What is the super cheapskate habit you have?

None of my cheapskate practices are the result of me looking to cut costs and preserve the household budget, I do what I do frugally, because I loathe waste on all levels.

If something has use left in it, you can be rest assured that I will dedicate myself to garnering every last stitch of use out of whatever it is that I'm looking to get every last stitch of use out of, and then and only then will you see me retire the item or thing or send it off to never-never land (the landfill).

- I've used, and still use safety pins and diaper pins for fixes/emergency repairs, especially when it comes to holding up old sweat pants where the drawstring snaps and the elastic waistband no longer has any stretch.

- Same for panties. A safety pin to get me by until I buy new ones.

- When my kids were babies I used to safety pin their old worn-out rubber pants on like a diaper when the elastic waistband would go (learned the trick from my mom). Looked hideous, and was a pain at changing time dealing with an extra diaper pin or two, but it helped me achieve my goal... keeping extra plastic and waste out of the landfill.

- Been hand-washing plastic bags along with Ziploc bags for a good two decades now. To dry, I pin them up on the outdoor clothesline. Looks weird... I still haven't warmed to it, but at the end of the day those same plastic bags are sitting back in the plastic-wrap/tinfoil/wax-paper/Ziploc bag drawer in my kitchen, not in a garbage pail or sitting in the landfill.
 
I have to be very frugal because of my income. I try not to throw any food away and plan on my meals accordingly so that I eat most of it. I did lately though end up throwing some veggies away that I thought started to turn but didn't feel bad about it because I don't want to get sick from them.

I only wash my hair one time instead of like the bottle says twice to save on shampoo. My hair still comes out clean and looks good.

I try to plan my errands so that I get everything I need to do done in one day and save on gas.

I don't skimp on heating in the very cold months and my heat bill shows it but since it's getting warmer I can turn the heat down a bit now and save on the gas bill. I turn lights off when leaving a room to save on electricity.

I do many things to save money so that I can afford the things I really need.
 

When the toothpaste tube is nearly empty, cut it across an inch or so from the closed cap and prise it open, they’ll be enough for another week

Most containers will yield more content if stood upside down or a little water added when they seem empty

I’m not a cheapskate but I’m not stupid either ;)
 
Jondalar7 said:
I was just shaving and realize I use a razor until I can actually see pits and holes in the blades and then I scrape my face with it one more time.
EDIT ...As an afterthought, I can't edit the heading but this is more about the silly things we do to be FRUGAL.
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Yard sales, I love buying books cheap, but I really gotta stop because I have more books than I can read in the rest of my life. But then there is something so satisfying about buying books for so much cheaper than the original cost!
 
I have small trash cans in all rooms and use the grocery bags to line them. I dump the contents in the large kitchen trash can and reuse the plastic bags again. They do not need to be washed since they do not hold anything wet. I am frugal but not cheap. I try to give away things I don't need on free cycle instead of selling them. However I do plan on getting things together for a Salvation Army pick up soon.
 
All of our charities post Charity bags through our letterboxes to encourage us to donate anything we don't want.. you can use any of them to donate to another, for example, salvation army bag could be used to fill a Cancer foundation bag, or a British heart foundation.. or help the aged... it can be left on the doorstep and their vans will collect on a designated day.. or you can take your donations to the store yourself.

I donate all the time, I think it's not me being cheap, in fact it's probably the opposite.. me giving all my good quality things that I've replaced.. to a good cause

Also at our Waste site we have a recycle shop , so rather than throw good condition items ..furniture , kids toys, etc into the waste bins .. we can give then to the shop who sell them on for a nominal price...
 
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I can, and do, get the last scrap of toothpaste out of the tube. Also. we use liquid soap, the type that has a plunger dispenser. When the bottle is all but empty and won't dispense, I unscrew the top, then unscrew the top of the replacement bottle and balance the old one upside down onto the new one so that every last drop of soap gets used.
 
win231 said:
Cheap? I knew a guy who sent his girlfriend into bars alone so other guys would buy her drinks before he walked in.
When he takes out a dollar, Washington squints at the light.
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Sounds like the same guy that can squeeze a nickel so tight, he makes the beaver poop.

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fmdog44 said:
I keep paper towels in my kitchen and when I spill a couple drops I don't use the towel to wipe them up rather, I tear a small piece of a towel to clean the spill. I use white vinegar to clean a lot of my surfaces.
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I rarely use paper towels - maybe go through a roll every two months. I just never developed the habit of using them.

My (approximately) 30 terry cloth and other kitchen towels, plus sponges and dish cloths manage nearly all spills and cleanups.
 
I reuse make-up removal 'tissues'. They are pretty strong and can easily be used more than once..when finished I wash them and let them dry. The next time I put a little make-up removal lotion on the tissue and wash off make-up again. Saves on wash cloths too
 

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