My feed
Premium

Please
or
to access all these features

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

Housekeeping

What is the stingiest thing you've ever done / seen someone do?

900 replies

Teadrinker11 · 12/01/2022 21:03

Yourself or someone else, what is the most stingy, mean, miserable thing is that you have ever done or seen someone else do?

OP posts:
Report
TheDogsMother · 12/01/2022 21:08

Well I didn't think it was stingy I was berated by the decorator I was making a cup of tea for because I used the teabag to make two cups. Both his and mine at the same time, not reusing later.

Report
HollowTalk · 12/01/2022 21:10

Years ago I went on a first date with someone. He paid for the meal (I travelled quite a way and this had been the arrangement) and he clearly wasn’t going to leave a tip. I put a £5 note down and when I put my jacket on I realised he’d stolen it!

Report
earsup · 12/01/2022 21:12

My late wealthy aunt....would measure the exact amount of water for a cup of tea....and the horror if you asked for a mug as you were thirsty...then a calculation over the cheapest way to heat the water...kettle V saucepan....she did leave me 27k so not moaning about her now...!!

Report
ConstantCougher · 12/01/2022 21:18

Someone told me they ‘steal’ packs from inside packs at the supermarket and add it to theirs eg paracetamol from one carton and add it to another so they only pay for say 16 but get 24!

Report
BobbieT1999 · 12/01/2022 21:18

One tea bag in a pot to make tea for 4...

Report
Vanillarose1 · 12/01/2022 21:20

When my EXH eventually moved out, he took a 5 year old toilet brush with him...

Report
MinnieJackson · 12/01/2022 21:22

Saw someone snapping the ends of broccoli in the veg shop before weighing it.
My Gran always used to tell me not to tie a knot in the plastic bag when you put it on the scales there because it weighs more Confused

Report
squashyhat · 12/01/2022 21:24

I guess this was a product of memories of wartime shortages but I remember when I was a child my Dad would stick the tiny sliver of old soap onto a new bar rather than throw it away. I now get really irritated with my DH for throwing away the dregs of a shampoo bottle rather than turn it upside down and squeezing it into the new one so Dad must have passed on his parsimonious habits Smile

Report
HoneyFlowers · 12/01/2022 21:25

My father in law would not pay £1 for parking their car near our wedding venue when we got married, he'd only park it in free parking the other side of town and therefore when we arrived at wedding venue we were all waiting around 25 minutes for him to catch up and arrive so we could get on with our wedding day.

Report
CathyorClaire · 12/01/2022 21:26

Bring a bottle of lemonade to a party then drink wine.

Report
Bigdreamer9 · 12/01/2022 21:26

A “friend” asked me to dye her hair for her. She bought over some cider for us to drink whilst doing it to say Thankyou, I don’t like cider, she does. She then took the Thankyou cider back home with her.

Report
RobertSmithsLipstick · 12/01/2022 21:28
Grin
Report
Theunamedcat · 12/01/2022 21:28

@MinnieJackson

Saw someone snapping the ends of broccoli in the veg shop before weighing it.
My Gran always used to tell me not to tie a knot in the plastic bag when you put it on the scales there because it weighs more Confused

🤣 I told my mom to do this tesco said it was OK because your buying it loose if you don't want it don't buy it

I used to destalk grapes as in remove the main stem and just have a smaller bunch of grapes people used to tell me I "had" to take the full amount but again tescos said no they are loose grapes you can buy more or less its up to you
Report
PurrBox · 12/01/2022 21:28

My father taught us to reuse matches if one fire was going- light the spent match from the burner that is already lit in order to light the next burner. I still do that 50 years later in his honour.

Report
Santaisstilleatingmincepies · 12/01/2022 21:28

Dh vacuums our fake grass.
Our ndn mops the path outside her gate.. She is even on Google maps doing it!

Report
SantaHat · 12/01/2022 21:32

Someone told me they ‘steal’ packs from inside packs at the supermarket and add it to theirs eg paracetamol from one carton and add it to another so they only pay for say 16 but get 24!

To be fair, as you say, that’s not stingy, that is literally stealing. No ‘ ‘ required.

Report
Xmasgetaway · 12/01/2022 21:32

I knew a family that plastic runners on their carpets in all rooms to protect them from being walked on.

Report
twilightcafe · 12/01/2022 21:33

@TheDogsMother

Well I didn't think it was stingy I was berated by the decorator I was making a cup of tea for because I used the teabag to make two cups. Both his and mine at the same time, not reusing later.

Now that IS mean!
Report
Theunamedcat · 12/01/2022 21:33

Weigh the veg on the machine THEN bag it

Collect pine cones use them as firestarters

Collect branches on every dog walk year round burn them through the winter

My dad used to follow the coal wagon and catch what bounced off and follow horses with a bucket to catch manure for the roses

My nan bought a heart for my moms dissection lesson at school she was sick that day so they had it for tea instead

Report
Luredbyapomegranate · 12/01/2022 21:36

@squashyhat

I guess this was a product of memories of wartime shortages but I remember when I was a child my Dad would stick the tiny sliver of old soap onto a new bar rather than throw it away. I now get really irritated with my DH for throwing away the dregs of a shampoo bottle rather than turn it upside down and squeezing it into the new one so Dad must have passed on his parsimonious habits Smile

Well it’s good for the planet..

You can buy a squisher to turn bits of old soap into a new bar 😊
Report
PinchOfVom · 12/01/2022 21:39

I rinse out everything
Fairly bottles
Shampoo bottles
Sluice down roasting pans for soup
Any veg that looks faintly shady get juiced or made onto a pasta sauce

😂😂

Report
thistimelastweek · 12/01/2022 21:41

I worked with a bloke who kept his poppy in his desk drawer. Every year when the collection came round he'd bring it out and pin it on his jacket.

Report

Don’t want to miss threads like this?

Weekly

Sign up to our weekly round up and get all the best threads sent straight to your inbox!

Log in to update your newsletter preferences.

You've subscribed!

ArblemarchTFruitbat · 12/01/2022 21:58

My Das used to make us walk two miles down the promenade at our favourite seaside town to save 1p on the cost of an 'Orange Sparkle' lolly. They were 8p and 7p respectively. Yes, 1p was worth more back in those days but there still wasn't much you could buy with 1p.

Report
Elodeastar · 12/01/2022 21:58

@Theunamedcat

Weigh the veg on the machine THEN bag it

Collect pine cones use them as firestarters

Collect branches on every dog walk year round burn them through the winter

My dad used to follow the coal wagon and catch what bounced off and follow horses with a bucket to catch manure for the roses

My nan bought a heart for my moms dissection lesson at school she was sick that day so they had it for tea instead

Re- the weighing then bagging, I swear I saw a sign on a self service checkout advising to do just that - though it might be with the advent of the reusable net bags which shops are now selling, as they do weigh more than the plastic ones! I often don't bag my veg at all, if I don't need to, so I am just weighing it as it is (of course this doesn't work for mushrooms, grapes, that sort of thing, but it's fine for carrots, oranges, bananas and so on).
Report
Hercisback · 12/01/2022 22:01

Collecting pine cones is normal isn't it?

Re the poppy, my nan did that to save the waste but always made a donation.

Report
Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.