Australian TikToker Mason sparked a debate among viewers with his money-saving fruit tip. In a video posted on May 22, 2023, garnering over 800,000 views, Mason peeled a banana before placing it in a plastic bag on a scale.
The video’s text overlay read, “how my frugal boyfriend saves money on his bananas,” with the caption adding, “the secondhand embarrassment tho.”
While some followers were impressed by Mason’s trick, expressing a willingness to do the same under specific circumstances, others criticized him as being overly frugal. One user commented, “I would if I was gonna eat it after I leave,” while another praised Mason’s smart money-saving approach, stating, “Dude will have more money than all of us. Very smart man.” When challenged about the minimal savings on bananas, a supporter emphasized the mindset applied to all purchases.
However, a majority of TikTok commenters deemed Mason a penny-pincher, with some humorously suggesting extreme measures like calling the cops or advising Mai to break up with him. The clip even made it to Sky News Australia on YouTube, where more viewers found it amusing and clever than those on TikTok.
In response to the video, a user shared a similar story about their granny, who would ask the butcher to cut off fat before weighing the meat, then request some fat for roasting because she knew fat offcuts were free