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

[laurence]

Quote:

Originally Posted by whitestick If you haven't gotten rid of the TV, after you replace those convergence components, you will need to do a complete realignment of your convergence, and everything should be ok. All components are different, so merely replacing a component, even and active one, doesn't mean that everything resets back to some optimum spot. That's why they include those alignment options. Good Luck. Last week at Frys, I looked at the pricing on a memory stick they were selling, and bought it, and when it was rung up at their cashier line, it seemed a different price. There was a lot of confusion going on around me, so it took be awhile to decide to go back to the component department to reverify the price, which was 1.56 cheaper. Went back to reclaim my overcharge, and got in line, went up to the cashier, and realized that the earlier confusion was because their in-store system was crashing. They appoligized and explained that they would reboot and give me my refund. Took them 20 minutes to reboot that system (don't understand why), and finally got my $1.56 back, and left the store. Did I mention this was on a 2GB memory costing $159 plus tax. They overcharged me almost 1%. Got my money back though.

Thanks, I was sure to do that, followed all the steps listed, but the convergence reset simply didn't work. People are paying a couple hundred for this t.v. even with this broken, so I'm selling it.

[Meadbh]

One of my friends was moving to another city with his wife and family. When they arrived, their new house needed two weeks' worth of work. They happened to see a billboard adjacent to a neighbourhood hotel:

March promotion: Kids eat free!

They checked in for the two weeks........with their SIX children.

[nphx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TromboneAl I'm considering a cheap thing. We'll be going on a trip soon, and instead of buying a bunch of postcards there, I'm thinking I'll download some images, print them on heavy photo stock, cut them out, and take them with us!

Ha ha - geeze now i feel cheep. when we traveled Africa and India I preprinted postcards so i could mark where i was at on my route...

[ikubak]

Cheapest thing I've done??

Dumpster dive for a coupon (buy one burger get one free).

At times like this, I am glad I don't personally know any of you.

[Ronstar]

i saw some aerating shoes (like golf spikes) on tv but I didnt want to buy them, so I made foot sized pieces of plywood and pounded a bunch of roofing nails through the plywood. Then I attached the plywood with nails to the bottom of some old shoes, and wore these when mowing the lawn to aerate the lawn. These really hurt my feet so I stopped wearing them.

[FinanceDude]

Three things:

1)When I was in college, we used to go "dumpster diving" at the local pizza place after they closed. As long as it was still "in the box", we had no problem eating it at 3:00 am or the next day..........

2)I used to reuse salsa bottles when they were empty, by filling them with water, putting them in the fridge to get cold, and then drinking the water as a "snack"

3)Once, the next door neighbor put out some broken down furniture at the curb for garbage. I grabbed it, fixed it up, and sold it on Craigslist for $200..........

[Dawg52]

I've seen this thread but couldn't really think of anything unusual. But I performed one just the other day. I take my golden retriever to the golf course on Monday mornings(course closed for play) to let her run and play in the lake. Plus good exercise for both of us. But as we walk, I find golf balls every where. Some not so good that I just hit in the driving range but top quality ones too. I find a good dozen, like Titleist Pro V1 balls every time I go. They cost $45-50 a dozen.

I haven't bought a golf ball since I retired.

[tryan]

Needed a oven door handle for a rental ... so I began watching the curb for a junk stove. Within a couple days I scored ... just open the door and pull up to remove the entire door. Removed the "new" handle then drilled a couple holes into the sheet metal of the "old" stove and "waalla". A new-used stove would have run ~$120; so I'ld do this again if needed.

Some friends took a Disney vacation via a time-share offer. Told them right up front "we're not sitting thru any presentations" ... the timeshare people agreed - initially. But hounded them the ENTIRE week. They never sat for it. AND will be going BACK this year!

[TromboneAl]

Quote:

Then I attached the plywood with nails to the bottom of some old shoes,

The carpet store wanted $3 per square foot, installed, for carpeting, so I just bought two square feet, and when I come home I strap them to my feet. -- Steve Martin

[travelover]

When I was a teenager we'd order a pizza and not pick it up. Then just before closing time, we'd stop in and see if they had any "left over" pizzas for 1/2 price. Only worked a couple of times............

[SecondCor521]

This may cross some people's ethical boundaries...

I live 2 miles from the local airport and was flying back East to visit my sister (and kaudrey, as things turned out). Being a cheapskate, I didn't want to pay to park my car at the airport or take a cab. Being an antisocial hermit, I didn't want to bother any of my friends to take me.

I then realized there was a park-and-ride lot about half way between me and the airport that advertises a free shuttle bus. Voila, my plan was born.

I walked the mile from my house to the park-and-ride lot. Sure enough, the shuttle bus wasn't there when I showed up, and they naturally assumed that I had driven and parked, so they gave me a lift the rest of the way.

I justified this morally, by the way, by noting that the shuttle bus would be emitting carbons as it drove back and forth on it's perpetual loop whether I was aboard or not. I also tipped the driver $1.

On the return trip, I figured I could do the same thing. Tipped the driver again. Worked like a charm except that the only way out of the park-and-ride lot was to scale a six foot chain link fence with barbed wire on the top or to walk out the gate where the gate attendant sat in her little weather-protecting hut.

At 10:30 at night, with my luggage over my shoulder, I nonchalantly walked out of the gate.

"Can I help you sir?"

"No, thank you, I'm fine." Keep on walking, silly.

2Cor521

[maddythebeagle]

I have been known to signup 2-3 times for some stuff like rebates that said "one per household"

[hankster]

Here's a rather gross twist on the practice of getting the most out of a paper towel. My father (who grew up very poor during the Great Depression) uses a paper towel as a dinner napkin, BUT he will use the same one for several meals and leaves it laying there on the table. You can almost tell what the previous 2 or 3 meals have been by looking at the "napkin" residue! It seems to take something like barbequed spareribs for him to finally toss the disgusting thing!

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hankster Here's a rather gross twist on the practice of getting the most out of a paper towel. My father (who grew up very poor during the Great Depression) uses a paper towel as a dinner napkin, BUT he will use the same one for several meals and leaves it laying there on the table.

My grandfather could never understand why I'd waste a perfectly good tissue on blowing my nose and then throwing it away.

I could never understand why he'd want to blow his nose, carefully wrap up the result, and carry it around in his pocket for the rest of the day...

[kat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nords My grandfather could never understand why I'd waste a perfectly good tissue on blowing my nose and then throwing it away. I could never understand why he'd want to blow his nose, carefully wrap up the result, and carry it around in his pocket for the rest of the day...

Thanks for helping me think of my cheap things to do! I take a lightly used and folded tissue and wipe up the dog hair that gets under tables and chairs that I can never keep up with otherwise.

[Lsbcal]

I'm guilty of reusing the table napkins. If it's stained a little, I can always fold it over once but once is my limit, well generally. Then when it's gross it goes into our supply area for use in art painting cleanup or to take care of kitchen spills. Saves trees though. Oh, and I buy em at Costco.

[d]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Caroline Wow! I understand that everyone did this "in the old days." That "collar-turning" was a service offered by the tailor. good on you!

collars and cuffs! most laundries would do it as well as tailors. back then it was very common, as was a trip to the cobbler ...

[CuppaJoe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SecondCor521 ...there was a park-and-ride lot about half way between me and the airport that advertises a free shuttle bus. Voila, my plan was born.... 2Cor521

This is my kind of cheap. I go to hobby shows at airport hotels and find the cheapest way to get to the airport, short of asking for a ride. Then take the hotel's airport shuttle. I also tip $1 and notice that many people do not; I wonder if tipping indicates that I am not registered at the hotel; but anyway the driver doesn't care.

Cuppa

[toofrugalformycat]

Reuse coffee filters. Depending on the type, if you dump the grounds in the garbage and rinse the filter, it's good for another day or two.
I didn't bother until I restarted using a Chemex coffeemaker and its expensive filters. Life is too short for bad coffee.

[ChrisC]

Some of you appear to be prime candidates for using both sides of the toilet paper.