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!

Oliversmumsarmy

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.

So I take it that we are in agreement that mentioning those aspects of the person's background was relevant to breakfastpizza 's story? Because - as I said before - 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.

Probably my sister & BIL, they take their kids to pets at home to see the animals instead of going to a farm where have to pay, they get their kids feet measured at Clark’s then buy second hand shoes from eBay 😂

I've got more of a tightwad over the years due to being skint but that's cos I am actually trying to be frugal and be better with money (cos I'm shit!) But some of these stories made me laugh lol. I often do not buy something because it's more expensive e.g. like the story with the cottage cheese but needs must lol

An ex friend and her DH were at a big dinner thing at my house one night and they were both heading to another party in a pub later. I heard her say to her to husband 'drink as much as you can before we go because it's free here'.

No - it's not free - I paid for it. Lovely.

An old friend was soo tight.
She would never order her own drink, and then would ask for some of mine.
I also distinctly remember we went out for a meal together and I paid, she did pay the next time but asked me to transfer £2 over to her as it was £4 more expensive than when I paid.
There was loads more so I always thought she was poor, turns out she was a die hard saver and had tens of thousands in the bank.

they take their kids to pets at home to see the animals instead of going to a farm where have to pay, they get their kids feet measured at Clark’s then buy second hand shoes from eBay 😂

I’m guilty of both of those! Pets at home is great for a rainy morning. Although I get the shoes from elsewhere, just measured at Clark’s!

@Ghostontoast - she’s in our friendship circle not a close friend. I shy away and did tell her I thought her getting bicycles from a low income bike program was wrong on so many levels. She then ranted for hours about how no one understands how poor the middle class are and I excused myself. I avoid seeing her but there are times it is challenging like a mutha friend’s b-day. Said mutual friend is also disgusted with their money ‘values’, tho says she doesn’t say anything b/c they see each other in professional circles too.

My aunt orders food then goes to the loo at paying time. Does the same when doing the weekly shop with her brother, both recently widowed. Yet she’s the wealthiest of all he siblings.

If my sister offers to takes my kids for the day, I have to send them with a packed lunch or lunch money, even if she asks to take them for their birthday treats.

The last time she took the kids I found out from my DS that aunty had already made a packed lunch for everyone and pocketed the lunch money I had sent with them.

My brother - used to come round to mine and ask for a carrot and an onion - used to steal MacDonalds napkins and use as toilet rolls.
He’s got thousands!!
We where brought up poor. I once bought a mop for £2.50 and I saw it in another shop for £2 - I took back the original one!!!
I’ve got better as I’ve got older.😇

@Oliversmumsarmy

I don’t disbelieve that guy told you that but I completely disbelieve the story!

When I was pregnant I was out shopping with EX dp and got very thirsty. I didn’t have cash on me (only card) and juice cost £1 from the shop. He had a big strop at having to buy me the juice and asked for the £1 back as soon as we returned.

This is why I’m so glad he’s an EX!

My aunt orders food then goes to the loo at paying time. Does the same when doing the weekly shop with her brother, both recently widowed. Yet she’s the wealthiest of all he siblings.
Reminds me of my time living in China. During the end of a meal between friends or family in China, someone will often run off to the loo - not to escape paying but to sneakily pay for the meal before someone else gets a chance. The general culture of generosity is one I really like. Of course you might treat a meal in return, but few people are bothered if the initial meal by person A was a 100quid and the follow up a month later from person B is only a 50quid. If a friend/relative comes from afar to visit for a couple of days they are generally not expected or allowed to pay for a single thing.

We had a friend, well friend of a friend actually, who came to a barbecue, where we’d said “can everyone bring a main course to share either veggie (as we were providing all meat), or a pudding to share. There were going to be 10 of us. The friend of a friend was invited, and to be honest had become a friend as we’d been out with him several times. He was a consultant psychiatrist. He bought two tiny uncooked jacket spuds and an opened, flat bottle of Prosecco with him “because it needed finishing”. We all sat there open mouthed when he presented these potatoes and flat half drunk Prosecco. No one knew what to say. We never invited him to anything ever again. He used to add restaurant bills up, and give you your total to pay. One night another friend had joined us, and ate nothing, just had a glass of fizzy water from the one we were all sharing. Consultant psychiatrist made them chip in £3 at end of bill. The rest of us were stunned, and to uncomfortable to even say anything.....

I paid for my closest friend to go to Vegas with me for a whole week as she had always wanted to go but was a bit tight on cash. I also paid for helicopter flights, shows, meals, drinks etc ( although I am not well off at all and saved hard for 12 months to do it). After a full day out that I’d covered cost wise she went to the bar after telling me to find a seat and came back with her own drink then said “ you can get yours now” 😱.
Oh, and after a flight delay she informed me she wanted her full share ( that I bloody paid for ) 😡. Needless to say, we aren’t close anymore

My father!!
He has a thriving business which earns him £20k a month.
I never went on a family holiday, we never had takeaways, all my clothes were hand me downs.
On my graduation I wasn’t allowed to go out for the usual family dinner- instead we had homemade sandwiches in the car.
If fact he crosses the line between being tight to being a controlling bully!

My Dad. I remember having a very distressed call from my brother who was 13 and lived with him at the time. He informed me that our Dad would turn the heating, water and electric off during the day when he was out, my brother was not allowed to use them. My brother was not allowed any more than what was offered for dinner, no snacks or hot drinks. The man isn't poor, just thinks everyone is a 'sponge' and is super tight.

Also a friend from a lifetime ago, I remember her boyfriend, who was a work colleague of mine at the time, we had all gone to the pub after work, and he bought a glass of cola for them to share... standard sized glass, one straw, not even in a romantic way, he just didn't want to buy two drinks. Honestly, I have no words.

My husband is quite tight. He never buys me anything from the shops when he goes but will buy himself treats often. We rarely go out either, because it's cheaper to sit in and do nothing. Although arguably that might be less 'tight' than just not 'thoughtful'.

When we moved into a house years ago the previous tenants had taken all the light bulbs and the toilet roll! And the curtains and curtain track but the light bulbs and toilet roll !

We ended up buying the house a few years later and when we sold it I left the curtains apart from the kids (they had no kids) and one set I loved. I left them some tea & coffee and a bottle of wine and a card and a note to tell them when the fish man came, what day to put the bins out etc and that the neighbour on the right was lovely.

I don't know if this counts but my MIL is a nightmare.

At Christmas she will go on about buying the kids loads of presents. In reality they're second hand, dirty and/or so well worn they don't even work properly. She trawls Facebay pages for this stuff and I groan inwardly every time I see her commenting on these ads. She also joins those "do you want to join a group filled with cheap drop shipped crap from China that doesn't work or breaks and fake designer clothes?!" Groups in FB. She once got my child a designer tracksuit with a huge typo.

She also gets wind of everyone that's going abroad and basically tells them to bring her smokes back. Last time she didn't pay the person back and they were left out of pocket.

My aunt in Denmark, bought a family Xmas present for my parents of a wooden coat hanger, my mother spoke to my father and told him what she thought it was, my father didn’t believe her until it was opened on Xmas Eve as is the norm there. Also my grandparents proudly showed us what she given them as a Xmas present in the freezer, it was a piglet, my aunt owns two very large pig farms, is exceptionally wealthy, so it would have cost her nothing. I would never buy Danish bacon as I would never want to line her pockets.

Bowerbird - we've just moved from one council property to another and had to get rid of everything, yes, even the curtain poles and the loo roll! The council comes and clears it out before new tenants move in. I would hate to think that someone thought I was tight based on that (although I did leave the lightbulbs. They don't seem to care about that too much).

Lovemenorca

That is what he told us.

Personally I have dealt with so many viewers that I can believe it.

I have had something similar.

I lived in a thatched cottage which was up for sale and after cleaning it all day one Saturday for a viewing on the Sunday the people who came round finished the viewing and asked if they could get some afternoon tea.

They were really disappointed when I said I only had coffee because they liked to view a nice house at the weekend and owners normally put on afternoon tea for them

I could have hammered them over the head with the for sale board.

Friend is in his 60s now and this was in the 70s when estate agents didn’t open at weekends.

@Penelopeschat.

How in earth do you know so much about your friend’s financial situation?

And highly unlikely she has successfully got everyone PIP payments!

My mum is also super tight and for no reason. Her and my dad are quite extravagant with themselves, eat out most days , often in high end restaurants etc.
My kids are 6 and 8 and she has NEVER bought them a thing with the exception of birthday and xmas and even then I buy it and she gives me the money and then complains about what a waste of money the item is.
I once caught her packing up some left over napkins from Easter dinner at my house so she could use at her house when my brother and his children were coming round. She had them stuffed in her pockets. The reason for this A) she is a stingy tightwad and wouldn't buy them herself and B) she wouldn't have indulged me with a compliment on how pretty the napkins were.
I just laugh at her now. She is 70 and unlikely to change now.

My favourite 'tight' story comes from my parents who met a couple on holiday in Portugal who it turned out lived near to them. He was a retired Headmaster and she'd been a teacher so by no means struggling. They took their own cereal and teabags on holiday so didn't need to buy them. Arranged to go out for dinner with my mum and dad - invited them to theirs for pre-dinner drinks and canapes 'as its cheaper and you don't then need to bother with a starter'! At the restaurant (this is my favourite!) my dad had a half chicken for his main and the chap scooped the bones off his plate when Dad finished in a napkin and put them in his wife's handbag! My Dad was astounded and asked what on earth he'd done that for? His answer was they'd make good stock!! Turned out the wife brought a bag of broth mix on every holiday ' a big pot of soup'll do us for lunch for the next 3 or 4 days' - it was in the late 30's temperature wise!! Also invited back for coffee 'to avoid paying these prices', my parents politely declined and beat a hasty retreat.

My ex flatmate's gf. She was living with us rent free and wanted to cook a meal for us as a thank you. She changed £5 a head and reheated a lasagna from Aldi as the meal. Needless to say we asked her to move out after that.