Tight people and the things they do to save money
Discussion
DeuxCentCinq said:
The people who only fill up a tenner's worth - if it's to stop carrying around the weight of the fuel, what about the extra wear and tear driving in and out of the petrol station each time? And the extra fuel used when starting the car again, having been stopped at the pump?
With petrol prices how they were last year, I started to become wary of putting a full tank in, in case the car got nicked or (as happened to me with a previous car) irreparably broke down! I got a few hundred back for scrap value but £60 of that would be for the fuel I'd put in the morning before it died!Anyway, the reason to not put too much fuel in, might not just be about how much weight they perceive they're driving around.
Adam B 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Unopened packet of ham, four quids worth flung in the bin as it goes out of date tomorrow, I have to earn about nine quid extra to pay for that once tax, ni and whatever is taken from it, the ham was fine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
The great thing about cold meat nearing or having exceeded its date is you feel no guilt about having the ham thicker than the bread.
I am now looking at the SKY tv I pay for that is asking me if I would like to watch Raised by Wolves or New Dance Mums, £35 a month to not be able to watch anything lest I cancel the wrong program, well, sometimes I do, when I am feeling liek living dangerously.
98elise said:
Desalinated seawater is perfectly drinkable and safe. Where do you think ships get their drinking water?
No doubt. But when you have cold, bottled water FREE from the fridge, would you choose the warm-as-piss, crappy tasting tap water? I'd not be surprised to hear he drinks tap water in India or so.
omgus said:
Ari said:
m3jappa said:
One thing I often think is what are they saving for exactly? Someone mentioned earlier in this thread about an old lady, living in a cold house eating crap food while having significant money in the bank. It's just totally bizarre behaviour.
Oh FFS! 
Yes, odd isn't it?
Now stop being so cynical about everything.
Some of them do it because they are simply tight, but in my experience that's uncommon. More likely it happens for one or more of the following reasons:
- Habits. A lot of pensioners lived through the war with rationing etc. and the lean years after that. They continue to live in that mode, because it's what they feel comfortable with. They feel no need to spend money. If they feel comfortable living like that then why change?
- Fear. Some people have a strong fear of ending up in poverty, and do everything they can to hedge against it. Often a result of experiencing severe hardship earlier in life, and a resolve never to go back there. Usually leads to stockpiling of large amounts of cash or low-risk investments.
- Low self esteem. Some people take a view that they do not deserve their wealth. Therefore, they don't touch it and instead live a pauper lifestyle that they feel they are more deserving of. Curiously, I see this more with self-made people than with those who inherit.
- Enjoyment. A lot of them enjoy the challenge of living frugually, and enjoy seeing how efficient they can be with money. Especially common amongst STEM-educated people, who treat it like an optimisation problem. Remember that guy who was fare dodging for something like 10 years and who turned out to be a highly paid fund manager or something? I bet he wasn't doing it to save a few quid, he was doing it for the sense of satisfaction he got from beating the system (until he got caught that is...).
I know "someone" who has a house in the UK and another one in South Africa. Him and his wife are quite often flying to and from each destination so he collects the air miles to pay for future flights, which is fine but he always books his seat in business class and his wife's in economy. He says she is smaller so can get comfortable in an economy seat
I have a friend who is very very tight
Unheated house, doesn't flush the loo, will spend 5mins choosing a single Apple
A bugger for buying part worn tyres one at a time and rotating them to get an extra couple of miles
But it dawned on me he probably has an illness when he started removing used brake pads from cars at the scrap yard
Unheated house, doesn't flush the loo, will spend 5mins choosing a single Apple
A bugger for buying part worn tyres one at a time and rotating them to get an extra couple of miles
But it dawned on me he probably has an illness when he started removing used brake pads from cars at the scrap yard
Spare tyre said:
I have a friend who is very very tight
Unheated house, doesn't flush the loo, will spend 5mins choosing a single Apple
A bugger for buying part worn tyres one at a time and rotating them to get an extra couple of miles
But it dawned on me he probably has an illness when he started removing used brake pads from cars at the scrap yard
Genuinely unheated all year round? Unheated house, doesn't flush the loo, will spend 5mins choosing a single Apple
A bugger for buying part worn tyres one at a time and rotating them to get an extra couple of miles
But it dawned on me he probably has an illness when he started removing used brake pads from cars at the scrap yard
How is that even possible when it gets really cold!?
hora said:
Possibly they suffered the after effects of the war or experienced the 70's?
I (and a couple of people I know) were children in the 70's whose parents really struggled. I can see how its affected how I am today towards money/hating throwing cosmetically worn functional stuff away etc.
I know its custom/normal to have your central heating on ALL day long on a thermostat but I think thats utterly bats
t mental.
Try living with people who don't understand thermostats. Turn the heating to the top for a few hours and realise that it's getting hot, so they open the window. Electricity companies must love them.I (and a couple of people I know) were children in the 70's whose parents really struggled. I can see how its affected how I am today towards money/hating throwing cosmetically worn functional stuff away etc.
I know its custom/normal to have your central heating on ALL day long on a thermostat but I think thats utterly bats
t mental. Over time I'd hate to think how much money I've spent on electricity because of that.
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