One of my guilty pleasures is watching the show Extreme Cheapskates. I know that everything on the show isn’t real (quite a bit of it is fake from what I’ve heard), but I’m sure some people do go to crazy measures in order to save some money.
I’m not making fun of anyone who is an extreme cheapskate because I know I probably do some ridiculous things that people laugh at as well, but what is life if you don’t make fun of yourself occasionally?
On a side note: I do think that some circumstances can occasionally mean that being cheap is actually stealing, which I talked about in the post Frugality And Ethics – Are You Being Cheap, Frugal, or Stealing?
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Here are 8 ways to be an extreme cheapskate. If you are looking for extreme cheapskate tips, then here you go!
1. Dumpster dive for free food.
I don’t know if this really needs any explaining, but dumpster diving is when you go around to various dumpsters (homes and stores), and dig around until you find yourself a treasure.
A few people on the show have made full meals for their guests all from dumpster food.
I know that some people dumpster dive and that you might be able to find some good things. However, dumpster diving isn’t for me.
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2. Dig through trash cans to find free refill cups and bags.
There was one episode where a husband took his wife to the movie theater. He then dug through the trash at the theater in order to find a cup and bag of popcorn so that he could get free refills while they were there. I think he cleaned both items, but this was too much for me.
We usually just skip the popcorn and drink when we go. I think it’s crazy that it often costs $20 just for those two things! However, I won’t eat with someone else’s garbage in order to save some money.
3. Go to the bathroom in a jar or bottle instead of using the toilet.
There was one episode where the woman had a working toilet, but wanted to save water. In order to save water, she had a jar next to her toilet that she would use the bathroom in.
There was another episode where a guy only flushed his toilet once a week. It didn’t matter what happened in his bathroom, he waited ONE ENTIRE week to flush it.
OH MY!
4. Take extra condiments from restaurants.
I have seen this several times. This is when a person takes things like ketchup and mustard packets from stores and uses them to squirt into their own bottles at home.
I think this sounds like a lot of time wasted, and it really crosses the theft line as I have heard of people taking hundreds of extras in order to have enough for themselves.
I don’t think we have any ketchup or mustard in our home since we never use any, so this is something I don’t really understand. However, if there is an extra buffalo sauce in the bag after I have fast food, I tend to just throw it in my fridge. However, I will not go out of my way to take it.
5. Bring your own food to a restaurant.
In one episode, someone brought their own food for the restaurant to cook for them. It wasn’t anything crazy as it was just white rice, but she did ask the waiter to heat it up for her.
While this sounds crazy, I have actually seen something similar to this happen in person.
6. Eat leftover food when at a restaurant.
This one kind of makes me sick. This is where a cheapskate will eat what is left on a stranger’s plate. They will wait until you are done and then will ask for whatever is left.
Just eat at home!
7. Eat roadkill.
I know that all food comes from somewhere, but driving around trying to find a dead animal just seems a little extreme to me. One family did use almost every single part of the dead animal they found though.
They ate the animal and I believe the mom made keychains for their guests as well.
8. Wear dead people’s clothing.
One woman on the show would often read obituaries in search of dead people who might have clothing that she liked. She would offer to clean the person’s home in exchange for some of their clothing.
This just seems crazy to me.
Would you do any of the above? Why or why not? What’s the cheapest thing you do?
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