He is so frugal he......

[Walt34]

Buy groceries and cook along the way. I often go on long (3 -7) days with my old car buddies. DW gave me this aid for Xmas a few years ago. Not only frugal, but better tasting too.

Working on oil and gas projects in Wyoming in the middle of nowhere, we cooked lots of food on our truck engines.

A part of family lore is Dad cooking a chicken on the manifold driving from DC to Tyrone, PA where his parents lived. According to the story his mother, not being sure it was thoroughly cooked, was reluctant to eat it until it had passed a careful inspection.

 

[FUEGO]

This was decades ago when everyone sent beautiful cards every year. I loved this habit of hers and have never known anyone else who did it.

We do this. And make bookmarks out of the cards. Mostly the kids and not so much me.

 

[Elbata]

I see these 1999 Chrysler vans on the road and I wonder why I ever got rid of mine. Same with my 1987 toyota pickup. I've gone on to buy well over $100,000 in vehicles since and to be honest, I would be as happy and better served with my older vehicles.

How do we get this idea the buying new is better? Just inherited FIL's honda 1998 with only 75K miles. Hope we could make it work for another 15 years.

BTW, this thread makes me laugh. Another reason why the internet is so wonderful.

 

[audreyh1]

I think I'm going to be less frugal to make up for the rest of y'all!

 

[flyingaway]

Talking about eating dog food?

We used to buy small crackers for breakfast, the larger bags are cheaper. One day I was looking for cracker bags at Walmart and was surprised to find some very big bags of cracker-like stuffs selling at a unreasonably low price. I put one bag in my cart and still could not believe that I found such a bargain. So I looked around and found that I was in pets food section.

 

[MRG]

Talking about eating dog food?

We used to buy small crackers for breakfast, the larger bags are cheaper. One day I was looking for cracker bags at Walmart and was surprised to find some very big bags of cracker-like stuffs selling at a unreasonably low price. I put one bag in my cart and still could not believe that I found such a bargain. So I looked around and found that I was in pets food section.

But the real question is did you buy and eat them?

Along the same line when we discovered "Greenies" for our dogs that had dental issues. These things worked great and the vet quit bothering us about expensive dental procedures to clean their teeth. The manufacturer had an email to send comments to.

I wrote explained how great their products worked, saved the dogs from dental work and us money. Joking I asked if they thought their products worked for people.

The owner answered the email explained while they manufactured by FDA approved procedures, the products hadn't gone through the FDAs approval process for human use. He went on to say he'd used them personally and his dentist commented how his gum health had improved.

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[NW-Bound]

Talk about cooking on top of the car engine, I wonder if a gourmand's palate would be fine enough to tell by the imparted flavor if the engine oil was Penzoil 10W40 or Valvoline 5W30.

And without a V8 engine with a flat top, how does one tuck his meal into the modern 4-cylinder or V6 transverse engine?

 

[calmloki]

But the real question is did you buy and eat them?

Along the same line when we discovered "Greenies" for our dogs that had dental issues. These things worked great and the vet quit bothering us about expensive dental procedures to clean their teeth. The manufacturer had an email to send comments to.

I wrote explained how great their products worked, saved the dogs from dental work and us money. Joking I asked if they thought their products worked for people.

The owner answered the email explained while they manufactured by FDA approved procedures, the products hadn't gone through the FDAs approval process for human use. He went on to say he'd used them personally and his dentist commented how his gum health had improved.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Early Retirement Forum mobile app

I've used ophthalmic ointment for several eye injuries - the stuff for cats was about an 1/8 the cost for people eye grease and had the same ingredients and size and shape tube. Worked and felt the same. I figure drugs for animals are the same whether you add or subtract a soul - you are treating the body anyway.

 

[Calico]

We do this. And make bookmarks out of the cards. Mostly the kids and not so much me.

I never thought of making bookmarks out of them - thanks for that idea!

 

[heeyy_joe]

I use soap until it's gone, them little slivers last a good while.

Love those Mach 3 razor blades, four will last me a year.

Toothpaste tubes - consider it a challenge to get all the product out!

 

[FUEGO]

I never thought of making bookmarks out of them - thanks for that idea!

We also use $5 or $10 bills as bookmarks.

#livinglarge

 

[freebird5825]

We also use $5 or $10 bills as bookmarks.

#livinglarge

No hundreds ?

 

[Calico]

I use soap until it's gone, them little slivers last a good while.

Love those Mach 3 razor blades, four will last me a year.

Toothpaste tubes - consider it a challenge to get all the product out!

Take a bunch of the slivers, moisten them and stick them together, and you've got yourself a whole new bar of soap. Another trick I learned from my grandmother!

 

[NotMyFault]

Save junk mail envelopes for messages and grocery lists.

 

[NW-Bound]

I stopped using soap bars long ago. I use liquid soap, and need much less than a teaspoon per shower. It was not just for reduced costs. Soap bars create a mess in the soap holder, which takes effort to clean.

 

[haha]

I can see the headlines in news of the weird

... millionaires smuggle their own drinks into pub, save string, recreate bars from soap slivers, re-use things you wouldn't ever want to know.

Ha

 

[flyingaway]

But the real question is did you buy and eat them?

Along the same line when we discovered "Greenies" for our dogs that had dental issues. These things worked great and the vet quit bothering us about expensive dental procedures to clean their teeth. The manufacturer had an email to send comments to.

I wrote explained how great their products worked, saved the dogs from dental work and us money. Joking I asked if they thought their products worked for people.

The owner answered the email explained while they manufactured by FDA approved procedures, the products hadn't gone through the FDAs approval process for human use. He went on to say he'd used them personally and his dentist commented how his gum health had improved.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Early Retirement Forum mobile app

No, I did not buy the dog food.

 

[flyingaway]

I'm thinking more of a road trip. $15 or so to feed the family of 5, maybe grab a coffee while we are there. Possibly let the kids burn off another couple hundred miles of steam in the Play Place. Rest, relaxation, recreation, caffeination, for under $20.

We do often pack a picnic lunch/dinner for the first meal or two of a road trip, but not always.

When we were on travels or vacations, we usually brought instant noodles, even to another country on overseas travels.

 

[Meadbh]

I bring home soaps and lotions from hotel rooms. I have a basket of them in the guest bathroom. I haven't bought a bar of soap in years.

 

[audreyh1]

... Millionaires smuggle their own drinks into pub, save string, recreate bars from soap slivers, re-use things you wouldn't ever want to know.

Ha

+1

lol!

 

[audreyh1]

I bring home soaps and lotions from hotel rooms. I have a basket of them in the guest bathroom. I haven't bought a bar of soap in years.

Oh no, you caught me on something!

But we don't use them at home. Just to replenish our overnight kits while traveling. And only the hotel soap or shampoo we really like.

That's neat idea to have them available in the guest bathroom.

 

[Capwest28]

+1 on the toiletries. I also use them for travel and for the guest baths.

I think I am selectively frugal. Although raised with little, I'm not obsessed with penny pinching. I save more than 40 percent of our salary. After that we live large. Eating out once or twice a month for lunch, occasional coffees, and getting my hair done every couple of months.

For us this works.


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[sayhey24]

I bring home soaps and lotions from hotel rooms. I have a basket of them in the guest bathroom. I haven't bought a bar of soap in years.

+1

 

[braumeister]

When I was a kid, Mom used one of these.
When a bar of soap got too small to use comfortably, the scraps went in the basket. You would swish it around vigorously in the sink to make suds when washing the dishes.
At some point, it was abandoned in favor of the newfangled detergents, but it was a pretty good gadget at the time.

 

[flyingaway]

I might win this one. I actually used the hotel toiletries at home.

But I am also selectively frugal, and easily spend $500 at casinos.