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?

I just think she got so used to having to make do and mend when she was younger that she just couldnt bear to see anything go to waste.

Quite right too!

My MIL gave us a set of old curtains when she got new ones fitted. When my husband moved out years later she (against his wishes) asked for them back. Not for him but just so I wouldn’t benefit from them.

In relation to the broccoli stem debate, I used to go to a supermarket that supplied a small saw by the broccoli and a basket for customers to pop their stems in if they did not wish to buy the stems.

Went to stay with my sister in law and her husband. They were out for a run when we arrived , even though they knew when we were arriving. When they got back she said we couldn't have a drink yet as they had a drink at specific times and the next one wasn't due until 12.30. We had driven all the way from Worcester to Hull but hey ho. She then announced that they were going to have a bath. She explained that they didn't bath together. They ran 2 inches of water. It was carefully measured with a ruler that was kept in the bathroom. He went in the water first because he liked it hot. She went in the same water after him as it was cooler then. Weird behavior.We sat downstairs and twiddled our thumbs

@Alayalaya I respectfully disagree for my case! I would never criticise someone trying to save money because they needed to. I think people usually only view things as stingy after that value judgement has been made already in their head - not many people get annoyed by someone taking practical action due to poverty.

My Mum lives in a very modest house but keeps it toasty warm, she invited her friend over (who she met through their shared hobby) who lives in ?what can only be described as (to us anyway) a mansion, her husband apparently doesn't allow any of the other rooms of the house to be heated apart from the one he is in and my Mum's friend isn't allowed in that room whilst he's working on his computer.

Loving this post. As the child of parents born in the during WW2 I thought it odd that my Nan would made do and mend, save etc all sorts of things, my mum didn’t, I think she must have hated make do and mend, saving string etc, she’d have lashing of butter on her bread.

I however for some strange reason couldn’t throw the end of a candle away, my intention was always to melt them down for new candles or that I’d be glad of them at some point. I had a huge box of them and my daughter got exasperated with me saying I’d never need them and I agreed to throw it away. Cue power cuts and I’d no candles left! She’s bought me a solar power lantern now.

@MinnieJackson

Saw someone snapping the ends of broccoli in the veg shop before weighing it. My Gran always used to tell me not to tie a knot in the plastic bag when you put it on the scales there because it weighs more

@MinnieJackson that wasn’t in NW England was it? My mum used to do that 😂 I buy the fixed price one but go through them all to get the biggest!

@KatherineJaneway

Why not make two cups of tea as unless you want very strong tea, a bag easy does two.

It doesn't.

Depends on the tea. If you have Yorkshire Tea, it definitely does.

@noodlezoodle No. It doesn’t. Sean Bean would be after you with his sword 😂

Went out for a meal with a friend, my DD didn’t eat much, friend asked to take it home and divided it up over the next three days for her 2 DC. Friend and DH are wealthy barristers.

When I was a waitress, we had a big table who stayed late as it was a major birthday celebration. The person hosting left a big cash tip on the table to say thank you. One of the party made an excuse to nip back and pocketed the tip.

A few years later in my first job in London, I had a boss who had a similar habit. When we went out as a team for a meal, he would get make sure everyone paid him in cash then he would pop it on his credit card. He’d make sure everyone kicked in extra for a tip. Except he would never add a tip on the chit.

A while later his PA told me he also used to claim back for the meals on expenses as team building. So basically he’d just pocket everyone’s money.

He was absolutely loaded. And he is involved in politics now. Snouts in the trough!

My mum likes her tea barely coloured, I have it black, so just about show the water the teabag, my dad likes his strong. So I make dad's then mum's then mine with a Yorkshire teabag . What would be the point of three teabags?

I rented my parents house when they lived elsewhere and they needed the house back. Fine whatever.

Packed to move and they come and help us move.

Get to the other end to find my port for the kettle had gone missing. Didn’t even know until the next morning when I went to go and find the kettle so I could have a cup of tea.

They fucking took it cos theirs was broken

I wasn’t happy because I need a good cup of tea in the morning. Went and sat in the local cafe to have a cup of tea and then went to the supermarket to buy a new kettle.

@Yellownotblue

Some years ago my DH went to a tennis championship final (not Grand Slam but next category down - recent winners include Federer Djokovic Nadal Zverev etc) with my friend’s DH who is a tennis fanatic. He is also unbelievably tight. Tickets to the event cost about US$100. Friend’s DH brought his own packed lunch so he wouldn’t spend any money at the catering venues. So DH had to eat alone in the restaurant. 🙄.

I always take my own food to tennis tournaments. That way you don’t miss any of the play. I thought that was normal.

Using other people's stories in an article without paying them.

Collect pine cones use them as firestarters that's not stingy! They are fucking amazing firestarters! We go to a local country park and collect any we see lying on the ground and them use them when we light the fire at the weekend. It's a nice thing to do and otherwise they just rot.

@ConstantCougher

Someone told me they ‘steal’ packs from inside packs at the supermarket and add it to theirs eg paracetamol from one carton and add it to another so they only pay for say 16 but get 24!

I've bought one of the stolen out of packets. Such a selfish and inconsiderate thing to do.

@ArblemarchTFruitbat

My Das used to make us walk two miles down the promenade at our favourite seaside town to save 1p on the cost of an 'Orange Sparkle' lolly. They were 8p and 7p respectively. Yes, 1p was worth more back in those days but there still wasn't much you could buy with 1p.

also wore you out and kept you busy for longer?

@squashyhat

I guess this was a product of memories of wartime shortages but I remember when I was a child my Dad would stick the tiny sliver of old soap onto a new bar rather than throw it away. I now get really irritated with my DH for throwing away the dregs of a shampoo bottle rather than turn it upside down and squeezing it into the new one so Dad must have passed on his parsimonious habits

I always do this with soap! Why chuck away something that's perfectly usable?

It never even occurred to me that this would be seen as 'stingy' rather than 'sensible'.

I think those of us heavily invested in this thread (even if it's for a journalist) are here because we know full well that being related to or being friends with someone mean or freeloading (not poor or frugal) sucks all of the joy out of every occasion. It's why I'm now one of the biggest spendthrifts alive. Life is fleetingly short and you can't take it with you when you go. (Money that is). For many it's a serious mental health obsession. Often brought on by childhood experiences or a strong desire for control. In the case of my rich friend she seriously felt the world owed her a free ride and she was hard done to. It must have been absolutely exhausting for her constantly having to come up with ingenious ways to freeload. She didn't appear to get any joy from it. She spoilt an otherwise great friendship with me and most others. How lonely.

@Smallkeys

Yes they are common my point is they waited as if they were going to donate and then just pretended to :-) I thought that was a bit stingy and dishonest

They probably didn't have any cash on them, as many don't these days, and felt embarrassed.

@thistimelastweek

I worked with a bloke who kept his poppy in his desk drawer. Every year when the collection came round he'd bring it out and pin it on his jacket.

I reuse my poppy, it seems wasteful not to. I do make a donation when I see a collection tin though - I just don't take a new poppy.

@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.

Ha! Amateur!

DH's friend managed to stretch it to 4 of us! He's been known to keep the teabag if not sufficiently used, too.

He also refused to buy a set of 4 items (small, cheap items) because he only needed 3.
Never heard if he managed to find individual ones - they only did sets of 2 or 4 and wouldn't break open the pack for him. Oh, how he argued with them

I always take my own food to tennis tournaments. That way you don’t miss any of the play. I thought that was normal.

I always used to take my own food to concerts and sneak in food when it was supposedly not allowed. Now it's impossible to take any food or drink to some venues for no reason apart from they want to fleece you and charge you £4 for a bottle of water

@noodlezoodle

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

This might be news to you, but people have known that saving waste is good for the planet for a very, very long time.

I remember trekking to the bottle bank to recycle bottles and cans back in the 80s as a child.