‘What’s the stingiest thing you’ve ever seen someone do?’ – 24 of the most tightfisted skinflints on the planet
‘The heart that gives, gathers,’ as Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu said. Being generous is a good thing, so when people are the opposite, they tend to – quite rightly – be judged for it.
Over on the AskUK subreddit they’ve been discussing people who seem to enjoy channelling the spirit of Scrooge after Luke_Johnson_1984 asked this…
‘What’s the stingiest thing you’ve ever seen someone do?’
And they kicked things off with this.
‘What does my head in is when someone doesn’t want to chip in for food and then when everyone’s food arrives they want to dip into it all, what’s yours?’
And lots of people chimed in with examples of the incredibly tightfisted people they’d had the misfortune to come across, like these…
1.
‘Mate bought a meal deal but didn’t want the drink so I had it… they then asked me to pay them full price for the drink.’
–Inholy123
2.
‘My Uncle was in a pub with his mates, about eight of them.
‘Everyone was getting rounds in, my Uncle was last in line. When it came to his turn he refused to get a round in saying “I didn’t ask you to buy me them” and then walked out giving zero fucks. I wasn’t the only witness to this and became one of the more notable stories about him.’
–Similar_Floor_7390
3.
‘Old mate of mine bought his girlfriend a new back tyre, for his motorbike, for her birthday, because it was only worn out because of the odd time she rode pillion.’
–ozzieowl
4.
‘Bringing egg boxes in a suitcase abroad on holiday because in that country loose eggs were slightly cheaper than boxed eggs. That’s probably the biggest fucking-around-to-money-saved ratio I’ve ever witnessed.’
–Super-Device-3328
5.
‘Sat in a curry house with us. Didn’t order food, only a drink, then asked people for their leftovers. Brass neck. We all took leftovers home on principles, even if it was just a mouthful.’
–Imaginary_Ad5475
6.
‘Went to a pub with a group of mates which unbeknownst to us, was very expensive but only found out after the first person bought a round. We all bought a round and then it got to the member of the group who was known to be tight.
‘When we said to him it was his round, he just sat there like a statue. Even when everyone was having a pop at him and trying to egg him on to buy drinks, he sat motionless like a robot. It was very weird.
‘In the end we just left and he followed us out as if nothing happened.’
–Identity-user
7.
‘Whenever we hold a BBQ, everyone brings a bottle of wine or a 6 pack of beers to pool between everyone (and as hosts, we buy loads to share with everyone). Mate of mine brings his own beers in a backpack that he keeps with him at all times.
‘Will take a drink from the pool every time it’s offered, and when it’s not, you’ll see him dip into his bag, grab one of his own and zip the bag shut. Happy to accept the free stuff, but not share his own secret stash.
‘The guy works in finance, on £150k+, three times our entire household income.’
–Soggy_Answer3682
8.
‘An ex once offered me a voucher for £1 off deodorant, then asked me to pay him £1 for said voucher.’
–Therealladyboneyard
9.
‘Worked in a tattoo studio. Countless times we’d have folk come in, dripping in designer gear with bags of new clobber wanting a full, custom sleeve but be insulted it wasn’t going to be done there and then and cost more than 50 quid.’
–Old-Calendar-9912
10.
‘SIL pleaded poverty so we gave her our sofa for free. Even transported it to them. Six months later she puts it on sale for £150. It wasn’t even a nice sofa but it is the principal of the thing.
‘She isn’t amused every time she asks if she can have something we no longer want and I tell her it is £150.’
–jambo3000uk
11.
‘My dad ate popcorn from a bag that was left on top of the bin at the cinema.’
–glamourise
12.
‘Know someone who shared a flat with two friends and lied about what the rent was. After a year someone accidentally found a bill realising the guy had overcharged the two others to just pocket it.’
–AssistantTimely7205