How cheap are you?

CallMeKate said:
I seriously hate food waste.
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Food waste is a biggie
And seldom noticed

Most folks think nothing of tossing leftovers outa the fridge and into the trash

Think about it;
Buy the food ($)
Cook the food ($)
Put the leftovers in the fridge for a week ($)
Then toss those in the trash ($)

My woman makes a lot of soup
 

VaughanJB said:
Hm. I have very little interest in money.

I reuse a water bottle. That is, I bought a bottle of water, and now refill it with tap water. That's pretty cheap I guess.
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I re fill and re use water bottles all the time - partly to avoid cost of buying new one but also to reduce plastics and carbon footprint

Recycling and re-using isnt a cheapskate thing.
 

Ladybj said:
I use to dilute my dish detergent with water. I would keep a small bottle and when I purchased a large bottle, I would pour a little more than half in the small bottle and fill it up with water. Use to drive my husb nuts o_O :ROFLMAO: :ROFLMAO:
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That's not cheap; it's smart.

When I refill my approximately 5yr-old liquid dish soap 1 gallon bottle, I add a little liquid laundry detergent to it until it's about 10% laundry detergent, and then I don't have to wash the dishcloths as often (makes them bacteria-resistant). Also, I add a bit of water to my laundry detergent by about the same ratio. It doesn't get the clothes any less clean, and I'm probably getting 10X the loads out of it.

So I think I'm coming out about even.
 
I guess I'm cheap when it comes to our house and my car. They were both paid off years ago and I have no plans to move, upgrade our furniture or trade cars. I'm also cheap when it comes to clothing because my old suits and dress shirts will work fine if we go somewhere fancy, and I live in workout clothes or jeans these days anyway.

I'm not cheap when it comes to the food we eat, entertainment (like plays, concerts and movies) or travel. These days it is no longer about material things. It's about "experiences". I want to experience as much as I can in life while I'm healthy enough to do so.

I'm also willing to spend on keeping our two cats healthy and happy. They contribute so much to our lives.
 
Years ago when I worked in Amsterdam, one of the team was a great American guy - let's call him Bob. In the office was a copier, and when you made multiple copies of large documents, it would insert a coloured sheet of paper between them. These sheets were usually discarded, so I collected them and gave them to Mrs.L who worked in an infants school and gave them to the kids.

One day before Christmas, Bob finally asked me what I wanted these coloured sheets for. I told him that we cut them into strips to make paper chains to decorate the house and so we didn't have to spend any money. Bob was shocked and announced to the entire department, Captain, you're so cheap. This caused great peels of laughter and our project leader said that I shouldn't 'wind up' Bob as he had difficulty with British humour.
 
I'm so cheap a packet of 50 small sandwich bags has lasted for over 2 years. Reusing them regularly,
I'm so cheap I reuse glad wrap, sticking it to my fridge.
I'm so cheap I cut my own hair with clippers I bought for $29 4 years ago. Barbers would have cost me over $400.
I'm so cheap I turn every power outlet off when I go out. The only thing left on is the fridge.
 
caramel said:
I'm cheap about status symbols. I spent a lot of time looking for a watch that cost less than $10-20. I haven't worn a watch in a while, but when I had to, I didn't like spending money on it.
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I'm still wearing my 1972 Cherry Timex wind-up watch. Keeps good time and doesn't need batteries. New leather band now and then.
 
I use honey in my coffee, today the honey jar was empty. I say it wasnt, so as I washed out my coffee strainer I put some hot water in the honey jar and shook vigorously, that gave me one last serving. I do the same thing with salad dressing, I have to get every little bit out of the jar.

Another thing I do is when I come home my electric garage door light stays on for five minutes before automatically shutting off. There is manual switch I can use to shut it off, so as I walk into the house I always shut that light off. I can't stand the thought of that light burning for another four and a half minutes for no reason, such a waste.

I don't see myself as cheap though, just frugal and sensible.
 
I am pretty cheap, but I have also learned a lot about expensive stuff over the years. For example, much designer name stuff is very expensive, but you're basically paying for the NAME.

Example: much furniture is made of pressed wood, or MDF wood, which is basically sawdust glued together into boards. It's heavy and cheap. If it goes through a flood it will be forever ruined because it will absorb the water like a sponge.

We're talking Pottery Barn, West Elm and Ethan Allen furniture. All of them sell plenty of MDF furniture.

So, many years ago I set my bar at buying real wood furniture. Pine is OK as long as it's not too rustic-looking. Pine is "cheap" furniture. Can usually only find it at Ikea. Oak is also an option, but oak furniture is quite heavy and I want stuff I can move around by myself.

I'm cheap, but I try to be the educated cheap. Pine furniture is better than MDF for me. No bragging about where I bought it is needed.

One person here was posting about how they got new windows. New, double or triple pane windows for an older home are a great idea. Do you know they sell some standard sizes at Home Depot? I didn't know that until a couple of years ago. I guess you can also special order some standard sizes at Home Depot as long as they are the side-to-side sliders.

But there is a window company I always see ads for in magazines and on TV - gorgeous, designer windows. I always wonder how much people are paying for the name with those? But, if your house is worth $2 million, name-brand windows are a pittance, right? But I would price the cheap, Home Depot windows first, just to see the difference.

I try to spend no more than $25.00 for a handbag - will buy them at the Goodwill if I can find a good one with a designer name. I'm not embarrased to do that. I just don't understand spending $400 on a Coach bag. I have never understood the enormous amounts of cash some women spend on handbags. Better off putting that $400 in a high yield savings account these days.
 
seadoug said:
I guess I'm cheap when it comes to our house and my car. They were both paid off years ago and I have no plans to move, upgrade our furniture or trade cars. I'm also cheap when it comes to clothing because my old suits and dress shirts will work fine if we go somewhere fancy, and I live in workout clothes or jeans these days anyway.

I'm not cheap when it comes to the food we eat, entertainment (like plays, concerts and movies) or travel. These days it is no longer about material things. It's about "experiences". I want to experience as much as I can in life while I'm healthy enough to do so.

I'm also willing to spend on keeping our two cats healthy and happy. They contribute so much to our lives.
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ah but you have a beautiful home.. and very nice clothes... and your hubs has a lovely car... so if you buy quality in the first place there's no need to replace in the second place... :D
 

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