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.

Perhaps setting a budget might have been a better idea!

I remember once going into my Commercial Director's office scratching my ear and mentioning I thought I had something stuck in it.

He offered me a cotton bud, which I gratefully accepted, and then went rummaging in his desk drawer.

"Would you like a new one or a slightly used one?" was not something I'd ever really expected to be asked next...

Sweet Jesus!!

I am on the fence about this example so I give this example tentatively because I know to some, with open hearts, will say I was unreasonable.

I was walking across the road to the chemist and an elderly lady stopped me and asked me to pick up some Covina for her if she gave me the money. I agreed and she opened her purse. I could see plenty of notes, but she handed me £2.

I politely insisted that the £2 was not enough for a bottle of Covina and suggested she handed me one of her tenners instead, to be on the safe side. She started getting funny with me and said I was having her on. I politely told her she was more than welcome to go into the chemist, check the price and purchase it herself. Or if she felt unable, to hand me £10 and I will bring out the change and receipt for her. It was less than 5 metres away. She declined and I walked on not before gently reminding her that she approached me, I offered, I’m not in the business of mugging anyone for approximately £4! As much as I like to help the elderly and infirm, she did strike me as a cf!

Yeah I used to take chocolates to a friend’s when I was having dinner with her and learned to make sure she opened them otherwise I knew she’d regift them.

Which uses more fuel.

@Unorganisedchaos2 Buying clothes for children at a charity shop is a perfectly sensible thing to do because clothes for children become obsolete very quickly. Clothes last a child no more than 2 years because of growth, so it makes sense to minimise spending on children's clothes where possible.

Driving at a low speed is also a very sensible thing to do. The limiting factor when driving is time spend at junctions and traffic lights, so driving fast makes almost no difference to journey times. Driving fast and aggressively is one of the hallmarks of an inexperienced driver.

How often have you seen someone driving past you at a high speed, and then a few minutes later you find yourself sitting beside the same car at a set of traffic lights?

Up to her, surely? Plus, hasn't she just cooked you a meal?

When my FIL died, the funeral cost £6,000.
My MIL asked by DH if he was going to pay for it even though she has hundreds of thousands in the bank and oh yes, reuses tea bags and dries incontinence pads (provided free of charge to her) on the radiators in her kitchen LOL!!
Can anyone better that?

How so?

If you go to someone's house for a meal, you take a gift, like wine or chocolates. If they choose not to share it on the evening, that's fine. You gave it as a gift.
I think some of the cheap people on here are the ones posting about others!

I’m so very sorry. Your dad was a wonderful kind man and he didn’t need a thank you x

Well it depends really.
When we would go to my PIL's house we would bring nice wine, beers and other items. MIL would take them away never to be seen again and serve shit cheap wine that had been in the cupboard for years and cheap shitty beer. I remember her off loading a can or two of a beer called "Top Brass" on my husband. I'd never seen it before or since thank goodness!
When my FIL was unwell, we brought ice cream and chocolate for him.I told my husband to open it when we arrived otherwise she'd take it off for herself and he would never get any.
My sister who was severely disabled and deeply loved died when she was 40 years old. The in laws didn't waste money on flowers or a card nor did they bother to turn up to the funeral or express their condolences.
Two weeks later when my DH happened to phone my MIL she asked to speak to me and said "Less work for them" meaning my parents were better off because they had less work to do now that she was gone.
I despise this old fucking bag!

Some of that sounds a little like abuse. Separate food part especially.

That's not really what I'm talking about, @Sam9769 .
I would concur with your evaluation of your mil, though..

Thank you FleurDeFleur and Happy Christmas!

You too! 🎄 I'm hoping you can avoid that hideous, toxic person 😉.
I genuinely don't know how people like that can sleep at night.

One lunch guest brought a bread maker loaf. She popped her butter back into her basket to go home. Now known as butter gate.

I do know of someone who reuses her incontinence pads too. Mostly because her 'D'H won't let her buy enough. The house stinks of pee from the smell of them drying out.

😂
I had a friend come round just before Christmas for a meal. She knew how much I liked Stollen cake, so brought one. At the end of the meal we had a slice with coffee.
When she left, she wrapped up the remainder and took it home. We call this Stollen Gate 😁.

Oh ffs, that's just awful. Plus the poor woman sounds like the victim of financial abuse.

😂

That's terrible

I agree but both she and her husband are VERY elderly and they have both been the same for donkey's years - him controlling and her submissive. Probably a bit late to expect either of them to change now

A spreadsheet for any takeaways bread, milk, bought whilst living rent free. Cheeky adult DC.