Do ya think I’m stingy? Rod Stewart reveals he’s fizzing mad about saving money

THRIFTY superstar Rod Stewart refills his children’s fizzy drink bottles to save cash, he has revealed.

The singer, who has a £180 million fortune, complained that his youngsters just take one swallow and leave the rest to go flat.

But the frugal father of eight swoops in and pours the leftovers into a jumbo-sized container to top up them later.

The veteran rocker was once branded as “tight as two coats of paint” by Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood.

And he admits to still keeping an eye on the cost of living – pushing the supermarket trolley for his wife Penny Lancaster, 47.

Rod, 73, who has cut the price of his Essex home by more than £1.5m to a “bargain” £5.9m after it failed to sell, said: “Kids! Two mouthfuls off the top. Then they just leave them all over. So what I do is I pour them all into one big bottle, then I refill them and screw the tops back on. They never know.”

Rod, whose children range in age from eight to 55, confessed he can be parsimonious when it is for a good cause.

“Tight as two coats of paint. I’m trying to prove a point! You can’t just waste things,”he said.

And Rod, 73, who has homes in Los Angeles, Palm Beach, and the UK, said he still has the common touch.

He told the Los Angeles Times: “I like to think I’m still a pretty normal guy. Obviously, when you’ve got a lot of money, it changes you.

“But I do a lot of regular things when I’m with my wife in London. I go ’round to the supermarket; I don’t send people to shop for me.”

Rod, who has just released his 30th solo album Blood Red Roses, said life had changed in one way for the worse – everyone is now a paparazzi. The star who was as famous for his womanising ways as his records, said: “The things I used to get away with…

“But now everyone’s got a phone with a camera. You’ve got to watch your step.”

He added: “Look how long I’ve been at it. If I’m not used to it by now, I never will be!”

Hammer comes down on star’s clear out

Gold chandeliers, leopard print armchairs and 19th century mirrors were some of the items snapped up at auction after Sir Rod Stewart had a clear out.

Nearly 40 items of unwanted furniture and ornaments were sold for just under £90,000 at Sworders Fine Art Auctioneers in Essex by the music legend.

The most popular item – in keeping with the star’s flamboyant style – was a teak armchair with leopard print cushion, which received the highest number of pre-auction bids. It was sold for £4,670.

Other lots in the auction included a pair of Victorian leather armchairs, which sold for £7,600, a pair gilt side-tables which were sold for £6,200, and a pair of late 19th century mirrors, which went for almost double the guide price at £5,000.

A spokeswoman for Sworders described it as a “good old-fashioned clear out” by the singer, who has a mansion in Sheering, near Harlow.

She added the auction had attracted interest from the US, India, Greece, Singapore and Malaysia as well as the UK.