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.

Oh yes we had far too much food. I think people took stuff home.

You where not there
I was
It happened
I have zero reason to lie

She hates vegetarians 🤫

I’d also like to add that of course it’s absolutely fine when hosting isn’t equal as not everyone can afford to splurge obviously. We go all out when we rarely host and it’s a massive chunk of a monthly shopping budget. BUT our old neighbours are very stingy hosts (plenty of money btw!) yet they eat us out of house and home, as do their young kids, when they come round. They polished off a newly opened tub of chocolates in an afternoon Christmas time. My husband had three and I had three or four. I would kick my husband under the table if he was like that.

I'm quite pleased I don't know any such people.

Many years ago, we had notoriously stingy friends. No one wanted to babysit for them (we had a very successful baby sitting group) because the heating went off at ten and you shivered thereafter.

They moved to the next town and we and two other couples were invited for supper. Everyone took wine, luckily, as not much forthcoming from the hosts

At the end of the meal we were asked if we would like a digestif. We were surprised but hopeful. Host produced one of the miniature spirit bottles you get on planes and proceeded to share it out between eight. Half a sip each.

I fear I was the hostess that people might talk about. One year I was working as a civilian support worker with the police, we had an incident room going, can't remember if it was a murder it probably was but something serious anyway, I was working 12 hr days 7 days a week. It was New Year's Eve and SIL phoned me and said did I know my husband (now ex) had invited about 30 or 40 people to a party at my house. No I had no idea.

On the way home I stopped at a corner shop that was open late and grabbed what I could but it was a miserable spread and I was mortified. It was truly the most uncomfortable evening of my whole life.

My friends got married and charged all their guests £20 for the pleasure of it. The bash was arranged in a family members garden and the money was asked for per person towards drinks they provided.

First day of meeting new inlaws. Drove 2 hrs down motorway, got there and they were that excited about meeting me they couldnt concentrate to cook lunch. They asked me what I would like to drink to which I asked for a coffee please, I got tea. Then they decided we should have fish n chips.So off my fil and soon to be husband 4 lots of fish n chips 2 breadcakes peas.beans,curry sauce gravy. I hate fish n chips! Then FIL came back said how expensive it all was and gave me the bill. It was 20 odd quid. He continued to stand infront of me and it occured to me I was expected to buy all of it. I was so angry I took 30 quid out of my purse and handed it over ..I told him to keep the change as a tip for going..and he did. 13 yrs ago I swear my blood still boils and its never got any better!

Are you still friends?

I used to work with a group of people who all went out to lunch together on a Friday. One of them was a very posh trustafarian with a mansion flat in Chelsea bought for her by her grandmother. She'd always order a starter and a main and a drink, lob them down, then say she needed to go because someone or something needed her attention back at the office and put down a fiver saying 'That should cover it.' That covered about half of it and the rest of us had to pay half her meal. Eventually we insisted she left £20 and said we'd bring the change back to the office with us.

I’ve got a family member who is a famously stingey host, it’s a running joke about what the ration will be when you go round.

Me and my DM went round on a Sunday once for a roast, I’m veggie and was served literally 2 parsnips, my DM got the same but also with about a thumb sized peice of beef.

DH and I kind of did a reverse. A friend was down visiting from the other end of the country (staying in a B&b), and he said he’d ‘pop’ round. I was best friends with his wife and she’d bought me a present that he was going to give me. I say friend but my DH and him were only really only friends because of me and his wife, but we did get along with him.

He arrived late morning, had a cup of tea and then proceeded to stay for nearly 5 hours! We had no idea he was going to stay that long. Turns out he was actually waiting at ours till he was meeting his other friends later on, but didn’t think to tell us this till he was nearly leaving.

We had no food in the house apart from some leftover baguette (one small serving) from the day before. Had we known what his intentions were we would’ve put on a proper spread. As it was he had to ask for food and all we could give him was the leftover bagel (with cheese) that was ever so slightly tough!!

I think assumed we’d make ourselves lunch and then we’d offer him some. But we were waiting for him to leave so we could go food shopping!!

To make it worse, my DD was upstairs (hiding from him) as she didn’t want to see him (antisocial teenager) and we’d told him she’d gone out. So she was starving by the time he left!

I was really cross as it felt like our whole day had been hijacked. And the whole lunch thing was so awkward. And stingy!

He should have shopped for food and wine. No wonder hes an ex. He embarrassed you.

Jesus she made a killing that night didn't she. £40 profit and some puddings for later. No wonder she wanted you back 😂

We are, and we just paid it without question because we value their friendship and wanted to celebrate with them. Lots of people didn't see it that way though and other friends were fairly outraged! I do think it was a bit batshit, no idea why they didn't just say BYOB!

This is nothing to do with being stingy and everything to do with your ex being a selfish twat.

I'm with your other friends. What a pair of cheeky fuckers.

I'd only provide lunch if I invited someone for lunch. Not if they said they'd drop in to do a present swap at lunch time.

You my dear have a dh problem.

I mean, what on Gods green earth…??

Just why? WHY would you actually pay???

I don’t get it. I don’t get half of these. I think I need to stop reading - I’m getting the rage!

Not a guest guest story but I've never got over renting an overpriced cottage for a long weekend in an expensive part of the lakes. 2 double beds 1 bath. Rural village with no shop. The owners had left ONE toilet roll of the cheapest variety for all of us. Also, all the heating was turned off. Wtf.

I'm confused.

Why didn't you say around lunchtime "are you staying for lunch? We need to pop out and do shopping" or whatever

And even if someone is just "popping round" to see you after an extended time/from other side of country, surely you'd have thought to make a cake or buy some nice biscuits or crisps or something to have with a cup of tea?

It’s true the most well off people are the stingiest. My sister and her DH are very well off but I was always starving at their house. They only let me shower once in the week I stayed with them because of the cost and then complained I’d spent too long in the shower and steamed up the bathroom!

Better too much than too little on the catering front. And cooking or sharing food is a sign of love and welcome.

But WHY? Surely that question was asked.