What’s the stingiest thing you’ve ever seen a friend do?

[zappp]

I have an (ex-)friend who is very stingy. She earns plenty and is happy to splurge on herself and show off, but when it comes to others, she is mean with money to the point where I’ve felt really taken advantage of on multiple occasions. It’s almost like it’s a game for her; seeing how little she can pay and how much she can extract from others.

The friendship fizzled out when I started calling her out on it and stopped covering her costs (I previously didn’t want to make things awkward, especially in a group setting, but it got to a point where I was too pissed off to keep being polite).

Against my better judgment, I recently attended a group dinner that she was also part of - a mutual friend was in town and this was the only time we could see her. In the WhatsApp planning group, she’d enthusiastically agreed to the restaurant choice - it was definitely a nicer place, but not extravagant.

When she got there, she claimed she wasn’t hungry and didn’t order any food, only to ask the waiter for an empty plate and help herself - rather generously - from everyone else’s food!!! She also asked for a glass for the wine we’d already ordered, which would’ve been fine, except guess how much she chipped in to the bill…? Exactly, zero.

It was also a bit embarrassing towards the restaurant; it’s hard to get a reservation and the group was small enough that it was strange for one person not to be eating at peak dinner time, especially as we were seated at a big table.

This time I didn’t even bother calling her out - it was so brazen that she basically called herself out.

I know you never truly know someone else’s financial situation, but she’s certainly spending enough on clothes, holidays, and skincare to make me think she could afford a plate of pasta and glass of wine…

Anyway, rant over, I want to hear other stingy stories!

Luckily my actual friends are well-mannered and the opposite of stingy, and we never have situations like these, but some people's behaviour has certainly stopped me going out for big group meals with say, hobby groups or similar. As a non-drinking veggie I've been exploited many times when it comes to splitting the bill. I did once speak up, suggesting that those who hadn't had wine should pay less...only to be overruled by one of the other non-drinkers and made to feel stingy myself, so I decided to just avoid these situations. Typically, my meal would cost under £20 and I'd frequently come away having put in between 50 and 60 quid...and thinking 'that was a very expensive plate of pasta'.

But then - I'm not a fan of big group meals even with good friends. You can only talk to the 3 people nearest you, so what's the point of a table of 10 except to complicate things??

I did once know someone, though, who I would always end up buying coffee/lunch for and when I suggested some kind of system for our trips out, replied 'Oh - who's counting?' as if SHE was the one being generous! Well, I was counting and I think I paid 9 times out of ten before I just insisted we both pay separately - and that didn't go down well.

DH's aunt and uncle only bath once a week to save money and share the bath water 😬they also use own brand food, charity shop clothes and resent chipping in for anything. They are not poor.

Yes. I would have thought that too. The cake was just for the photos.

She got a free spa day that cost £120 , the car park was £6 and all she offered was £3
I declined because if she was that friggin hard up or tight she could stick her £3
I don’t get why think that’s not stingy

It’s not just stingy, @Mossey55, it’s a bloody insult, too.
I would have told her to stick her poxy £3 as well.

Think you have that saying wrong if as you say he lives in a house worth £££££££s

Some of these stories are hilarious, but some, like yours, are just people stealing other people's money.

I've read quite a few posts on here about people going out for meals with work colleagues where people are paying in cash and putting extra down for the tip and a cheeky fucker will take charge of all the money and, having counted the money, will only put in enough themselves to cover rest of the bill, i.e. stealing the waiter's tips.

Brought a home made cake along to a buffet. Eaten and enjoyed by all.

Days later, asked for the baking paper lining from the bottom of the cake back, as they ‘always wash and re-use it’. Sadly, it had not been kept. Extremely put out at this devastating news.

I was genuinely taken aback, and never saw them in the same way again. Generous enough to make a cake, mean enough to expect the paper back. Baffling..

How about proudly announcing each New Year’s Day how little you have spent on your dc
Not talking about clothes and toys but also adding up each meal or piece of food they had eaten each day and writing it in a ledger then adding it all up to get a yearly total

No, it's right. Posh house but couldn't really afford it or was as tight as a gnats chuff. To this day I've not been able to decide.

The heating being off was a huge turn off.

I always thought it was about those people who dress or drive a fancy car but their home is rented.

We lived just like this for years.
Also I hate a full fridge. It annoys the crap out of me
I like to see everything at a glance

Yes - all knickers and no fur coat 😆

My extremely wealthy aunt gave me a £5 voucher once 🤣

Our family friend, who has hundreds of thousands in savings, gets all her clothes from the clothing bank, she also gets all her grandchildren’s clothes there too, and all their birthday and Christmas presents. If she’s got a funeral to go to, she will go there and get a whole outfit.

I know other wealthy people who won’t send me a birthday or Christmas card any more due to the price of stamps 😂

I remember when ds was about 7/8 and his birthday was coming up

Him and my mother share a birthday and she told him that instead of a present,she'd take him to toys r us just before their birthday and he could choose himself something

I was amazed-shes soooo tight with her petrol but agreed

Their birthday rolled around and nothing-no day out/no present

He asked when they where planning on going and she hit the roof

'I NEVER FUCKING SAID I WAS TAKING YOU TO TOYS R US!YOUR LYING!'

I ended up taking him myself (I really couldn't afford to) and let him buy a small toy

She then tried to take the credit for it (I put a stop to that and threatened to tell everyone what she'd done,which sparked the row from hell)

All that over some moshi monsters cards

That bit I don’t know. We were meeting him at a burger bar because he was staying in our town overnight and he very proudly told us about his plan. He’s also strongly suspected of doing similar the night before our wedding when a group of us went to Pizza Express. The bill was £30 short and a few guests had to secretly make up the bill so DH (then finance) and I didn’t see and get upset.

But the OP said no to the car parking ticket. I’m not sure if i’m missing something here. If the issue is that the CF ‘assumed’ that the spa day was free then I get it but that’s not what it says in the post.

That's not stingy, thats sensible.

As I said to the previous poster, the bit I don’t get is the bit where you actually asked her to pay.

Agree I don’t think this is stingy. It doesn’t lean on anyone else’s generosity and it’s items that keep - clothing, decor etc

He will find the cheapest meal when going out.
Will book the same cheap holiday every year, never go anywhere else .
He also refused to fix a hot tap to save money ,.
this is someone with literally millions in savings accounts.

Oh no. You must have been mortified

A friend’s boyfriend….went with her and her visiting friends to the seaside. He sneaked off and bought his own ice cream. He’s worth millions.

I am an accountant. I know you said not all are like what you describe.

One firm I trained in - for 12 weeks before quitting. The partner would do all the shredding so that he could see how much paper I had wasted. He was super controlling though. He one caught me using 'ctrl C' to copy and exploded that I need to use the mouse. The best was he was in a meeting for hours, he had set me a task. I knew the next steps so started to take them. He came out and asked what I was doing so I said I had finished what he asked so I thought I would move onto the next bit. He said 'you see that office down there, that is my office, I do ALL the thinking around here'

A few days later when the admin lady was off - he only had her on 3 days a week and I did reception the other days. The phone ran, a client in a tissy, I did know what she wanted. I said 'boss, Ms Smith is on the phone' him, 'what does she want' me 'I'm not sure', him 'what do you think she wants' me 'oh, I'm sorry I didn't think I was allowed to think' - thunder face!!

But the firm I moved to after were OK. They didn't pay great but I was a trainee and was allowed to print all my college notes/ take note pads etc.

Surprisingly a lot of accountants I know are really bad with their own money. One woman I worked with was constantly taking out those pay day loans.

I'm so glad he's an ex.

@LadyVioletBridgerton usually if you are lucky enough to be taken on an expensive treat that someone else has paid for, you would pay all the parking rather than only half. Or take a thank you bottle of wine or something, to show your appreciation.