubarb from my mum. i can't bear the thought of buying other fruit for example when we have "free" rhubarb. I might ask on freecycle for rhubarb as I know some people have extra spare. :)

I also have much too big clothes put by for my dcs.

[tutu100]

Good Tip with the value toothpaste TSC. Will give that a go with my kids as I get suckered into buying strawberry flavour Shit as they refuse to use normal toothpaste as they don't like the flavour. At 17p I can give the value stuff a go.

[MollysChamber]

Psst - I snap dishwasher tabs in half so they do two loads - makes no difference that I can see.

[justforthisonepost]

How the fuck do you get kids to have stuff at 17p?

My DC's only like the sensodyne stuff for kids and it's £2 something for a teeny weeny tube