To ask about the tightest person you've ever met

[GunpowderGelatine]

I'm not talking about skint people, frugal people or those doing good for the environment - but who have you met who is the biggest tightwad without the need to be tight?

Mine is my mum unfortunately. She's just been for a week-long visit and I swear she gets worse with age (though she's not even 60 so not old). She's well off enough that she retired aged 47, hasn't had a mortgage since 2002 and her husband earns a very good living. She wears designer clothes and has lovely jewellery, so I don't think she's secretly skint or anything.

We went shopping in town one day during her visit and both got the odd thing from places like Primark, Superdrug etc ie nothing expensive. Because I had DS in the pram which is awkward round small and busy aisles, when coming to pay one of us took the others' stuff up with them to pay whilst the other one of us waited by the doors with the pram. Stuff we bought cost us each no more than a fiver altogether. We then went for lunch in M&S, mum got a table whilst I went up with a tray, got toasties and coffees and paid then and there. Cost about £19 for the 3 of us to eat and drink.

At the end of the day I figured we were probably even in what we'd paid for and I would've said nothing more about it. However 10 minutes after getting home she presented me with 3 receipts for places where she'd gone up to pay for stuff, with my stuff highlighted (she must've brought a highlighter with her as I don't have one in the house 🤣) and the amounts written on - the amounts were £2.99, £2.62 and £1.49

She then said she wanted to "treat us all" to the cinema as the kids wanted to see the Lion King. So off we went, I packed some mini bags of popcorn from M&S and some bottled drinks as otherwise I'd be spending around £20+ for the equivalent in the cinema. I packed enough for everyone (this is allowed in our cinema). When we went to buy the tickets, she bunged me a fiver (the cost of her ticket) - so much for treating us! And then I thought we were going into the cinema but to my surprise she proceeded to get a large popcorn, large coke, a hot dog and Maltesers for herself. Which cost her £16.99. We had to all carry something as she had so much 😂 I was and thought it's a good job I have a sense of humour. She then wouldn't let my kids have some of her maltesers because "your popcorn is enough you'll get sick" - and then left a half full packet on her chair at the end

I don't think I've ever known such a tightwad! She's like this with other people - she gives her elderly neighbour a lift to the supermarket when she goes, and takes petrol money off her! Even though she's going anyway.

And no I didn't ask for money for lunch and what I paid for in shops, or for lunch, because i refuse to be like that. I also didn't want to mention about her treating us at the cinema because she'd no doubt say something passive aggressive like "oh I didn't know you were skint" 🙄

Cheer me up please by regaling me with your best tightwad stories!

Mephisto

Surely if someone is a POC immigrant who arrived in this country with nothing then those facts are entirely relevant to breakfastpizza 's story? Because, sadly, both those facts will have made it less easy for the person to have amassed a lot of money. They will have to have contended with prejudice, poverty and disadvantage.

They make it more impressive that the person achieved that degree of wealth, and also help to explain why nobody seemed to suspect it.

Calling breakfastpizza a bigot is entirely out of order.

I used to occasionally work at another site with this grumpy guy who wore very shabby clothes. One of his colleagues joked his shirts so threadbare that you could see where his nipples had worn holes in them!

Someone made the comment “oh he’s on the phone to the stockbroker as usual”, and I asked how can he have a stockbroker when he’s got no money?

He was a multi-millionaire!! He had inherited £££ from a well-known family business “didn’t you realise from his surname” and more £££ and a mansion in leafy Surrey from his late wife who also came from a similar family background.

Money certainly didn’t bring him happiness as he was one of the grumpiest people I’ve met. I once put a song on the jukebox at the nearby pub one lunchtime, and he went up to the bar and made them take it off as it was disturbing his lunch! (1/2 pint and sandwiches)

I have a friend who if we are going for a girls night out insists on coming to my house or the house of others. It took me a while to realise that the reason she did this was that it would ensure that she didn’t pay for the Uber

Surely if someone is a POC immigrant who arrived in this country with nothing then those facts are entirely relevant to breakfastpizza 's story

You don’t have to be a POC to come to this country with nothing.
Equally racism and prejudice are not exclusive to the colour of someone’s skin.

My boyfriend at university was a CF.
He was a year older than me so had already graduated and had a fairly decent job.
I was a poor struggling student.
There was an occasion when I was feeling a bit down and so he offered to come down and spend some time with me. At the end of the night he presented me with a receipt for the cost of the petrol .
He then wondered why I dumped him the next day

6 of us lived together in a house in my 2nd year at university. We agreed to take turns buying “household essentials” like milk, loo roll and cleaning products, which we’d then all share. The rest of us would buy 6 pint containers of milk and 12-packs of loo roll, but this one girl would produce a single pint of skimmed milk and a 2 loo rolls (which would last about a day) for her turn, claiming she couldn’t afford more. Only she was constantly buying herself new clothes, shoes, magazines and she smoked like a chimney. I actually really liked her otherwise, but didn’t miss her cheeky-fuckery when we all moved out.

Amongst many now legendary family stories my dad has 'diluted' crunchy nut cornflakes with regular cornflakes and Heinz soup with water. He'd turn the heating dial back down if my mum had turned it up and switched every appliance off at the mains switch after use including the TV at night. He would follow you and turn lights off as you were going up the stairs when you'd got to the top as you no longer needed it . Would park miles out of town to get free parking. Took me 'away' to France to help him look for second properties but would not pay for my meals. There was an electrical fault on his car but rather than get it fixed and be 'rinsed' but the dealer he let the overheat warning error beep for 4 or 5 years every few miles. Once admitted that he was considering charging us all for coming home for Christmas due to increased costs. We outright refused. Needless to say we don't visit him very often now.

Oliversmumsarmy

Do you really think that being a POC is irrelevant? Do you think it doesn't lead to any prejudice or discrimination that can impact on a person's earning potential?

I wish I lived in your world.

Someone who happened to be in my 1st year student dorm. His family were multimillionaires and must have fudged the books because he was quite pround of the fact he got the maximum student grant plus they gave him a grand every month. He would try never to chip in for anything:

1. Whip rounds for birthdays etc. He wrote his name in the card so it looked like he contributed but "forgot" to put money in. I caught on and said he could write his name once he paid. He was furious.

1. Ordering takeaway. He'd choose the cheapest thing on the menu and said it was just for him rather than paying more to share different dishes. Fine no problem. But then he'd "just try a "tiny bit" from everyone else! Luckily we were all happy to put him straight!

1. In McDonald's one of the group would always drink a large drink and eat all the burger but rarely ate all the fries. He'd watch her eat and wait for her to finish and say "I'll take those if you're just throwing them" but got annoyed if she ate thw6m all asking what he was going to eat! Your own food maybe? But he would rather go hungry!!

There's loads more but it was 10 years ago!

My sister also. At a family BBQs we often each bring something. We have a mixtrure of allergies/veggies etc so this way we're all catered for but also have a great choice. Sister bought nothing but was supposed to have brought bread buns (both normal ones and gluten free ones.

She said to me and other sister "I suppose I'll have to go now then" whilst looking at us. She was waiting for us to give her money! After bragging about having 11.5k in the bank for a house and her partner being promoted to over 50k! And her havina better paid job than me (a then single mum with no financial support from th3 tather (still keeps changing jobs, now self employes so no chance!)
Other sister gave the money then realised she'd been brought no change so she asked for it and a receipt. CF sister had spent it all!! Bought herself some stuff just for herself and used the rest for fuel to replace what she used!! It's only a mile away!!!

These remind me of so many things...

Like when in my first job a friend-colleague suggested we join the DVD library offered by work. There was a £10 damage deposit to pay when opening the account and it had to be paid by cheque. I gave £10 cash to the friend and she did a cheque for my deposit as I didn't have a cheque book.
When it was time to retrieve the deposit six months later, the woman gave me the cheque back, uncashed. Friend-colleague absolutely refused to give me my tenner back in exchange. Or rather, she was very slippery about it and made out I was a ridiculous skinflint to have asked for it. I didn't feel much enthusiasm to continue being friends with her as she made me feel so guilty.

Same job, another friend colleague... suggested we go on a ski holiday together with our respective boyfriends. Mine was a student at the time but he was keen to say yes anyway. A fifth person - a male friend of hers - decided to come too. I didn't know him but didn't really mind.

However I wasn't allowed the whole week she wanted to go for off work.

I said I'd still pay our 2/5 of the chalet, and did so, but that we'd meet them there on day 3 or 4 - I don't remember which. However we didn't have a car so could she pick a chalet nearish the bus stop from the train station?

Anyway the trip was planned and her boyfriend insisted we go to a big ski resort with loads of black runs but about one green (I was a terrible skiier). As if to compensate she told me they were driving so her boyfriend would pop down the one mile (mountainous terrain all the same) trip to pick us up from the drop off point in his car.

Great, Thank you, see you soon I said.

So we arrived at about 9pm at the drop off point and I'd texted her as we were arriving. The only bus of the evening came and went as we waited at the stop in the darkness with our feet in snow.

Forty minutes later I called her to check what was happening. Only then did she tell me that boyfriend "didn't feel like driving down". One mile.

I was astounded. I explained that we had missed the only bus. I heard her relaying this to him and heard him tell her to tell us to walk or call a taxi. From up a mountain!!

Eventually he very begrudgingly came down for us and we we very grateful to get out of the cold.

We arrived in the (actually very expensive) chalet and were a bit disappointed that the third bedroom that had been promised to us was in fact just a sofa bed in the lounge. We as a couple had no privacy as the other- single - man had nabbed the other double bedroom. I was really disappointed but understood that he had gotten there first. It made it very difficult in the morning though when her boyfriend would just come in to the lounge/kitchen and put all the lights on and start doing his breakfast and we were in bed pulling the covers up under our chin. Erm please piss off so we can get dressed!

Anyway that first night she had told me they would get the dinner in and they would cook to welcome us. Her boyfriend opened his shopping bag and took out three items. Two giant 1kg pots of nutella, no bread, and one tin of green beans.

They cooked the green beans and that was our dinner. I was furious.

Then we went to turn down the sofabed and I was surprised to see pubic hair in it.

"Did the staff make this bed?" I asked her
"We did. Why?"
"Erm the sheets aren't clean " I said.
"Oh yes, well as you missed the first 3 days my brother came and stayed for the last three nights"
Oh right, so he slept naked in our bed, I realised.
"Ok..." I said. "Is he happy to split the cost of our week then?"
"No of course not. He's a student."

She had suggested we all drive down to her parents' house at the end of the holiday and we could fly home from the local airport. All the way her boyfriend was grumbling loudly about the petrol cost and guess what reader, at no point did we offer any petrol money, even though we had planned to.

Unbelievably she went on to marry the tight git, who wasn't just tight but also a sleaze as he'd once asked me at work how many sexual partners I'd had. Very smug that he went prematurely bald.

My grandparents once bought my cousins top of the range personal CD players and a game boy each for Christmas, 1992?!, I got a box of soap, and some hair ties.

They weren't tight they just played favourites with their cash, still do, I'm 20 years older than my youngest cousin on that side and while cousin still gets the obligatory £150 cheque for birthdays, I'm now an adult, but yet so do the older siblings who are my age! They gave my cousin a down payment on a house, gave, and watched as I lived through the hardest year of my life with my kids, because we ran out of money, cowboy builder, while buying and extending our home, I had sold my car, couldn't afford another one, so was begging and borrowing cars from people, I don't and never have expected the handouts, I just thought afterwards that it was a shitty thing to do to turn up and tell me all about cousins new home and how lovely it was and how they'd given cousin £20k while I was sat in a house with no windows or running water!!! The way they see it is that I've got a house and cousin didn't have, I had a car and chose to sell it, etc etc. It's just weird. But hey ho. I have windows now (after 5 years) and I'm a much nicer grandchild than any of the cousins in that I value the fact I still have my grandparents they can't wait for the payout.

I'm a much nicer grandchild than any of the cousins in that I value the fact I still have my grandparents they can't wait for the payout.grin

Yeah fuck that I’d have gone NC long ago.

My friend. She loves anything free. They have two incomes and she has a cheaper mortgage than me. She has had loads of beautiful baby clothes and toddler on es. Never even considered offering me a fiver or buying my DD some sweets to say thanks.

Always buying second hand toys, clothes etc.

Would not dream of offering my DD a biscuit or anything out of her cupboards (yet I provide food for her kid) never has got my DD a packet of sweets at the shop just to be nice.

I still remember her not wanting to pay £2 for a casserole dish six years ago when she got a house.

She used to make comments on me buying Pampers and new outfits from Asda or next for dd. She thought I was a snob not getting FB bundles and also nappies. She also judges her other friends who buy stuff more than her. No idea why she is so tight as it's not a money issue. I find her hard to spend time with too as if we was at her house she would never make my kids ds feel welcome with a drink or anything. Lol!!!

Aldi nappies that should say

@Ambidexte

surely if someone is a POC immigrant who arrived in this country with nothing then those facts are entirely relevant to breakfastpizza 's story? Because, sadly, both those facts will have made it less easy for the person to have amassed a lot of money. They will have to have contended with prejudice, poverty and disadvantage.

Well when you go on to say that ’when she died they found that she owned MULTIPLE houses (at least 3). In London. She's been buying them for years on the sly and renting them out. It was a huge nightmare because she'd been claiming benefits without declaring it.’ , it becomes very clear why it was mention she was an immigrant woman of colour.

They make it more impressive that the person achieved that degree of wealth, and also help to explain why nobody seemed to suspect it.

Do you really think I that’s why the @breakfastpizza mentioned she was a WOC immigrant? You are very naive if so.

@Mephisto

It's very interesting to see how different people have different assumptions about this.

To me, the first paragraph by breakfastpizza is all about setting the scene with a description of a person you wouldn't expect to be wealthy:

A co-worker's mum died in her 80s. She was single, on benefits, lived in council housing. Worked as a cleaner most of her life. Was a WOC immigrant who arrived in this country with nothing. My friend was a lovely daughter to her, fussed over her, always driving her and paying for her groceries, buying her treats.

Then the second paragraph (the only one you quote) is about the reversal of those expectations.

So no, it's not "very clear" at all that your interpretation is correct. Quite the opposite.

Friend, lives in our expensive city and only family I know with 5 bed detached house, multiple vehicles (most families have one as transit is so good), own a holiday let and boat. They are 34 and 35 years old. They frequent free cycle and a local parenting group for low income families, getting free clothes, nappies, milk, high chair, cot, and play equipment. Only fancy thing they have is what others see - pushchairs - top of the line. They frequently talk about how it isn’t fair people like them can’t use the foodbank and get free food like the CF who use it, it’s like poor people get everything and hard up middle class like them nothing.

They hire one of those forensic accountants to find every possible tax break, have everyone declared disabled despite very high incomes (she works in the city as a director earning £160k with massive perks including all travel to city paid for, he earns about £80k and has three jobs, she is forever saying he should work more weekends) and does things like docks cleaner £2 if she finishes 5 minutes early. Won’t buy anyone else’s kids presents because “we’re too poor” yet has massive birthday parties, naming ceremonies and gender reveals with those registries just like their wedding. The number of toys their 4 year old has is more than many a toy store - all from presents and/or the low income family toy/book/equipment programs and swaps near us and a few sites aimed at families in need. She will literally walk out with three of something she already has and then plans to eventually sell the stuff when her kids don’t want it anymore. It’s sickening in my opinion.

In a nutshell takes from the poor to help fund their lifestyle, has everything posh people can see, and is probably the tightest person you’d meet. Is awful.

Ambidexte

I am from an immigrant family who came to this country with just the clothes they stood up in and I have first hand experience growing up of racism and prejudice.

Dsis is tight despite Bil easily falling into the top 1% of earners, no mortgage, less household bills than us etc. Fair enough but she expects everyone else to fund her because she's 'broke' (happily squirrelling her family money away). Examples are when visiting my parents who are genuinely broke she will insist on being taken shopping then stand in silence next to the till expecting my DF to pay. Hasn't bought her DC not one Christmas/birthday present - she pretends the ones us extended family give are from her and BIL. I make sure I ask the DC did they like the specific present we bought for them and watch her squirm

I don’t get why you think of her as a “friend” Penelopescat.

My Aunt and Uncle one summer took me to the seaside for fish and chips.Got out the car and Aunt was carrying a large bag.
Anyways, Aunt and I sat on a seat while Uncle went to the fish shop.
He returned with 1 large fish for the three of us!! ( no chips)
Aunt then got out of her huge bag, slices of bread and butter wrapped in cling film, a bottle of vinegar, salt satchets and some knives and forks, plastic cups and a litre bottle of water to share.
We had a four-finger KitKat to share as a treat afterwards.

My father. He and DM are retired, both have state and work pensions. Mums is a very modest income of £900 a month and his is £1300. Mortgage is paid but they both have cars and other normal expenses, bills etc. Yet Dad makes mum pay half of all monthly bills, like electric, water, tv and council tax. No concessions at all. So he has £400 extra cash to spend on his own hobbies and himself every month. They have always had separate accounts and only a joint for the bills. Tightwad.

Forgot to say when we go out Mum always pays for coffees etc, always buying the kids gifts and treats, and only on birthdays just she get 50% from DF.

I am gobsmacked at some of this really

You have people who are properly skint and scraping for every penny to justify putting the heating on, and you have rich twats who won’t spend any more cos “others will pay for them”

It makes me quite cross really

This is from a friend who himself was always very very careful with money.

Friend had just started his first job and one weekend the company had an inter dept sports day.

After the event had finished his boss who was giving him a lift to the nearest station asked if he was hungry.

He thought his boss was possibly going to go to a pub and get a meal and he could have a chat with the guy and bond over a pie and a pint and then he would be first on the list for a promotion if he got to know his boss socially.

Boss said he fancied a cup of tea and some sandwiches.
He scanned the area, a big village green with houses around it.

With friend following his boss walked over to one house who had a for sale board up.

He knocked on the door and explained he worked all week and couldn’t get in touch with the estate agent and could they come into view.

The couple let him in and friend ended up looking around this 3 bed semi. His boss was making all the right noises and once downstairs started to discuss the price and chat to the owners.
He was very personable and put the couple at there ease.

He asked if he could have a cup of tea and also did they have anything to eat as he hadn’t eaten all day and he really wanted to stay to discuss the house otherwise he would need to leave to go and get food.

The lady put on a huge spread of tea, biscuits, cake and sandwiches.

After they left the boss commented on the spread and said it was the best one yet and he wouldn’t need anything to eat that day.

Let’s put it this way if friend thought it was tight wad Cheeky Fuckery

It was definitely tight wad Cheeky Fuckery