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.

Yes, towels that have also been washed many times between uses - and which have probably exclusively been used to dry parts of the body that have just been washed/cleaned/showered!

Wow, would you tell colleagues at work that you are okay with this/do this?
By the way, my MIL who does this owns her own house and has over half a million in the bank.
I am all for repurposing but there is NO WAY I would use old used towels to wipe down kitchen surfaces. To me, that would be a new low!
Each to his or her own!

Lol.. Nope.

She really thought it was a great gift. Lol

Wait until you learn how the global water cycle works.

Not a person, but went into my local supermarket after Christmas and they were selling lots of mouldy carrots at a reduced price. There were several crates of it all covered in black mould. You wouldn't give it to a pig let alone sell it!

I think they would be washed before use so I am not sure why the revulsion.

I can't imagine it coming up in scintillating conversation, but if it did, of course I would. It's not about being tight, but about not being wasteful of resources.

This might horrify you, but we also wash out and re-use plastic takeaway containers for storing food in the fridge - not because we're too mean or can't afford to buy 'proper' food storage tubs, but because it's horribly wasteful to throw something away that has plenty of good use still left in it.

That is truly minging. Wonky or a bit battered is one thing; but mouldy? Eeuw, no!

Towels that have been on peoples arses, you will have used to dry your face, hands, hair and genitals.

How is that ok but well washed ones being used to wipe down a kitchen table isnt?

You need to reset your brain,

🤮

You’re right there! I’m now going to take my own towels everywhere 😂

I wonder has there been any studies into this (ie. people’s juices etc being on hotel towels?) ewww!

All this suggests you don't know how to clean laundry properly

But this is the point! The Op wont use cutlery in a restaurant but will eat off their plates. Makes no sense!

When you think it through a lot of our "oooh yuck" moments make no sense! If you would use a fresh clean towel to dry your face despite the fact that it was on someone elses arsehole yesterday, why wouldnt someone be ok with using an old clean one to wipe the kitchen table when it last saw an arsehole 5 years ago?!

And most mass used hotel laundry is boil washed for exactly that reason. Thats why they have such a high thread count, as cheap stuff doesnt last the laundry process.

Ignore this!!! Got mixed up with the "why do we use cutlery in restaurants thread" Point still stands though!

🤣🤣🤣

I get that some people have issues with germs, OCD and similar; and it must be frightening to have to live with. But for the rest of us, we need to have a sense of proportion.

As has been said about the water cycle, you will be happily drinking water that has previously been through numerous people's bodies. Shine a very bright light and you'll see all of the dust that is permanently there. Yet we aren't seeing millions of human deaths from drinking tap water or swallowing dust in the air.

Lighthearted one. Divorcing my exh after DV. No financials to work out, I was happy to walk away without a penny for me or our child. I had to send a form back to the court, I found 50p whilst walking to the shop, so I purposely paid for a stamp with it so it wouldnt cost me anything. Felt great.

One Christmas MIL asked if they could provide the turkey which was kind of them. Obviously everything else was from us and the table was heaving and drinks had been aflowing all day. When it came to carving it, FIL was cutting wafer thin slices for everyone and putting very little on everyone's plates until I engineered it so my DF took over. When they left late in the evening, MIL took the turkey with her. I had a housefull and they took it back for the two of them. My other guests couldn't get over it.

I generally wash my towels (on a hot wash) tbh.

And yes, when I’m doing tea for myself, I do two cups with one teabag. I like weak tea, why would I not re-use the bag?

You seem massively overinvested in what sounds like fairly normal behaviour by your MIL.

Edited to say: And yes, I’ve mentioned re-using teabags at work. I’m well enough off that I’m not worried people will think I’m poor.

Surely it's a joke gift, because of Jersey cows. I'd have thought it funny.

You do know that washing towels kills germs. If you don’t know this, do you use a new cloth every time you used to wipe down a surface?
You will be horrified by this but 40 or so years ago, practically everyone used old pieces of clothing for dusting etc. Yes including men’s old underpants 😀.

And much of that dust is made up from skin particles...maybe even from people's arses...

She was a single parent and needed to work. Mainly she was a kind person. She moved around a lot and lived a frugal lifestyle With very little possessions. Like a hippie really. Money was tight for her and I was happy to look after her child as I had children the same age and they played happily together.
Like I said I expected nothing in return and was happy to do it. I was just shocked that she actually thought I would think that was a gift! Lool..
I didn't post to grumble about it, only because people were asking for the 'cheapest' gift ever. I think it takes a lot to top that!

When I would thank my mil for a present, she would often reply "I won it in a raffle"! Always used to make me laugh. No pretence that she'd spent money on me.

To be fair I’ve known quite a few people who do something similar to this (although they usually at least offer money). The residents are often glad to have a car in the driveway because it makes it look like someone is home and that that person is fit enough to be driving, so they feel more secure.