Can you top this for meaness?
Just remembered I chap I used to walk for, for a few months. He'd shimmied his way up the company, perserverence and bloody-mindedness being his major attributes.

It emerged shortly I started working for him that this chap was rather careful with money - by his own admission.

He once did research on the cost of his wife getting to work - factoring in wear and tear on her shoes versus a bus pass, and concluded she should walk to work in a cheap pair of shoes, and then change into her work shoes.

But the real kicker? It was a large company, about 2000 people on site, and they used to have a subsidised canteen (this was during the late 80s). Everyone could eat there, from the lowly plant workers to senior management.

One day, at lunch, an impoverished worker on the same table, had noticed a pattern. Paul was particularly fond of fried eggs, however he always left his egg whites, only eating the egg yolk.

"Can I have those whites?" he asked.
"Nope, but I'll sell them to you"
"How much?"
"1p"

This continued for years!
(Countryslicker, Tue 29 Jan 2008, 12:23, Reply)