As a guest, what's the stingiest thing you've ever experienced?

[Marssuri]

Just that!
I'll start

I invited friends for dinner at mine. I made traditional dishes from where I'm from, sausage rougail, chicken cari and dessert.

A few days later they text me telling me to come to theirs for some food at dinner time.

I show up and bring a small jar of chilli peppers. One of the people who invited me goes "is that all you're going to eat?". I was confused and asked what they meant. They replied "It's everyone brings their own food."
I told them I thought they had invited me for dinner and they go "yes, we invited you to come to the house for dinner!".
They saw my face and said "don't worry, we can share some food with you!" before cutting a couple of raw carrots, aubergines, cherry tomatoes with some white sauce and putting them in the middle of the table.
They then served each other the meal they had made for themselves and digged in.

Note from MNHQ - we've had lots of nominations for this thread to be moved over to Mumsnet Classics and, as we're very generous hosts, we've done exactly this.

Just thought of another in laws one - FIL is coeliac but when we were visiting I asked if they could have normal bread and pasta in for the kids - it's was 20 years ago and the gluten free stuff was rubbish but they refused and the poor kids had to eat the rice pasta that fell apart and the rock hard bread and they also weighed the pasta for us and gave us miniature portions but FIL had massive amounts but because MIL eats like a sparrow we all had to as well - miserable! We kept going to the pub!

Normal nice people

Normal nice people aren't tight

When I was a teenager I used to invite my best friend around for dinner, usually it was 2 or 3 courses, which my mum would make, at least a hot dinner and dessert.

Once she invited me for dinner. This consisted of crisp butties. I don't think it was a lack of money as they had a brand new car every year and annual holidays to Orlando, when no one else's family in our area could afford it.

My exh Mum used to invite us for a meal and to stay overnight. She used to make really lovely homemade chips and give DH about 3/4 of the basket, eat two or 3 herself then give me about 6 chips, DH got 2 eggs I'd be given one, and once she gave me 2 fish fingers. I would have fed a toddler more. After the second time she did it I insisted on eating in the town before we arrived and took snacks with me. Exh used to wait until she left the room then give me some of his chips. If she didn't leave he'd ask for a drink.of water so she'd go to get it for him. He thought it was hilarious.

I wouldn't have gone home, bedding down in the office if necessary and let him deal with it!

What did you say to that!?

I'm sure I've written about my SIL, but here are some highlights.

She insisted she wanted a 'big family Christmas' with DH & me there & we had to stay for a week. We tried to refuse but gave in & drove for hours to her house. Got there starving & expecting a roast since this was a big family celebration. Nope. No food in sight. After a while we got tea & coffee, but that was all. Finally dinner was served: a slice of (packet) cold meat, a tomato, a lettuce leaf & one slice of white bread & butter per person. No seconds, no dessert, no explanation. I don't eat tomatoes.

This was repeated for lunch & dinner every day for a week. I honestly thought I would die of starvation, & when the shops opened again DH & I escaped by pretending to go shopping, & we tucked into our first hot meal for a week, in the restaurant of a city centre department store. It was heavenly.

Another time we stayed with her & BIL in a different city & they suggested we went out to dinner as there was a posh new place they wanted to try. Sounded interesting, but I was astonished at the way SIL kept ordering dishes, tasting them & saying with a laugh that she didn't like it & ordering more. It seemed odd & rude but I thought, 'Oh well, they're paying, they can do what they like'. Years later, when I was moaning to DH about SIL's meanness, I said, "Well, I suppose they did pay for that expensive meal in [city]," & DH quietly said that actually, he paid.

She once put on a 'tea' to celebrate something, & when she announced that the food was served, another guest who'd seen it commented to me that it included the world's smallest pizza. Indeed it did, cut into half-inch squares so that everyone could have a piece.

My partner at the time had just lost his nan, who he was incredibly close to. Shortly afterward, he made contact with his nan's brother who had emigrated to Canada many decades previously. 6 months of messages followed, during which the nan's brother expressed how wonderful it would be to meet my partner, and how he and I were welcome to visit him and his wife in Canada anytime.

We saved up, booked flights, and planned a 2-week adventure around Ontario, booking all accommodations in advance, save for 3 nights that we agreed we'd spend with the great uncle.

Upon arriving at his house, his wife gave us a full tour of their colossal house, each of their five spare bedrooms made up perfectly. The level of detail offered as we went room to room was astounding, with a bizarre focus on the bidets - apparently, UK folk are Philistines for not incorporating them in bathrooms as standard!

We sat down for a meal, consisting of a few lettuce leaves and cucumber slices before the wife announced: 'I've served a light lunch because I don't want you two travelling with heavy stomachs.' The husband looked like he was about to protest but she glared at him and he bowed his head.

The penny dropped - she had no intention of us staying, despite travelling 3500 miles to get to know them. We thanked them for their hospitality then went in search of a bed, finding that there was no room at the inn(s) due to a civic holiday. We ended up in what we thought was a hostel but what transpired to be an old people's home, renting out rooms of the deceased to travellers, used commodes and all!

Canada as a whole was awesome but even 17 years on I can't get my head around how mean-spirited they were.

Loving your Mauritian menu @Marssuri
Did you serve Gajaks too?

We were invited to a party at a friend's house - a house warming or engagement party, I forget the occasion - we were told there would be a "spread" of food. The hosts mentioned doing the "big food shop" for the party a couple of days before, then on the day there was talk of being "busy with party prep" which we assumed was preparing food or decorating.
We had asked whether we could help out or whether we could bring anything, we were told to just bring ourselves. So we turn up at 6.30pm with a couple of bottles of nice wine, a card and a gift. There was a handful of people there before us. The only food out was a bowl of crisps and a bowl of nuts. By 7pm, there was about 30 people in attendance. After an hour or so, a hungry guest asked the hosts when food was being served, and the host said "oh has it all gone? I thought there was more than enough". I was too embarrassed for the hosts so didn't ask whether they meant the crisps/nuts, or whether there had been a spread of food devoured before 75% of the guests arrived.
The highlight of the night was popping into the kitchen to get a glass of water (no soft drinks in sight) to find drunk guests foraging for food in the cupboards and only finding ingredients.

my DP and I got invited to dinner, only to be told we needed to pay for our portion of the food after we left. And it was just a load of ready made M&S stuff (like dine in for 2, x2!)

And of course we took a nice bottle of wine!

Eldest of 3 with 2 DBs. Middle Bro and SIL are very generous hosts - always way too much food and plenty of booze. Youngest is the other end of the spectrum unfortunately. Hosts bbqs where you’re lucky to get one burger and one sausage. Plus because they aren’t big drinkers they won’t provide any alcohol at all. I remember a house warming party a few years back with family and a few of their friends. They announced they weren’t going to cook but would order takeaway (think it was an Indian) and then proceeded to work out what everyone owed for their order. Some people hadn’t brought cash so had to drive to the nearest cash machine! Had they explained that was the plan beforehand then fair enough but no mention in the invite that we’d be paying for our own food.

Even when they are attending parties/bbqs that other family members are hosting they are just as bad. SIL is a decent baker and DB has an ice cream machine so they’ll often bring dessert. However, they stick to a very strict schedule with the kids with bath time by 6pm so will push people to decide if they want any brownies etc based on them wanting to leave by a certain time, all so they can serve up dessert to those who want some and then will pack up anything left and take it home with them!

It’s strange as my parents, myself and other bro are not tight/stingy as hosts at all. No idea where it’s come from. It’s not down to money either - he’s got a well paid job I. Cyber security and she is a GP!

Went to a very pricey half day 'wellness' retreat which was all about nurturing your own mental health, with different activities. stunning location, beautiful wodlands.

For lunch we were served tomato soup (tasted tinned) and cold sandwiches. It was a freezing cold autum day and it was definitely not the warming hot meal i had expected from a 'nurture yourself' type of day. we went to get seconds and they had run out. They brought out another batch and that was only for the people who hadn't yet eaten, fair enough. But they really should have put out enough for everyone to have seconds of the tiny portions of thin soup.

Tea break was hot drinks with macarrons which ran out while half the people were still queueing.

paid almost £150 for this experience. went with a friend and we made sure to give feedback re disappointing food. we still laugh about it!

my parents owned a restaurant when I was growing up, and I remember that there were always lots of friends around. I later realized that it was because of my parents generosity in feeding them… we were kids. Many of my friends came from poor homes…. They cane from households with lots of members and often times food didn’t go around the table much. Girls suffered the worst. Sad, but reality. As a result of their example, I am very generous with feeding people. Will continue this with any friend my children bring home. Food is food sharing, nourishing…

As a young teen I remember visiting my dad who lived in Spain. We hadn't seen him for a year or so. He made us use our pocket money to buy ice lollies from the local shop - pocket money that my mum had sent us with!!! Unfortunately this is one of my main memories of him!!!

😱😱😱That was hard to read it was such a cringe!! Good for you for declining to pay. I'm sure I would have handed the money over myself to save any (further!) embarrassment, then felt like a mug afterwards.

Was the bride Bella Emberg? Surely when she started trying to wrench the wine from your hands you said “What the fuck are you doing?” and wrenched back?

Last year of primary I works have a friend from my class to my house. My mum would make tea which included a vast amount of homemade chips. My friend was very happy. Cue me going to her place which was a flat in a boys school For tea her mother gave me a slice of ham and a tomato with cold mashed potato Wasn't very appetising tbh and a far cry from my mother's
Cooking.

I once helped a friend move house. He was only moving across town, but didn't drive. So I gladly gave up my day and car for ferrying boxes about, and taking things up and down flights (and flights!) of stairs.

When me and DH had moved, we'd taken the two people who helped us move out for a meal. No offer of that (or even petrol), but I requested they include a box of teabags in their grocery shopping when I took them to Morrison's, as I was parched and knackered from the move. They baulked at the expense, but I insisted (we're old friends, so felt I could). For the whole next year they made pointed comments about the teabags whenever I went over, as they were still reeling from the £1.20 expense 😂. Luckily he's a very good friend in every other way, or I would have sacked him off already. Just wildly tight.

Visiting my brother with my elderly Dad to see his family at Christmas and hand out five gifts snd get one back Five hour round trip up North, he never put the heating on. His house was freezing. He didn't like us to get too comfortable so we wouldn't stay too long.

”what’s yours is mine and what’s mine is mine”

My neighbors, wealthy mind you have no family in our town. I invited them for Christmas dinner. She offered to bring dessert. I covered 2 different mains sides appitizers and all. She decided to make 3 desserts but then asked me and another to lend her the ingredients. We were all recipients of texts messages : Baking Warriors can I borrow 3 drops of peppermint oil. Baking Warries can I borrow a spoon of all spice. The other neighbor knows her longer and text back Baking Warriors go to the grocery store, try it.

.... based on their wine collection or the whole house ? 🤣

Mum and I were on Skye, booked into a b&b. The landlady asked if we wanted a bath, she would put the water heater on for 5 pounds. After paying we waited, but in the meantime she gave her hubby ' the nod' . He disappeared for 15 minutes, coming back with damp hair, looking fresher in different clothes. Landlady says the water is hot now so Mum went for her ' bath' . Luke warm splash in the bottom of the bath that wouldn't drown a sparrow! Mine was a cold sink wash warmed up with kettle water from our room...like hell was I paying another 5 pounds so landlady could take a dip!!!!
A nosey in the cylinder cupboard next to the bathroom showed the switch firmly OFF.