What are you "cheap" about?

[sr71blackbird]

I was at my parents house and took a shower and saw this sack in the shower soap dish and I asked my mother and she said my father will take an old sock and fill it with left over soap fragments and he ties up the sock into a sack and uses it until its all gone and then he starts over again... Weird right?
I started thinking about things that I might do that may seem "cheap" or frugal, and one thing that came to mind that I do is I cut the top off a water bottle and use it as a funnel for when I change my oil. I also use shopping bags as garbage bags.

What do YOU do thats "cheap" or frugal?

[lleeder]

I was at my parents house and took a shower and saw this sack in the shower

I thought this thread was going a completely different way.

[MadBiker]

I was at my parents house and took a shower and saw this sack in the shower soap dish and I asked my mother and she said my father will take an old sock and fill it with left over soap fragments and he ties up the sock into a sack and uses it until its all gone and then he starts over again... Weird right?
I started thinking about things that I might do that may seem "cheap" or frugal, and one thing that came to mind that I do is I cut the top off a water bottle and use it as a funnel for when I change my oil. I also use shopping bags as garbage bags.

What do YOU do thats "cheap" or frugal?

I think using your old water jugs as oil funnels is brilliant.

You know those cardboard milk containers with the screw-on plastic caps? We refill those with water and leave them in the freezer. We use them on road-trips to keep drinks, etc. cold. Beats paying for ice.

I also wash out ziploc bags (unless raw meat products were marinating in them) and re-use them over and over. When they get too ratty to store chopped veggies and such, I use them to tote along doggie treats when I go hiking with my dog-buddy, Ben, or to store all those little things that need containers - pens, crayons, rubber bands, spare bike/household repair/car repair nuts and bolts, etc.

Frugal does not necessarily mean cheap, though. For instance, I love a nice filet mignon but I can seldom afford it. When it goes on sale I will buy a whole tenderloin, cut it into thick steaks, and freeze them in 2-packs. Voila! Filet Mignon at $4.99 a pound, about one dinner a month for the two of us.

[Devo37]

I was at my parents house and took a shower and saw this sack in the shower soap dish and I asked my mother and she said my father will take an old sock and fill it with left over soap fragments and he ties up the sock into a sack and uses it until its all gone and then he starts over again... Weird right?


at least he doesn't use a 'toilet sponge' instead of toilet paper. a caller back in the WNEW days talked about that hideously cheap and nasty invention.

[Chainsaw]

I'm getting ready to buy a Lexus and I decided to just go with the base V6 instead of upgrading to the 8 cylinder engine....

That's what I'm cheap about...

[sr71blackbird]

I forgot, I also will reuse empty butter containers and Chinese food plastic soup containers as a poor-mans tupperware.

[MadBiker]

I forgot, I also will reuse empty butter containers and Chinese food plastic soup containers as a poor-mans tupperware.

why not? It works. It might not be pretty but generally function trumps fashion. My grandma used to send us home with leftovers in those giant margarine tubs. Never fazed me, it tastes the same whether the container is new Rubbermaid or once held Land o Lakes spread.

We generate so much waste from the packaging used to bring us goods of all varieties. Re-using those containers can go a long way towards reducing landfill build up and also be a gnat bite on the ass of petroleum consumption - you cannot have plastic without petrol.

[cupcakelove]

I keep plastic shopping bags and use them clean up after my dog.

[ScottFromGA]

I was at my parents house and took a shower and saw this sack in the shower soap dish and I asked my mother and she said my father will take an old sock and fill it with left over soap fragments and he ties up the sock into a sack and uses it until its all gone and then he starts over again... Weird right?
I started thinking about things that I might do that may seem "cheap" or frugal, and one thing that came to mind that I do is I cut the top off a water bottle and use it as a funnel for when I change my oil. I also use shopping bags as garbage bags.

What do YOU do thats "cheap" or frugal?

I thought this thread was going a completely different way.

I think using your old water jugs as oil funnels is brilliant.

You know those cardboard milk containers with the screw-on plastic caps? We refill those with water and leave them in the freezer. We use them on road-trips to keep drinks, etc. cold. Beats paying for ice.

I also wash out ziploc bags (unless raw meat products were marinating in them) and re-use them over and over. When they get too ratty to store chopped veggies and such, I use them to tote along doggie treats when I go hiking with my dog-buddy, Ben, or to store all those little things that need containers - pens, crayons, rubber bands, spare bike/household repair/car repair nuts and bolts, etc.

Frugal does not necessarily mean cheap, though. For instance, I love a nice filet mignon but I can seldom afford it. When it goes on sale I will buy a whole tenderloin, cut it into thick steaks, and freeze them in 2-packs. Voila! Filet Mignon at $4.99 a pound, about one dinner a month for the two of us.

at least he doesn't use a 'toilet sponge' instead of toilet paper. a caller back in the WNEW days talked about that hideously cheap and nasty invention.

I'm getting ready to buy a Lexus and I decided to just go with the base V6 instead of upgrading to the 8 cylinder engine....

That's what I'm cheap about...

I forgot, I also will reuse empty butter containers and Chinese food plastic soup containers as a poor-mans tupperware.

why not? It works. It might not be pretty but generally function trumps fashion. My grandma used to send us home with leftovers in those giant margarine tubs. Never fazed me, it tastes the same whether the container is new Rubbermaid or once held Land o Lakes spread.

We generate so much waste from the packaging used to bring us goods of all varieties. Re-using those containers can go a long way towards reducing landfill build up and also be a gnat bite on the ass of petroleum consumption - you cannot have plastic without petrol.

I keep plastic shopping bags and use them clean up after my dog.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAA

FUCKING HAYSEEDS!!!!!!!!!!!!

whats next, someone is gonna post about taking a dump in a bucket and pouring it into the sewer?

:wink::king::king::king:

[sr71blackbird]

I'll also take shoe laces off old shoes I am planning to throw out if they are still good.

I keep and use the plastic hangers they give you in Khols and Target.

[weekapaugjz]

i am very cheap about turning up the heat in my apt. during the winter. i usually have it set for only 60 and never put it over 64. and trust me, when you're in buffalo on a feb. day when its 10 degrees and rediculous wind, it gets pretty cold. you can see me wearing two sweatshirts on some days. i wouldn't be able to afford to keep it any higher cause i couldn't pay a $400 dollar heat bill for 5 months in a row.

[Hottub]

Damn near everything. The house and the kids are bleeding me, so I have to be.

[JPMNICK]

i have an older car that works good, but it is a '96. in fact it was my 1st car. anyway i can afford to get a new one, basically all my friends and family make fun of me for not getting a new car, yet i still use this one. the other day i spent 1k to get the AC fixed. people think I am crazy, but I do not have a car payment every month, which is magical. so I am to cheap to get a new car while I have a car that still runs.

[Nothing Sound]

I really can't think of anything I'm cheap about.
Not when it comes to me at least. I live everyday like it might be my last.
Reusing Zip-Loc bags and water bottles would take up too much of my time.
They're cheap enough as it is. It's not like you're saving a hell of a lot of money doing it.

I read on a message board one time where there are people who cut dryer sheets in half
or even in fourths to save money. Fucking dryer sheets! What are they, like $2.99 for a box of 150
or some shit like that? I mean how much could you actually save, $5 or $6 a fucking year?

[buzzard]

most of what I've read on this page isn't cheap..it's frugality.The price of everything has gone insane in the last 10-20 years,you have to be frugal so as to have the $ for the things you REALLY wanna do.I got rid of my Directv cuz my cable company got better and now hear XM on my computer,I saved $70 bucks a month,does that make me cheap? I think that's frugal.I stopped smoking cigarettes cuz they cost too much,I special order cigars cuz I like them,I saved over $100 bucks per month.a lot of the things that the other ppls on this page do,I've done for years.

[mdr55]

T.V. Fuck cable. I got the old reliable rabbit ears. Oldschool baby.

Channels 2,4,5,7,9,11,13 and UHF spanish t.v.



Speaking of which, I got to go to the store and get some more tin foil.........

[ralphbxny]

I am cheap with side dishes. I will spend big on a main dish but F the side dishes

[topless_mike]

i wear the same pants 5x before washing them. (maybe more lazyness than saving water)
at the titty bar, i never sit front row- i always sit 2nd level so you can still see the goods, but dont have to cough up a dollar.

plastic shopping bags are great for the cat litter, also.

i'm also very cheap about my posts.
i dont just post on every thread. i analyze each comment, gather my thoughts, decide if its worthy of my .02, and post if i deem necessary.

[hurlmon]

i have an older car that works good, but it is a '96. in fact it was my 1st car. anyway i can afford to get a new one, basically all my friends and family make fun of me for not getting a new car, yet i still use this one. the other day i spent 1k to get the AC fixed. people think I am crazy, but I do not have a car payment every month, which is magical. so I am to cheap to get a new car while I have a car that still runs.

I don't think so...My car is an '86 chrysler 5 ave that i keep running like a top.

[Enabler]

Sunglasses. I know alot of people who spend hundreds of dollars on designer sunglasses but a $10-15 pair from 7-11 is just fine by me. Especially since I lose or break them constantly

[Snacks]

[QUOTE]i wear the same pants 5x before washing them. (maybe more lazyness than saving water)


thats not cheap thats just dirty.


at the titty bar, i never sit front row- i always sit 2nd level so you can still see the goods, but dont have to cough up a dollar.

what titty bar in NJ has second rows? Other then hott22 (which sucks and i havent been at in years) all the titty bars have one big bar with seat all around.

But that is cheap. The ladies arent up there for you to get a free look, you should tip or dont go.

[JerseyRich]

i wear the same pants 5x before washing them. (maybe more lazyness than saving water)
at the titty bar, i never sit front row- i always sit 2nd level so you can still see the goods, but dont have to cough up a dollar.

plastic shopping bags are great for the cat litter, also.

i'm also very cheap about my posts.
i dont just post on every thread. i analyze each comment, gather my thoughts, decide if its worthy of my .02, and post if i deem necessary.

We should post that somewhere on the front page.

I wish everyone did that.

[ryf]

Sunglasses. I know alot of people who spend hundreds of dollars on designer sunglasses but a $10-15 pair from 7-11 is just fine by me. Especially since I lose or break them constantly

same here... I save the scratched ones for riding in the woods, since they get ruined 99% of the time in one day out there.

and I don't own an LCD monitor, but I have 3 computers. (game box, web box, junk box)

I didn't buy a four wheeler, I built a buggy instead (its more fun anyway).

but on the upside, we only have 1 car payment(wifes) and a house payment as far as debt goes, so it cheap has its benefits.

[Kris10]

I'd rather not say, cause its embarassing but I've saved so much f'n money it's insane. Ok here it goes... I buys coupons on ebay (yes people sell them) and when things go on sale in the local grocery store and my coupons double I got necessities for next to nothing. You'll honestly think I have nothing better to do with my time but I swear I have a full time job, with overtime and a 3.5 yr old! lol

I couldn't even tell you how much toilet paper, paper towels, shampoo, body wash, toothbrushes, etc that I have bulk in the garage waiting to be used. I could open my own store.

[PapaBear]

I buy Equate versions of fancy shampoo and conditioner. I also get the cheap copies of 3 blade razors.

[xample]

I'll find ways to be frugal on just about anything. Whether it be catching the random sale or saving up my plastic bags for the cat litter (I'm sure a lot of us cat owners are doing that)...

However, I refuse to be cheap about my beer. I will not imbibe the Beast or any such horrid thing. Hell, I'll even drink the Military Special Whiskey....... but beer, must be quality.

[Snacks]

I'll find ways to be frugal on just about anything. Whether it be catching the random sale or saving up my plastic bags for the cat litter (I'm sure a lot of us cat owners are doing that)...

However, I refuse to be cheap about my beer. I will not imbibe the Beast or any such horrid thing. Hell, I'll even drink the Military Special Whiskey....... but beer, must be quality.

is there really such a thing as "quality" beer?

[PapaBear]

is there really such a thing as "quality" beer?

I did a quick Google search of "quality beer" and came up with this...
http://www.neomeraknits.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/07/at%20work%20Katy.jpg

So, in answer to your question, there IS such thing as quality beer.

[RoseBlood]

Because I'm not hob nobbing with the wealthy and elite or trying to impress them, I won't spend alot of money on womens accessories and fashion in general. It is so trendy and fleeting, it's silly to spend so much on something that will be out of style in a year.

I sport purses/handbags as an accessory and change them often enough that I really don't consider the quality. I can't see spending $500 on a Coach purse. I don't think I've ever spent more then $40 on a pocketbook and that's more then I normally do.

So, I don't know if I would call myself "cheap", maybe just "practical"? There are some "apparel" items I consider a small "investment" and would spend the money on: at least one good pair of dress shoes/sneakers, a sturdy/well made luggage set, non-trendy clothing (suits, dress shirts etc) especially if you're in a profession where you will be judged by clients/co-workers, maybe a dress watch etc. Oh, and someone mentioned sunglasses in this thread; if you have light sensitive eyes or something it would be wise to invest in a good pair with uva/uvb sunglasses. If you're just wearing them as an accessory at a nightclub then yeah, spending $500 on a pair is extravagant, unless you're Paris Hilton where $500=chump change.

[FUNKMAN]

i'll go without something until I can make the trip to Sam's so I can get a larger quantity at a better price.

stuff like gatorade, canned vegetables, olive oil... you can get a hunk of imported provolone that cost 10 bucks that would cost you 30 bucks in your local italian deli...

their liquor like Bailey's is about 7 bucks cheaper than the local liquor store. good savings on cases of beer as well like Guinness

[PapaBear]

i'll go without something until I can make the trip to Sam's so I can get a larger quantity at a better price.

stuff like gatorade, canned vegetables, olive oil... you can get a hunk of imported provolone that cost 10 bucks that would cost you 30 bucks in your local italian deli...

their liquor like Bailey's is about 7 bucks cheaper than the local liquor store. good savings on cases of beer as well like Guinness
They sell liquor at Sams up there?

[FUNKMAN]

They sell liquor at Sams up there?

Yes Sir!

[PapaBear]

Yes Sir!
That's not fair!!!

[hedges]

For years I was cheap about beer, I don't know why, I appreciated and loved the better stuff, but I was always drawn back to beers like Busch and Mil. Best; but I've since broken that cycle. I try to by a different beer everytime, with Newcastle, a mainstay.
I'm always looking for a deal in the market/butcher. Buying steaks in bulk, isn't really being cheap, it just makes sense to me.