Congrats to Our Own Ultimate Cheapskate

[TromboneAl]

Our own Jeff Yeager has a nice article on the main page off cnn.com:

Cheapskate has tips for saving $20,000 a year - CNN.com

 

[shoe]

Al what is jeff's forum name? I can't guess I mean there are soooo many cheapskates here!

 

[TromboneAl]

Ultimate Cheapskate.

 

[Bimmerbill]

Interesting. My cell bill is $38 a month and we don't generally eat out. If we do, its a cheaper chain restaurant (like the 99s) or chinese take out. An occasional McDonalds happy meal.

I could definately get rid of one of the cars, and have been thinking about it. Trouble is, the market is so bad I'd have to sell for cheap money.

 

[Running_Man]

http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f28/the-ultimate-cheapskate-36395.html

Perhaps this link will be helpful

 

[hankster]

Our own Jeff Yeager has a nice article on the main page off cnn.com:

Cheapskate has tips for saving $20,000 a year - CNN.com

I forgot about Jeff. When I saw the title, my first thought was Unclemick. Oh right, that's cheap b*stard. heh-heh-heh

 

[kumquat]

Interesting. My cell bill is $38 a month

Mine is zero, and not because I'm cheap. I just don't want to be at anyone's beck and call. My time belongs to me now.

 

[Nords]

Mine is zero, and not because I'm cheap. I just don't want to be at anyone's beck and call. My time belongs to me now.

Here, let me give you the reaction that the rest of the forum gives me when I reveal my cell-phone lifestyle choice:

Get with the 21st century, you freakin' Luddite.

There, I just saved the rest of you guys the effort...

 

[Dawg52]

Mine is zero, and not because I'm cheap. I just don't want to be at anyone's beck and call. My time belongs to me now.

I played golf today with 3 other retirees. One did not carry a cell phone, another had one and made one call, and the third got at least 10 calls during the round. I don't get being retired and having 3-4 hours of entertainment ruined by a crap cell phone.

I have one but keep it turned off. I check to see if I have any messages after nine holes. We are retired guys, enjoy the freedom.

 

[Moemg]

I'd rather ditch my land line then my cell phone since the free long distance calls save me a bundle . I can talk to my daughter daily for free and hear my grandsons first words .By the way nice article Cheapskate !

 

[Notmuchlonger]

I'd rather ditch my land line then my cell phone since the free long distance calls save me a bundle . I can talk to my daughter daily for free and hear my grandsons first words .By the way nice article Cheapskate !

Yeah soon as our deal with Comcast runs out. We will let our land line go. Im not real worried about the 911 issues.

 

[youbet]

Mine is zero, and not because I'm cheap. I just don't want to be at anyone's beck and call. My time belongs to me now.

I assume you also have no land line. Otherwise, you'll still totally a puppet on a string!

 

[harley]

Here, let me give you the reaction that the rest of the forum gives me when I reveal my cell-phone lifestyle choice:

Get with the 21st century, you freakin' Luddite.

There, I just saved the rest of you guys the effort...

A few years ago when we were driving in the car I was telling my DW and DD about how some of the guys in the video test lab called me the team luddite. DD said "does luddite mean cheap"?

 

[kumquat]

I assume you also have no land line. Otherwise, you'll still totally a puppet on a string!

The land line only commands me when I'm near it.

 

[mathjak107]

i always found my cell phone one of those things i just dont need, that is until i need it.... then its indespensible


kind of like the saying nothings ever a problem--until its a problem

 

[sander06]

Interesting. Per usual I got nothing out of the little article on saving $20,000 a year. We don't eat out at all because it's unhealthy, cell phone at $38 a month, 3 cars paid for and total full coverage insurance at $600 a year, and we buy our clothes at Goodwill. We're both happy as a clam and plan on raising chickens in our backyard and planting our garden for the fun and healthiness of controlling our food supply a bit.

And here I could have written a book and made money on the obvious!! Oh, well.

 

[W2R]

I think Jeff made some really good points.

What I got from the article is that LBYM doesn't have to mean sacrifice and going without, if you approach it from the point of view of being happy with less stuff. This is exactly how I feel about it, and I strive to un-link my happiness from how much stuff I can buy. I still have a long way to go in that (with a weakness for antiques, art, and my Wii), but I am making progress. I think that wanting less is a real key to happiness.

Thoreau really had that part mastered (see the quote in my signature line).

 

[Walt34]

Just stuff we've been doing for decades. Spend on necessities first, what's left over is for fun stuff. "What's left over" may be enough for a 'round the world cruise or a walk in a local park depending on one's circumstances.

It's just about making conscious, rational decisions about what is important and what is not.

But don't make oneself a slave to the credit industry for the sake of immediate gratification.

 

[Cattusbabe]

We have both the land line and cell.
The cell is pre-paid T-mobile that cost us each $10 bucks per year since we are not heavy users and roll over the minutes. This has been discussed extensively on the board.
We keep them because we have elderly and disabled relatives that we keep and eye on and they can easily get a hold of us using the cell phones.
We keep the land line because our security system is connected to it.
If there is one thing I would like to get rid of is cable TV. We seldom watch anymore. It is bundled with our Internet and phone however.

 

[TromboneAl]

Get with the 21st century, you freakin' Luddite.

And it's time to ditch the rotary dial telephones, too!

 

[mn54]

And it's time to ditch the rotary dial telephones, too!

Actually we keep one dial phone, although it's push button instead of rotary, because of the electricity goes out it's the only phone that will work.

 

[Ultimate Cheapskate]

Hey Folks -

Thanks ... my Inner Miser is blushing. Of course I ain't teaching most of the folks who post here anything new, but then again most Americans don't have the good judgment to visit a site like this and LBYM.

Sorry I've been MIA around here recently, but I'm knee-deep in the new book I'm writing.

Stay Cheap!
-Jeff Yeager
The Ultimate Cheapskate

 

[dex]

Hey Folks -

Thanks ... my Inner Miser is blushing. Of course I ain't teaching most of the folks who post here anything new, but then again most Americans don't have the good judgment to visit a site like this and LBYM.

Sorry I've been MIA around here recently, but I'm knee-deep in the new book I'm writing.

Stay Cheap!
-Jeff Yeager
The Ultimate Cheapskate

When you have the time; I would be interested in your writing process and getting a book to market.

 

[Ultimate Cheapskate]

When you have the time; I would be interested in your writing process and getting a book to market.

Dex -

Recently my "writing process" has been very slow and dreadful.

In general, to get published by a commercial publisher these days (as opposed to self-publishing), you need to first land a literary agent, which is usually more difficult than then landing a publisher, since agents only agree to represent writers they think will sell. With nonfiction, the agent then normally sells the rights to your book to a publisher BEFORE you actually write the manuscript. Rights are usually sold based on an extensive proposal the author writes (including a sample chapter or two).

If anyone's interested in the writing/publishing life (including all of you who say "I could write a book" ... what are you waiting for? I'll even send you some paper, if that's the hold up.), check out the forums at WritersDigest.com. I and writers at all different levels post there regularly.

Stay Cheap!
-Jeff Yeager
Author, The Ultimate Cheapskate's Road Map to True Riches

 

[Gearhead Jim]

Here, let me give you the reaction that the rest of the forum gives me when I reveal my cell-phone lifestyle choice:

Get with the 21st century, you freakin' Luddite.

There, I just saved the rest of you guys the effort...

I probably average 1 cellphone call per day, so in that sense it's not a big deal. But the ability of a cellphone to call for help (police, medical, fire, etc) can literally be a lifesaver. I'm a retired cop and still carry S&W along with the cellphone, if I could only carry one of those safety devices it would be the phone.
Living on the relatively safe and populated island of Oahue, maybe you are unlikely to need the phone. Out here where the suburbs turn to boonies, a different story.