This happened just the other day
To a colleague, but what the hell. It could also count as an expensive mistake, but I've missed the boat on that one, so... 14th December, works Christmas party. 400 people on the piss in Newcastle from lunchtime, starting with dinner and then hitting the town afterwards.

Said colleague, who is female, was honouring the Geordie tradition by wearing the skimpiest, low cut dress imaginable, high heels, bare legs, and a jacket that wouldn't have kept a gerbil warm. Ambient temperature was around -1 c. So really fucking cold, with a freezing fog forming to boot.

Come home time, instead of shelling out the cost of a taxi home (probably about £25 - £30) she decides to get the last train back to Morpeth, jump off and get a taxi to her place, thus saving about £20 into the bargain (more if she manages to get off the train before the ticket inspector comes round - I have done this myself many times, since the journey in question is all of 15 minutes).

A fool proof plan, I'm sure you will agree.

Except for the bit where she fell asleep as the train rolled out of Newcastle, completely missed her stop and ended up in Edinburgh. Where there were no trains back until morning. Hmm. So she ended up having to book herself into a hotel, dressed only in Geordie party gear, no change of clothes, no make up or hair products at her disposal, and then having to make her way home again next day, with a hangover and dressed like she was on a night out.

Cost? Considerably more than just getting a taxi home in the first place.
( Davros' Granddad a voice of calm reason in a world of spastics., Mon 24 Dec 2007, 14:40, Reply)