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The Cheapskate Guide: 50 Tips for Frugal Living

zenhabits.net — Not for everyone! But in depth. heh.

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  • yomamaisfat, on 10/10/2007, -11/+6I was with it until it told me to cut off my internet.
    • nublet, on 10/10/2007, -2/+14he said cable, as in cable tv. not internet. cutting off the internets is just cruel.
      • vornan19, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2Yeah, but yomamaisfat's comments made me fearful so I dugg him.
  • kensavage, on 10/10/2007, -2/+4Some of these I wouldn't have even thought of. Nice!
  • SwissCamel, on 10/10/2007, -4/+15Don't spend the money when you're young and able to enjoy it! Save it.....
    • MindTrigger, on 10/10/2007, -3/+9Untill you are too old to really enjoy it? I'm not saying people shouldn't save, but don't waste your youth either for ***** sakes.
      • quisph, on 10/10/2007, -2/+6Why do people think that spending money is the only way to enjoy their youth?
    • lbeaty1981, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Yeah, I'd much rather have fun with my money now than waste it on things like food and medicine when I get older...
  • chicoer2001, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5Save money on groceries with dollar stores
    • Figs, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1It's incredible what you can get for 99 cents...
      3 liter cola bottles for 99 cents? NO WAI. :)
    • prettyha8, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Dollar store food is all fake food from China! Most of it is unapproved for sale in the US and Canada. For example, don't ever use dollar store toothpaste!
  • IllBeBack, on 10/10/2007, -3/+5Not this again...
  • L0g1X, on 10/10/2007, -3/+3Another article about how to be frugal...usually I don't mind it but this one offers nothing new.
  • soccerman90, on 10/10/2007, -2/+11For free condiments just go to a fast food place and take whatever you want. as long as you buy something first or dont let them see you, you could have ketchup for life
    • MindTrigger, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4*****, buy your food to-go and they will throw more in the bag than you would ever grab yourself. My family keeps earthquake/disaster supplies, and we have more condiments then we willl ever need, and they were all given to us by the restaurant employees. We have never taken any of them ourselves. We have also saved a ton of those wrapped napkin, fork, salt , pepper packs too.
      • jcm267, on 10/10/2007, -0/+8So when the big one hits you'll be living off ketchup and saltine packets?
        • ChildeRoland420, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Obviously. What's your point?
    • KingGorilla, on 10/10/2007, -1/+0convenience > savings in this category
  • jotate, on 10/10/2007, -3/+40In case the server goes down, let me copy and paste the article:

    1. - 50. Don't spend money.
  • Benprofane, on 10/10/2007, -0/+28Don't have 6 kids.
    • ptravis, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1Someone should tell him that helpful tip. It's a lot more reasonable than his tip of "don’t use a dryer or hot water heater." WTF.
  • IllBeBack, on 10/10/2007, -2/+5Don't buy anything you can't afford.
    Wow, I would never have thought of that. It just sounds so crazy!
    • Sixcolors, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2So many people know this and overspend anyway. *raises his hand*
    • Arramol, on 10/10/2007, -0/+6You'd be amazed how many Americans could post that and be entirely sincere.
  • bdhughes, on 10/10/2007, -3/+6what good is money if you don't spend it? save it till i die and then have my kids spend it? screw that! i am going out in as much of a flourish as i can, without being in debt to anyone.
    except mrs. visa, mr. mastercard and of course my sub-prime mortgage lender...
    i remember some cheap guy on tv a few years back that actually took toilet paper rolls that were 2 ply, and he would separate them so he could have 2 rolls! now that is just *****!
    • Sixcolors, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Much of the article is about not spending money you don't have. Granted, being a full time student, this seems impossible or at least extremely difficult. However, there are ways to make cutbacks and not throw money into items I can't justify.
    • quisph, on 10/10/2007, -0/+6Wow, you really missed the point. If you spend less, you can work less and/or retire early. I'd much rather do that than work 70-hour weeks so that I can afford to buy a bunch of stuff I don't really need.
  • realclark, on 10/10/2007, -3/+8i save money by living in the jungle with monkeys
  • lurajoonami, on 10/10/2007, -3/+1simple and helpful guide!
  • Wavicle, on 10/10/2007, -1/+7Rent instead of buy your home? Is this for real? Even the "more in depth article" is full of cooked numbers. Hey, if you have an account that you can get an 8% year-over-year return, let me know. (yes, I'm well aware of the stock market) Seriously, that is a short term win for a long term loss. In 5 years when that house is $2000/month instead of $1495, then what? In 10 years when it is $2500, then what? If someone is renting a $425,000 house for $1,500/month, you should be suspicious.
    • cptshamrock, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3I agree this guy seems to think that your rent doesn't have built in interest (the building's mortgage), maintainence, and PROFIT for the landlord to take away. Renting is thus more expensive due to the fact that you're giving profit and building zero equity.
    • cptshamrock, on 10/10/2007, -6/+1I agree this guy seems to think that your rent doesn't have built in interest (the building's mortgage), maintainence, and PROFIT for the landlord to take away. Renting is thus more expensive due to the fact that you're giving profit and building zero equity.
    • jonfelder, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Except this is exactly what is happening in areas with ridiculous housing prices. Houses worth $500,000 in San Francisco rent for maybe $2000. There's nothing wrong with the houses, the market is broken. It makes absolutely no sense to buy a house in SF right now. Renting is by far the better value.
    • IKORKYI, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Now, actually, is the perfect time to buy in SF. Well, maybe in about 6 months. Housing may not be turning from its lowest quite yet, but in 5 years it will be much much higher. Never look for the value of your house to be the value of the current market. Have fun renting. In the mean time, i will pay the same monthly towards my mortgage (probably less considering tax breaks) while getting an investment, with good potential in higher yields than any money market or savings account. Retard.
  • blitzer, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5Most people are penny wise and pound foolish. They save and save and save on small insignificant items. Then waste all their cash on the big purchases, without searching for good deals.
    • jcm267, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5I think you've got it backwards. Most people literally throw pennies away when they get them. They might be thirsty and see a bottle of coke at the gas staition for a buck and say "it's only a buck". When it comes to big purchases, most people look for a good deal.
  • homesickalien, on 10/10/2007, -4/+11Use bittorrent and save LOTS of money.
    • MrSunshine, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2"...save LOTS of money."

      ...for the lawsuit coming up.
      • trekkenpool, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0true that,
        take it from one who heard
        of someone being investigated
        by thier internet service provider
        - Be careful with Bit Torrent-
  • DroogInPhoenix, on 10/10/2007, -2/+4Forgot:
    51) Shut off your internet
    52) Move to a cave.
  • lordmike, on 10/10/2007, -2/+12Get rid of the cell phone and use the pay phone? Yeah, right? If you can actually FIND a working pay phone within 25 miles of my suburban location near several shopping malls, give me a call... collect! I'll pay the charges... 'cos I'm convinced that it can't be done. One time, my dad (who only got a cell recently, thanks to me) was at the mall with me and wanted to call mom. Well, he didn't want to use my minutes, so he insisted on finding a pay phone. We found one.. it didn't work.. went all the way across the mall to find another one... not only didn't work, but took his quarter... went all the way across the mall to find another one.. someone had ripped the handset off the pay phone. Dad gave up and used my [phone. He's been a cell user ever since!
    • charlie55, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2and that isnt even considering the cost of the typhoid fever you will get from the filthy public phone.

      cheap phone plans are $30. it is hard for me to imagine a person for whom that isnt worth it.
  • Intangible360, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2This list is ridiculous as a whole, but some good pointers for people to pick up on. I mean I know in the USA people seem to live beyond their means as if it were there *ahem* God given right, but I prefer to live conservatively rather than head towards an early grave stressing about money every second of everyday (so much for his health tips); which this guy clearly does.
  • cespee, on 10/10/2007, -3/+9By saving all his life, this guy can afford a great coffin. Problem is, his kids won't inherit a house because he rented all his life.
  • Vodka2389, on 10/10/2007, -4/+953. Kill self

    Saves you a ton of money right there.
  • SaintStryfe, on 10/10/2007, -2/+5HA! You fatcats didn't finish your Plankton!
  • Mothrog, on 10/10/2007, -7/+6Buried down for this one alone:

    "I was about to buy a printer, and then found out my mom just bought a laser printer and didn’t need her old inkjet … saving me close to 100 smackeroos."

    I wonder if this retard checked the cost per page before saving $100 buying a god damn inkjet. The cost of owning an inkjet vs. owning a laser is huge.

    "Now I buy maybe once every couple of months, using PayPal or someone else’s credit card."

    I suppose buying things with other people's credit cards would be frugal, at least until the police come and arrest you.

    Don't even get me started on the retard's idea that you save by renting.
  • DiggzDE, on 10/10/2007, -3/+12This guide should be renamed to "How to live your life without building any credit or equity." or "How to live cheap your entire life and still not have any money"
    • quisph, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2If you can live your life without NEEDING credit or equity, I don't see the problem.
      • lbeaty1981, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1It's pretty much impossible to get by these days without having some good credit built up (at least, here in the USA). They actually ran a credit check on me when I signed up for satellite TV. Heaven forbid you try to buy something like a car without a good credit history.
        • ChildeRoland420, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I know lots of people who have bought many cars without having to even get a credit check. It's called cash, and people (smart people) know how to save AND spend it.
        • quisph, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1MY GOD, how would you ever live without satellite TV? ;)
  • KingGorilla, on 10/10/2007, -1/+0I'd rather just make more money
  • schrutefan, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3"Stay healthy. Easier said than done, I know, but staying healthy can save you tons of money on doctor’s visits, hospital bills, and medicine over the long run. An ounce of prevention, and all that. Eat healthily, and exercise. Simple and effective."

    Luckily I live in Canada.
    • nutsackninja, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2Living in Canada is no guarantee for long life, our medical system ranks up there with Zimbabwe's. Both my mom and cousin got botched appendix operations and both almost died.
      Yeah best healthcare system in the world, as long as you don't have to use it.
  • djmadness, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1...And remember, toilet paper has 2 sides!
  • morningmatters, on 10/10/2007, -2/+4The easiest way to save money is to be addicted to World of Warcraft.
  • jcm267, on 10/10/2007, -3/+6Wash clothes less. Some people wear clothes and then wash them, but I’ve gotten into the habit of wearing my clothes more than once if they’re not really dirty. I use my nose as a test — I don’t want to wear clothes that smell, but most times the clothes are still perfectly clean. This saves on washing.

    - This is good advice for a college student, but not for someone who wants to be a respectable adult.
    • Amablue, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4My dad would sew his own shirts in college to save money.
    • Amablue, on 10/10/2007, -2/+3My dad would sew his own shirts in college to save money.
      • Amablue, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2The hell? I didn't even double post. The second one wasn't here earlier. Digg's comments are messed up.
      • Amablue, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2The hell? I didn't even double post. The second one wasn't here earlier. Digg's comments are messed up.
      • Figs, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I'm tempted to reply to you in double just for the comedy...
      • ChildeRoland420, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I'm tempted to reply to you in double just for the comedy...
  • jcm267, on 10/10/2007, -3/+2Oh my god is this guy a loser. I'm all for saving a lot and living below your means, I do it myself, but this guy is just way overboard.

    http://zenhabits.net/2007/04/simple-way-to-save-3000-a-year-brown-bag-it/
  • davisd, on 10/10/2007, -4/+5The Cheapskate Guide: 50 Tips for Frugal Living OR How to be a dirty hippy.
    • MrSunshine, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I fail to see what this list has to do with flowerpower.
  • jcardinal, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1drink lots of water! Don't buy bottled water. Drink your regular tap water, which really isn't that bad when you think of it.
  • TrekChic, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2Incredibly approachable and rational advice on how to enjoy life while managing the thirst to spend money. I've read lots of lists in the area of frugality, but this one takes top bill.
    • jcm267, on 10/10/2007, -2/+4Enjoy flipping a coin for who gets to take the car to work, eating alone while the rest of the office goes out for lunch, wearing the same clothes without washing... just being an overall drag to be around.

      Someone offers you a pair of tickets to sunday's NFL game at a quarter of the price because they're on vacation and don't want their season tickets going to waste??? "nah, I'll just watch the game on my 19 inch TV and snack on some pretzels and carrot sticks. I hope it doesn't rain, sometimes my antennae doesn't get good reception for that station when it's cloudy"
  • viper233, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Good reading again for us would be tight arses. I decided to put the "Rent Cheaper than Buy" advice to the test just to see how much I should be investing if I wanted a moderate loan, say $150000 over 15 years.. That works out to be roughly $1450 a month for repayments, ouch, and seeing I pay $695 a month in rent I should be investing another $755 a month.. should...


    Pick an amount that you would like to pay for a house e.g. $150 000, figure out how much you are paying in rent and put the rest aside for investments, (or interest payments)
  • pnarel, on 10/10/2007, -2/+12Depressing. No matter how much people argue that they enjoy their lives as cheapskates, it is a disgusting and tormenting characteristic to have. There is something very unattractive about a person that skimps and saves and takes desperate measures not to spend money.

    I hate to over exaggerate this, but having been a cheapskate myself, it's almost like a disease. The more you save, the more you want to save-which is all fine and well until you realize you're wasting your life away trying not to spend money instead of enjoying it.

    When I underwent the ironically painful transition of stressing savings less, I realized that money does not matter that much in the end. What does matter is how you live life and present yourself. For example, by dressing in rags you lose self-respect and the respect of others.

    Successful people are never the ones that are too scared to use their money. No matter how much this guy saves, it doesn't compare to how his quality of life changes. I'm convinced he would make more money if he didn't put so much effort into saving money. What respectable company that offers a good salary is going to hire a man that shaves his head and wears shirts with holes in them in order to avoid spending money? In the end, the money he saves by shaving his head and making himself look like an idiot does not compare to how much money he could make if he remained presentable and put his efforts somewhere else.

    I feel bad for the kids. Unless they share their dad's views exactly, they probably live in shame.
    • jcm267, on 10/10/2007, -1/+5You've got to find a happy middle ground. You can't be stupid with money.. you need to save for "rainy days", retirement, kids going to college, future "big" expenses, etc...

      But going overboard is just terrible. This guy does really sicken me.
    • thedragon4453, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Agreed with JCM. I think the better advice would be not to spend money needlessly and foolishly. A lot of people dont realize that buying that $4 latte on the way to work is actually costing them $80 a month, which could be better spent.

      As for the kids thing, a couple of comments. First, hopefully you are raising your kids not to be so materialistic that they are obsessed with having expensive name brand everything. If your kids can give you no other answer other than "All my friends have it", they probably don't need it. My wife's sister has a daughter who she buys a new toy, outfit, or something for at least 3 times a week. Most of the toys end up at the bottom of the toy box, and the clothes at Goodwill. Of course, if she can't have the new toy when they go to the store, she will whine and cry about it, but we all know that she isn't going to play with it.

      But, that said, I agree with you very much on how you present yourself. If you think for some reason that first impressions are not made solely on how you look, you are deluding yourself.
      • Figs, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2It isn't solely how you look, but that can be a very big part of it. If you act like a jerk in the first five minutes of meeting someone, it doesn't matter how good you look.
        • ChildeRoland420, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1If only everyone agreed with you on that last statement.
      • pnarel, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0Currently, I'm not raising any kids. If I ever am, I'll make sure that they will find the happy middle ground that jcm267 mentioned. I agree with you on the $4 latte, but success is not kind on people that are overly stingy and greedy, such as this guy. Making it a point not to spend money will always be looked down upon in society. As someone previously mentioned, this guy will always be a drag, and will have more difficulty finding friends because of inane habits such as never going out to eat with coworkers.
    • MrSunshine, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Don't believe what pnarel says. Don't spend money on new clothes or electronic devices just to enjoy them the next 5 minutes (this effect indeed disappears very fast). Also, you most probably won't see the difference between someone who had his head shaven by a hairdresser or who did it himself.
      • pnarel, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0I didn't even mention buying electronic devices. As for clothes, people should buy them to wear them. I'm not a proponent of a materialistic lifestyle, but this guy sacrifices his personal appearance and a lot more to save a little bit of money that he could easily make if he had his act together. The point is that although people shouldn't spend money on things they don't need, they shouldn't worry about spending money to the point that they're walking around in rags with their heads shaved.

        It's hard to put into words because it sounds silly, but it's not like these money-saving tips result in someone having more money. There are a lot of factors that go into how much money you end up with. People that choose to live impoverished lifestyles will always remain penniless, because the way they choose to live their lives will reflect in how much money they earn.
  • DeeBlackthorne, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Actually, I liked a lot of the tips. They weren't anything new, but they were nice reminders. I've since moved into a new apartment with a couple of friends, and I need to get back to my thriftiness. Perhaps the only thing I'd want to bury is that tacky Christmas list idea linked elsewhere.
  • theonlymerry, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2My motto is 'Its not a bargain if you dont need it'

    Served me alright...
    • evilemma, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0I must write that one on my wallet to remind me to put it back in my bag and walk away! :-P
  • Amablue, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Some of these are good ideas, some of these are common sense (don't spend a lot on candy? Who knew!) and some other ones seem like more trouble than they're worth. When I get out of college I hope to make enough money that I wouldn't have to worry about every penny and nickel I spend. I'd rather have the convenience of not having to worry to much about my spending. There's a cost to that convenience, but I think it's worth it.
  • Calabahn, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2Save money by not drinking beer? Where the hell is the fun in that?
    It should be, fight stress, drink more beer.
  • bullsfan03, on 10/10/2007, -3/+551. Pirate movies, music, and video games. Don't spend money on something you can get free in minutes!
  • cnot3, on 10/10/2007, -3/+351. Don't spend your entire welfare check on hennessy when you can steal it for free.
  • tanto, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2The idea behind frugal living isn't to do without. It is living without the things you don't need. It is getting rid of the clutter. It is using your money on things that really matter to you and your family. It empowers you to really appreciate the little things.
    http://customerdataplus.com/blog/2007/08/29/frugal-living-is-all-in-the-attitude/
  • angelof, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I've read the zenhabits blog before, and I actually agree with some of the stuff he says. He is a little extreme though. Wearing shirts with holes in them, and only buying a new couch after it's full of holes... wow. I think I do okay in not spending my money in useless ways, but I don't want to spend my entire life saving either. Also, the rent vs. owning doesn't really work too well here in Quebec. Houses are pretty cheap in comparisons to most places.
  • Errrr, on 10/10/2007, -1/+0Let's see, if you take a cheap butcher knife - of course, sharpened by yourself, and put the tip on your navel and thrust it upwards, you could save a whole hell a lot of money!

    Otherwise, I choose to live a little. Not extravagantly. Just knowing that I'm only going to do this once. (Apologies to the reincarnationists!)
  • jiveturkeyblues, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0totally obvious. i've been doing almost all of these things since i can remember.
  • HubSubUrbanMom, on 06/04/2008, -0/+0Yep, not for everyone but I betcha more will be leaning toward these cheapskate ways due to rising gas and groceries! Great tips, most of which I do to as a single parent homeowner in the SF Bay Area... BUT that cable ... I try andn can't seem to ixnay that just yet!
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