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!

We had some friends who were quite wealthy but also ruthlessly mean. On a day out the mum bought a 4 finger Kit Kat. Her (adult) daughter asked to share it, so she broke it in two and asked for half the money. Daughter got her purse out and paid her. I sat there astonished.

Well I didn’t - what’s your point?

I can't help comparing her to my younger DD, who certainly has her faults but has never been stingy. When she was three, she had a two-finger Kit-Kat (well, a supermarket version) and offered me half. I accepted and she broke it in two accidentally dropping half on the floor in the process. The half she didn't drop had more chocolate on it and that was the half she held out to me. Bless her!

Gonnae no' say that

Many years ago on a holiday to Athens. My companion and I palled up with another couple on the tour. A freeloading woman who lived there tagged along. She had not paid her share at the last group meal so we had all subbed her rather than call her out. She probably did quite well out of groups of tourists she "befriended".It came to the last evening when we were all short of money and had more or less worked out what we could each afford. She had enjoyed a starter, main and wine like the rest of us. At the end of the meal I asked the waiter for a bill for just us. The other couple did the same. So no one paid for the scrounger and there was money outstanding. We left her arguing with the restaurant manager who was threatening to call the police ...

OMG I’m glad you named her, what an absolute dickhead.

Something similar happened to us at our graduation meal, when we had our two families and a CF mature student whom we know, who heard that we were going and gleefully came along when (we realised at the end) she had absolutely no means of paying and just assumed that somebody else would pay for her as well as for their own actual family when the bill for what she'd eaten arrived

Quite disappointingly, our friend's DF was rather wealthy and, without making any kind of scene or big show, he nevertheless insisted on paying for all of us - so CF got away with it.

I love the thought with yours that she was actually arguing with the restaurant manager! What was the thrust of her strong case: that she didn't think it was in any way reasonable for somebody in a standard restaurant context, who'd provided you with food and drink that you'd ordered from a menu where every item had a price next to it and consumed, to actually expect you to pay for it?!

My cousin (luckily now have nothing to do with) was always pulling a fast one. She probably got it from her mum who was always changing the sticker prices on things in shops so she got it cheaper (in the days before bar codes). My cousin told me that she once stole a tip in a restaurant that was left on a table for the staff. If I was going to see her she'd find some way to get me to pay for something for her eg as I was pulling up in my car she'd call out her window for me to grab her a chocolate bar from the corner shop, and never give me the money. She "borrowed" money from me and when I asked for it back she said she'd given it to me conveniently when we were both drunk. I knew it was a lie but couldn't prove it. I'm also pretty sure she stole some vouchers I had as they went missing after she visited me. Again, I couldn't prove it. She was quite well off but she really was a deceitful cow and I'm glad I never have to see her again

I don't mind splitting the bill if it's sort of similar prices but if someone has necked wine and I haven't, am I hell paying for their drinks. I'm guessing you expect everyone to pay for your extras. Are you a cf like the ones on here?

Probably wetherspoons!

When our friends 6 of us used to eat out on holiday. One couple don’t drink and when the bill came insisted they wouldn’t be paying for the other 4’s alcohol. I understand this if it’s spirits and mixers or wine.
however it was happy hour beer for a euro.

Their cokes were more than double. 🤣🤣

I have noticed that a certain type of non drinker just assumes that soft drinks are cheaper. Had this with customers where there has been a kick off about paying for others alcohol, but when the bills were then done seperately, they ended up paying more!

My brother - tight as hell. At our mother's wake it was a free bar, he must have forgotten this or wasn't listening to any of the arrangements! At the end someone mentioned it and he shouted at me because he'd paid for his drinks. I said but the staff at this end of the bar knew we were part of the funeral, it turned out he had been going to the other end of the bar ( long bar) to avoid the chance of having to buy any of his relatives a drink!
How my sister and I laughed 🤣😂

Thats what you call poetic justice!

We were visiting some attraction or other, and in the queue waiting to go in and pay. It was free entry for young kids of 5 and under. Up ahead of us and from the front of the queue, I heard the joyous sound of a small child saying loudly:
"I'M NOT FIVE MUMMY, I'M SIX!"

😂😂😂

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4929335-how-can-my-brother-salvage-this-situation?page=1

Sorry but this thread has made me think of the above one which amused me no end!

I remember my Mum taking me and some friends to a swimming baths when I was 10-ish and it was free to get in if you had ten kids. There were 9 of us so I moved us all over to look at something before she paid for the adults. Is that CF?

I have a CF colleague who I am also closer to than other colleagues. She's lovely but rubbish with money. At the work xmas do last year she kept appearing at the bar and asking me to buy her a drink, and then conveniently disappearing when it would be her turn to pay. I have learned my lesson now with her, she also came to the bar when I was getting my last glass of wine before going up to my room, saying she was skint and would pay me back once she had been paid. I mean, I wouldn't dream of that!? If I couldn't afford a drink I'd stay sober. She's on the same wage as me, not a lot but it isn't everyone else's fault that she doesn't manager her money better! Strangely enough she's been bankrupt 3 times apparently. Literally.

Thanks, @Thetimeshop - I'd forgotten about that dog and CF boyfriend one!

You felt it was unclear-however, it was your reading comprehension that was poor rather than the post. That’s my point.

That is indeed hilarious; but I also think it's sad when parents who do this will bring their children up to blatantly lie from a young age - once the children are old enough to understand what's happening and to (innocently) gainsay their parents unless strictly schooled otherwise.

It's also taking away a proud sense of achievement from them as, when you're 5, it's a special moment in your life when you finally turn 6 and you're heading towards being an even bigger girl or boy. It seems really unkind to minimise and deny that big step for them, just to steal a few quid.

Do you feel better now for belittling a stranger on the internet? I hope so - happy to have been your punching bag for whatever you’re dealing with.

Someone who doesn’t eat after 6pm because their body can’t adjust and not hungry yet if go to families house to eat and there’s leftovers she will take them home. She is vegetarian only due to the fact she won’t pay the price for meat

Your user name is one of the best on here imo.

why on earth are you friends with this woman!

I can understand people staying friends if the person's stinginess is the only negative and they are otherwise lovely people, and even more so if it is explained (e.g. they are/used to struggle for money). My dad can be seen as tight in terms of not liking to 'waste' money, but is incredibly generous in terms of giving his time and effort to help others, for example.

But often, like in this case, it seems inextricably linked with a lot of other negative character traits - just general lack of generosity in everything, just not financial, superiority complex, miserable, out for what they can get, rude, selfish...all of which combine to make someone I struggle to see how the benefits of spending time with them could possibly outweigh the negatives.

There are more than 7 billion people in the world, you don't have to stay friends with these people!

We have a big group of friends who are all very close, there's 7 couples so usually 14 of us all together. We host BBQs quite often in the Summer months. One friend will arrive with one bottle of beer & nothing else. Baring in mind we provide all the food & soft drinks. I usually buy a few bottles of wine in case anyone runs out but everyone brings their own alcohol & maybe sweet treats or desserts or a bottle of wine or beer for me & DH as a thank you for hosting. Last year this one friend drank the wine I'd bought, no problem as that was what it was for but then took her bottle of beer home because she'd not drank it. She also loaded a plastic box with meats & salads to take home for her lunches for the week, this was before everyone had eaten not at the end of the day. She's not skint either, good job, no mortgage or kids & holidays abroad every year. The rest of us have just accepted that's her 'isms' & it goes over our heads but other friends not in our group are gobsmacked at the audacity of her entitlement.

@Gossipisgood does "tub women" ever host?