How cheap are you?

[Anonymous]

The rain barrel is for real - you can rig your gutters so that there is a barrel at the bottom to collect rain water and then use that water for lawn and garden irrigation. There are special mosquito disks you put in them or put a screen on top to ward of the mosquito swarms.

[Anonymous]

Again, there is a difference between cheap and thrifty-and when you have a little money, people find you being cheap a little annoying. However in the current economic climate, it's almost chic to be cheap. I spend good money on shoes but not on socks. Expensive foundation but cheap mascara. Nice house but cheap car. I use coupons if they are good for something I would buy anyway. I check Amazon for prices for lots of things before I buy them elsewhere-you only have to spend $25 to get free shipping. I shop at Costco but I never buy a 7 liter bottle of ketchup because I'll never use it up before it goes bad. Kitchen trash bags are a different story, as well as paper towels and toilet paper. I check gasbuddy.com before buying gas but I won't travel over 10 miles to get to cheaper gas station-doesn't make sense. However, when it comes to friends or family, it's never worth it to pinch the penny. Money isn't everything.

[Anonymous]

OP, I am just like you!! Partly out of necessity, but partly because I just can't fathom spending the amount of money people spend on things like clothes, vacations, restaurant meals, etc. We didn't have a wedding because I thought it was a waste of money. I have no problems at all with buying clothes for myself or my children at Goodwill, though I don't often do it because you have to invest a lot of time in order to find the quality stuff. I wear shoes into the ground and only replace them when absolutely necessary. I have bought most of the baby equipment and toys that were not gifts from Craigs List and consignment sales. I don't think it's a personality disorder at all -- I kind of take pride in it. I had a friend who would spend $200 on designer jeans and I could not relate at all.

[Anonymous]

To OP

How happy are you on a scale from 1 to 10(highest)?

[Anonymous]

Also do many of the things that were mentioned. Also, never use air conditioning unless I am having company that is either elderly or in poor health and I make everyone turn the water off in the shower except to rinse.

I have not done camping vacations, but am going to look into it. Catching water is just not going to happen for me though.

[Anonymous]

I don't consider myself cheap, but I do some of the things you do.

I always rinse the ziploc bags, glass jars, wholefood containers (the sturdy microwavable ones) and reuse them. Just cannot imagine throwing them away. I also don't like gifts I cannot use - I always ask my husband what would he like for christmas / birthday so that he also asks me, so that I can get something i like and use. His philosophy is a bit different, he likes being surprised, so I always break my head thinking what to get him (his usual answer to that: i don't know).

I guess that's all the resemblance, in other things i'm not like you, love going out, real jewelery, flowers, and generally believe that money is earned to be spent.

[Anonymous]

pp again, i'm also religious about turning off lights, just cannot stand a light turned on in an empty room

[Anonymous]

OP, I al completely with you on buying knicknacks and receiving useless gifts, I absolutely hate it! I hate clutter and spending $ unwisely. For example, every time my MIL buys my kids outfits (and she always seems to get them items they already have too much of, drives me nuts) she has to buy the matching socks and hats. Anyone who has a child under 4 knows they hate hats so I literally have a large pile of very cute Gymboree hats in the closet that never get worn, very annoying!

[Anonymous]

Anyone ever see the Oprah with the Cheapest people? There was a guy on there who bought 2-ply toilet paper and would divide it into 2 separate rolls, that is cheap!

[zumbamama]

I do all these things you guys do too. Lights stay off during the day, even on weekends.

I reuse ziplocks and paper bags, save plastic bags for trash bags, I camp, I even reuse paper towels that I've wiped my hands on after washing dishes. I save them for cleaning later.

I cut my family's hair and never go to the salon.

I don't have cable, a dryer, a car payment, and I buy nothing on credit. If I can't afford something now, then I don't buy it.

I don't eat more than I should (most of the time) in efforts to make the food that I buy stretch longer. I feed a family of 5 on $400 a month or less. It would be even less if I clipped coupons.

We also grow our own vegetables and herbs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The rain barrel is for real - you can rig your gutters so that there is a barrel at the bottom to collect rain water and then use that water for lawn and garden irrigation. There are special mosquito disks you put in them or put a screen on top to ward of the mosquito swarms.

Check out Living with Ed on Planet Green. He did this on one of his shows. His wife had a meltdown, but that's how they water their plants.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The rain barrel is for real - you can rig your gutters so that there is a barrel at the bottom to collect rain water and then use that water for lawn and garden irrigation. There are special mosquito disks you put in them or put a screen on top to ward of the mosquito swarms.

Check out Living with Ed on Planet Green. He did this on one of his shows. His wife had a meltdown, but that's how they water their plants.

Many people in my neighborhood (Silver Spring) do this. I think some even have it rigged so that there are little irrigation lines flowing from the barrel to their flower beds, so all they need to do to water flowers is open the tap on the barrel. I'm not sure it's a function of being cheap or thrifty, but rather being environmentally conscious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To OP

How happy are you on a scale from 1 to 10(highest)?

On another thread (the $400K one), there's a few describing how they spend their incomes. My question: Are they any really any happier than us poor folks ? Can someone please give me an answer.

[Anonymous]

I'm not cheap, but I do a lot of things to try to be environmentally conscious. I'm good about turning off lights when I leave the room. I don't run the water when I brush my teeth, I take short showers, and (this may be gross) if I just pee, I'll wait to flush till the next time I use the bathroom. (I live alone w/ my daughter; if I have guests, I don't do this.) I try to use a sandwich bag or ziploc bag 2 or 3 times to hold the same thing, like pretzels or baby formula or powdered cocoa. I'm sparing with paper towels and napkins. I use the water from my daughter's bottle sterilizer to water my houseplants. I am gradually replacing all my bulbs with the low-energy bulbs. I combine trips and visit certain stores when it makes sense to do so, and I won't drive out of my way to save a few cents on gas. I only take out the trash once a week unless I have a lot of it, so I use fewer trash bags. I check books out of the library or attend book sales for most of my reading material.

I could probably go on, but...

I'm not really cheap in other ways. I am a generous tipper and I don't mind buying drinks for friends, and I enjoy going out to dinner. I will look for clothes on sale, but I'll buy what I need/want at full price. I drive a nice car, though I plan to drive it for about ten years. I will buy store brands or food on sale if it's what I want, but if I want asparagus at $3.99/lb, chances are I'm buying it. I clip coupons and occasionally remember to use them, but otherwise I just buy extras of stuff like soap when it goes on sale.

[Anonymous]

and (this may be gross) if I just pee, I'll wait to flush till the next time I use the bathroom. (I live alone w/ my daughter; if I have guests, I don't do this.)

No worries. Where I come from in water-thrifty So. Cal, this is normal and possibly even expected. The saying is, "It's mellow if it's yellow."