Children Of Cheapskate Parents Share Their Horrifying Stories

9. Beating the Heat on a Budget

I’m from Georgia, the land of humidity and heat. My dad wouldn’t turn the AC on until the temperature exceeded 100F. He bought these styrofoam pads that were metallic foil on one end.

We had to shove those into all the windows and exiting doorways when we had the AC on the “keep the heat out” and save on the AC. Also, our city has a natural spring. The water is drinkable and free.

So let me set this scene – There is a line in front of it. Kids wanting cold water on a hot day, moms with a pitcher to get some, maybe a guy with an empty milk jug, and my dad with THIRTY-TWO 5-gallon bottles filling them all up “in case the spring dries up tomorrow.”

10. Gift card

My grandpa was the stingiest man in the world. After he passed away, I inherited a $30 gift card. I was going to give it away, but for some reason, I decided to use it.

My life split into ‘before’ and ‘after’ that moment. The cashier’s face went pale when I handed her the card.Cashier: This can’t be, where did you get this??

Me: Uh… It was my grandpa’s.Cashier: ‘STOP EVERYONE! IN FRONT OF US we have the winner of our store’s decade-long hidden sweepstakes!’ The cashier excitedly explained that the gift card was a special promotional item with a million-dollar prize, unclaimed for years.

I stood there, stunned, as the store manager came over to confirm the unbelievable news. Suddenly, my grandpa’s ‘stingy’ gift transformed into a life-changing fortune, rewriting my future in an instant.

11. How We Ended Up Having Noodles with a Flavor Packet Collection