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Original poster

What is the stingiest thing you've ever done / seen someone do?

900 replies

Teadrinker11 · 12/01/2022 21:03

Yourself or someone else, what is the most stingy, mean, miserable thing is that you have ever done or seen someone else do?

OP posts:
LadyinRead · 13/01/2022 11:10

Addendum to my post: Mum certainly wasn't stingy, mean or miserable. Frugal yes, but that means something else entirely.

TrickyD · 13/01/2022 11:10

My wealthy brother, (Sunday Times Rich List) used to scrupulously check every restaurant bill.
He said that it was amazing how often it was wrong, and rarely in your favour.
I have picked up this habit from him and his words were very true, recently at a hotel I noticed we were charged an extra £7.50 for soup we had not had. Pointed it out and it was taken off. Far from the first time. Thrifty though not stingy, surely.

shinynewapple21 · 13/01/2022 11:12

@noodlezoodle

I know someone who washes and reuses cling film. She's done it forever so it's definitely not for planet saving reasons Grin

TBH if everyone had continued with these sort of practices I recognise from all family members of my parents generation (the generation who grew up in the war), then we probably wouldn't be in the situation where we were having to restart them specifically for the environment . So many things which people have started doing again now in terms of using up the scraps of soap, reusing wrapping paper etc, they would have done as a matter of course.

Lifeisnteasy · 13/01/2022 11:15

@TheDogsMother

Well I didn't think it was stingy I was berated by the decorator I was making a cup of tea for because I used the teabag to make two cups. Both his and mine at the same time, not reusing later.
That is really stingy to be honest.
EmbarrassingHadrosaurus · 13/01/2022 11:16

@TheDogsMother

Well I didn't think it was stingy I was berated by the decorator I was making a cup of tea for because I used the teabag to make two cups. Both his and mine at the same time, not reusing later.
All the people who think this is stingy, the sort of teabags might be relevant. I use bag of Barry's Gold to make a 750ml pot of tea: I'd use 2 or 3 of other brands.

NB: I take my tea much stronger than most people I know.

user1497787065 · 13/01/2022 11:19

A lot of these are very familiar. Growing up (born in the 60s) reusing wrapping paper, cutting buttons of clothing before turning into cleaning cloths was normal in a lot of houses. When plastic bags were introduced and took over from paper bags my DM would wash them out and reuse them. My DM was a keen knitter and I have spent hours with my hands up and her unravelling a hand knitted jumper winding the wool around my hands ready to wash and re -knit. This is probably hard to picture unless you have seen it done.

I refer to all of this as thrift rather than miserliness and as I have got older I find myself adopting some of these habits.

CheshireKitten123 · 13/01/2022 11:19

When I was a student I was so hard up I didn't have 2 ha'pennies to scratch my backside with.

I couldn't afford to buy any Xmas/birthday presents so I used to look in skips on my way home from Uni. It's amazing what quality stuff people threw out when doing a house clearance Shock

I can remember finding -

a new hat and scarf set - in original packet.
several potted plants (I was able to resurrect those)
numerous new tea-trays
mats & coaster sets - still in box
rolls of Xmas/b'day paper - new
new gift bags
ceramic plant pots that only needed a wash
new curtains and thermal vests, still in packets
a new electric kettle in box
a new mini shredder in box
cruet sets - in box

( I always asked the householder's permission BTW !)

lucillelarusso · 13/01/2022 11:20

@CSJobseeker In her position I would have left them for one of the many household staff they employed. In my position I would have meals planned and bought accordingly, so I wasn't left with 14 eggs! Do you seriously believe that her husband was snacking on them on them in his first class seat? Confused

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 13/01/2022 11:21

We went to a cafe with ex in laws, we all stood up to leave and while we were putting our coats on my MIL went around the tables and swigged back all the dregs of milk out of the milk jugs. That's just the first thing that comes to mind, there are rafts of incidents like this. Nothing like getting your money's worth

That might not be very elegant, but I don't think it's stingy in the least. The milk would otherwise have been thrown away and wasted, so why not somebody drink it rather than it go to waste? I may be wrong, but I think cafes and similar are legally forbidden to re-use anything that has been put out on a table but not consumed, so it's only the bin that loses out: a good thing!

PearlD · 13/01/2022 11:23

@WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll

We went to a cafe with ex in laws, we all stood up to leave and while we were putting our coats on my MIL went around the tables and swigged back all the dregs of milk out of the milk jugs. That's just the first thing that comes to mind, there are rafts of incidents like this. Nothing like getting your money's worth

That might not be very elegant, but I don't think it's stingy in the least. The milk would otherwise have been thrown away and wasted, so why not somebody drink it rather than it go to waste? I may be wrong, but I think cafes and similar are legally forbidden to re-use anything that has been put out on a table but not consumed, so it's only the bin that loses out: a good thing!

I should give you my ex husband's number... Smile
WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 13/01/2022 11:23

In her position I would have left them for one of the many household staff they employed.

I missed that there were people they could have been left with - I mistakenly thought it was either eat them or bin them.

CluelessHamster · 13/01/2022 11:24

Mine too! They just like weak tea! As I discovered when I offered to make a pot, put three bags in, and mum couldn't drink it and had to water hers down! It wasn't even overly stewed, just not like warm water with t-bag waved over it 😁

Olderkids · 13/01/2022 11:24

Before our school Christmas Fair we held a non-uniform day and asked for a contribution of a bottle for the tombola stall. One poor child was sent in with an empty shampoo bottle.
Embarrassing for the child - and the parent who thought he was being so clever. It certainly made us think carefully about the wording of future requests!

CSJobseeker · 13/01/2022 11:26

@NameChanged15729

Your SIL sounds cheeky, but the main things that stands out about that story is that you and your DH need to grow at least one backbone between the two of you.

You are both grown adults - why are you letting someone pressure you into buying a takeaway you can't afford, and then letting them quite literally steal the food off your plate? She can only do that because you let her.

onlychildhamster · 13/01/2022 11:26

@NewModelArmyMayhem18 my father does that with his car. my DH regularly does that with groceries. He will walk more than a mile with shopping trolley rather than take the bus for £1.60 (we live in London).It is at least healthy though!

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 13/01/2022 11:27

I do take advantage of the meal deals in Asda, though. Unlike everywhere else, where you can have sandwiches, a drink and crisps (or similar) for a fixed price, Asda let you choose any three of the meal deal items and get the cheapest free, so you can take three packets of sandwiches and get one of them completely free!

CSJobseeker · 13/01/2022 11:27

@Olderkids

Before our school Christmas Fair we held a non-uniform day and asked for a contribution of a bottle for the tombola stall. One poor child was sent in with an empty shampoo bottle. Embarrassing for the child - and the parent who thought he was being so clever. It certainly made us think carefully about the wording of future requests!
This is bizarre. Is it possible they misunderstood? Were they from a culture where they might not know what a tombola was?
CSJobseeker · 13/01/2022 11:28

[quote lucillelarusso]@CSJobseeker In her position I would have left them for one of the many household staff they employed. In my position I would have meals planned and bought accordingly, so I wasn't left with 14 eggs! Do you seriously believe that her husband was snacking on them on them in his first class seat? Confused[/quote]
My DH would snack on them! (Not in first class though).

The fact that there were people who could have eaten them does change it.

CharityDingle · 13/01/2022 11:30

[quote lucillelarusso]@CSJobseeker In her position I would have left them for one of the many household staff they employed. In my position I would have meals planned and bought accordingly, so I wasn't left with 14 eggs! Do you seriously believe that her husband was snacking on them on them in his first class seat? Confused[/quote]
Imagine the stink of hard boiled eggs on a plane. That was my immediate thought.

irishfarmer · 13/01/2022 11:30

I had a Norwegian friend come to stay with me for 2 weeks as a teenager, my mam gave me money to bring him loads of places, we lived in London at the time. Inc her paying for flights (cheap ryanair) to visit our family in Ireland. I visited him the following year, we went camping with his friends for a 3 days, he brought no food for me, or told me I was expected to bring food.

I went inter-railing after secondary school with a good friend of mine, his friend came and kept "forgetting" his wallet no matter where we went. Also when we were leaving one country for the next I gave him all my money in that currency to get me water/ crisps in the shop as he was going. He came back I was around 5p short and he said I should go to the ATM and get more cash out. I told him to go back and get them I had bought him a load of things at that point!!

When I waitressed in college another waitress used to rob our tips, I was too embarrassed to say anything the first time but after that I'd just ask. But as others have said that is theft not stingy.

Also maybe I am stingy, when we go on road trips I bring a hot water flask, home made sandwiches. Saves money and more importantly time esp with covid last year with wait times going into cafe's for lunch. Just pull up somewhere scenic, have lunch and onto the next spot.

PizzaCrust · 13/01/2022 11:31

Many years ago a large group of us from school went on holiday. Those who had cars/access to a parent’s car drove, the rest were passengers. We had all agreed who was in who’s car and that at the end of the week the passengers would pay whoever was driving them around the whole week a small token for petrol money. We’re talking like a fiver maximum. So in my car I had 3 others, in my friend’s car he had 3 others, and the last car was just made up of a couple. No one ever travelled with them and they did their own thing most of the trip.

When it came to giving petrol money, everyone in my and my friend’s car were more than happy to pay and we were able to fill up the car for the several hours drive home.

The couple actually asked everyone to give them petrol money. Despite no one being in their car the whole week and already having paid. They were told no and were furious.

They were the stingiest two people I ever met. It’s unconfirmed but when we got the house rental deposit back, it ended up being £20 pp. One of our friends didn’t get his back because the last £20 had gone missing…

Wonder who took it…

CSJobseeker · 13/01/2022 11:32

Imagine the stink of hard boiled eggs on a plane. That was my immediate thought.

You don't necessarily have to physically eat them on the plane. You spend plenty of time in airport lounges etc. when getting flights - I always take my own sandwiches as the cafes are usually a rip off.

Pontypandytaxpayer · 13/01/2022 11:34

@tulips27

I was at a funeral where no-one donated! The undertakers felt so bad that one of them made a donation just so there was one.
So you didn't donate either?
lucillelarusso · 13/01/2022 11:36

@CharityDingle well yes, there was actually a court case about eating boiled eggs on a train once I think, totally anti social behaviour. It's the entitlement of all this mean behaviour as well isn't it?

SinisterBumFacedCat · 13/01/2022 11:39

When going into town this person would park far outside and walk in rather than pay for a car park even though that meant lugging shopping 20 minutes up hill. Would share a coffee and a sausage roll with wife rather than have one each. Obviously had just under £ million in assets.