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!

[Longdistance]

My in laws are like this.
Mil is divorced from fil but they’re still a stingey pair of tight wads.
Mil crashed her car this year, and it was written off. She still wanted her crappy 14 year old car so paid to get it fixed and turn it into a category b (?) or some such. She could’ve bought a beautiful new one as her and her dh are well off. Nope, she’d rather waste her money on the old crappy one. Though they spent loads on a holiday to Barbados.
Fil, if he could cut corners on price he would. He would drive miles to get a bargain. But, he’d spend that on fuel 🙄

[Otter46]

Oh Lordy, I know loads! My parents take their own tea bags on trains and plastic mugs and ask the trolley guy for hot water (that’s frugal I guess). They’re absolutely loaded, retired and mortgage free.

When my daughter was born my mum brought a tatty plastic bag full of charity shop clothes (which is fine in itself as I do buy things in them), except they were all bobbled and clearly worn. When I didn’t put my daughter in them as for example I’d been given a much nicer and brand new version (eg a white cardigan) she was all huffy. Then next visit she’d raided a skip from a house that was being cleared and proudly produced some toddler clothes (‘all from M&S’ she said proudly). Yes mum, all from M&S 1980s!!!

The most annoying tightness comes through when we’re out for the day and stop for a hot drink as a treat. She refuses to have anything while we have our hot chocs and sits there with a martyrish face on, complaining about the menu prices etc.

She’s got loads of grandkids and for the FIRST time looked after two of them (teens) at their house for the weekend while my sibling had a rare weekend away. When my sibling got back within a few mins she’d presented the sibling with a Tesco receipt for about 12 bloody quid because she’d had to go out when they ran out of cereal or something. For her own grandchildren!

[Daffodil2018]

A girl I used to be friends with once invited a couple of us round for dinner. We turned up with wine etc. We ate whatever it was (fajitas I think) then at the end of the meal she said "ok, you each owe me £2.40 for the food". I thought she was joking and asked if she'd take a cheque ... but she was serious!

The same girl went on to be a management consultant and for a few months on secondment she lived in New York, in an apartment paid for by her company. She only had to pay for her bills and I'm sure was on a six figure salary. She invited people to come and stay with her but would charge them a fixed amount per day towards electricity and water. Like $4 a day or something. Why bother?!

[PrincessHoneysuckle]

Mil is very well off but is ultra tight,in fact all dh family is.

[LeahSMS]

One of my parents friend must have had half a million in the bank but drove a beat up camper van which was over 20 years old. Refused to put the heating on in the house in the winter. He used to steal food from Aldi his daughter worked their and saw him on CCTV stealing in a meeting that was called to address a homeless man stealing, it was her dad who wasn’t homeless & had a lot of money! How embarrassing

[LeahSMS]

I forgot to add the gentleman used his tea bags 4 times 🙈

[Bloodybridget]

Someone I know takes a teabag to a cafe and asks for a cup of hot water. Came to mine to have lunch once, we'd agreed we'd pool food resources. Brought half a bag of salad leaves, way past best before, and asked if I had a vinaigrette.

[shearwater]

For some very rich people, being tight and completely focused on money above all else is how they got very rich in the first place.

[Seeleyboo]

A friend of mine used to come over one night a week. I'd always cook us food and we each would supply our own drink. Occasionally she would bring crisps etc over. One example of her tightness was, she would always take her crips home or her dregs of wine. And another example was, she said she would buy us KFC one night. I was so surprised as she had never provided anything in the past. I said that's fine but I'd have to buy my kids some but obviously I'd pay for them. Get to the checkout and she bungs me a fiver. To top it off, her bill was 6.99. I put a stop to the visits after that.

[cardamoncoffee]

A (lovely) colleague is cohabiting with the most dreadfully tight man. He is a taxi driver and on his day off got a phonecall from his mother to say that she'd fallen and tripped in her garden and thought she needed to go to the hospital. He took her to the hospital, but turned on the meter when she got in and charged her the standard fare. He told her it would be better if she went in alone as it would save her the waiting charges He dropped her off at A&E and charged her again for picking her up later on that night.

[Wheat2Harvest]

When I was living in Wellington, NZ I nipped to the dairy (aka corner shop) on Christmas Eve to buy a few things that I'd forgotten to get at the supermarket. The shop owner was very insistent that I should have a thimble-sized 'glass' of wine to celebrate Christmas. I declined but he insisted again so I capitulated.

When I got home I glanced at my receipt and discovered that he'd charged me 5 cents for the wine.

[Monkeyplanet]

My friend's SO told her to leave her flat and get into a HMO (house share). When she was pregnant he kept saying she would be lonely if she moved out into a studio or one bedroom flat and should stay in her HMO or find a new one when her landlord told her she had to move. When he finally realised that no landlord would accept a mum and baby into an HMO he reluctantly agreed to get a 1 bedroom flat. Again most landlords looking for a longterm tenant won't accept someone with a baby in a 1 bed and he is now sulking as she is viewing 2 bedroom flats. He is not happy if a place is nice and clean and thinks she is being wasteful, he is comfortable her living somewhere with mould and rundown because it's cheaper. He also flipped out at her for daring to buy marmite and called her a spendthrift and said she should just have plain toast and water for breakfast. My friend earns a decent salary 2.5k a month after tax and so does he, very well turned out man and impeccably dressed with a good financial job (earns more than her) but he was once homeless and is terrified of going back there but he takes it too far imo. He would rather they live in a dodgy unsafe house share than get their own home because it's too much money.. the mind boggles

[Bumfuzzled]

My MIL can be really tight, even though she is pretty well off. I do understand most of her thinking - she grew up in the war with not much money which she says has made her careful. Fair enough. For most of it.

She came to visit us over the summer. We paid for her ticket here and everything during the week including visiting some quite dull historic places, tickets to watch a god awful religious music concert and loads of lovely food and treats. We didn’t ask or expect her to pay for anything.

She asked for some boiled sweets for the journey home from the supermarket. She insisted on giving us a pound. We paid by card as we bought other things too - including things for her packed lunch on the train, so we didn’t get any change. To our shame we didn’t think she would want the 11p back. We were wrong, she did. We found 10p to give her but she still wanted the penny so we had to raid my DDs piggy bank for it!!!

[Shockers]

Got absolutely brilliant service at a restaurant when we were away skiing with four other families. It was two of the kids’ birthdays, so we’d taken in a chocolate cake. The staff put it on a big cake stand and surrounded it with strawberries, put a sparkler in it and lit it before bringing it out, singing happy birthday.

The tight arse parents of one of the birthday kids wouldn’t put in for the tip. We put their bit in to make up the amount because they were using the calculator on one of their phones to work out their exact bill, whilst arguing loudly.

We don’t go away with them anymore.

[Zaphodsotherhead]

Ah yes, the 'putting things in the trolley when you are paying for the shopping but only buying own brand basics when it's their turn to pay' man. I had that one too.

Also bought ALL his clothes from the local 'cheap shop', and wore them until they fell apart. He had plenty of money and owned a house outright, but only because he lived at home until he was forty and saved all his money...

[SchadenfreudePersonified]

Placemarking in the hope of picking up a few tips from the experts

[CorBlimeyGovenor]

My dad! Only child. Went to boarding school. Inherited the family business. Owned a sports car. If I ever asked to borrow money as a teenager, he would stick a post it note inside his wardrobe saying "Cor owes 50p". I used to receive £1 pocket money a week, but this was to cover going out/bus fair etc. When I was 17 he increased the amount to £5. But it had to then cover my school lunches too (which it didn't), so I decided to make sandwiches instead (with the aim of saving up the £5 for a Friday night out (bus fair there and back and two halves of cider). He then charged me for the use of bread, butter and cheese etc. In fact I had to buy my own!

My old boss though was even tighter. Never bought a round. Expected everyone to pay for him on a night out, drank out of a jam jar rather than buy a mug and wouldn't let people borrow his umbrella in case they wore it out.

[NearlyBaked]

There was a notoriously tight friend in our group when I was a bit younger, the usual not getting a round in and such.

His finest hour was coming to a party at our house empty handed (fine) and filling his pockets with our booze and taking it to enjoy at home (really not fine by me).

[FlyingSquid]

DH, on a beach holiday, jibbing at me letting the kids hire wetsuits for the full day for £15 rather than a carefully timed hour for a tenner.

He backed down when I pointed out that our incredulous friend - who was putting us all up for free in her holiday cottage all week -- could hear every word while he attempted to save £10.

(To be fair, he turned out to be pretty close to an anxiety.stress induced breakdown. Sometimes it's a symptom of something else going on.)

[IrmaFayLear]

Regarding tightwad visitors, the reason they are visiting is often because they are tightwads. What normal person asks to stay with a long-lost relative or vague acquaintance who just happens to live in a tourist destination/interesting city? This type of tightwad usually revels in treating your home as a hotel (all inclusive), expects paid-for outings and sometimes will most graciously offer to take you out to repay you for staying in your house for two weeks. Ime this treating consists of paying for their half only, in spite of having said it was their treat, and - had this twice - the meal in question is breakfast

[Potnoodledoo]

Seriously how can you be "friends" with these people.Once is fine we can all be caught out.But after that no way.

@GunpowderGelatine your mother is mean.Not stingy.Play her at her own game,she how she likes that.

[Monkeyseesmonkeydoes]

Got a a mate who is tighter than a gnats arse! Will walk round the pub to ensure not being the 1st to get a round, sit with an inch of beer for an hour and wait for someone else to get the round in, leave just as her turns coming up... unless we flat out say - tight-arse, YOUR turn. Up you go.'

she's married to another tight wad woman, got kids, and was telling me how the wife manages to get free drinks at the local by sitting at bar chatting with the creepy ( and he is creepy) bar man who fancies her. Mate is all chuffed cos it's saving cash!

Also found out that they were selling clothes that I gave them for their kids on Ebay as they were 'nice' labels. I know they were, that's why I thought it would be lovely to pass them on! They know that I also sell our old stuff on eBay - including clothes.

Lost count of the number of times they've come to our parties but 'forgotten' to bring a bottle, or any contribution, my DP has now banned them as guests!

[Monkeyseesmonkeydoes]

Oh, and obvs, they have plenty of money...

[Monkeyseesmonkeydoes]

Oh and there's the boyfriend of my BF, who when we went out for her 40th not only didn't contribute for his share of the meal ( I was sorting the bill -BF was being covered by the guests) but actually took cash OUT of the pot. Leaving it 100 quid short which I then covered so as not to embarrass BF on her birthday and ruin the evening for her. He was starting to make a scene about being unjustly accused ( I saw the drunk git take the money).

[chellochello]

My DH who's not normally tight or mean about other things is very stingy with food - my parents look after our 3 kids 2 days a week while I work, they do this completely free of charge and also take kids on days out, out for meals which they pay for - however they help themselves to food at our house while they are there looking after the kids (I've told them to do this I would never expect them to bring their own food or drinks!) my husband complains all of the time how they have eaten his biscuits or finished the bread or drank some pop to the point where he has started hiding things from them. I'm constantly reminding him they are doing us a huge favour by looking after the kids for free and I can't believe he'd begrudge them a f#$king hobnob from time to time!