I'm so cheap that I....

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Replies

  • JennetteMac
    JennetteMac Posts: 763 Member
    Only buy stuff that we actually need, preferably when it's on offer, in which case buy double. Oh, yeah...don't buy food- saves money AND calories LOL:tongue:
  • ajbeans
    ajbeans Posts: 2,857 Member
    Bought a bra in the girls section at Target. Convertible, pushup for $6. Only bright side to the girls shrinking.

    You bought a pushup bra in the girls' section? :noway: I mean, I'm happy that you found a cheap bra, but that shouldn't be in the girls' section.
  • jovz10
    jovz10 Posts: 531 Member
    my shampoo/conditioner is suave which 1.50 each
    drive 92 nissan sentra that full tank ($30) for two weeks
    igo to dollar store for pretzels and newton bars for the kids and buy my napkins and dish soap
    i don't buy clothes til they are at least 75% off. :)
  • WifeNMama
    WifeNMama Posts: 2,876 Member
    I love being cheap. :D Not that I have much of a choice right now...

    - I make my own laundry soap. I use liquid so I can use cold water. It really doesn't take too long. Heat water on stove, add soap shavings, fill 5 gallon pail half way with hot water, once soap is melted pour into 5 gal pail, add borax and washing soda, stir, fill bucket rest of the way. Put lid on and let sit overnight in a cold, dark corner. Stir next day then pour into containers. I reuse old laundry detergent bottles. It doesn't take much time at all. Especially not when it makes sooo much (the 5 gallon pail is concentrate so you end up with 10 gallons of diluted detergent and only have to use between 1/2-3/4 cup per load) Check google for recipes. Every recipe gives different amounts of soap/borax/washing soda. Try making smaller batches until you find what works best. Vinegar works great for a fabric softener if wish to use (I don't always add it to the rinse cycle and I don't notice much difference in clothes)

    - I use a DivaCup instead of having to buy tampons and pads all the time (besides it being way comfier and better in sooo many ways, it always saves a crapload of money over time) want to make cloth pantyliners in the future (don't use pads, but sometimes pantyliners just in case i leak)

    - Always buy cheap stuff...

    - Almost never buy clothes brand new (and when I do it's always cheap anyway)

    - Don't use shampoo (wash hair with conditioner and buy really cheap conditioner which I dilute to wash with)

    - Make my own lotions/body butters

    - Wash my face with homemade cold cream or honey

    - Make own deodorant

    - Use the internet for movies/tv shows/everything

    - Walk as much as I can instead of driving

    - Starting to play around with making my own baby wipes (don't have baby but I use them myself for ... everything)

    - Stock up on toilet paper and such when on sale

    - Use vinegar and baking soda for most cleaning and thinking of making an enzyme cleaner in the near future

    - Sew a lot of clothes myself (and buy the bolt fabric bits from second hand stores)

    - Turn cheap bar soap into liquid hand soap (or can be body wash)

    - Cut and colour my hair myself (colour with henna as well so waaaaaaaaaaay cheaper than chemical dye)

    - I also get eggs free from friends, meat from my dad's farm and potatoes from garden (boyfriend planted potatoes this last year but I want to plant my own garden with a lot this coming summer...or else I can get some from my grandma who usually plants as large garden...or friends' family who usually also have large garden)

    I can't think of much else right now. Basically I just buy a lot of stuff cheap and I am IN LOVE with Dollarama and similar stores. And I make a lot/almost all of my body products and house cleaning products and try to make most of my food from scratch.

    I don't sew clothes or use henna on my hair, everything else I do. Are you, by any chance, a Crunchy Betty? :-)
  • rhce40
    rhce40 Posts: 201 Member

    I GET MY MUSIC OFF YOUTUBE CONVERTER - F** PAYING ITUNES


    Ha, yes, I do this too. Not because I'm cheap, just because I can ;)

    i do this as well as get cd's from the library and download them to my itunes
  • snowfox92
    snowfox92 Posts: 100 Member
    I'm so cheap when you walk through my front door you trip over the back fence ;)
  • sassylilmama
    sassylilmama Posts: 1,493 Member
    Bought a bra in the girls section at Target. Convertible, pushup for $6. Only bright side to the girls shrinking.

    You bought a pushup bra in the girls' section? :noway: I mean, I'm happy that you found a cheap bra, but that shouldn't be in the girls' section.

    Sadly I have seen them in many stores and yes meant for girls.
  • WifeNMama
    WifeNMama Posts: 2,876 Member
    Also, don't buy cooking spray. Save the wrappers from butter or margarine in a baggie in the fridge. When you need to grease a pan, take a wrapper out and wipe it around the inside of the pan.
  • ilovedeadlifts
    ilovedeadlifts Posts: 2,923 Member
    I use a bucket for box squats.
  • msiesha79
    msiesha79 Posts: 3
    I refuse to buy anything at regular price. I only buy items on sale. I create my grocery list based off what's in the sales paper for the week. Clothes, shoes, furniture, appliances, I only buy when there is a 50% - 70% sale. Sure they are last season but who cares! I also google promocode before I make any online purchases. I wish I had the patience to clip coupons but I just can't get into that. Well not as of yet anyway. That is something I am strongly considering though. Anyone have any tips for a first time couponers???
  • stcar
    stcar Posts: 207 Member
    I am a money waster...but I'm going to try to change that and steal some of your ideas :)
  • Michele7091
    Michele7091 Posts: 256 Member


    I GET MY MUSIC OFF YOUTUBE CONVERTER - F** PAYING ITUNES

    The YouTube converter is my best friend!!! I used to spend craploads on iTunes, but I haven't spent a dime on there in about 6 months!!!

    OK I am DYING to know...how do I DO this??? I spend WAAAAAY too much buying music!
  • Aegelis
    Aegelis Posts: 237 Member
    + I cut my own hair and my spouse straightens the back I can't see.
    + Glad to see others re-use Ziploc/Glad bags too.
    + Eating less these days, using My Fitness Pal means more money in my pocket
    + Coupons wherever possible
    + E-mail instead of print
    + I make my own saline nasal spray (0.65% Saline solution = water + salt) after buying the first bottle and re-filling, just be sure you have filtered water.
    + Refilling my salt/pepper grinders instead of throwing them away and replacing.

    ***Please support your music artists by purchasing music you frequently listen to.***
  • mrscroel
    mrscroel Posts: 18
    I make my own laundry soap too! Works soooo much better than the store bought stuff and saves me a lot of $$$$$! My kids call me the laundry lady...I am always doing laundry!
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,990 Member
    I separate 2 ply toilet paper to wipe.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • NicNac86
    NicNac86 Posts: 130
    I've saved about £90 over the past year at a site called TopCashBack - does anyone else use it or Quidco or something similar?

    LOVE cashback! Every little helps!
  • jaxterbom
    jaxterbom Posts: 73
    That's thinking outside the shoebox.
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
    I've saved about £90 over the past year at a site called TopCashBack - does anyone else use it or Quidco or something similar?
    I've recently discovered Quidco, and nearly every online shopping site I use has cashback through it! I also look for discount codes and ALWAYS shop around before buying anything - often the unlikely options have something cheaper.

    I'm also so cheap I never park anywhere that charges. Saves me a fortune and boosts my exercise carrying heavy shopping home on foot!
  • CharityEaton
    CharityEaton Posts: 499 Member
    Yup!
    I do most the same things!
    Consolidate all trips to town to the two days my daughter has storytime and playgroup.
    Coupons and price matching.
    When the weather is fairly decent I dry our clothes on a the line outside...but if it is too hot or cold don't want to open the door and mess up the indoor temp.
    We use wood to heat with and REFUSE to turn the air on until June( we live in MO)
    We always take a lunch as often as we can and for the kids lunchboxes I have bought special containers(in the dollar isle) for their sandwiches and snacks so we don't have to keep buying baggies all the time. It really irritates me that the school requires the kids to bring a SACK lunch on filed trips instead of allowing tem to take a reusable bag!

    We use the trash service at my husbands shop instead of having it come to the house...he just takes the bags in to work with him when we empty the trash.
    This is a good rule too:
    The only 2 items you ned: duct tape and wd40
    If it moves and it shouldn't: use duct tape
    If it doesn't move and it should: use wd40

    so I can't spell today!
  • stroken96
    stroken96 Posts: 436 Member
    bump
  • Elizabeth_C34
    Elizabeth_C34 Posts: 6,376 Member
    I refuse to buy anything that isn't on clearance or on sale, including grocery items. I stock up on buy one/get one items at the grocery store.

    I also refuse to spend more than $2-$3 for bottle of shampoo and conditioner.
  • MrsSWW
    MrsSWW Posts: 1,585 Member
    Duct tape should be one of the 7 wonders of the world!

    And cut and colour my own hair, dye my own brows and lashes, have never paid for a manicure/pedicure/facial, or fake tan...do it all myself! Don't join a gym, get out and jog/run/walk the dogs, buy your fruit and veg from a local market rather than a supermarket, and pick up trays of meat and fish from there too...

    Cook big and freeze portions, don't throw away leftovers! Go to shops that your snobby firends turn their noses up at (in the UK Aldi and Lidl), their quality is great and so cheap compared to the bigger stores!
  • MrsSWW
    MrsSWW Posts: 1,585 Member



    The only 2 items you need: duct tape and wd40
    If it moves and it shouldn't: use duct tape
    If it doesn't move and it should: use wd40


    This^^^
  • harley0269
    harley0269 Posts: 384 Member
    bump
  • love4fitnesslove4food_wechange
    love4fitnesslove4food_wechange Posts: 6,897 Member



    The only 2 items you need: duct tape and wd40
    If it moves and it shouldn't: use duct tape
    If it doesn't move and it should: use wd40


    This^^^

    love it!
  • DannyMussels
    DannyMussels Posts: 1,842 Member
    I buy virtually everything on eBay. I once bought a lot of 50 razor blades and saved $100. Something about paying $15-$20 for 4-5 blades makes me angry.

    I also get all my cables off there, something that'd cost $20-50 at a store can be bought for under $5. Some are even $0.99 shipped......

    For supplements, I check 3 sites daily, they usually have things on sale anywhere from 30%-80% off. i've purchased $1000 of items (mostly protein, bars etc) for about $100.

    I frequent sites like nextag, woot.com, and amazon. If I find a product I like, I'll use those places to get a better deal.

    I can buy almost anything online for waaaay less then I can find in town. That's even factoring in shipping.

    I get a fair amount of clothing (usually workout) at the salvation army or value village in the city. I've purchased tons of new items (still with stickers/tages) for like 1/4 of the cost. Same with work/camp clothing, cause I know it'll get dirty and ruined.

    I don't really look at all that as 'cheap' more like pretty smart if you ask me.

    Despite all that, I still have no money saved...but I WILL be watching a raptors-knicks game from the front row with my bro in a few weeks.. ;)
  • IHeartNewMe
    IHeartNewMe Posts: 150 Member
    I chase after the garbage truck with a grocery list lol

    Bwahhhhhh! Now that is funny! (Hmmmm!)
  • tea_and_tofu
    tea_and_tofu Posts: 18
    when buying stuff online i first shearch for a discount code and check to see if i can ship to the store instead of paying for it to come to my house.
  • love4fitnesslove4food_wechange
    love4fitnesslove4food_wechange Posts: 6,897 Member
    when buying stuff online i first shearch for a discount code and check to see if i can ship to the store instead of paying for it to come to my house.

    on a RELATED note...since i don't have a car and don't want to pay shipping i ALWAYS by just enough to get "Free shipping if you spend X"
  • seal57
    seal57 Posts: 1,259 Member
    I cut and colour my own hair....I did Worlds Greatest Shave in 2010 and love how great short hair felt.....So, I bought my own set of hair clippers and have been doing it myself ever since.....Have save heaps.....


    I do my own BAS and tax....bought a program all I do is put in the data and it spits out what I need....Only cost $20AUD with free updates. Much cheaper then getting someone else to do it......

    Just change my mobile plan....I now pay $17.99AUD per month and get $550AUD worth of calls and text plus 1.5gigs of data.....

    Some great ideas here.....
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