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!

[DailyMailAnusHole]

My ex:

I was never allowed a full glass of fruit juice at his house, only a dribble in the bottom and then topped up with tap water.

He went on a water meter so would only flush the toilet after a poo. His toilet was always full of stagnant piss.

Only ever bought cheapo, value chocolate which tasted horrible.

Re-used teabags some times across multiple days.

Would make a meal out of anything but not nice meals, stuff that just didn't remotely go together to save throwing anything away. He once made me a creamy chicken and pineapple stew thing because he had a dribble of cream and a chicken breast left over.

On that note, there never seemed to be enough food in anything he cooked. If he made a chicken curry for two of us, he'd put one chicken breast in so you'd get about 5 piece of chicken each.

If it was physically possible to walk (i.e. less than 7 miles or so), we'd walk rather than taking the bus or a taxi.

[userxx]

@DailyMailAnusHole so why did you split up :)

[TheMasterBaker]

My ex's granddad was the tightest man I'd ever known. If they ever went away for a weekend or whatever in the caravan, he'd take the food out of the house and all of the light bulbs excluding the one in ex's bedroom so he couldn't use all that extra electricity while they were away XD

[DailyMailAnusHole]

@userxx Ha! His tightness was a massive part of why we split. But he also didn't have great personal hygiene (see the stale piss toilet)

[CandiceSucksCandy]

My parents.
If we ever had a day trip anywhere and got thirsty they would only buy one small bottle of water for all four of us. Dsis was a seriously snotty kid. And I was always last for a drink. I still feel sick looking at the dregs of a water bottle.
I also only had school uniform to wear for much of my life. I'd get the occasional t shirt and shorts for holiday, but when I went to secondary school that stopped as polo shirts were part of our uniform.
I also used to turn down sleepovers as a teen, all I had to sleep in were my dad's horrible old t shirts, not really fit for the dustbin.
My dsis got quite a bundle of new clothes regularly, but I was always told without actually being looked at that I was always wanting things and I had more than I could even remember.
I didn't.
I had to hand most of my saturday job wages over so I understood the value of money and bills. Dsis never did. Even after uni.
I'm not close to any of them now and I have the box room as my dressing room full to the rafters of clothes and I bloody love it.

[MulticolourMophead]

CandiceSucksCandy Your parents seem more abusive than tight, if your DSis was still getting stuff bought.

[GabsAlot]

I agree sorry thats abuse candice

[userxx]

@CandiceSucksCandy I agree that isnt tightness. That's made me feel really sad. Love that you have put the box room to good use :)

[Lovemenorca]

@Devora13

Just before we got married, we were shopping and we saw some print wall hangings. He chose one he liked, another for his mother, and asked which I'd like. I chose one and after we'd finish shopping he asked for the £6 for my print.

So you knew he was an utter right ass before you married him

[Devora13]

Yep. It was one of those things where you feel like you've woken up from a dream and think 'What the hell was I doing there?' Yes, I should have called it off. But if I had, the sequence of events that led me to where I am today most likely would not have happened, so I can't really complain.

[GreatOne]

Old friend invited people round for dinner recently. They dine out socially, each usually pays for their own share of meal. Anyways, next day they presented their guests with a request for their share of the ingredients for the meal. Because they'd bought expensive items from the deli.
Actually really tacky!!

[Whycantibeapuppy]

Mine also is my Mum. A few years ago my appendix was inflamed and close the bursting so I needed to go to a&e, lots of pain but still alive! (I can’t bring myself to call an ambulance whilst I’m still capable) my dad was working nearly 2 hours away, my mum lives a ten minute drive from me then ten minutes to the hospital. She refused to take me because she had only a quarter tank of petrol. I didn’t have cash on me so couldn’t give her any straight away but offered to at a later date. Still no. In the end my best friends mum (and a better mother to me than mine has been most of my life) cancelled her lunch with an old friend and took me, also waited with me until my dad could get there. Love that woman!

[LloydColeandtheCoconuts]

Wow! Some of these stories! I enjoyed reading them though. It has been a very interesting thread.

Growing up we had a pay phone in our house! It was awful! My DF's doing. They were 5 of us kids so looking back I now understand. My parents were skint not tight.

[ToDoListAddict]

Years ago I used to work at the same place as my friend.
I used to get the free work bus shuttle but she drove.
She said to me that I might as well get a lift with her as we live close by.
But, she'd make me walk to her house rather than pick me up (the bus stop was closer to me than her house), then she asked me for petrol money!
I stopped getting a lift with her. And we're no longer friends!

[Ilady]

One of my friends (Paula) was telling me about her sister ( Anne) recently.
Years ago when Anne was in college Paula would regulary send her money. When Anne got some work as a student Paula let her stay with her for nothing.
Then when Anne got married Paula who was unemployed saved up for ages and gave her a £200 gift card for a good shopping centre near where Anne lived.
In the past 8 years Paula has got 2 birthday presents worth less than £50 off Anne.
Anne now has a good job and would be earning at least £60,000 a year and her husband who is extremely tight would be earning at least £80,000. They also have subsided child care due to Anne's job.
Every family event is held in their house - the cost of a meal out is so expensive. Then you get served a beef stew with no more than 8 small pieces of meat and no more than 2 small potatoes allowed per person.
One of Anne sisters had a baby a few months ago. Anne would not buy a present but gave her sister 3rd time around baby clothes and bibs.
One Christmas Anne arrived at the same sisters house without as much as a small box of sweets. When Anne kids get sick she rings her mother to mind them. Her mother is a hour plus on public transport away from Anne's house and is in her late 70's. It would be terrible if Anne or her husband had to miss a day's pay to mind a sick child.
Anne tells her mother all the ways she can save money and as a result her mother has really mean money wise despite have a decent pension and savings.
At this stage Paula and her other sister have as little as possible to do with Anne as they can't put up with her meaness.

[mamandematribu]

I am a bit tight but not because I am mean, I'm simply on a strict budget. Dcs are so expensive. For example we do not attend events at ds school because it costs £5 each for our family of 5, plus extra money for bbq and other stuff too.

[Lovemenorca]

@Ilady

The mother has become mean because her daughter has given her money saving tips?

[anxiouswaiting]

Oh sad this thread ended, been reading a little at a time in my breaks! Some of these stories you really couldn't make up!

I think mostly I know frugal rather than tight people. But one person does stick in my mind.

I had a 'friend' who never contributed to anything when we all got together eg. we would bring some food or alcohol, we weren't big on going out but would meet up at someones house regularly. He rarely had anything with him always saying he was skint - he didn't work and kept getting sanctioned on his JSA for not following the rules. He always managed to get someone to give him a beer or add some chips on their takeaway order for him to eat.

It always annoyed me but the worst was for my 25th birthday, we all organised a night out. I went for a couple of drinks with very close friends first and then met a bigger group at a club. Waiting to go in and he wanders up and stands with us, get to the door and he says he can't afford to get in as he thought it would be free entry so I paid his £5 as I felt bad when everyone else was going in. Inside the club he kept asking me for money for drinks saying otherwise he would have to leave as couldn't afford it so 3 times he added a pint to my order then suggested we should do shots! Of course I had to pay. I was a little tipsy and had turned to soft drinks, didn't stop him coming to me when I still had a drink in my hand 4 times asking me for cash. For some reason I felt embarrassed saying no - now I think that is crazy and I should have told him to bugger off!

So I burned through most of my cash and it was getting close to time for us to leave and we were discussing where to stop for a kebab. He said 'you can just get me a box of donner and some cheesey chips coz I'm not that hungry'. Being a fool I was apologetic and said sorry I can't get you anything as I won't have any money left for my own food and a taxi home so maybe he would want to skip the kebab shop if he had no money at all. Well he went crazy yelling at me about being selfish and not wanting him around. Security came in the end and he tried to fight them so they called the police. He was arrested. That night, my birthday, I spent more on him than I had myself.

To top it off, the next day I got a call from him in the police station asking me to go to his dads house (5 min walk from my house) and wait for him as he needed to get a taxi back from the police station which was in a different town and he had no money, so he needed me to pay the taxi when it got there because it was my fault he got arrested for treating him badly and then not telling the club security to leave him alone.

I told him to walk . And he did, all 13 miles of it because he had no cash at all. Which shows he actually came out planning for someone else to pay for his night out as he didn't have a penny on him. Not tight, CF!!!

(oh and secretly hoping that adding my story will reignite this post and more people will add to it )