Just how far would you go to save money? There is a television series on TLC called "Extreme Cheapskates." It shows a variety of people who go to the extremes to save money. For example, one gentleman on the show reuses his paper towels. He uses them, washes them and then hangs them to dry. That same man also asks people at restaurants for their leftovers. Another gentleman lives at the mechanic shop he works in. He eats, sleeps and works all in his shop. He even uses his shop tool to cook with. One family uses the same bath water for every family member. That same family share one bed. There are many more examples, but I am curious to know how far do you go? What are some extreme things you have done to save money? My husband and I have done a few things I consider over-the-top, however not near as extreme as some of the examples from the TV show, Extreme Cheapskates. When we had to relocate for my husband's work, we went through company dumpsters like Walmart and Target and took their cardboard boxes. We did ask for permission first. Target actually set their boxes aside for us so we did not have to dig them out of the dumpster. Moving can be expenses and we thought we could bypass the expense of boxes and get them for free. We also went to Home Depot. While searching for cardboard boxes there, we came across a computer chair that was in the dumpster. The only thing wrong with it was a cracked wheel. With a little glue, we found ourself a brand new chair. Now, I don't consider myself to be a frequent dumpster diver, but I also would be lying if I said I had never done it. Some companies do not allow you to look in their dumpster. It is always best to ask permission first. What about you? What are some extreme things you have done to save money? How far would you go?
I think most people have been led to believe that saving money is soooo important that they forget to use what they earn to live a decent life. I won't go to any extremes to save money because the important thing to me is to be content with what I have and be happy with that. Maybe, should the need to save arise, I could do without one meal a day. But that's as far as I'd go.
That show is fake, I watched every episode on netflix. The guy claims she is so cheap that he takes the stem off of cherries so they weigh less and he could afford them. I am not a cheapskate but I am far from rich. Common sense tells you that cherries cost too much and it's better to buy grapes. One guy said he took his shirt to goodwill so they could dry clean it and then he purchased the same shirt for a dollar. Thats a lie, where do they dry clean donated clothes at goodwill before sellig them?
I am a cheapskate but I don't go to the exteme to the point that my life has to suffer to achieve that. I do go for the cheapest alternatives and recycle whatever stuff I can but to reuse paper towels seem a bit unrealistic. I try to strike a balance between living okay and spend as little money as possible.
The most extreme thing that i have done is insteod of spend a whole lot of money on buying a Samsung galaxy. I went online and ordered a chinese kneck off from china and it was a pretty high spec one. The results were not so great and the phone died with in a month. I learnt from then and there that cheap does not really pay off.
I know how to save money and only buy the things I need and not want, But I will never go to the extreme where I am depriving myself of living my life comfortable never. I think that it makes alot of sense to save but not to just live like you cant make it til tomorrow that like living without faith.
The farthest that I have done to save money was to not eat lunch during my high school days, so that I can keep my allowance to be able to buy the things that I want. So when I went home, my mom instantly knew that I didn't buy lunch when I immediately eat as soon as I got home. Nowadays, I just forgo eating out even if I really wanted to to be able to save money.
Some of those things listed like getting unused boxes from retailers make a lot of sense. Truthfully, it depends on the goal that is to be achieved. For instance, if the chair is used by someone who is average weight or only uses it sometimes, then there is nothing wrong with that type of hand-me-down. On the other hand, heavy use or an overweight individual may want to consider something that is guaranteed to be of excellent quality.
I haven't done anything unsanitary to save money. I guess it's kind of extreme that I sold all my music collections of bands I used to love, but I have a daughter to support and it was time to move on. It took me decades to collect all my music stuff and only 5 months to sell it all.
Lots of people work from home so living in the mechanic shop isn't all that far fetched, but asking people for their leftover food? I would not be comfortable with someone coming up to me in a restaurant and asking me for the food off my plate. That is not cool.
I saw that episode. The same man who asked people for their leftovers also gave his wife dumpster roses and a dumpster teapot on their anniversary. What a charmer. (rolls eyes)
Not too far to the point that I would have to sacrifice my health and some of important concerns. I'd probably cut down on leisure like going to cinemas, eating out and trying out new experiences like going for a vacation and buying new stuff. I'd only going to spend for the things that I really need and I'm going to spend for them even if they'd cost a lot, even if they are expensive like buying a high-end computer if mine breaks down.
I absolutely love the show, "Extreme Cheapskates!" I have to admit, I do go to pretty great lengths to save. I've gotten a bit less frugal lately, but before I was even doing things like cutting my makeup concealer with lotion in order to make it last longer. I actually liked it better! I try to conserve food as much as possible, and I always make sure to check out reduced racks. A little savings really does go such a long way in the end when you add it up.
About the only cheap thing I do is re-use plastic containers and sandwich bags. If I get a plastic take out container, usually the only ones are from Chinese food, I will wash it and re-use it for lunch. These containers are heavy duty and they are microwavable. They also give nice round quarter containers with soup, these are good for a few more uses. I will re-use sandwich bags that have had dry material in it, for example, I just refill the plastic bag with tea bags in my backpack with new ones. If I take cereal or crackers, I just use the bag again the next day for the same thing.
About me saving money I would go far but not too much. There are some extreme ways that can get a person in a lot of trouble like stealing money and other bad things. I have shopped at the dollar store to save money and bought products when they were on sale.
I don't go too extreme, instead I approach things more like minimalist. Before I buy something, I always ask myself, "do I really need this? Will it bring value to my life?". Using that method I am able to avoid buying things I truly don't need, which saves quite a bit of money. The less things you have in your life, the less things you will have to replace. Do you own your stuff, or does your stuff own you?
I am a master at saving money, but I don't deprive myself of food. Nutrition is a very important thing in my life, and skipping meals or cutting too much food isn't good for your body. One thing I could share is that I don't even remember the last time I went shopping. I used to have a really strong passion for fashion, but now I wear what I feel like wearing. I mainly just wear gym attire or just throw on anything comfortable from my closet.
I did something kind of douche-y to save money and it affected other people. Let's just say, when I bought food at a certain place, I took extra sauce and dressing packets with me. Over time, it made enough of an impact that they started keeping the sauces behind the counter, inconveniencing other customers. I felt like a big jerk and stopped getting extra packets, and even brought some back. I've noticed that now they're putting them out for everybody again, so I won't be doing that again. It's not worth saving a couple of bucks on ketchup, barbecue sauce and salad dressing if other customers are inconvenienced.
I do a few things here and there that might seem odd to a few people and I'm sure it may also seem a lot less sensible to some that may have better ideas and I have considered that I may just be doing a few of these tactics out of habit or misinformation but I do them nonetheless. I sometimes save paper towels especially when I just used them to wipe water because I know I could use them again to wipe stains off of tables or even spills on the floor once their dried up. Also if I use a paper towel to cover food for a while, I may set that piece aside for when I may need it later on to wipe some stains.
I'm not willing to go to extremes just to save money because I learned that sacrificing things I love is not worth it. I learned that the best way to enjoy life is by keeping things balanced. I learned to save money while not being a cheapskate and it allowed me to have a fulfilling life as of the moment. I am able to save money and continue on my investments as well as travel to different places, and buy things I love such as bike parts, and new parts for my car.
