My roommate and I have been entertained (and horrified) by the show Extreme Cheapskates. I don't think any other show as of late has made us groan out "No, no, don't" and even cover our eyes so much (when these crazy people dumpster dive for food. Yuck!)
But, there are some good things to take away from the show as well. Simple things really. They won't save you millions, but every penny can help. I've tried to make a small list below.
- the toilet bowl and brick trick. Okay this one is in every show and it does make me curious to try it. Basically people put one or two bricks in the back of their toilet bowl and the act of water displacement means the toilet doesn't need as much water to reach the top, and to re-flush. This one will be worth a try I think!
- take out containers as Tupperware. I think this appeared in someone's "how to be a bachelor" blog post, but I am in love with Boston Pizzas takeout containers. Seriously, they are better than most of the other containers I have (and we have A LOT of containers). Every time I go to Boston Pizza, I'll save a small portion of my meal to take home. Usually what I get are these awesome microwaveable plastic containers we use until they are falling apart (a small collection pictured here)
- "samples" of jams, peanut butters and syrup. This is probably in bad taste but I totally do it too: asking for an extra container of the tiny syrup and taking it home, or taking one of each of the flavored jam/peanut butter when they bring it out with your toast. They've been great when I don't feel like the huge Costco-sized raspberry jam we buy for cheap, and will do one breakfast no problem.
- conserving water in teeth brushing and showers. Okay, so I'm not going to tell you to only shower at the gym once a week, but using some water saving tips from the crazy people are actually pretty good. Shut the water off while brushing your teeth (between the spitting), or while lathering up your body in suds. It's better for the environment too.
- invest in penny-saving light bulbs and shower heads. These exist, and should help save pennies on your bills. Plus a few times a year the energy star people put out high value coupons that can make the light bulbs free.
-repurpose where you can. All cheapskates do this, and for most things I approve. I have a friend who all through school used cleaned milk bags with the top cut off as ziplock bags in her lunches. Here, we wash and reuse ziplock and plastic cutlery as many times as we can. Old tshirts become great rags and those fuzzy socks with a hole in them can become a good Swiffer pad. Lots of uses for old things (just take a look on Pinterest!)
- turn off the light when not in use. Im still bad for this but if the light doesn't need to be on, turn it off. There's also the theory that things still suck energy even when they're turned off if they're still plugged in. Thinking about it, does the microwave really need to tell the world there are 3 seconds left on the clock during the 8 hours we're at work? Most cheapskates will have everything except their fridge on power bars that they unplug when they leave.
- half price food. Okay, first, do not dumpster dive for food. Omg yuck! Also, don't ask for other people's leftovers, that's also just wrong. However, they do have a god tip if you are shopping for an immediate meal (tonight's dinner for example), it would be all right to buy food at the grocery store from the discount racks. Stores will mark down fruits, veggies, bread, cheese, meat, etc if it is almost near the expiration. If you are immediately going to eat it that night, I don't see anything wrong with saving the few dollars and buying it for half price. We have also bought meat and bread for half price and thrown it in the freezer to use the next week.
- thrift stores and pawn shops can be your friends. If you need something, start here. Then check the garage sales one weekend. Then go to the department store. I'm willing to bet that most of the time you'll find what you're looking for at a great price in one of the first two places you look.
- buy the discount brand. Couponers will say this too, you pay a high price for name brand. If peanut butter is peanut butter, no matter the label, then go for whatever is cheapest on the shelf. We've become accustomed to paying more for the fancy label from the companies with the commercials, but think about it, they need to get more money out of you to pay for those commercials right?
- if your friends and family have skills, ask to use them. Weddings are a good example. Numerous budget-conscious blogs for weddings say to ask your family and friends to provide services at the wedding in lieu of gifts. Maybe you already have a DJ, graphic designer, and cake maker, you just need to ask. Unlike extreme cheapskates though, I would send a thank you gift basket or something.
- free entertainment. I would suggest taking some time and figuring out what is free in your area. Usually there are farms and museums and stuff that are free to visit. There are also free events in various cities, lakes and beaches and such too. Could your family go to a petting zoo and only spend $5 total instead of $20 each at the movies? There is lots that is free and fun if you look.
And the last one I do,
- look for spare change! How silly does this sound, but no really! I keep my eyes open at all times for a wayward nickle or quarter in daily life. Yes I'm the one that will poke my finger into the coin return slots at vending machines and phone boots, just in case. When I was a kid, I could usually find the value of my admission price to Wonderland by the end of the day at the park (and now that isn't exactly just a few pennies)! A lot of the cheapskates will suggest checking your vaccuum before dumping it, the machines at the laundromat, and the area near phone boots for money that was lost and forgotten.
As always, love hearing your other ideas!
