My husband’s the ultimate Mr Tightwad – he keeps our house so cold I can see my breath & our winter gas bill was ZERO

SNUGGLED under a duvet, wearing four layers of clothing and a coat on top, Katie Leaning draws closer to husband Richard.

This isn’t a romantic date watching the Northern Lights or staying in a fancy ice hotel, but temperatures in their West Midlands home have reached near freezing – with the pair now able to see their breath.

SuppliedKatie Leaning, 33, and husband Richard, 34, live on a tight budget thanks to his penny pinching ways[/caption]

SuppliedThey married in October 2017 and her wedding dress cost less than £300[/caption]

Business analyst Katie’s husband Richard, 34, an operations manager, is the ultimate Mr Tightwad and his determination to capitalise on low house prices has left them without a working boiler all winter.

But there is a silver lining for the proud penny pincher – as their gas bill sits at zero.

Katie, 33, from Stafford, tells Fabulous: “We moved house in November 2020 so we could save on stamp duty.

“But we knew the place needed new radiators and we couldn’t get a plumber to come out because it was winter and lockdown, so we spent the whole winter without heating.

“Luckily we’ve got an electric shower downstairs so we were able to wash but it was freezing indoors.

“You could see your breath, so it must have been close to zero degrees. We were wearing coats and I had four layers on just to sit around the house.

“We had a duvet downstairs some nights while we were watching TV. Rich was happy we didn’t have to pay for heating though.

“He’s already chopping wood for next winter because he’s heard about the gas price hike. He’s trying to source as much free wood as he can for the log burner.”

And it wasn’t just that winter when things were chilly in the Leaning home.

Katie says: “Our thermostat never goes above 16C, and that’s at a push. Our guests often keep their coats on.

“This week, Rich has started filling up a thermos cup of tea when we’re working from home, so he doesn’t have to put the kettle on as much.

“The only person who eats full price food in our house in our dog, and that’s purely for consistency.

“One year Rich gave me a de-icer for Christmas, to stop me blasting the heat on my car in the mornings.”

Richard and Katie met 10 years ago, through mutual friends, and married in October 2017.

Katie is currently 30 weeks pregnant with their first child. She says: “Richard absolutely has a reputation, everyone knows he’s tight.

“At first I didn’t realise, but that changed when we moved in together six-and-a-half years ago.

“It was his reluctance to pay for any work and insistence he should do everything himself. Luckily, he is quite handy around the house.

“Most of the time I find his ways funny, but when we’re with a new person or a friend who doesn’t see us as much, it can be a bit embarrassing. So I’ll sneakily turn the thermostat up or buy some extra snacks for the cupboard.

“Over the years, most of our dates have been ‘typically Richard’. He took me ‘deer spotting’ in the woods once and if we do go for a meal, which happens rarely, there will be a voucher code involved.

“For his last birthday, Richard chose to ride round our local area on e-scooters. It was part of a council trial, so the first 20 minutes were free.

“Our last two dates were an afternoon tea which someone else bought for my birthday and a Valentine’s Day spa day, which Richard paid for with some vouchers from work.

“If we go to a friend’s for dinner, we do take a bottle of wine but it’s often something we had lying around the house. There have been times we’ve re-gifted something those friends bought us too.

“As for the journey home, we never get taxis. Richard chose our house for its proximity to town, so we can walk everywhere in 15 or 20 minutes.”

Richard learned his thrifty ways from his mum and, while there are some benefits, Katie would like more flexibility.

She says: “At times it can be frustrating, if I try and order a takeaway I’m instantly shut down.

“Richard doesn’t pay for any TV subscriptions, my sister does that in exchange for help in her garden.

“Both of our wedding outfits were bought in the sale, my dress cost less than £300.

“And last year’s holiday was a weekend in a dog friendly campsite for £11-a-night, not very glamorous.

“But in fairness, Richard has helped us save a lot of money.

“With the stamp duty saving, shopping around for a mortgage, offering below the asking price, and free legals and valuation Richard found, we saved £22,000 on our current house, which was massive.

“With our baby on the way, I saved £650 on the pushchair I really wanted, by Silver Cross, because he encouraged me to look at local selling websites.

“All the money we save goes back into the kitty for nice things like our baby or holidays.

“We once went to New York with the money we’d saved by switching our bank accounts, £450, which paid for half the holiday.

“I don’t like being nagged though. There’s always a nice looking babygrow on the shelves so it’s difficult to restrain myself from shopping sometimes and Richard doesn’t approve.

“If we’re in a supermarket, he will just walk off and try and draw me away from the clothes aisle. He had a whinge the other day because I bought four babygrows in the John Lewis sale.

“I used my Quidco money to buy them so I felt like I hadn’t spent any cash, but Richard disagreed and said we should wait to see what gifts we get when the baby’s born.

“Richard is great at getting freebies, he’s signed up for all the deals or online competitions for baby bits. We’ve got an entire draw full of free nappies, bottles and dummies.”

SuppliedKatie says it can be ‘frustrating’ but she likes that Richard has saved them money[/caption]

Richard is also a huge fan of the yellow sticker aisle, where supermarkets discount food which is about to go off, so much so that Katie has nicknamed it the “husband creche”.

She says: “If I lose him in the supermarket, I can guarantee that’s where he’ll be.

“Sometimes I have to create the meal around the yellow stickers and I think that might make it more expensive but Rich disagrees. We’ve got a lot of spices and stuff in the cupboards for when that happens.”

Richard also cuts back on the weekly shop by growing his own vegetables, with Katie saying his hatred of waste is a big driver of the tight wallet.