The cheapest thing you have ever done.... come on now, admit it.

[Empty Pockets]

I raided the neighbor's garden years ago. Not real proud of that, but he could sure grow tomatos.

[youbet]

That fuzzy line between cheapskate and thief seems to be getting even more blurred!

[John Tuttle]

Here is someone you can all look up to

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hetty_Green

[JustCurious]

Some people call me cheap (although I call myself frugal), but I can't compete with you guys. Wow.

[Payin-the-Toll]

Suprised no one has mentioned it and I don't do it, but on the Frugal Money site they're always talking about "If it's yellow, let it mellow; if it's brown, flush it down." Sorry, but those hotel extras and the fast-food condiment packets--it's stealing, although a lot will disagree.

[TromboneAl]

Here's a conversation I overheard between DW and the homeowner at a garage sale:

DW: How much is this?
Owner: 25 cents
DW: How about 10 cents?

She was embarassed about it later -- she just automatically bargained without thinking about it.

[Sarah in SC]

Okay, I'm torn between the story about the rabbit and the shower in the eyewash station....that is a pretty funny to imagine!

Um, I've bought more than a few used tires, borrow from the library instead of buy books, drive an old car, etc, but the cheapest was building our house.

I dismantled everything I could get out of a house that was being demolished to use in building my house. I got shower stalls, toilets, vanities, all the interior and several exterior doors, all the kitchen cabinets, stove, sink, dishwasher, water heater, and a firebox for the fireplace.

It was a bunch of work to take out, and a bunch of work to install, but worth the savings. Oh, and I salvaged a whole load of free cotton insulation to use in the interior walls (used the $$ stuff for the ceiling) and took a week's vacation to put it up--in July! We saved countless thousands doing that, but people thought it was weird that I got used toilets.

Yeah, I'm known as very cheap.
Sarah

[Eagle43]

Does taking those small soap bars from every motel room I stay in count? Those and the shampoo and the lotion and the needle and thread and the shoe shine rag, etc.

I've got a stack of 'em.

[TromboneAl]

Not only do we sometimes get free samples at Costco without buying anything, we save the little cups the food comes in!

It's not quite as bad as it sounds. Those cups are perfect for starting fires in our wood stove. I put about two tablespoons of cheap vegetable oil in the cup, and add a crumpled up third of a paper towel. I light that with three logs around it. I’ve been doing this for years, and have never had any flare up. The oil starts burning slowly, through the paper towel that acts as a wick. The oil burns cleanly—there’s no buildup .

[lazygood4nothinbum]

what a funny thread. i guess the cheapest things i did in my life--that i'm not all too proud of--were from my college days: buying better cuts of meat utilizing food stamps and smoking bong resin.

[flipstress]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Payin-the-Toll "If it's yellow, let it mellow; if it's brown, flush it down."

We let the yellow mellow at night--the flushing is noisy--and often during the day on the weekends. I don't think it saves a lot of money but it seems wasteful to flush all that water everytime.

I soap and rinse plastic baggies if they haven't been used for meat.

There was a story in grade school back home that one of our national heroes was reputedly so poor when he was a child that he would switch his left and right slippers around to even out the wear. He did this despite the taunting of classmates. I tried to follow his frugal example at home (in private, not in public) when I was a kid but it felt too goofy and gave it up.

[runchman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lazygood4nothinbum ....smoking bong resin.

Hey that's not being cheap, that's just doing what you have to do under the circumstances

- John (who throws away paper towels and doesn't recycle his used toiletpaper. Will probably spend an extra $35 over my lifetime because of this)

[bright eyed]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sue J I reuse paper towels. My son washes his hands a lot at the kitchen sink. It's not anything OCD-like, he just likes to wash after coming into the house, after working with anything. Sounds like a fine habit to me. But he uses TWO BOUNTY PAPER TOWELS everytime he dries his hands! So I've told him to leave those on the side counter for me and I reuse them for things like spots on the kitchen floor, cat throw-up, spills on the stove, spatters in the microwave, stuff like that. I wouldn't use them for things like wrapping food in the microwave, but I see nothing wrong with getting a 2nd use out of a fairly clean paper towel. He thinks this is really cheap, but I think I'm thrifty! And he's not the one paying for the paper towels.

why not cloth towels? i bought like 20 kitchen towels and dinner napkins at a garage sale for $1 and now we use them instead of paper towels - except for the gross stuff - helps cut down on the paper towel bills and waste...it was like an epiphany since my family had always used and abused paper towels growing up...they also have some bargains on kitchen towels at tjmax etc...if you pick them up once in a while you will have a good collection...

[bright eyed]

Quote:

Originally Posted by flipstress We let the yellow mellow at night--the flushing is noisy--and often during the day on the weekends. I don't think it saves a lot of money but it seems wasteful to flush all that water everytime. I soap and rinse plastic baggies if they haven't been used for meat. There was a story in grade school back home that one of our national heroes was reputedly so poor when he was a child that he would switch his left and right slippers around to even out the wear. He did this despite the taunting of classmates. I tried to follow his frugal example at home (in private, not in public) when I was a kid but it felt too goofy and gave it up.

oh, my dad does that - he severely wears out the outer edges of all his shoes (due to how he walks) and one day i saw him wearing them on the opposite foot to wear out the other side...now i buy him new tennis shoes for xmas or bday, but he won't wear them until the old ones are worn out!!!

[calmloki]

Quote:

Originally Posted by flipstress ....There was a story in grade school back home that one of our national heroes was reputedly so poor when he was a child that he would switch his left and right slippers around to even out the wear. He did this despite the taunting of classmates. I tried to follow his frugal example at home (in private, not in public) when I was a kid but it felt too goofy and gave it up.

No kind of hero, but I do swap my socks side for side when a wee hole at the big toe starts showing.

[Enuff2Eat]

i am having so much fun reading these post..

hey, how about those cheap skate that always showing up a party bringing a 2 liter bottle of coke or even worse, NOT bringing anything. and how about guys bringing a $20 gifts to a wedding where people have to pay $75-100/person to serve him and his date to dinner and drinks....

oh sorry my bad. i am just thankful that they are there.


enuff

[bssc]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cute Fuzzy Bunny I just need to figure out a way to get a cow to fly into one of my windows...

Red curtains waving in the wind.

[bssc]

Hosted the company Christmas party at our house instead of at a restaurant (they were cheap too) and kept the leftovers (it was catered). We had BBQ for about 2 weeks.

[Khan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Enuff2Eat i am having so much fun reading these post.. hey, how about those cheap skate that always showing up a party bringing a 2 liter bottle of coke or even worse, NOT bringing anything. and how about guys bringing a $20 gifts to a wedding where people have to pay $75-100/person to serve him and his date to dinner and drinks.... oh sorry my bad. i am just thankful that they are there. enuff

The price of a wedding gift is supposed to be predicated on the per person cost of the wedding?

How does one determine the PPC?

Is it printed on the invitation?

[clifp]

I thought I was pretty cheap, until I read this thread, you folks are scary.