What things are you tight about?

Walking a cross town today looking at all those people in coffee shops. irealised what I am tight about - and that is buying coffee in any of those coffee shops. I only do it in extremis, on long journeys, or if I go up to London, even then I will have a bottle of water with me and usually only drink coffee, when I am also having a meal, sandwiches at lunchtime, or something more substantial later.

Otherwise I just cannot see the point.

For some years now I’ve bought the vast majority of my clothes from EB*y. Not all purchases are suitable when they arrive in the post, but most of them are fine, both pre-loved and BNWT’s. Those I don’t want go to the local Hospice Charity Shop. I’ve just taken delivery of a lovely Joules sweatshirt, BNWT’s, for less than half the price it would have been in the shop. I can wear all of my favourite brands, which would normally be out of my price range (£60 for a sweatshirt? Really??) for a fraction of the price. The only trouble is that when I now look at the full prices online, I’m horrified at how expensive new clothes are, and feel I cannot justify buying them brand new. I think I’ll have to change my name to Second Hand Rose!

Excuse typos. To add if DH suggests coffee when we are out I always suggest skipping it and going for lunch instead. 😃

I love eating out and will spend quite a lot on a reasonable restaurant but really begrudge the cost of coffee and cake in a similar place ,🤔
My reasoning is that if I go out for lunch or dinner with a friend we have time to enjoy a really good catch-up and apart from the enjoyment of friends company I feel it's a real treat to have a lovely meal which would have been an effort for me to cook. When I meet for coffee and cake, last time out was£14 for two, my economical soul begrudges the price for what is invariably a shorter visit and I always mentalkt add up what it would have cost to have had the same at home. Funnily enough I never do that with lunch or dinner which is invariably much more expensive and usually includes wine. Strange behaviour as not exactly an economical way of going out 🤔

How I envy you Posset, being able to do all of those wonderful things. I was never that ‘handy’ but had to give up gardening, my absolute love, due to a severely bad back and have to pay a lot of money for someone to do something I could do much better myself. DH can’t do gardening either, he had to give it up years before me for health reasons.

This thread is really interesting. Our children always used to moan because we hate paying for parking. We always park further away and walk wherever we need to be, we must have saved thousands in parking fees over 48 years and all those extra steps can only be good for us. If it’s pouring DH will drop us off and park by himself. Not for everybody granted, but it’s ‘our thing’. Against that, since retiring we made the decision to park at the short stay at airports to save lugging bags as we both have very bad backs. We justify this by reminding ourselves how much we’ve saved over the years whilst helping to keep fit. If we have things to carry home, one of us will get the car and pick up the other with the shopping. We do pay for parking in a multi story if we go to a town we don’t know though.

Doodledog

Postage costs. It makes no sense, but I hate seeing £5 or something added to the price of something for postage. I know it's daft, but I will spend far more on half-wanted items to make the total up to the 'free postage' stage rather than pay it.

I do exactly the same and when I looked in my drawers they were overrun with tights, and socks and won't need new pants for the next five years.
I also squeeze the last drop of toothpaste and swap the shower soap to the handbasin when it gets small.
I always bought the children's school uniform in the July sales a size too big and my DD's do the same.

I can’t usually eat a full meal in a restaurant, so I always ask for a takeaway box for the leftovers. Why let it go in the bin when I can make something of it the following day?

We all have idiosyncrasies that we can be mean about, which is the point of the thread. I was talking about people who are mean about everything - people my grandmother would say would 'skin a flea for its hide then sell it a vest'. I understand that if someone is hard up they might need to be careful, but choosing that lifestyle when you have money in the bank seems (to me) unnecessarily parsimonious. Each to her own, though.

Doodledog, same here with the postage costs. I have to spend up to the free delivery amount - so search desperately for any little thing of the right price. Using the last drop of everything - by rinsing out the bottle or cutting open the tube. Never wasting food, - so will the cat, dog, birds ducks or foxes eat it? If not - it goes on the compost. Rolling spare paper tightly into firelighters. All these little things take (waste?) effort and time that could be put to better use. Still, I'm self indulgent (and extravagant) on things that make me happy, like Uber -ordering a nice meal from a favourite restaurant, on a whim, and having the house spring-cleaned while I sit in the garden.

There is no shame in cutting one’s cloth according to one’s means, but I don’t understand people deliberately being stingy with themselves. I have friends who ‘never spend a penny if a ha’penny will do’, and it seems such a joyless way to live. What’s the point of having money in the bank if you live on the cheapest of everything with no treats?

Absolutely everything......I only ever buy new pants and new bed mattresses.

I always thought I was mean until I read this.

GagaJo

A lot of things.

* Cars. I won't spend a lot on a car. If it's tidy and reliable, it's fine.

* Utilities at the moment. Haven't had the heating on yet.

* My hair. I have it cut a couple of times a year BUT I don't mind too much how much it costs if I find a hairdresser I like. Dye it myself. Never had a hairdressers dye job I liked.

Happy to pay for some things. I pay for a cleaner. Buy good quality food, especially for my DGS. Good, width fitted Clarks shoes for him.

It's all about what you value, isn't it?

Thank you so much for making my evening GagaJo. I was reading your post when it came to "buy good quality food especially for my DGS which I read as 'dogs' and then 'good width fitted Clarks shoes for him". My eyes almost popped and I read it again to thankfully see you meant your grandson. It saved me from trying to picture your dog with wide feet in his well fitted Clarks shoes. 💖

Not so much tight with anything in particular, just always find my limit to pay on different items

I cut my own hair, and have learned a useful trick. I take my very good sharp scissors and a comb into the shower . When hair is thoroughly wetted it's easy to club-cut the nape hair evenly by touch alone.

My formative childhood years were during the war so it's natural for me to be economical. I also experienced hard times as an adult so my standards for reasonable expenditure are strict.

I have very fine straight hair. Used to get it permed every 3 months now I pay to have it blow-dried weekly. Don't spend anything else on make up or beauty products.

I’m tight on a lot of things being a yorkshire lass . Toothpaste,soap, left overs. I don’t like supermarket meat too many disappointing meals, it’s worth spending a bit more at the butchers.

I agree with Davida1968. Since before covid, I stopped going to the hairdressers. I stopped colouring my hair to go au-naturel and I cut my own hair with the use of the pair of kitchen scissors and a hand mirror. I'm not too fussy how the back looks as I can't see it. Occasionally I slip with the scissors and cut a chunk out but, hey-ho, it'll grow back.
I've never been keen on long nails and varnish and most of my clothes come from the charity shops so I reckon I must save an absolute fortune. It's just a pity I don't have a fortune that I could spend on other things.

Unless it's for a VERY special occasion I never pay full price for clothes, I always buy things in the sales or when there is a discount offer, I also shop at outlet stores (good for Next and M&S} I think I can now distinguish clothes that have been "brought in" or the genuine ones. I've bought quite a few things online from Phase Eight when they sell things off at the end of season. I reckon the stores still make a profit

We have a large family, and I always try not to spend more than £1.99 on birthday cards.
Honestly, £3.50 or more is ridiculous!
TK Max and charity shops sell reasonable cards!

Skin care - I use bog standard cleansers/toners and very seldom use a moisturiser. I only use lip gloss regularly but if going somewhere special I might use lipstick.

That's good going!
Very satisfying, doing it yourself, if you've the energy.

My OH and I wouldn't dream of paying someone else do things we can do ourselves. That includes house renovations, decorating, all things garden including hard landscaping, window cleaning, gutter cleaning, car maintenance, make our own wine ................ I would probably appear to be showing off if I recounted everything we do ourselves................mind you, it's no wonder I don't have much time for a social life!