Cheapest thing a person has ever done

[Unorganisedchaos2]

Inspired by the children's birthday party thread, Im sure this has been done so many times but humor me as Im stuck at home with a poorly DD...

Our family once knew a couple who were convinced that the baby they were due to have shouldn't cost them any more than the family allowance and a grant I believe you used to get in the early 2000's. Some of the things they did:

• Commented that it had worked out well that the baby was born 2 months prem as they had been able to claim family allowance but he hadn't cost them anything yet as the hospital were providing nappies, milk etc.
• Refused to visit the baby until the hospital had issued a free parking pass then only visited 3 times a week because they were tired and as it was a 30 minute it was already costing a lot in petrol.
• Did a separate food shop for him of all supermarket own brand food and £1 meals, she actually had "his money" in one of those money bags the bank used and made the checkout person run it through as two separate shops.
• Spent hours in charity shops buying up the next few years with of clothes for him, at his second birthday they were asking us to buy clothes for 7-8 year old.
• Asked my mum to register as a childminder so they could claim childcare but expected my mum to do it for free (not honestly sure how that was ever going to work out)
• Not child related but he refused to drive above 50 MPH because he believed it was uneconomical, even if he was late for work or holding up a queue of traffic.

once read me the riot act for giving a homeless person 50p

@ruethewhirl you have reminded me of when my oh so generous then husband kindly accompanied me to my best friend's funeral. Towards the end of the service they said if we wanted to donate to the charity in memory of my friend we could do it on the way out. I took a £20 note out of my purse, he leaned over and muttered "A fiver will be enough". I went back into my purse and got out my last tenner to add to the twenty.

My mother saved my nappies
Pins,pants and nappies
They'd gone through 4 babies and it showed
I binned them

God that is awful and very hurtful just hearing it. On the occasion when my parents do buy/pay for something you literally never hear the end of it and I think the coercion of gratitude is actually worse than never paying!

They did that as standard when my babies were in nicu. There were only 3 rooms for parents so once you were discharged from postnatal (usually on day 1 or 2) you weren't allowed to stay overnight until your baby was a couple of days away from going home. The first time parents would stay most of the day, but those of us with older dc as well had to juggle childcare and try and attend things like sports day while feeling guilty that our babies were on their own. With my youngest we got stuck in a cycle where I was breastfeeding him and he was nearly ready to go home but they wanted to discharge me that day. In the end they let us both stay on the postnatal ward for an extra 3 days while he got treatment for jaundice and we could prove that actually we could breastfeed fine when we were in the same place and i didn't have to do the post c-section shuffle to the other side of the maternity unit every time he needed feeding.

I got a rose like that from my uni boyfriend, I recall.

At Easter he turned up at my flat door for a date. "My Mum said to be romantic and get you an Easter egg, but you're supposed to be on a diet - so here's a quarter pound of chocolates that a visitor to the house brought."

When people first started the tradition of donating in lieu of flowers, the understanding was that you'd give the cost of the flowers to the charity.

When my dad died, I recall being surprised that some people had put loose change into the collection box.

I can understand wanting to avoid a disagreement with a drunk especially if you know (or suspect) that they will kick off. I have worked in pubs for years so believe me, I get it!

I am 52 and am a lot less of a people pleaser than I used to be. I am not sure its age as such but simply the wisdom that comes with experience.

Couldnt agree more about them being dull. The tightest people I know are just utterly obsessed with saving money to the exclusion of all else, and that is so boring to be around.

I worked for a real cheapskate, he worked in the music industry and got shedloads of free CDs. He paid me to catalogue them for his website, discogs, or list on eBay for him which was ok, Nmw working at his house. He had no central heating, his washing machine didn't work, neither did his fridge freezer, microwave, cooker, TV, toilet. He had melt downs when I went to the loo in case I left the light on & I had to use bowls of water to flush the loo. He used to try to get me to buy milk & snacks & not pay. He had piles of free stuff taken from McDonald's & various other food places like sachets. He had a flash car but his furniture was all broken & filthy threadbare carpets. I took my heater in one day when it was sub zero & he nearly had kittens & kept asking me if I was too hot. Eventually he got the same heater for free with store points or something. I didn't last there long & he kept ringing me to go back. He wasn't registered with a GP. He scrounged asthma inhalers off a couple of friends & died fairly young of a stroke.

He's diluted crunchy nut cornflakes with regular cornflakes to make them go further

I shouldn't laugh but I'm afraid I did

Definitely. "Oh well no one will want much pudding after a big dinner will they? And not everyone is drinking so one bottle of wine will be fine".

So yes specifics is the way to go. "Jane and Stephen, to avoid running out like we did last year can you bring 4 deserts and 3 bottles of wine. Thanks"

Better if you can do this on a group chat so it is less easy for them to push back.

Very unlikely but it was a chance she wasn’t prepared to take in case someone undercut her. Honestly, there are loads of examples of her miserliness.

I went on a few dates with a man (term used loosely!) who was a chief cheapskate.
We agreed to a walk date in his local area that somehow conveniently ended near his favourite restaurant. We went in and he orders many meaty sides in addition to his main meal (I’m pescatarian) and drinks plenty. The bill comes, he declares he had forgotten his wallet. I pay and ask for my leftover pizza to be boxed up so I can take it home and enjoy later on. He asked me if he could have it, and stupidly I agreed! No mention of him transferring money to cover his order.

For reasons unknown, I went on another date with him at a restaurant of his choosing again. There was an issue with my fish meal, and my replacement meal then had a hair in it. The staff were very apologetic and offered me a gesture of goodwill. Before I could even open my mouth to speak the cheapskate asked for 4 cans of the craft beer. He then told me he couldn’t afford the bill so I had to pay again. Oh, and he kept the beers for himself.

I also put up with a chief cocklodger of 6 years. So many stories to tell. I was doing quite well for myself in my 20s and I think these men just latched on to me

My Aunt and Uncle went to Disney, first in our family to go to America and everyone was super excited for them. When they got back they told my cousin and I that they'd bought us our Christmas present whilst there. We were both 13.

Their holiday was in September, I lived with my Grandparents so saw my Aunt very very regularly, most weekends and often midweek too, so this mentioning of the presents went on constantly.

Come Christmas morning even the other adults were excited for the opening of the "Disney presents". They bought us a ruler each. My uncle actually said aloud they were the cheapest thing they could find but he knew we'd love them as they "were Disney".

Short ruler with Disney characters on it. Lovely, but not a gift to hype up for literally months to two teenagers 😂

Bonkers isn't it!

For my moment to stop was when I had contributed for a colleagues 50th (only did Big 0 birthdays) and then 18 months later my boss got really arsey with me because I wouldnt contribute to another colleagues 40th and demanded to know why. I said that given no one bothered about my 50th I wasnt going to pay out for others. She blustered that she hadnt known it was my 50th until I reminded her that she had been invited to my party but didnt go as she was on holiday.

Luckily I left not long after.

Am about to have a conversation with my boss about opting out of Secret Santa at work, money is just too tight. I am struggling to buy gifts for my own family to spare a tenner for someone at work I dont even know.

Our neighbours had a summer house built. They asked us if we wanted to ‘come round for coffee in the summer house’ on a Saturday morning.

There’s a gate between our gardens where you let yourself through. When we walked through and into the summer house, they were both sitting with a cup of coffee and said oh haven’t you bought your coffee?

‘coming round for coffee’ meant bring your own coffee. So awkward.

My Father was a right Yorkshire man who said you should not make fish of one and foul of the other

In fairness, nappies were a big expense when terries where the only option.

Two dozen was the minimum and they weren't mass produced abroad like things are now, so they had to last for as many babies as possible. To women who saved them they werent being tight, they were being kind thinking that they were saving you a big expense.

ETA binning them was a big mistake! I used terries with all of mine except the youngest, for cost and ethical reasons. Eldest is 35 in a couple of weeks and they saw use for 5 kids (although latter kids did get supplemented with Tots Bots etc) and I still have loads, they are great! Instead of muslins for the younger ones, floor cloths, dusters, rags for the car, very useful for mopping up with sickness bugs, they go on and on. Such a waste to bin them.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/186658583906

From Aus but one type of three pan set! I think they are bloody genius, especially for a couple or a single person.

I’m sorry, I didn’t realise the extent of it until I read another comment of yours. She sounds like an extremely manipulative and toxic person as well as a true narcissist. Glad you got her out of your life, and she got off lightly being “owed” £30.

They were good on electric hobs but hopelessly unstable on gas ones.

There is a big market in second hand nappies. We sold our small sizes for almost as much as we bought them for. Baby poo is generally easy to clean so the nappies still looked lovely.

The larger size were not suitable for selling on. I think I passed them onto a friend who knew they were stained and a bit grey. Don't worry, she asked for them i didnt just hand her my left overs and claim I was doing her a favour!

My parents used second hand nappies on me and so they would have been third hand for my sister.

Yeah my Tots Bots all went for almost as much as I paid for them. Had loads of wraps that went for good prices too.

My favourites were the rainbow colour terries I got.....cannot for the life of me remember what they were called but they were bright and gorgeous! I still use the purple one on the kitchen floor, the red one in the bathroom and orange one is knocking around somewhere too, still as bright and beautiful as they were when I bought them when I was having DD2 (25 years ago!).

I found these pot dividers which might be a good halfway house - I’m invested now.

Oh bless you. I know exactly what you went through because I had severe PND after DD1 was born. I still don't like to look at any photos from her first 6 months because my mouth is smiling but my eyes look so empty and lost. It's a horrible illness that steals so much from you.

It took months for me to fall in love with her, but when I did it was all consuming and absolute. DD1 is now 22 and is an absolute joy to be around and I still can't believe how lucky I am to be her Mum.