Stingiest things thread(op for R&R access)

Ralf and Florian

An elderly lady who lived next door to my grandmother used to give recycled Christmas Cards, ie they were old cards that she'd received herself and she either cut out with scissors or scribbled out the message to herself from the original sender and then wrote her new message. Made no attempt to hide it.She wasn't short of a bob or two either.

dinneenp

Gerrup Outta Dat! wrote: »

I went to the chipper in Galway recently. A guy in front of me made an order and the total came to €9.60. The guy only had a fiver and two €2s. The man behind the counter said it was OK just as I was about to offer the extra 60c. Suddenly, the guy realised that he had a 50c and a 20c in his pocket .. he handed it over and waited for his 10c change !! The stingy fukcing prick. After the man was going to let him off 60 c !!

That's not really that stingy though (I think)

howsshenow

Why not write "and the same to you & yours" on the Christmas cards you received and post them back!

the beer revolu

Dan Jaman wrote: »

I know a miserable sod who divides his dishwashing liquid into two bottles and dilutes them. Swears blind it washes just as well.
I tried that; it doesn't. Mind you, if I was stuck I'd do it to spin it out until I was next in the shops.

Why not just use half as much liquid??
I don't have a dishwasher but most of my family cut their dishwasher tablets in half. It's not about being stingy, it's about using as little detergent as possible.
In my washing machine, I use as little liquid as washes the clothes sufficiently, not the recommended amount.

I see a lot of behaviour being called stingy here that I just see as sound environmentalism and a dislike of needless waste.

jca

the beer revolu wrote: »

Why not just use half as much liquid??
I don't have a dishwasher but most of my family cut their dishwasher tablets in half. It's not about being stingy, it's about using as little detergent as possible.
In my washing machine, I use as little liquid as washes the clothes sufficiently, not the recommended amount.

I see a lot of behaviour being called stingy here that I just see as sound environmentalism and a dislike of needless waste.

Nah you’re just stingy...

the beer revolu

jca wrote: »

Nah you’re just stingy...

Two needlessly wastefull full stops in that post.

Rubberlegs

A woman I know was seen on a few occasions leaving house parties with the bottles of wine she had brought with her. She would put them in the hall, drink all around her from the bottles everyone else had pooled together in the kitchen, and slyly slip hers under her coat when leaving again.

thecornflake

the beer revolu wrote: »

Why not just use half as much liquid??
I don't have a dishwasher but most of my family cut their dishwasher tablets in half. It's not about being stingy, it's about using as little detergent as possible.
In my washing machine, I use as little liquid as washes the clothes sufficiently, not the recommended amount.

I see a lot of behaviour being called stingy here that I just see as sound environmentalism and a dislike of needless waste.

My parents use half a tablet also in the dishwasher and it drives me mad when I'm over, pretty much have to put the entire wash on again. Its amazing to think that they have out smarted the tablet manufacturers. With such tight process controls and margins in companies you'd think the company would realise they could cut their costs in half but no, some people just seem to think they're smarter than the people who work on it full time.

ohnonotgmail

thecornflake wrote: »

My parents use half a tablet also in the dishwasher and it drives me mad when I'm over, pretty much have to put the entire wash on again. Its amazing to think that they have out smarted the tablet manufacturers. With such tight process controls and margins in companies you'd think the company would realise they could cut their costs in half but no, some people just seem to think they're smarter than the people who work on it full time.

i bet they use the economy setting as well. I can never understand washing dishes in cold water.

Gunslinger92

There's people who work in my building bringing their rubbish from home and putting it in the building's waste area, everyone got an email there aimed at the culprits telling them to stop it

joe stodge

Gunslinger92 wrote: »

There's people who work in my building bringing their rubbish from home and putting it in the building's waste area, everyone got an email there aimed at the culprits telling them to stop it

I've seen a woman who's daughter is in my kids class filling a small rubbish bin in a shopping centre car park with bags form the boot of her car numerous times.

imagine driving around with bin bags in the boot of your car until you find a bin to stick them in.

ButtersSuki

A while back I posted a tale about a guy in Tesco scanning his Clubcard for multiple customers purchases. This morning I witnessed the same thing in an Insomina Coffee Shop. Guy standing at the till sipping a coffee asking customers did they have an Insomnia Loyalty Card; if they said no he then asked could he scan his to gain the points. It made for some very awkward conversations and looks at the till for both customers and staff, all of which the guy seemed oblivious to. His demeanour was such that it was almost like he felt he was doing them a favour.

Am I alone in finding this very strange behaviour? It's a pretty extreme way to go about getting a free coffee.

the beer revolu

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

i bet they use the economy setting as well. I can never understand washing dishes in cold water.

Don't think so.
Clothes /dishes either come out clean or they don't. It's just stupid using more detergent and energy to achieve the same results.

razorblunt

the beer revolu wrote: »

Why not just use half as much liquid??
I don't have a dishwasher but most of my family cut their dishwasher tablets in half. It's not about being stingy, it's about using as little detergent as possible.
In my washing machine, I use as little liquid as washes the clothes sufficiently, not the recommended amount.

I see a lot of behaviour being called stingy here that I just see as sound environmentalism and a dislike of needless waste.

Aye I know someone who does that trick with the washing machine. Awful smell off him I have to say, the clothes often smell 'mouldy' if that makes sense.

Hector Savage

howsshenow wrote: »

Why not write "and the same to you & yours" on the Christmas cards you received and post them back!

Brilliant !
Do this please and report back

antrim14

A lad I used to be friends with used to wait until we were pulling up to his house in the taxi, after a night out, and suddenly announce that he had no money. He always said he would give it to use the next time but of course he never did. It took us a while but eventually we told him he wasn't getting in unless he handed the money over up front. He took to walking home after that. Also, any time the lad opened his wallet you could see it was packed with 20s. He was from a very rich family and never had to get a part time job in school or college.

Another time we were all out at a gig and he got kicked out half way through for being too steaming. We only found this out after, and we saw him sitting outside the place after in a heap. He was covered in his own sick and going in and out of consciousness. Being the good friends we were, we cleaned him up a bit, ordered him a taxi and gave the driver a tenner and told him to drop him off at the address and keep the change (this was 12/13 years ago so the fare was a fiver at most). About an hour later we went to get a kebab and we saw the same friend ordering food and handing over the same tenner that we had given the taxi driver! When we asked him what the hell happened he told us he got the taxi driver to let him out around the corner from where we had put him in the taxi and give him the money back! He thought it was funny too!

A final one for the same lad. We were in the pub for a friend's birthday party, a few years ago. This is probably the last time I saw him. After about 5 pints, the afore mentioned lad took to going round our group of friends begging for 50p from each of us so that he "could get the birthday boy a pint". The ones who knew him well told him to **** off (we had all seen his wallet packed with 20s) but a few fell for it. Next thing, we spot him standing at the bar drinking said pint! I went over and told the lad whose birthday it was and he said that he had also been tapped for 50p!

After that I pretty much had nothing to do with him but I've heard he is still the same with money that all these years later, despite having a very very good job as a solicitor in a big legal firm.

valoren

antrim14 wrote: »

A lad I used to be friends with used......

The most pertinent part for me! :pac:

Mollyb60

andreoilin wrote: »

My grandmother fills her cartons of milk back up with water when they're half empty.

A few years back my mother confessed that when we were kids and wanted hot milk in our cereal, instead of heating the milk in a pan like most, she would just water it down with hot water from the kettle. To this day I do the same thing because heated milk is too creamy for me. I only realised that it wasn't normal when my husband pointed it out to me.

I never really considered it stingy of her though. My dad was on minimum wage and she had 5 kids to feed so fair enough. I didn't suffer for it.

Hector Savage

antrim14 wrote: »

A lad I used to be friends with used to wait until we were pulling up to his house in the taxi, after a night out, and suddenly announce that he had no money. He always said he would give it to use the next time but of course he never did. It took us a while but eventually we told him he wasn't getting in unless he handed the money over up front. He took to walking home after that. Also, any time the lad opened his wallet you could see it was packed with 20s. He was from a very rich family and never had to get a part time job in school or college.

Another time we were all out at a gig and he got kicked out half way through for being too steaming. We only found this out after, and we saw him sitting outside the place after in a heap. He was covered in his own sick and going in and out of consciousness. Being the good friends we were, we cleaned him up a bit, ordered him a taxi and gave the driver a tenner and told him to drop him off at the address and keep the change (this was 12/13 years ago so the fare was a fiver at most). About an hour later we went to get a kebab and we saw the same friend ordering food and handing over the same tenner that we had given the taxi driver! When we asked him what the hell happened he told us he got the taxi driver to let him out around the corner from where we had put him in the taxi and give him the money back! He thought it was funny too!

A final one for the same lad. We were in the pub for a friend's birthday party, a few years ago. This is probably the last time I saw him. After about 5 pints, the afore mentioned lad took to going round our group of friends begging for 50p from each of us so that he "could get the birthday boy a pint". The ones who knew him well told him to **** off (we had all seen his wallet packed with 20s) but a few fell for it. Next thing, we spot him standing at the bar drinking said pint! I went over and told the lad whose birthday it was and he said that he had also been tapped for 50p!

After that I pretty much had nothing to do with him but I've heard he is still the same with money that all these years later, despite having a very very good job as a solicitor in a big legal firm.

People like this ^^ Is it a mental illness ?

antrim14

Hector Savage wrote: »

People like this ^^ Is it a mental illness ?

With this guy it must be. He was a nice enough guy: friendly, charming, funny etc. He was just a tight git when it came to money or paying for anything. He's the type of guy that would have borrowed all of your CDs and copied them (early 2000s) or put the songs onto his Ipod (mid 2000's) rather than paying for his own music!

suicide_circus

Hector Savage wrote: »

People like this ^^ Is it a mental illness ?

Basically yes. They are miserable grasping people who can never really be happy and who are shunned and laughed at by the rest of society. They have money but cant actually enjoy it.

tmabr

suicide_circus wrote: »

Basically yes. They are miserable grasping people who can never really be happy and who are shunned and laughed at by the rest of society. They have money but cant actually enjoy it.

I know a similar guy but not as bad. Just point blank refuses to pay for a taxi, its almost a phobia. He would have no hesitation ask you to bring him to the airport at 3am on a work day or ring you to pick him up from airport, doesn't see the point in paying for something he could do himself.

to be fair though, he would offer back and almost insist driving you whether it suited me or him.

notsoyoungwan

Hector Savage wrote: »

People like this ^^ Is it a mental illness ?

Nope, just a (not very nice) character trait.

rawn

My uncle has become such a stinge it's actually embarrassing. He was always good with money, and (besides his mortgage) has never borrowed in his life yet goes on several holidays a year, has a nice car and a cabin with full screen tv, bar and pool table out his back. But my god. Lately you just can't take him anywhere.

Himself, my mother and a few relatives recently went to Scotland for the weekend. Uncle had the tickets and told everyone the flight was at 5am. Everyone showed up with plenty of time to spare except Uncle, who showed up at whatever the boarding time was for a 5am flight, only to realize the flight was actually at half 4 and they missed the boarding. They had to buy new tickets, Uncle surprisingly volunteers to pay since it was his fault. Upon arriving in Scotland they found out he had convinced their cousin to put it on her credit card, and the others knew full well he was going to "forget" to pay her back, so secretly paid her back themselves. Uncle has no idea, Cousin asked a few times a few weeks later if he had the money yet and he fobbed her off each time. Ugh.
While they were in Scotland they went for a meal, he ordered the cheapest meal, polished it off, drank the cheapest beer. Before the others had finished he was going around eating off their plates. Then he found out that the relative they were visiting was paying for everything, so ordered another meal and suddenly was drinking more expensive beer.
The relatives that they visited will visit them in Ireland next year, of course the favor will be returned in regards to treating them to meals etc, i can guarantee he'll find a way not to put a hand in his pocket.
He's more well off than any of his siblings. It's maddening. But i genuinely think at this stage it's a mental thing, he's become obsessed with not spending money.

Wildcard7

job seeker wrote: »

So I wore a hoody into work with "thanks, doesn't put fuel in the car" with a picture of a fuel display with the needle on "empty" which was printed on it. He still didn't take the hint.

There's a thread here where someone doesn't know whether they're invited to their coworkers wedding. They're worried because they'd need to make arrangements and time is running out. Instead of asking them, they start a thread on boards.

In another thread one guy complains that his flatmate always packs away his kitchen appliances, so he has to take them out of the press every time he uses them. The other guy is probably pi$$ed off that the first guy is constantly leaving his stuff on the counters. But they're not talking about it. They're just passively getting more miserable with the other lads behaviour.

Now you are playing free taxi for your boss(?) and instead of telling him you can't do it for free, you buy a feckin hoodie with the message printed on it.

I mean I understand not wanting to hurt other peoples feelings but wtf?

johndaman66

antrim14 wrote: »

Another time we were all out at a gig and he got kicked out half way through for being too steaming. We only found this out after, and we saw him sitting outside the place after in a heap. He was covered in his own sick and going in and out of consciousness. Being the good friends we were, we cleaned him up a bit, ordered him a taxi and gave the driver a tenner and told him to drop him off at the address and keep the change (this was 12/13 years ago so the fare was a fiver at most). About an hour later we went to get a kebab and we saw the same friend ordering food and handing over the same tenner that we had given the taxi driver! When we asked him what the hell happened he told us he got the taxi driver to let him out around the corner from where we had put him in the taxi and give him the money back! He thought it was funny too!

In fairness that is pretty funny..

job seeker

Wildcard7 wrote: »

Now you are playing free taxi for your boss(?) Co-worker and instead of telling him you can't do it for free, you buy a feckin hoodie with the message printed on it.

I mean I understand not wanting to hurt other peoples feelings but wtf?

I asked for money prior to the hoodie incident and he went on about how had no money. Despite constantly having a few brown one's in his wallet! Now by wearing the hoodie with the caption I assumed that he'd get the hint. But no, he didn't. I don't ever like to see someone stuck, when I started giving him the lifts I felt sorry for him and I didn't realise the type of person he was.

However, as time went on I felt it was just easier to give him the lifts than having to work with someone who has taken a disliking towards me for not helping them out. So it was to make my own life easier as well..

Anyway, he called me last night when I was in another county at my graduation. I can only assume what he wanted... :rolleyes:

antrim14

johndaman66 wrote: »

antrim14 wrote: »

Another time we were all out at a gig and he got kicked out half way through for being too steaming. We only found this out after, and we saw him sitting outside the place after in a heap. He was covered in his own sick and going in and out of consciousness. Being the good friends we were, we cleaned him up a bit, ordered him a taxi and gave the driver a tenner and told him to drop him off at the address and keep the change (this was 12/13 years ago so the fare was a fiver at most). About an hour later we went to get a kebab and we saw the same friend ordering food and handing over the same tenner that we had given the taxi driver! When we asked him what the hell happened he told us he got the taxi driver to let him out around the corner from where we had put him in the taxi and give him the money back! He thought it was funny too!

In fairness that is pretty funny..

I bet the taxi driver wasn't happy.

El_Duderino 09

job seeker wrote: »

However, as time went on I felt it was just easier to give him the lifts than having to work with someone who has taken a disliking towards me for not helping them out. So it was to make my own life easier as well..

It sounds like you already work with someone who sees you as a pushover and a free taxi driver. Not much to lose by telling him you don’t fancy driving him. Forget the money, what about your time?

heldel00

Mollyb60 wrote: »

A few years back my mother confessed that when we were kids and wanted hot milk in our cereal, instead of heating the milk in a pan like most, she would just water it down with hot water from the kettle. To this day I do the same thing because heated milk is too creamy for me. I only realised that it wasn't normal when my husband pointed it out to me.

I never really considered it stingy of her though. My dad was on minimum wage and she had 5 kids to feed so fair enough. I didn't suffer for it.

I still do this. Only take milk on cereal and i hate the taste of full fat. Plus my granny used to do it too so it reminds me of her every morning and that's only a good thing.
Husband also found it strange.