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

[justin]

That last post got me thinking how cheap I am. Yep - I've taken the whole family to the car dealer free hot dog and a drink deal. After eating about 6 of them myself and chatting the hot dog guy up, he offers to make me 3 or 4 more hot dogs to go. Must have been a slow day, and the vendor got paid the same no matter what... why let food go to waste?

When I go on a business trip and get meals reimbursed, I'll occasionally buy a bunch of food within my allowable reimbursement and take it home with me. Like 13 tacos from taco bell for $12 or something. I even did this when I was about to board a plane. I think I was in chicago, and I finally found a taco bell. I got a big bag full of tacos and used up most of my $14 reimbursement. Had a couple at the airport, and then carried the rest of them around with me through the terminal, through security, onto the airplane, into the overhead compartment, down to the luggage carousels, onto the park and ride shuttle, home, and then into work the next day for lunch.

I also "steal" taco sauce from taco bell (as in take an extra handful beyond what I expect to use for my tacos). Not because I'm cheap. I just love it and you can't buy it retail anywhere.

I shave my own head instead of paying for a haircut.

Not cheap, just frugal...

By the way, I've tried the green onions from my yard before. Results weren't good. They tasted pretty gross. I thought it would be cool to have fresh green onions whenever you want.

 

[MasterBlaster]

I go to Baskin Robbins and get 43 different flavours of free Ice-cream tasting scoops.

I go to the bank and take a big pile of their calendars so that I can sell them door to door.

I recycle ear wax and use it as fuel in my biodiesel car

I resist flushing the toilet until the bowl is completely full

When I want to eat out I get a two-for-one coupon and then go to the restaurant and find somebody paying full price so that I can get my "free" meal.

I save left-over sandwich bags and product cellaphane bags to be used as birth-control devices

Sometimes I go to Costco for the free samples then I take em out into the parking lot to sell them

When I am thirsty I go to Burger King along with my well-used "all-you-can-drink" cup. Boy was that a good value ! Sometimes I fish around in the trash for an empty hamburger wrapper or box, and then I go up to the counter for my "free" refill.

I go to the new car dealer service department and eat all of their doughnuts meant for the customers.

 

[justin]

I go to the new car dealer service department and eat all of their doughnuts meant for the customers.

DW has snagged a couple extra muffins or cans of juice/soda from the service dept. waiting room. I figure we're paying for it though... They screw us, we screw them

 

[MasterBlaster]

DW has snagged a couple extra muffins or cans of juice/soda from the service dept. waiting room. I figure we're paying for it though... They screw us, we screw them

Usually what I do is eat a couple and then set up a little stand inside the dealership to sell the remaining doughnuts to the other customers.

Then I gather up the left over newspapers and magazines and sell those too.

Sometimes I charge people to use the rest-room.

If someone comes up and asks, how much is that car out there on the lot ? Well I'll sell that to them too. It's amazing what people will buy for $20.

Usually though, the sales manager comes out, often huffing and puffing, I then offer to give him a 10 percent cut of the profits but this man has no sense of a good business offer.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Wait, you say those cheap things can't be for real....

But I say stick around I have more...

When I have a day off I go to the 21 screen theatre and sneak in the side door when others are comming out of the movie. I then see 5 or 6 different movies hopping from theatre to theatre. For food I eat the pop-corn on the floor and sample the gum on the backs of the seats. Man life is good !

When I need groceries I just go to either the "Home-Town Buffet" carrying my sports bag of course ! Either that or I go to a restaurant eat dinner and then find something to complain to the manager about so he gives me a meal "on the house"

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

I also "steal" taco sauce from taco bell (as in take an extra handful beyond what I expect to use for my tacos). Not because I'm cheap. I just love it and you can't buy it retail anywhere.

I could have sworn that the local Bel Air sells bottles of taco bell taco sauce, salsa and refried beans...

 

[runchman]

Masterblaster, loved your list!

I'm a little afraid though that some of these posters will think you are serious....


I was going to mention turning condoms inside-out to reuse them, but thought it might be in poor taste. Oops I guess I said it anyway Actually I learned on the internet how to do an at-home vasectomy using diagonal cutters, so that condom bill has dropped.

- John

 

[sgeeeee]

. . . Actually I learned on the internet how to do an at-home vasectomy using diagonal cutters, so that condom bill has dropped.

- John

http://early-retirement.org/forums/index.php?topic=6259.msg112034#msg112034

 

[Enuff2Eat]

Masterblaster,

with all the saving you did, how come i didn't see you in the Yahoo billionaire list are you a man or a woman or is it depends on what "free" things you can get.....

you're so funny


enuff

 

[tryan]

I also "steal" taco sauce from taco bell (as in take an extra handful beyond what I expect to use for my tacos). Not because I'm cheap. I just love it and you can't buy it retail anywhere.

Make it yourself ... did this recipe last week it was great:

http://www.recipezaar.com/60254

 

[justin]

I could have sworn that the local Bel Air sells bottles of taco bell taco sauce, salsa and refried beans...

I've had the taco bell branded salsa from the grocery store. It isn't anything like the sauce from the packets from the restaurant. It has been a while since I've tried it though...

I thought of another cheap thing I've done. My wife used to work at a movie theater during high school and college. We would get in for free for years after she quit working there by her saying to the doorman "I used to work here, and the manager said it is ok to let me in for free". We would also buy the large bag of popcorn for $6.25 or so. The kind that entitles you to free refills. We would have popcorn for dinner at the theater, then get a full bag on our way out the door. Then we would eat the popcorn the next day. We kept the popcorn bag to reuse it the next time we went to the theater. That's cheap. Although no more criminal than the theater charging $6.25 for a bag of popcorn, the inputs for which cost under $1.

 

[Khan]

I've had the taco bell branded salsa from the grocery store. It isn't anything like the sauce from the packets from the restaurant. It has been a while since I've tried it though...

I thought of another cheap thing I've done. My wife used to work at a movie theater during high school and college. We would get in for free for years after she quit working there by her saying to the doorman "I used to work here, and the manager said it is ok to let me in for free". We would also buy the large bag of popcorn for $6.25 or so. The kind that entitles you to free refills. We would have popcorn for dinner at the theater, then get a full bag on our way out the door. Then we would eat the popcorn the next day. We kept the popcorn bag to reuse it the next time we went to the theater. That's cheap. Although no more criminal than the theater charging $6.25 for a bag of popcorn, the inputs for which cost under $1.

Stealing is justified if something is overpriced?

I'm glad I don't live near some of these folks.

 

[justin]

Stealing is justified if something is overpriced?

I'm glad I don't live near some of these folks.

It isn't stealing. We'll have to agree to disagree.

My statement was essentially "[Reusing a "free refills" popcorn bag at the theater on multiple nights is] no more criminal than the theater charging $6.25 for a bag of popcorn, the inputs for which cost under $1."

My implication, apparently too subtle, was that neither action is criminal, however both are arguably "wrong" on some level. If the theater management had half a brain, I'm sure they could develop a cost-effective, non-instrusive method to prohibit folks from reusing a "free refills" bag on more than one night. Like time-stamp it, or require showing a receipt, etc.

At the same time, their offer is "free refills when you buy the large bag of popcorn for $6.25". They don't even specify the time duration of their offer. We were also able to get free popcorn in a clear plastic bag (due to DW's employment relationship with the theater). We just decided it would be easier to get the $6.25 bag and reuse it.

Getting in to free movies was only allowed when the theater wasn't full (during off-peak times), and not during opening night/week.

The taco bell sauce packs - they could limit access to the packs if they so chose. Or charge a fee per pack. Other restaurants, including some taco bells, have taken these approaches to controlling condiment costs.

My goal in general in commercial exchanges is to gain the maximum benefit for the least cost.

Khan, if you were my neighbor, and we engaged in a commercial transaction, I would apply these same general rules to that commercial transaction. Whether you choose to assume those are the rules I'm following is up to you - it's your money.

However, if I invited you to my house for dinner on a social occasion, I would treat you as a guest, and use a completely different set of rules in interacting with you (being generous, helpful, accommodating, etc).

 

[AirJordan]

Used the same condom more than twice
Gone to Olive Garden many times to just fill up on salad and bread sticks.
Go to all you can eat buffets, and horde away food in tupperware then run.
Not done laundry for 2 months.
Stolen cable.
Eaten ramen for dinner for 1 year straight.
That's about it for me.

 

[donheff]

Used the same condom more than twice

We were looking for cheap, not high risk. That should be another thread. You could post it as : "Who most deserves the Darwin Award." Your condom entry can lead the list

 

[free4now]

Apparently there is a convention that movie theaters allow free entrance to people who work in movie theaters. I was at a movie theater in San Francisco once on a lazy afternoon, asking the woman at the box office all about just which shows qualify for the matinee price and generally coming off as a cheapskate.

She said something like "Oh, you must work at another movie theater, so I can let you in free [wink wink] I suppose you left your employee id at home, but no problem I'll let you in this time without it."

The cheapskate part of me started thinking about how to make a fake movie employee id card. I never implemented that idea though.

 

[Tracker]

I'm getting some great ideas.......

On the weekends, we regularly have "reading days" at Barnes and Noble. We bring our own water and snacks (nuts/raisons) and ear plugs. I have several gift cards from Christmas that provide for our coffee. I can polish off a book in 3-4 hours. We settle in on the comfy chairs and enjoy the day.

 

[justin]

"We settle in on the comfy chairs and enjoy the day."

Reminds me of where I used to hang out during high school. This little swank coffee shop in the bohemian part of town - $1 for a cup of coffee, with $0.25 refills. Hours and hours of fun with friends for a couple bucks. Good people watching, too.

 

[bssc]

We were looking for cheap, not high risk. That should be another thread. You could post it as : "Who most deserves the Darwin Award." Your condom entry can lead the list

I don't know, there is a lot of salt in a year's worth of ramen.

 

[spncity]

DH got my wonderful bathrobe out of the neighbor's trash when they split up, sold the house and moved out.

Figured out how to refill my mini toothpaste tube from the big tube.

 

[dessert]

There's absolutely no way I can compete with this group.
Keep em coming though because this is some great reading!
By far the best thread that I have seen up to this point.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

How 'bout the cheapest nerdy thing you've done...?

I tossed out all of my basic 'computer speakers' when I got a fancy dolby 5.1 surround setup. Then when I moved my office I put it on the shelf and was too lazy to hook it all up to listen to some sounds and audio in email attachments...

then I noticed my clock radio had an 'audio in' port...

So I have a $300 dolby digital PC receiver, powered subwoofer, and five other speakers sitting on the shelf, and i'm listening to stuff on a $29 clock radio.

Ok, maybe thats 'laziest nerdy thing you've ever done'...

 

[Sam]

Figured out how to refill my mini toothpaste tube from the big tube.

How? I'm about to leave for a trip and my mini tube is almost empty.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Not something I'd admit even on an anonymous forum...

 

[spncity]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Quote from: spncity on March 16, 2007, 07:14:16 PM
Figured out how to refill my mini toothpaste tube from the big tube.

How? I'm about to leave for a trip and my mini tube is almost empty.

Hey, cool - finally something I as a newbie can contribute to the board 8) heh-heh

Hold the mini tube to a big tube tightly with thumb and forefinger in the "mouth-to-mouth" position, so to speak. Slowly squeeze t-paste from the big tube into the little tube. Works best with a big tube that is full, or at least the end is folded up to get better squeeze power.

Worked for me - didn't lose a drop.

spncity