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

[Teadrinker11]

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

The cheapest thing I’ve done is probably water down toiletries. Or cut my own hair (outside of lockdown). I have a book called the Tightwad Gazette bookmarked but I haven’t read it yet, it’s tips for saving money at home. Slightly old and American but apparently has a bit of a cult following.

@PurrBox doesn’t everyone do that?

I actually think that’s a good idea @thistimelastweek - it has always seemed wasteful to throw them away. Of course I always just lose mine!

I saw this at a car boot fair about 10 years ago and it tickled me.

Something was labelled at £15 and a gentleman tried to haggle the seller down to £10. Initially the seller refused. After a bit of back and fourth the gentleman said he only had £10 on him so take it or leave it essentially. The seller reluctantly accepted. The gentleman then pulled out and paid him with a £20 note.

@ArblemarchTFruitbat you have no idea how much I fancy a cheap orange sparkle lolly now!!

Our Home Economics teacher used to measure out a tsp of already watered down washing up liquid for each pair of students to use in our sink after cookery lessons

Nowt was ever properly clean

[quote BobbieT1999]@ArblemarchTFruitbat you have no idea how much I fancy a cheap orange sparkle lolly now!![/quote]
They were brilliant, weren't they? Always a joke on the stick too!

Nothing tastes better than nostalgia! @ArblemarchTFruitbat

Collect branches on every dog walk year round burn them through the winter

A friend of mine does that and she isn't stingy at all.

Someone I work with told me that she used to pick up long receipts that people had left in the trolleys at Asda and then use them to get money back on the price guarantee scheme (when it was still available). Literally getting other people's money back.

A mum at my school's book fair insisted that a book her son had taken from the '50p' pile was from the '25p' pile. Putting aside the fact that most patents were waving away their change, I'd suggest that if there is indeed a time and place for arguing the toss over 25p at all - the book fair which helps funds your kid's school trips/classroom iPads/music teacher definitely ain't it. And before anyone says it, her car, clothes, job and general demeanour suggest she's not ankle-deep in credit card default notices and reusing teabags and sticking slivers of soap together. She's just a tight and obstreperous cow.

Maybe your dad wanted to tire you out :o

My ex once opened up a pack of battery and free range luxury eggs and swapped them over, then took the carton of "battery" (actually free range) eggs to the self check out. I felt really uncomfortable about it and then he left them there by mistake :o so he ended up reverse stealing the eggs he intended to steal.

A relative took oven chips to the beach

I once poured a cup of boiling hot tea into a jar of Nutella that was waiting to be washed out. I let it sit for a couple of minutes, then drank it from the jar. The jar was pretty clean, and no Nutella got wasted.

I would only admit this on an anonymous forum.

We went away with my dh's family once (never again) and his db and his wife went around a few of the local pubs to check the price of a pint of beer and after declaring them "a rip off" (they weren't, they were just holiday place prices) went and bought a load of tinnies from Lidl and sat on a bench near the beach getting drunk every evening instead of going to the pub.

I wouldn't mind but they're actually quite well off!

When my ex husband moved out he took the tv remote with him

I live on a main road into the town centre and we occasionally will have empty cans/bottles of alcohol ditched on paths and walls. Working from home last year I saw an older man pick up a can on a wall at the house opposite to see if any of the horrid, cheap lager had been left

@CathyorClaire

Bring a bottle of lemonade to a party then drink wine.

I can better this, someone brought a bottle of lemonade to ours, drank wine & vodka all day and then TOOK THE LEMONADE HOME

I know someone who when visiting a relative at Christmas fancied some Pringles. The host apologised that they didn’t have any but offered various alternatives ( the house was full of food and booze). The person then popped out to their car, retrieved their own stash of Pringles which they then shared a few with their spouse, failed to offer them to any of the host family. Then replaced the lid and returned them to the car.
They are legend within our family, yes I’m sad to say they are a close relation. It always surprises me since we were brought up in an overly generous family.
We learnt early on not to buy expensive bottles of wine when visiting them since they squirrel them away and offer us the cheap stuff. My “other relative” has devised the strategy of always buying Prosecco and putting it straight into their fridge then offering to open it when she fancies a drink.
I am hoping the relatives are not in mn as it is very outing. We still refer to the Pringles incident, even the kids remember it it, they didn’t get over it for months.

@Santaisstilleatingmincepies

Dh vacuums our fake grass. Our ndn mops the path outside her gate.. She is even on Google maps doing it!

Neither of them are stingy acts.

My nan bought a heart for my moms dissection lesson at school she was sick that day so they had it for tea instead
Think this is economy rather than stingy but: boak!

Loads of these are saving waste/plastic to me. I guess it depends on the intention and context.

I had a guest from a BBQ I had hosted the day before knock on the door asking if I had found a plastic bag with beer in it 'behind the sofa'. I had not, but sure enough hidden behind the sofa was said bag with four cans in it which he promptly picked up and went on his way.

On holiday with my parents and the in laws, the in laws insisted on adding up exactly what their bill came to at any meals we had out (not that they joined us on man, they tended to have beans on toast in the villa). One night, MIL said she didn’t want a drink with her meal as she had already had one in the bar before hand, then proceeded to drink the Fanta my daughter had ordered!

Another day we left DD with them at a cafe for 10 mins while we went to look at a shop, when we came back they had held off ordering so we could order and pay for DDs drink.

Growing up we always made 2 cups with one tea bag, I think I was into my 30s before I ever made a one cup with one bag! Drink rooibus now and it’s not as strong as breakfast tea.

I saw someone in the supermarket open 2 packs of mixed size eggs and swapped the small ones for the large in the other packet and then walked off with all the large eggs.

@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 stingy! Whoever gets second dibs on the teabag is going to have a very sad, weak cup of tea. It must take ages as well, trying to brew two cups one after the other instead of simultaneously. One of my uncles used to get a couple of drinks from each tea bag, keeping them in a little pot by his kettle, but to be fair to him he only did it for his own drinks - guests were treated to a brand new teabag