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.

My very wealthy great aunt used to use supermarket own brand fairy liquid instead of bubble bath! Apparently ‘all the same stuff’. She also loved a free pen and kept every one she was ever given! When she died we discovered a beautiful montblanc 👀

Relative on my dad's side (well, his brother): he'd invite us over to stay (good 3 or 4 hours drive). We'd show up and his house would be empty of food. So he'd insist that we need to go shopping. So off we go to supermarket. He'd fill the trolley full of pricey stuff and expect my mum to pay and prep it all. He did this each and every time. He stayed at our place to house sit when we went away. Mum would ensure fridge was full of food for him, Dad would ensure plenty of wine/beer for him to drink. He got free use of one of my parent's cars (and Dad would ensure it was filled with fuel). We'd get back from holiday. House would be empty of groceries - he'd not even buy a bottle of milk and a loaf of bread to tide us over a night/morning - so off to the shops we go...where he'd fill the trolley up with stuff he wanted, not offer to pay for any of it....and would take the stuff he wanted home with him. God rest his soul, I don't recall him ever putting his wallet out to chip in or pay for anything.

Family friends of my parents: lovely people, invited us for a BBQ. We show up. There's a single burger with a bread roll each, one chipolata each for the adults (kids got half a chipolata each), and half a chicken wing each. Oh, and some lettuce. We were starving!! Mum and Dad had asked if we could bring anything or contribute food, but were told not to as "there was loads of food"....so they bought a couple of bottles of wine and some flowers and chocolates for the friends.

This next one makes me smile and look back fondly really. Another of my Dad's relatives, an elderly aunt of his. Lovely lady - she'd been a nurse in WW2. She lived a few hours away from us and would invite us over to stay. She was a widow and living off a pension, so without fail, we'd show up laden with food (and Dad would insist on helping her out as much as possible so she wouldn't be out of pocket due to us staying there, using more water/electric/gas etc). When she'd prep meals, it would be a slice of bread each, one slice of ham or cheese each, or one hard boiled egg each (you get the picture), couple of slices of cucumber, couple slices of tomato, one small pickled onion. She'd put out only enough for a tiny bit each. And that was that. My brother and I were young teenagers and would be starving. We used to pool our pocket money and disappear off to find the nearest corner shop to buy ourselves more food so we didn't go hungry (she lived in the middle of nowhere, so this wasn't easy). We didn't have the heart to say anything to her, as we loved her and didn't want to upset her. We didn't dare say anything to our parents either, in case they got cross with us. As kids, we also thought that she'd never got out of the mindset of rationing. Funny thing was when we'd take her out for meals, she'd order the biggest 3 course meals on the menu and polish off the lot!!

Some of these are so shocking and sad. My mum can be very tight despite being wealthy. Years ago she lived about a 12 hr drive from us and we’d fly up twice a year to make the most of the May bank holiday etc. we’d fly with two kids, car hire at the other end etc. cost £100s! Once because we were due in late and the shops would be closed I asked her to pick up a packet of nappies for the baby from the local shops. The next morning she brought the receipt for £6.50 or whatever it was for me to pay her back. I can’t imagine ever being so tight I’d ask my daughter to reimburse me for nappies for my grandchild when she’d spent hundreds coming to see me!

When DD1 was born we received a gift from a friend of DH's great aunt, which MIL was asked to carry back from where they lived overseas. It was very kind of them to think of us, we didn't know them at all, so had no expectation of a present. However the gift was some free samples (think 2 nappies) and one Russian doll. I can only assume they bought the full set of Russian dolls and thought "great, I can split this into one present each for 6 people". It was just a bit odd.

Absolutely loved my granny but she was known for being really tight with money. To be fair to her she grew up in a huge family post war but she was obsessed with saving money. She saved all her used teabags, dried them out and used them again which really made the tea taste grim and she would go around all the shops in town checking out which was the cheapest for each item. If you went shopping for her you had to go to one shop for the cat food and another for baked beans etc etc. one time I could not be arsed and bought it all in Spa and she tutted and was really disappointed and gave me two pence less than I paid because she knew that Whiskas was 2p less in NISA.

I once prepared court documents for a 'friend' who was facing a complicated civil trial, and she had hired a legal representative who had made some pretty terrible errors and omissions in the court witness statement. It was pretty clear to me she would lose if that document was served, and there was a lot of money involved in the dispute (a business matter). With very little time left before the court deadline, I spent about 70 hours rewriting everything, adding evidence and coaching her on what she should prepare for in the trial. I didn't charge her and stayed up all night just before the deadline to get everything looking right. When the other party read it, they backed down and pulled out of the trial allowing her to 'win'. She immediately announced on social media that 'she' had won having decided to take on the trial papers 'all by herself' and bragging about how 'clever' she felt to have out-foxed the other side. She never said thank you, or acknowledged me in anyway, or asked how I was doing when I was having cancer treatment. I didn't hear from her for a few years, and then she just popped up out of the blue asking if she could have a free holiday as she could do with a break (I run holiday cottages). I flat out refused because I absolutely learned a big life lesson over this whole experience. Some people are not just cheap but they are leeches.

My daughters got invited to a birthday party of one of their friends when they were 4.
The family were very well off so imagine my surprise when we get to the address on the invitation and it was just a field. Nothing there - No decorations, no entertainment, No bathrooms - just an empty field.
We stayed for about half an hour and made our excuses to leave. When we left, the children were given a pencil each as party favours.
Utterly bizarre!

Yes! We do this.

It it 'Boost', those thick rolls that mop up everything?
Used half a square earlier when eating a messy Grapefruit.
It was plenty.
(isn't that the name of another brand?) 😂

I can believe it. When I was in hospital with my son for a while there were several babies/small children whose families barely visited

DSC has a large mortgage free house and hefty savings. But when DSD was very ill in hospital she refused to visitor because it would cost too much in petrol and parking

So did I! The BBQ was supposedly to thank people for helping out with an election campaign.

Yep! I can believe it too. I spent weeks in NICU and would often hear the exasperation of the nurses over the babies who hadn’t had a visit all day.

Paying someone’s flight on a trip,basically the vouchers for the flight was gifted due to my dad becoming terminally ill
friend offered to pay for her flight but I said no it’s ok
let’s just both go and have a break as the vouchers covered both of us and I didnt want to take her money

and after lunch we had there
my lunch was 1 euro more than hers and we split the bill
that friend then asked me to give them one euro ……

Also another time, I took out dds classmate
to soft play then McDonalds
bet accepted Any money

ok I invited
and I didn’t accept money
fair enough no problem

but then 2 weeks later
the mother was chasing after me for a pound for using some craft materials that she organised think a community event type thing

and I thought 2 weeks ago I spend 10 liquid or more on your kids!

I thought it was a bit shocking too

I wouldn’t gift her a flight again !

Also another friend asked me to make her a wedding cake, which I did even though my dad was so poorly
I’d committed to doing it so i did it

i didn’t even charge her
gave it to her as a gift
really she should have soad het don’t worry about it we will sort something else
you got your hands full
But I, in my bit thinking state just carried on doing it and it was intricate and took hours
and after my dad passed shortly after, think days, I thought
I really shouldn’t have spend so long in that bloody cake

and then….. only a few weeks later same person asked me to do her kids birthday cake

I said no

surely she must have relaised this was a bit much

Also that wedding cake cost a fortune to make with the ingredient let alone time

All three seperate people

not anyone i know...but someone who said they knew me. I was a restaurant owner (steak house so not super cheap) this couple came in.. they ordered a couple drinks.. and a starter,, then two meals (not the most expensive) Then told their waitress that they were friends of the owners and always got staff discount (I gave my staff a free meal if they worked more than seven hours , half price before that, burgers , wraps fish and chips..NOT steak or seafood.) they were so rude and asked for the manager. She came to me. I walked to the table and asked what the issue was? the woman said, we are very good friends with the owner and if we do not get the discount , you will be fired tomorrow when I call him. I just smiled. and said. that is soooooooo funny because no man owns this restaurant.. I DO and I do not know you. I have never seen you before..you are not even one of our regulars...so pay your fucking bill.. NOW. There was a reason my staff called me momager...I may have been the boss...but I was a mama bear and backed my staff to the end.

So very sorry.

for the Labour Party ? 👀

I often tear those big blitz squares in half because they’re huge and I don’t need a full one to blow my nose or wipe the tiny splash of milk I’ve spilled. I wouldn’t call that tight, it’s just not wasteful! I certainly don’t sit there and do the whole roll though!

@urmam @reallywhatsnext I find that deeply horrifying. Mums who've recently given birth have the strongest instinctive drive to be near their babies at all times. Poor babies 👶 😔

I was heavily pregnant with DS and had found out my 15 year old sister was also 6 months pregnant. She was due 6 weeks after me. I think our mum thought everything the baby would need would be down to her. She came out with by the time yours is growing out of their stuff Susie's will be here. Like I should give her all the newborn stuff 6 weeks after birth. That baby was more than provided for her had far too much. DN paternal nana bought most of the baby equipment clothes and did endless knitting.