Tight people and the things they do to save money
Discussion
My Ex wife(thank God) used to keep unwanted Christmas presents and re-package them for next year.
Unfortuantly, she didn't have a good memory and one Christmas three family member recived there own presents back!!
She also used to reuse tea bag, the bloody tea was digusting after the second time being used! She apparently use to use tea bags upto three times before I met her! I drank instant coffee after that.
Unfortuantly, she didn't have a good memory and one Christmas three family member recived there own presents back!!
She also used to reuse tea bag, the bloody tea was digusting after the second time being used! She apparently use to use tea bags upto three times before I met her! I drank instant coffee after that.
RobinBanks said:
Fartomatic5000 said:
Nicholas van Hoogstraten:
http://youtu.be/VmOXOW77CGY?t=5m20s
He's rich and tight. Keeps old envelopes, writes on the back of printed pages etc, "uppermost in his mind is saving money, that's the difference between people who have made their money and people who have inherited it".
Moans about tiny marmite portions costing 5 times the cost of his big marmite pot:
http://youtu.be/VmOXOW77CGY?t=9m49s
I suspect that most of his net value comes from being a corrupt, crooked criminal rather than saving envelopes.http://youtu.be/VmOXOW77CGY?t=5m20s
He's rich and tight. Keeps old envelopes, writes on the back of printed pages etc, "uppermost in his mind is saving money, that's the difference between people who have made their money and people who have inherited it".
Moans about tiny marmite portions costing 5 times the cost of his big marmite pot:
http://youtu.be/VmOXOW77CGY?t=9m49s
Rostfritt said:
Indeed, I saw a documentary about him a few years ago, even the things he would admit to made him out to be a vile individual.
Exactly. I know two people (business partners) who did some work with him in the 1980s. They agree that he is the dodgiest, most unscrupulous person they know (and that's in 1980s construction and property!)Horrible, horrible man. He's certainly not my role model, no matter how much money he has.
gtr786 said:
My Ex wife(thank God) used to keep unwanted Christmas presents and re-package them for next year.
Unfortuantly, she didn't have a good memory and one Christmas three family member recived there own presents back!!
She also used to reuse tea bag, the bloody tea was digusting after the second time being used! She apparently use to use tea bags upto three times before I met her! I drank instant coffee after that.
You can't beat a Yorkshire lass Unfortuantly, she didn't have a good memory and one Christmas three family member recived there own presents back!!
She also used to reuse tea bag, the bloody tea was digusting after the second time being used! She apparently use to use tea bags upto three times before I met her! I drank instant coffee after that.
Condi said:
Several friends families are self made money, and the only way they've made it is by reinvesting almost every penny they make in the business, property or other appreciating assets. As such, they dont have particularly nice cars, don't go on flashy holidays and dont eat in the best restaurants. Other families, who probably started out earning exactly the same, spent their money on food, holidays and cars, and as a result have much less to show for it.
Who is better off, 'richer' or happier isnt a question for anyone to answer aside from the people involved though. Numbers on a bit of paper mean very little if you cant enjoy it.
I think the most important part of what you have said is the final sentence. In my opinion those who have a huge bank balance and haven't used some of that money to have life experiences have missed out, that experience might be fishing in Scotland or touring the world with Cunard but it's not conserving as many pennies as you can all of the time. I think a healthier approach is a balance between the two extremes. I wouldn't want to get into debt over daily living and wondering how to feed myself but the idea of a mortgage and cars on PCP doesn't offend me in the slightest. Spend a little, save a little, live a lot.Who is better off, 'richer' or happier isnt a question for anyone to answer aside from the people involved though. Numbers on a bit of paper mean very little if you cant enjoy it.
RizzoTheRat said:
Dog Star said:
On the subject of water: permission to feel smug, please. We live in a big, old Victorian house and the water rates have never been reassessed in decades. £35 a year. Understandably we're not interested in a water meter and have a rather large bath that sees a lot of use 
We've just been forced on to a water meter 
I live alone and I've been trying to get a water meter fitted for over a year!
Dog Star said:
gtr786 said:
My Ex wife(thank God) used to keep unwanted Christmas presents and re-package them for next year.
Unfortuantly, she didn't have a good memory and one Christmas three family member recived there own presents back!!
She also used to reuse tea bag, the bloody tea was digusting after the second time being used! She apparently use to use tea bags upto three times before I met her! I drank instant coffee after that.
You can't beat a Yorkshire lass Unfortuantly, she didn't have a good memory and one Christmas three family member recived there own presents back!!
She also used to reuse tea bag, the bloody tea was digusting after the second time being used! She apparently use to use tea bags upto three times before I met her! I drank instant coffee after that.
Condi said:
Several friends families are self made money, and the only way they've made it is by reinvesting almost every penny they make in the business, property or other appreciating assets. As such, they dont have particularly nice cars, don't go on flashy holidays and dont eat in the best restaurants. Other families, who probably started out earning exactly the same, spent their money on food, holidays and cars, and as a result have much less to show for it.
Who is better off, 'richer' or happier isnt a question for anyone to answer aside from the people involved though. Numbers on a bit of paper mean very little if you cant enjoy it.
Not everyone enjoys themselves by spending though. People who scrimp and save tend to get enjoyment from having security - spending actually makes them nervous/ unhappy. I put it down to personality - they are the very risk averse types. Dependable, but probably quite dull.Who is better off, 'richer' or happier isnt a question for anyone to answer aside from the people involved though. Numbers on a bit of paper mean very little if you cant enjoy it.
Personally I like to balance it, as do most people I expect.
Dog Star said:
On the subject of water: permission to feel smug, please. We live in a big, old Victorian house and the water rates have never been reassessed in decades. £35 a year. Understandably we're not interested in a water meter and have a rather large bath that sees a lot of use
I'm calling BS on that one. Show us your house / bill.CharlieGee said:
J4CKO said:
It is a bit pointless me trying to be frugal given the rest of my family aren't remotely bothered.
Come home every single light on, including the garage, doesnt really matter as they are now mostly LED's but it was the same when it was old school ones, three 100W jobs int he kitchen and nobody ever in there.
The wife went out last night and rather than cook anything, kindly put the oven on, so it was warm ready to heat something from the freezer 45 minutes before I got home.
Found a toothpaste tube the other day when emptying the bathroom bin, squeezed from the top and still, conservatively containing 30 percent of its original contents, it got squeezed properly and put back.
My wife puts the shower on for our youngest when she gets up and starts cajoling him to get moving, can be ten minutes from it going on to him being in it, she gets ratty if I complain, I just say well its up to you if you want to choose running hot water unused down the drain or having the cash in the bank.
Unopened packet of ham, four quids worth flung in the bin as it goes out of date tomorrow, I have to earn about nine quid extra to pay for that once tax, ni and whatever is taken from it, the ham was fine
Any one of these would drive me to distraction. In combination? You're a patient man...Come home every single light on, including the garage, doesnt really matter as they are now mostly LED's but it was the same when it was old school ones, three 100W jobs int he kitchen and nobody ever in there.
The wife went out last night and rather than cook anything, kindly put the oven on, so it was warm ready to heat something from the freezer 45 minutes before I got home.
Found a toothpaste tube the other day when emptying the bathroom bin, squeezed from the top and still, conservatively containing 30 percent of its original contents, it got squeezed properly and put back.
My wife puts the shower on for our youngest when she gets up and starts cajoling him to get moving, can be ten minutes from it going on to him being in it, she gets ratty if I complain, I just say well its up to you if you want to choose running hot water unused down the drain or having the cash in the bank.
Unopened packet of ham, four quids worth flung in the bin as it goes out of date tomorrow, I have to earn about nine quid extra to pay for that once tax, ni and whatever is taken from it, the ham was fine
okgo said:
CuckooInMyNest said:
b
ks.
Mostly due to being born in the right era I think he meant to say. ks.http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
okgo said:
I love how anyone questioning anything must be jealous, hilarious really.
I am not specifically referring to this particular example - if Isaac has been frugal, bully for him etc.But I agree with okgo's general point. Jealousy does seem to be mindlessly trotted out on here as an explanation for anything (often perfectly valid statements)sometimes!
Notable examples being having a whinge about someone in a nice car driving like a bit of a dick - then everyone says 'green eyed monster is out' like somehow being rich/successful excuses poor behaviour...but anyway, that's just an aside lets get back on topic before it turns into another Clarkson thread.
I know someone for whom any expenditure on anything is basically a form of being ripped off. They get very cross on having to spend on anything. Now - I honestly don't have a problem with this, they are not cheap with other people, not even slightly - happy to pay their way/split meal bills/get their round in etc. It's their money, they can do what they want.
However, what does bother me a little, is if you are buying something expensive - say a racing bike or DSLR (both of mine are real bargain bucket jobs in relative terms - but as a sum of money in isolation, not small change) - they will question why you are spending that much money on something non-essential, and do it pretty aggressively. They actually get quite cross about it.
Never quite understood it.
Edited by Vocal Minority on Thursday 12th March 09:57
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Very true. In the US, there’s very much a feeling that if you want to be wealthy, it’s in your hands (the American dream) so people who have made lots of money are respected as being dedicated/ hard working. Over here there’s more a feeling that people who have made lots of money have been fortunate/ born into it/ “shafted the little man” to get it. I think much of the resentment comes from the class system.In any case, plenty of people who bought property in London 20 years ago will have over £1m of assets.
LaurasOtherHalf said:
CharlieGee said:
J4CKO said:
It is a bit pointless me trying to be frugal given the rest of my family aren't remotely bothered.
Come home every single light on, including the garage, doesnt really matter as they are now mostly LED's but it was the same when it was old school ones, three 100W jobs int he kitchen and nobody ever in there.
The wife went out last night and rather than cook anything, kindly put the oven on, so it was warm ready to heat something from the freezer 45 minutes before I got home.
Found a toothpaste tube the other day when emptying the bathroom bin, squeezed from the top and still, conservatively containing 30 percent of its original contents, it got squeezed properly and put back.
My wife puts the shower on for our youngest when she gets up and starts cajoling him to get moving, can be ten minutes from it going on to him being in it, she gets ratty if I complain, I just say well its up to you if you want to choose running hot water unused down the drain or having the cash in the bank.
Unopened packet of ham, four quids worth flung in the bin as it goes out of date tomorrow, I have to earn about nine quid extra to pay for that once tax, ni and whatever is taken from it, the ham was fine
Any one of these would drive me to distraction. In combination? You're a patient man...Come home every single light on, including the garage, doesnt really matter as they are now mostly LED's but it was the same when it was old school ones, three 100W jobs int he kitchen and nobody ever in there.
The wife went out last night and rather than cook anything, kindly put the oven on, so it was warm ready to heat something from the freezer 45 minutes before I got home.
Found a toothpaste tube the other day when emptying the bathroom bin, squeezed from the top and still, conservatively containing 30 percent of its original contents, it got squeezed properly and put back.
My wife puts the shower on for our youngest when she gets up and starts cajoling him to get moving, can be ten minutes from it going on to him being in it, she gets ratty if I complain, I just say well its up to you if you want to choose running hot water unused down the drain or having the cash in the bank.
Unopened packet of ham, four quids worth flung in the bin as it goes out of date tomorrow, I have to earn about nine quid extra to pay for that once tax, ni and whatever is taken from it, the ham was fine
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