How cheap are you?

[Atomic]

Ok maybe FRUGAL is a better word.The Vibe is nicely inexpensive to own, what other ways do you save $?I'm SO cheap, I write in pencil on post-it notes so I can erase and re-use them until the stickyness goes away.

[mcgusto82]

my wife walks around with a ziplock bag full of coupons. she says "sears's is soo expensive!, let's go to AJ wright."all that money she saves, sometimes goes to waste. she just got a parking ticket.

[BlueCrush]

We wash and reused ziplock bags.

[Sputnik]

I admit, I'm not cheap at all. I don't reuse things that aren't made to be reused. I'd rather spend more money on something made with quality than less money on the same item with less quality. I have a good job, no kids, so I don't mind spending money on myself. After all, I can't take it with me when I'm gone! And I have no plans on having kids.

[Vibe]

ABSOLUTE "DITTO"

[Mavrik]

If I want something bad enough, I usually buy it for the asking price of were I am at UNLESS I know for sure another place WILL have it and that I know its cheaper. Nothing like driving there and its all sold out.

[ToolGuy]

I buy what I need, not what I can or nice to have items... I am not into electronics, so I do not buy those unless one dies. I live comfortably and why not, I worked hard to get here. Yet I do not waste things, do not leave outside lights on all night long, bring my lunch to work in a re-usable lunch tote as much as I can, things like that. I have no college or credit card debt either. I do shop out most items before buying, my wife is a great cook so we eat at home mostly too.

[jake75]

I don't mind spending money, but don't want to throw it away. I will pick up a penny from the sidewalk, clip coupons and always get that buy 1 get one free Entertainment book. Like to stock up on stuff when it is on sale, and buy my clothes that way too. Probably could last a year without buying any toliet paper, shampoo, otc medicines, laundy soaps etc. Have a Master card that gives me 5% back at grocery stores drug stores and gas stations. Another that gives me 3% at restaurants, office supply stores and home improvement stores. Just applied for one that will give me 2% on all else through the end of 2006. Pay in full every month - no interest. Bought the Oil Change Club card at my Pontiac dealer - $119.95 for 10 oil changes and they usually give you a coupon good for a free car wash at the Shell station next door. Local Goodyear shop always has a coupon good for an oil change and tire roation for $19.95 so I do that every other time. My no fee checking account is paying 3% interest as long as you keep a $10,000 min balance, and that bank's MMF is now paying 3.85 to 4.5% depending on your balance.

[kostby]

From my perspective, everything belongs to God and it all came from God anyway. We're given stewardship of a few things during our brief lifespans here, and hopefully we'll each leave the planet in a little better shape than it was when we arrived.Money really isn't important as long as we have adequate food, shelter, and good relationships among family and friends.Am I cheap? I prefer to think of it as 'thrifty', but yeah, I'm a cheapskate, though sometimes I've been a slow learner. We financed our home with a very competitive-rate 15-year mortgage that will be paid off in less than two years. We'll save 20% or more in interest versus a 30-year mortgage. We've saved thousands in additional closing costs by NOT refinancing everytime the rates dropped a half point.We could have saved additional thousands by paying extra principal each month, but instead, we used the higher interest paid as part of our itemized tax deduction. Now that we're almost finished paying home mortgage interest, we're increasing our charitable giving (church tithe) so that we still take more than the standard deduction off our taxes. This has the additional effect of letting us decide DIRECTLY where and how to spend many of our Federal tax dollars - and we direct them LOCALLY rather let the Washington bureaucrats decide how and where to spend them.A year ago, I purchased pay-as-you-go cell phones because they're MUCH cheaper than even the cheapest monthly subscription cell service in my area.I recently cancelled my out-of-state long distance service which I never used anyway, and bought a $10.00 Long Distance card for emergencies (away from home, out of cell range, cell battery dead, or when there's only a landline available). We use the pay-as-you-go cell phones (one fixed rate for all calls made from the home calling area) for our infrequent calls beyond our 'free' calling zone. I'd drop my landline entirely, but I still use dial-up internet ($9.95/month)I don't subscribe to cable, satellite TV or satellite radio. I seldom watch TV, though I do listen to talk-radio quite a bit, and of course, it's 'free' except for the electricity. Yes, I go around turning lights off when there's no one in a room.I'm a stay at home dad, and I prepare most meals at home. It saves money, saves time, and gives us flexibility for my teenage son and working wife's busy schedules. We use a programmable set-back thermostat, so the house is at 62 degrees in the winter when they're gone to work and school. I wear a sweater, and, yes, sometimes a jacket.When we do eat out (1x a week or less), we use a $10.00 'Fundraising Card' sold by an area athletic department that offers buy-one/get-one free and other discounts for many local fast-food restaurants.At Taco Bell, I usually buy individual menu items and a small drink, because it's cheaper than the combos which usually include a large drink. If the refills are free anyway, why pay extra for a large drink?When we eat at a fast food burger place, I NEVER order a combo if both my wife and son do, because we NEVER manage to eat three full orders of fries. We really don't need the extra calories, anyway.I shop hotels in the desired geographical area for the lowest rates 60-90 days in advance and try to book hotel reservations on the internet using only the totally free sites (usually the hotels themselves) that don't charge my card until I present it at the hotel, and offer "6 pm day of arrival cancellation privilege" at no charge.We usually pay cash for almost everything, including my last car (Vibe).Though we seldom use them, we have a 1% cash back credit card, and a 5% cash back (first 12 months) credit card. If we charge anything, we pay it off in full each month, although some recent unanticipated medical bills went on a newly acquired card offering zero percent interest on all purchases for a full year.We save money on car insurance and homeowners insurance by insuring both through the same company, and by having higher deductibles than most people do. I don't know that all states or companies offer it, but I also have what's called 'Combined Single Limit' auto coverage which places a high limit on the SUM of all payments made on a claim, rather than traditional coverages which place lower limits on individual coverages. We put the extra cash we save on higher deductibles in the bank for a 'contingency fund'.

[jake75]

[QUOTE=kostby]We could have saved additional thousands by paying extra principal each month, but instead, we used the higher interest paid as part of our itemized tax deduction. I shop hotels in the desired geographical area for the lowest rates 60-90 days in advance and try to book hotel reservations on the internet using only the totally free sites (usually the hotels themselves) that don't charge my card until I present it at the hotel, and offer "6 pm day of arrival cancellation privilege" at no charge.Though we seldom use them, we have a 1% cash back credit card, and a 5% cash back (first 12 months) credit card. QUOTE]TAX TIPS: You can't come out ahead by spending a dollar in interest to save 25 cents via the tax deduction. Best tax loophole is the standard deduction. Once you pay off your mortgage you can arrange your financial life so you take the standard deduction one year, and itemize the next. I bunch my real estate tax payments and charitable contributions (and since I am self employed even myestimated tax payments to the state & city) in the odd years, and in the even years take the standard deduction.I have become a fan of PRICELINE.com for hotels. Already saved enough on those deals that if I should happen to book and pay for a room I end up not using I am still far ahead. End up getting a very nice hotel for the price of Motel 6. What credit card is giving 5% rebate on everything for 12 months?Gotta go - my Quiznos Buy 1 get 1 Free Sub expires today. Can feed 4 of us for $8, plus the Lay's Chips and Pepsi I got for free on a rebate deal.

[TRDman]

I'm not really all that cheap. I do curate pencils; one of mine is going on two years (mind, they're all mechanical) and when it's warm I ride my bike to school to save money (and trees ). I do live 1.5 miles from school on lightly traveled residential roads, so it isn't difficult.

[JohnC]

Quote, originally posted by Atomic »The Vibe is nicely inexpensive to own, what other ways do you save $? We do almost the identical things that kostby does, except that I only wish that I was a stay at home dad.Before we purchase or donate we think about how many hours of my life (after taxes) that I had to trade for the money. If you think about it that way you will find that alot of "material things" are just not worth the cost. We value are time and try to put it to good use. The charities we donate to we are directly involved in. We can do so much more with the funds than a buracratic welfare type system can do, and the reciepients are are helped much more.

[drunkenmaxx]

i am extremely cheap! everything i eat for lunch at work costs $1 per meal or less! i do this so i can splurge here and there because i like to have a decent amount of $$ in my checking account. new shoes? no problem, i live cheap enough that i can blow $120 on them every once in a while.eating out? (at resteraunts) never!!

[scherry2]

Quote, originally posted by drunkenvibe »i am extremely cheap! we can tell by the type of beer you drink!!