He is so frugal he......
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MIL still smooths out and reuses aluminum foil, among other frugal habits from depression upbringing. (In their 80s, they have the proverbial "millions" saved and are still putting savings away from their pensions/ss checks while enjoying life.)
ExFlyBoy5
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Yep..sounds like my family. All of their storage containers are old butter tubs/etc. Shoot...there are too many to mention! They can certainly make a dollar STRETCHHHHHHH....
Jay_Gatsby
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And I thought my parents were the only ones who saved old plastic containers. Can't blame them though. Back then, recycling wasn't as widespread/available, so they would have ended up in a landfill.
Add my MIL to the extreme frugal camp. She claims it's not about money - but more the fact she never learned to drive. So she *never* threw out anything that might be repurposed for some need later. Foil, pie tins, butter tubs.... When they lived here I used to buy the big Costco tubs of animal crackers for them... When she moved out and we were getting the casita ready to rent there were 30 of those tubs stashed away.... Some she'd clearly used for laundry soaking and other purposes.
I used to be in awe of how much food she could by for under $100. (but it took 2 hours for her to go through the store.)
Something about that depression generation (she's 87 now).
I used to be in awe of how much food she could by for under $100. (but it took 2 hours for her to go through the store.)
Something about that depression generation (she's 87 now).
Oh - and for the OP and the cheese bringing friend. Could it be he/she doesn't like the crappy cheese they use. I'm not a fan of American Cheese (cheese flavored food product -not really cheese). I could see bringing a slice of cheddar or swiss just for the flavor.
Heck, DW and I do this. More lazy than frugal.
Especially nice are the plastic bins that some lunch meats come in (and gallon containers for generic ice cream!).
______
Hmmm. I guess I could add one of my own to this list; instead of buying bottled water, I have been known to take others' empties, wash them well, and fill with tap water for future use.
ABSOLUTELY!
This is one of my pet peeves -- very few restaurants use decent cheese on burgers. Practically all of it is that ubiquitous "pasteurized processed cheese food product" that is essentially limp plastic.
I wouldn't go so far as to carry my own, but I'm far more likely to order a burger without cheese unless I know what I'll be getting.
pb4uski
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When my grandmother moved into the nursing home and my mom and aunts were breaking down her apartment they found a drawer chock full of those zip-lock type bags that you get at some grocery stores when you buy cold cuts, all washed, dried and neatly stacked. That's my Gram.... waste not, want not.
Bestwifeever
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I'd rather eat the cheese from the McDonald's cheeseburgers than the meat.
MIL was so frugal that after she moved to the nursing home, we cleared out several dozen plastic tops from aerosol cans that she had saved to put things in if she ever needed something that size to put things in.
MIL was so frugal that after she moved to the nursing home, we cleared out several dozen plastic tops from aerosol cans that she had saved to put things in if she ever needed something that size to put things in.
W2R
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You mean most people don't wash and re-use ziplock bags and plastic containers? 
It didn't occur to me until I read this, that maybe other people really don't do that. And here I thought I was living the lifestyles of the rich and famous.
I guess I just save ziplocks and containers automatically, because I hadn't actually thought about it. It's just, y'know, what you do with them....
I'll bet tossing them all the time makes a lot more trash to drag out to the curb.
It didn't occur to me until I read this, that maybe other people really don't do that. And here I thought I was living the lifestyles of the rich and famous.
I guess I just save ziplocks and containers automatically, because I hadn't actually thought about it. It's just, y'know, what you do with them.... I'll bet tossing them all the time makes a lot more trash to drag out to the curb.
Gotadimple
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Well, the bags can go in the trash, but most of those plastic tubs are recyclable. What do they do with them? They make canvas-style grocery bags out of them. Talk about reuse and recycle!You mean most people don't wash and re-use ziplock bags and plastic containers?
It didn't occur to me until I read this, that maybe other people really don't do that. And here I thought I was living the lifestyles of the rich and famous.
I'll bet tossing them all the time makes a lot more trash to drag out to the curb.
- Rita
P.S. I don't save the bags, but do save the containers (within storage space limits).
Major Tom
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But the whole thing about MacDonalds burgers (with reference to the OP's friend) is that nothing in them is decent. If you want a decent burger at MacDonalds, you have to replace not only the cheese, but also the bun, all the extras, and most especially the "meat".
Why pick on just the cheese?
Ronstar
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You mean most people don't wash and re-use ziplock bags and plastic containers?
It didn't occur to me until I read this, that maybe other people really don't do that. And here I thought I was living the lifestyles of the rich and famous.
I'll bet tossing them all the time makes a lot more trash to drag out to the curb.
We re-use the ziplock bags and the plastic containers. But re-using Cool Whip containers is depressing. Every time I open a Cool Whip container, I expect to find Cool Whip, not leftover spaghetti.
W2R
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But the whole thing about MacDonalds burgers (with reference to the OP's friend) is that nothing in them is decent. If you want a decent burger at MacDonalds, you have to replace not only the cheese, but also the bun, all the extras, and most especially the "meat".
Why pick on just the cheese?
So true! I seldom can eat there because of my constant struggle with overweight. But when I do, I want my quarter pounder with cheese to be something utterly wicked and even a little disgusting, and they are glad to oblige.
W2R
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Gotadimple
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marko
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30 years ago, my grandad got one of those 'press the button if you fall down' that would automatically call for help.
Afterwards, he found out that the call for help was to a center about 15 miles away...resulting in a 15 cent toll call!!
When he broke his hip, he decided to drag himself across the room and pull the phone off the table to call his daughter instead of that dreaded 15 cent long distance charge.
"...I knew she'd be home. If she wasn't home, I'd have pushed the button..."
The worse part is that he had (ahem!) plenty of money.
Afterwards, he found out that the call for help was to a center about 15 miles away...resulting in a 15 cent toll call!!
When he broke his hip, he decided to drag himself across the room and pull the phone off the table to call his daughter instead of that dreaded 15 cent long distance charge.
"...I knew she'd be home. If she wasn't home, I'd have pushed the button..."
The worse part is that he had (ahem!) plenty of money.
Why pick on just the cheese?
Absolutely right, of course.
I was talking about hamburgers in general.
To be honest, the only time I ever go into a McDonald's is when I'm on a long drive and need a place to pee. The bathrooms in those places are generally decent.
99 Cents Only...my favorite store.
10 hotdogs for a buck, 2 (w/o buns) per lunch, five days a week. While others go out and spend $25-$50 per week on lunch, I spend $1. 50 weeks per year and I'm up $1,200 to $2,450. With 5 years to go, that's $6,000 to $12,250, not including earnings/time value.
10 hotdogs for a buck, 2 (w/o buns) per lunch, five days a week. While others go out and spend $25-$50 per week on lunch, I spend $1. 50 weeks per year and I'm up $1,200 to $2,450. With 5 years to go, that's $6,000 to $12,250, not including earnings/time value.
I once told my brother I was doing a 4 week survey. I was logging every bite of food I took during the day. I figured if I could skip every 5th one I wouldn't miss the food and over a year I would save $XX.00 per year in groceries.
In reality I was just doing a parody of myself and my world-renown stinginess but he found it quite believable. Just like me to try something like that to save some grocery money
In reality I was just doing a parody of myself and my world-renown stinginess but he found it quite believable. Just like me to try something like that to save some grocery money
scrabbler1
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I saved a lot of empty, reusable plastic containers over the years. Those include cake frosting containers, really good for storing small amounts of food or drink, Cool Whip containers, and plastic/glass peanut butter jars. I haven't eaten PB for over 20 years but still have the jars I use all the time.
I have reused those zip-lock plastic bags, even inverting them so I could wash them out. Sometimes I use them for food items, sometimes for other things. I have several small ones and larger ones. Very handy.
For printing stuff I don't plan to mail out anywhere, I print on the back (blank) side of paper I have already used. When I left my company in 2008, I took home about 1,000 sheets of this scrap paper I had accumulated over the years (and still left behind much more). It was only last year I finished going through all of it. I had also printed out in 1993, by mistake, a large output from a program I ran. I took it home and used the back of the continuous-feed paper to score the many Scrabble games I played against my friend. It lasted me 20 years and I still have some smaller printouts whose back, blank side I use for my Scrabble games. Should last me another year or two.
I have reused those zip-lock plastic bags, even inverting them so I could wash them out. Sometimes I use them for food items, sometimes for other things. I have several small ones and larger ones. Very handy.
For printing stuff I don't plan to mail out anywhere, I print on the back (blank) side of paper I have already used. When I left my company in 2008, I took home about 1,000 sheets of this scrap paper I had accumulated over the years (and still left behind much more). It was only last year I finished going through all of it. I had also printed out in 1993, by mistake, a large output from a program I ran. I took it home and used the back of the continuous-feed paper to score the many Scrabble games I played against my friend. It lasted me 20 years and I still have some smaller printouts whose back, blank side I use for my Scrabble games. Should last me another year or two.
FUEGO
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At McDonald's, I'll order the McDouble off the dollar/value menu (though it's closer to $1.19 or $1.39 these days). Then ask for extra big mac sauce. Sometimes they charge $0.10 to $0.30 for the sauce.
Instant low(er) carb big mac for a third of the price of the real big mac. I call it the ghetto big mac.
The only time I got embarrassed ordering it was when a homeless guy walked into the restaurant in front of me and ordered the exact same thing. DW's face turned red and she had to walk away from the counter when I ordered my ghetto big macs.
Instant low(er) carb big mac for a third of the price of the real big mac. I call it the ghetto big mac.
The only time I got embarrassed ordering it was when a homeless guy walked into the restaurant in front of me and ordered the exact same thing. DW's face turned red and she had to walk away from the counter when I ordered my ghetto big macs.
W2R
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After I wash them, I have found that I can stand them up on the counter to dry, right side out, upside down, and wide open. I line them up like little soldiers.
Since they cost me nothing when re-used, I use them to freeze nearly everything in portions. That helps me to not over-eat, and also it is useful for a single person to freeze in portions so that food doesn't get spoiled.
They last a long time.
I used to bring my lunch to work. Home made sandwich, a Coke, and something sweet.
If the two liter Coke was on sale at the supermarket, I would fill 20 ounce bottles and bring them to work.
They used to make fun of how frugal I was, now I can laugh at them, stuck in their slave chambers without hope of escape until their 60s at least. They needed the new car every three years, the latest gadgets, and buying breakfast and lunch every day.
He who laughs last, laughs best.
If the two liter Coke was on sale at the supermarket, I would fill 20 ounce bottles and bring them to work.
They used to make fun of how frugal I was, now I can laugh at them, stuck in their slave chambers without hope of escape until their 60s at least. They needed the new car every three years, the latest gadgets, and buying breakfast and lunch every day.
He who laughs last, laughs best.
