Am I cheap?

[Moemg]

My late husband stockpiled underwear . After He died I was packing up things for goodwill and luckily I looked closely at the packages of underwear . He had over six hundred dollars hidden in them for emergencies .

 

[Aerides]

Being cheap is fine, as long as the time/space part of the equation works out as well.

Going to 12 different stores to save 30c on those widgets means you've spent more gas, and more of your free time, than you'll get back in the savings.
Having closets overstuffed with what-sits can create clutter and may get forgotten before they are used.

One thing I have to stop doing.Seeing something on crazy sale that I LOVE but need to drop about 5lbs to wear and look good. Get it anyway because it's so marked down. One of three things happen:

Lose 5lbs... it doesn't look so good because the shoulders dropped more or something.
Lose 5lbs... eh, under-calculated, needs more like 10....
Lose 5lbs... go shopping for something new and forget about the thing hidden away

 

[Music Lover]

I stock up when things are on sale, but rarely more than a few months worth as sales always cycle and it will be on sale again unless it's a clearance of a discontinued item.

I do remember about 8 years ago when a sporting goods/shoe store in a local mall was closing and had a 50% - 70% off sale. The good quality running shoes that I normally wear that cost around $120 at the regular price were being blown out for $40. There was one pair left on display and I asked the clerk if they had any more in the back. She came back and said they had 5 more pairs left in my size in storage, so I bought all 6 pairs.

 

[Texas Proud]

I stock up when things are on sale, but rarely more than a few months worth as sales always cycle and it will be on sale again unless it's a clearance of a discontinued item.

I do remember about 8 years ago when a sporting goods/shoe store in a local mall was closing and had a 50% - 70% off sale. The good quality running shoes that I normally wear that cost around $120 at the regular price were being blown out for $40. There was one pair left on display and I asked the clerk if they had any more in the back. She came back and said they had 5 more pairs left in my size in storage, so I bought all 6 pairs.

Beat me to it....

I also buy bulk for food items that can sit on a shelf when it is on sale... especially if we go through it quickly... I also buy stuff we can put in the outside freezer... Sam's club runs will get a couple of boxes of something and one goes in the freezer outside and one inside.... and Sam's does run sales on some of the items so it is worth it...

 

[Blue Collar Guy]

Should have bought a 20 year supply of Tide laundry detergent before they took out the phosphates as well...

I have a neighbor that bought Trisodium Phosphate at the hardware store , she adds I think a cup to the laundry and a spoon to the dishwasher. We were considering doing it , but the bride said A) we might poison ourselves, and 2) the clothes and dishes come out O.K.(not great, but passable).

 

[Car-Guy]

Am I cheap?

Yep.

 

[Blue Collar Guy]

My late husband stockpiled underwear . After He died I was packing up things for goodwill and luckily I looked closely at the packages of underwear . He had over six hundred dollars hidden in them for emergencies .

I always have a stash of dough in the underwear draw too.

 

[Car-Guy]

A 6-pack of good toothbrushes is $1 at Walmart.

Yes they are.

 

[jjquantz]

I forget exactly as I stocked up several years ago. I say about 200-300 stamps doing an estimate of how many mailings I do in a year times how many years left before I may kick the bucket.

A Forever stamp at that time was about 43 cents.

Oh no, are we going to have another SWR thread?

 

[Amethyst]

As I'm sure you're aware, a lot of clothing mfrs have gone to "Small/Medium/Large" each of which covers 2 sizes (small is 4-6, for example). It helps resolve that "5 lbs over/under" business.

One thing I have to stop doing.Seeing something on crazy sale that I LOVE but need to drop about 5lbs to wear and look good. Get it anyway because it's so marked down. One of three things happen:

Lose 5lbs... it doesn't look so good because the shoulders dropped more or something.
Lose 5lbs... eh, under-calculated, needs more like 10....
Lose 5lbs... go shopping for something new and forget about the thing hidden away

 

[Music Lover]

As I'm sure you're aware, a lot of clothing mfrs have gone to "Small/Medium/Large" each of which covers 2 sizes (small is 4-6, for example). It helps resolve that "5 lbs over/under" business.

I'm a 5'7" male, fit, 160-165 pounds. I now need to purchase a large when buying a T-shirt, as opposed to medium a couple decades ago when I was the exact same size. Since when is a 5'7" and 160 pound male "large"...

 

[euro]

Does pretty much having a lifetime supply of forever stamps fall in that category? That's what I did .

Same here!

 

[athena53]

I'm a 5'7" male, fit, 160-165 pounds. I now need to purchase a large when buying a T-shirt, as opposed to medium a couple decades ago when I was the exact same size. Since when is a 5'7" and 160 pound male "large"...

Vanity sizing- drives me crazy. I'm female, 5'7", keep my weight under 130 and some of my pants are size 8. Really? At the same weight 30 years ago I was a size 12. Apparently women, at least, are more likely to buy something that fits if it's labeled with a smaller size than they expected.

 

[ER Eddie]

I don't know, man. I'm cheap, too, but I wouldn't want to have 50 toothbrushes and a lifetime supply of underwear.

 

[Music Lover]

Vanity sizing- drives me crazy. I'm female, 5'7", keep my weight under 130 and some of my pants are size 8. Really? At the same weight 30 years ago I was a size 12. Apparently women, at least, are more likely to buy something that fits if it's labeled with a smaller size than they expected.

Ah, so the female sizes are reduced from reality and the male sizes are increased...

I also notice that my feet have grown from size 8 to 9 or 9.5...

 

[Aerides]

But don't worry, those male tshirts are still about half the price of female ones... and twice the fabric!

I swear if I could just pick up a 3-pack of decent T's... I would just get the men's except they are far too long, and much too big in the shoulders even in small.

 

[gayl]

Maybe that works on things like toothpaste, toothbrushes, and bar soap. But definitely not on clothing. My shoe size has not really changed since I bought a lot of shoes. had an extra pair of heels for the just in case the others wear out (10 yrs old). I went to put them on yesterday and they are a half size too big. So now I paid good money for a pair of shoes a year ago that I could not return because the 45-day return period is up and I could not wear them. I really didn't save anything by stocking up. This one pair of shoes wipes out the savings on the toothbrushes, toothpaste, and bar soap.

I also tend to grow out of pants, shirts, and bras. My bra size is gone up, the others gone down (more fit). And I don't know how to sew so I cannot take anything in

 

[97guns]

Maybe that works on things like toothpaste, toothbrushes, and bar soap. But definitely not on clothing. My shoe size has not really changed since I bought a lot of shoes. had an extra pair of heels for the just in case the others wear out (10 yrs old). I went to put them on yesterday and they are a half size too big. So now I paid good money for a pair of shoes a year ago that I could not return because the 45-day return period is up and I could not wear them. I really didn't save anything by stocking up. This one pair of shoes wipes out the savings on the toothbrushes, toothpaste, and bar soap.

I also tend to grow out of pants, shirts, and bras. My bra size is gone up, the others gone down (more fit). And I don't know how to sew so I cannot take anything in

I'm lucky in that my clothing sizes have not changed since my early 20's, my feet have actually gone down 1/2 size and I can fit 10.5 now. I have found some items that I've lost the style for and sell them off on eBay, usually breaking even or making a few bucks due to inflationary forces.

 

[Rianne]

I don't know is this cheap or frugal:

DH dyes my hair every 8 weeks for $8.99, Loreal and it looks great
Haircuts $7.99 or less depending on coupon, usually $5.99

Obviously, paper towels, toilet paper in huge bulk

Have not bought shoes in years, I wear high quality Merrell's that last forever!

Clothes have to be quality and last for years. I do not waste money on cheap throw away clothes. Bad for environment and slave labor.

My car has 190,000 miles and DH car has 260,000, just change oil. Both Toyota's and rarely have expensive repair event.

WE do buy high quality fish and meat at local butcher.

 

[Luck_Club]

I'm a 5'7" male, fit, 160-165 pounds. I now need to purchase a large when buying a T-shirt, as opposed to medium a couple decades ago when I was the exact same size. Since when is a 5'7" and 160 pound male "large"...

Must be why I now need the double x where an X used to fit fine.

 

[gcgang]

Plenty of reasons not to stockpile--many things,...

One more kind of funny story. I used to play a lot of golf, and always walked, and I was pretty rough on golf bags. I like the two strap kind, but many didn't seem to be built well. I found one that had great reviews and had everything I wanted, at a good price, so I bought two. Well, that turned out to be the indestructible bag. It's at least 10 years old and shows hardly any sign of wear. And I play very little golf anymore. So I have this second bag taking up closet space. It probably will eventually get used, and it's good to know I've got a reliable backup. I could sell it, but chances are very high that two weeks later the first one would suddenly go to pieces.

And yet, I still buy in bulk, but I try not to go overboard with a lifetime supply or things that don't make sense to stockpile.

Reminds me of a golf story. I had won a couple tournaments, had a lot of pro shop credits. My weight goes up and down, so I didn't want to stockpile clothes. My feet don't change, so I buy a couple pair of premium Footjoy shoes. What could go wrong? The next year, all the courses went spikeless, rendering my shoes useless. I still have one pair, unworn. Maybe give them to a golf museum (lol).

But OP, to answer your title question, if you spend time and effort to save pennies stockpiling toothbrushes and the like, yes, you are cheap.

 

[Danmar]

Ah, so the female sizes are reduced from reality and the male sizes are increased...
.

Actually, men's pant sizes are reduced from reality too. I figure about 3" for the waist. Not sure why people think T shirts have gone the other way. Could be they are made in SE Asia for the size of people there?

 

[Music Lover]

Actually, men's pant sizes are reduced from reality too. I figure about 3" for the waist. Not sure why people think T shirts have gone the other way. Could be they are made in SE Asia for the size of people there?

Maybe...or perhaps the reasoning is that a larger upper body with a small waist is a double win...

 

[athena53]

Clothes have to be quality and last for years. I do not waste money on cheap throw away clothes. Bad for environment and slave labor.

Same here. I'm gonna cry when my cashmere sweaters, one of which is 30+ years old, wear out to the point that I have to replace them. One exception to the "quality over quantity" principle is my huge collection of freebie T-shorts from corporate and athletic events. That's what I wear unless I need to be dressed up for something.

Agreed on the shoes, too, although I go barefoot as often as I can!

 

[Bamaman]

My wife recently went to a couponing seminar. Now, I am no longer doing all the grocery shopping.

And she wants to tell me about all the money she has saved. And then she got mad when I told her I trust her judgment, but I really don't want to hear about every coupon she uses.