My dear cheapskate: "He said to me: keep the bucket of water, it could save me two flushes."

Article reserved for subscribers

At restaurants, he systematically forgets his wallet. At first, it's amusing, but eventually, it becomes annoying, and in the end, it's a disaster. How do you live with a cheapskate? In the first episode of our series, Audrey recounts her ex's extreme greed, which ultimately destroyed their relationship.

“The groceries cost 8.47 euros, and he reimbursed me 4.23 euros with Lydia…” says Audrey. (Photomontage Libération/Getty Images)

To ensure you don't miss any testimonials or stories, subscribe to our new "Live Experience" newsletter .

A desire for control and retention, an inability to give in every sense of the word... Being around a stingy person is a source of immense suffering. The energy they expend saving exhausts and hurts others, but that doesn't matter: living alone, for some, is preferable to the idea of having to share, support, and please. In this episode, Audrey, 25, a recent marketing graduate, ended up leaving her ex after a series of traumatic scenes where saving took precedence over romantic feelings.

“When I met my partner, who was 27 at the time, he was still living with his parents. I was 24 and already working, so we always saw each other at my place. When he came over in the evening, he never brought anything to eat or drink. When we were invited over to friends’ houses, he never thought to buy a bottle, so I always ended up taking one for both of us. He thought it was normal that I bought everything, even though I was on a work-study program earning €1,000 a month with no parental support and rent to pay. He never left the house so as not to spend, and he wasn’t at all embarrassed about it. During this period, I sometimes ate pasta because I had paid for things for him the rest of the month.”

"After eleven months of relationship