Author Topic: What's the craziest thing you've done in the name of frugality?  (Read 118034 times)

tofuchampion

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Re: What's the craziest thing you've done in the name of frugality?
« Reply #100 on: September 21, 2014, 03:22:34 AM »

IUD:  You just pulled . . . and it came out?

I got comfy in front of a mirror, and used tweezers (which I cleaned with alcohol first).  It took a few tries to get a good grip, but once I did, yup, it just slid out.  Easy peasy.

johnny847

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Re: What's the craziest thing you've done in the name of frugality?
« Reply #101 on: September 21, 2014, 06:57:48 AM »
The weirdest one I've heard is that I have a friend who doesn't shower at home and infrequently uses the toilet at his house to save on his utilities bills.  He showers at work and tries to hold it until he's going somewhere and can use a public toilet.  Totally serious on this one.

Has your friend actually measured the money savings? Also, I'm guessing your friend still showers at home on weekends...right?

tomita

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Re: What's the craziest thing you've done in the name of frugality?
« Reply #102 on: September 21, 2014, 07:55:53 AM »
I asked my favorite hairdresser if she considers cutting my hair "on the side" for less money (normal pay is $65) and she refused
Instead i found a saloon where I get a $10 Haircut

pichirino

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Re: What's the craziest thing you've done in the name of frugality?
« Reply #103 on: September 21, 2014, 11:13:00 AM »
Sold my car in a place where not having a car is akin to Transportative Torture.
Use public transport and the power of muscles to get to and back from work.

Zamboni

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Re: What's the craziest thing you've done in the name of frugality?
« Reply #104 on: September 21, 2014, 11:18:47 AM »
The weirdest one I've heard is that I have a friend who doesn't shower at home and infrequently uses the toilet at his house to save on his utilities bills.  He showers at work and tries to hold it until he's going somewhere and can use a public toilet.  Totally serious on this one.

Has your friend actually measured the money savings? Also, I'm guessing your friend still showers at home on weekends...right?

He's a constant optimizer on utilities, so I'm sure he has some grip on how much he is saving.  Based upon my water bill I'd guess $20-30 per month on water/sewer, but he also saves on gas or electric from not having to heat the water.  He also told me he eventually got the gas bill down to 0 (except for some service fees) by finding and turning off two pilot lights.  The funniest part of this whole thing is that he's really into his yard, which is very posh, so he waters that, but there is a separate meter for that so he doesn't have to pay sewer on the water he uses.

No idea if he showers on the weekends.  You realize that showering every single day is an American thing, right?  He seems very fastidious about personal hygiene but was not born in the US, so who knows?

merula

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Re: What's the craziest thing you've done in the name of frugality?
« Reply #105 on: September 22, 2014, 08:38:09 AM »
I asked my favorite hairdresser if she considers cutting my hair "on the side" for less money (normal pay is $65) and she refused
Instead i found a saloon where I get a $10 Haircut

Wow, where'd you find a bar that gives cheap haircuts, too?

fartface

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Re: What's the craziest thing you've done in the name of frugality?
« Reply #106 on: September 25, 2014, 04:56:53 PM »
walked 13 miles to save a $30 cab fare from the airport to my hotel. in july.... in Omaha....

;)

WOW - BADASS - Had to "BumP" that one!

fartface

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Re: What's the craziest thing you've done in the name of frugality?
« Reply #107 on: September 25, 2014, 05:02:03 PM »

IUD:  You just pulled . . . and it came out?

I got comfy in front of a mirror, and used tweezers (which I cleaned with alcohol first).  It took a few tries to get a good grip, but once I did, yup, it just slid out.  Easy peasy.

Gawd - that is really fucking gross - but I can't help admire you for it on some bizarre level..

Dicey

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Re: What's the craziest thing you've done in the name of frugality?
« Reply #108 on: September 25, 2014, 06:35:38 PM »
I asked my favorite hairdresser if she considers cutting my hair "on the side" for less money (normal pay is $65) and she refused
Instead i found a saloon where I get a $10 Haircut

Wow, where'd you find a bar that gives cheap haircuts, too?

Can't let this one get by without a +1. Good one, merula!

tofuchampion

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Re: What's the craziest thing you've done in the name of frugality?
« Reply #109 on: September 25, 2014, 09:53:38 PM »

IUD:  You just pulled . . . and it came out?

I got comfy in front of a mirror, and used tweezers (which I cleaned with alcohol first).  It took a few tries to get a good grip, but once I did, yup, it just slid out.  Easy peasy.

Gawd - that is really fucking gross - but I can't help admire you for it on some bizarre level..

Thanks.  :)

I actually know a couple of other women who have done the same thing.

Frugal_Red

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Re: What's the craziest thing you've done in the name of frugality?
« Reply #110 on: September 27, 2014, 03:26:48 AM »
I love dumpster diving!  Even now a decade since I graduated, and with an annual salary >100k, I still grab stuff from the curb if it looks good. :-P My parents think it is great but quite a few of my friends think it is weird.

Me too! I grab stuffs from curb. So good to hear I am not the only person who still does this, even now with a great job, and own two rentals. Last year we bought a cheap fixer-upper rental house, and one of the lid for the toilet tank was broken. I happened to drive home one night in a rain, and saw someone throw away an entire toilet in a curb. Did a u-turn, stopped, and grab the lid thinking that if I got lucky, it will fit and look fine for the rental house. I did get lucky! The color matches too lol

Awesome find! :-D Congrats on the fixer-upper! I am just starting to look at the real estate side of things. My folks joke that without buying a single piece of furniture I'd be able to furnish any place in under a month! Keep up the dumpster-diving / trash-picking! :-D

Frugal_Red

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Re: What's the craziest thing you've done in the name of frugality?
« Reply #111 on: September 27, 2014, 03:35:28 AM »
I asked my favorite hairdresser if she considers cutting my hair "on the side" for less money (normal pay is $65) and she refused
Instead i found a saloon where I get a $10 Haircut

Nice savings!  If you want to take it even more extreme, learn to cut your hair yourself.  With just a mirror, scissors, comb & buzzer you can do a pretty neat job.  I've been cutting my own hair since I was seventeen and my partner's for the past four!  Of course now-a-days I don't have that much hair which makes things a mite easier. :-P

TomTX

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Re: What's the craziest thing you've done in the name of frugality?
« Reply #112 on: September 27, 2014, 05:00:54 AM »

IUD:  You just pulled . . . and it came out?

I got comfy in front of a mirror, and used tweezers (which I cleaned with alcohol first).  It took a few tries to get a good grip, but once I did, yup, it just slid out.  Easy peasy.

Gawd - that is really fucking gross - but I can't help admire you for it on some bizarre level..

How is that gross? The doc is just going to pull it out too. Is it the DIY aspect?

IUDs typically have spring-loaded arms which are bent down (in a sleeve) for insertion, and bend up for removal.

starburst

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Re: What's the craziest thing you've done in the name of frugality?
« Reply #113 on: September 30, 2014, 12:00:40 PM »
I have taken the subway into Manhattan, run a quick errand, and then taken a bus back home for the free transfer.  This practice is not something the MTA encourages, by the way, since free transfers are really for getting from point A to point B, not for round trips.  Saves $2.50, but it's also a MUCH longer ride home! 

tofuchampion

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Re: What's the craziest thing you've done in the name of frugality?
« Reply #114 on: November 10, 2014, 05:09:59 PM »
I'm 29 weeks pregnant and still biking to work (4.25 miles each way, flat) every day.  I don't think it's crazy, but my coworkers do.  I think they're crazy for paying $3.50/gallon for gas (or more, I don't actually know what gas costs lately).

39 weeks tomorrow and I haven't been on the bike in a week and a half.  I could, but I'm so slow and uncomfortable, it's not worth it anymore.  I was hoping to keep biking up to the very end, but I think 37 weeks is respectable, so I'm happy with it.

homehandymum

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Re: What's the craziest thing you've done in the name of frugality?
« Reply #115 on: November 10, 2014, 05:29:44 PM »
I'm 29 weeks pregnant and still biking to work (4.25 miles each way, flat) every day.  I don't think it's crazy, but my coworkers do.  I think they're crazy for paying $3.50/gallon for gas (or more, I don't actually know what gas costs lately).

Wow! I wish my 21 week pregnant wife would bicycle, I can't get her to do anything :( she just lays around the house.

eek. wouldn't let her hear you saying that!! pregnancy affects different women different and even the same woman can react differently to a second/third etc pregnancy.

+1  I admire women who carry on being physically awesome while pregnant, but there's a reason why they get funny looks - they're outliers :)  Very blessed, usually highly committed and determined, and still outliers.

At 25 weeks, I'm puffing like a steam train just hauling my gigantic self up our stairs at home, bursting into hormonal tears over every damn thing and plain *exhausted*.  I'm also an outlier, in the other direction I think, but the physical effects of pregnancy are many and highly varied.

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Re: What's the craziest thing you've done in the name of frugality?
« Reply #116 on: November 13, 2014, 10:09:37 AM »
My previous house had a spout outside that deposited the condensation from the air conditioner outside onto the ground. I stuck a watering can underneath the spout and used the free water on all of my plants.

RetiredAt63

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Re: What's the craziest thing you've done in the name of frugality?
« Reply #117 on: November 15, 2014, 04:51:34 AM »
Actually, if you had house plants like orchids that want really soft water, that would have been perfect!  I collect rain in summer and melt snow in winter for my orchids.   I don't think it is crazy, because my well water is very hard and the orchids do not like it much, and they like the house water (softened) even less.

My previous house had a spout outside that deposited the condensation from the air conditioner outside onto the ground. I stuck a watering can underneath the spout and used the free water on all of my plants.

Silverwood

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Re: What's the craziest thing you've done in the name of frugality?
« Reply #118 on: November 16, 2014, 11:43:38 AM »
melting snow! I hadn't thought of that one. We just got our first snowfall that isn't going away too, so this was good timing. I have a bunch of indoor plants that I will try this out on.

Actually, if you had house plants like orchids that want really soft water, that would have been perfect!  I collect rain in summer and melt snow in winter for my orchids.   I don't think it is crazy, because my well water is very hard and the orchids do not like it much, and they like the house water (softened) even less.

My previous house had a spout outside that deposited the condensation from the air conditioner outside onto the ground. I stuck a watering can underneath the spout and used the free water on all of my plants.

Artemis67

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Re: What's the craziest thing you've done in the name of frugality?
« Reply #119 on: November 17, 2014, 12:22:22 PM »
I leave my thermostat at 55F through nearly the entire winter. I might bump it up to 60 if the daily high temps have been below freezing for days on end, or if we've had enough heavy rain that the place feels damp. But at 55, it's perfectly comfortable for me. I hang heavy curtains over doorways to keep heat in specific rooms, keep windows covered with insulating curtains (unless I actually want/need daylight), wear socks and sweaters, and pile on the blankets and cats at night.

My house has hot-water radiant heat (part of the reason why I bought this particular house), and the warmest room is the living room. It's also the coolest (non-basement) room in the summer. So I use the living room as my bedroom and primary hanging-out spot. I almost never have guests over, but when I do we sit around the dining room table, and nobody has a problem with that.

While the hot-water heating system is great, getting hot water for showers doesn't work so well. It takes forever to get hot water upstairs. One day, I'll get the problem fixed, but for now I capture cold water in buckets to use for flushing the toilet and watering plants. But still, It's a waste. I'll take cold showers in the summer, but as the weather cools down I take fewer showers, period--maybe one a week. I'm not sweaty; I rarely get truly dirty; a "bucket bath" with soap and a washcloth, and washing my hair in the sink (with baking soda!) every other day does just fine, with minimal water usage and heating costs.

Down in the basement, the boiler dumps out plenty of excess heat, and I'm always finding new uses for that. I dry laundry, sprout seeds, make yogurt, dry papier-mache sculptures, and brew mead, either in the boiler closet itself or by hanging blankets up to trap heat and create a warm space. I've rigged poles to hang laundry in the stairwell leading upstairs, using the rising heat to dry my clothes.

Summers here are usually glorious, but we do get some unpleasantly hot weather for days at a time. I have no AC, other than a window unit for the living room that gets used sparingly. My house is a square box built to hold heat and it does that really well, so it can get intolerably hot upstairs and stay that way. Closing upstairs windows during the day, then opening them late in the evenings, helps a lot. But what has made all the difference is covering any windows that get direct sun exposure from the outside. If sunlight can't make it through the glass, it can't heat the room. I have a huge, glassed-in porch that used to turn into an oven every summer, but once I started hanging exterior roller blinds over the windows it ceased to be a problem. So the last few summers I've spent tinkering with low-tech, low-energy means to keep the house comfortable really paid off during the heat wave this past summer.

But despite my successes I still get odd reactions from some of my neighbors because apparently running multiple window AC or fan units all summer is what I'm supposed to be doing. Just as, in the winter, I'm supposed to crank the heat because wearing a sweater and socks indoors is a form of suffering. :/

brian313313

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Re: What's the craziest thing you've done in the name of frugality?
« Reply #120 on: November 20, 2014, 12:48:39 PM »
I used to consider an apartment optional for 6 months/year. I lived in Michigan and the other six would get too cold. I would live in my car to save money. I paid my own way through college and couldn't really afford both tuition and rent. Taking showers every day at the gym helped keep me in shape too since I didn't want to go in just for the shower. One time when I was "homeless", one of my friends started talking about homeless people in a bad manner. I got indignant (jokingly) but he said I wasn't really homeless because it was a choice. I lived in his backyard for about two months one year but then his dad wouldn't let me stay there anymore. I tell my wife we could retire now if we did this but she won't go for it :).

fireferrets

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Re: What's the craziest thing you've done in the name of frugality?
« Reply #121 on: November 20, 2014, 03:02:13 PM »
I hang heavy curtains over doorways to keep heat in specific rooms, keep windows covered with insulating curtains (unless I actually want/need daylight), wear socks and sweaters, and pile on the blankets and cats at night.

Ha, ha - put those kitties to work! (Wish I could pitch this idea to my bf, but he has a strict "no kitties in bedroom" rule :( )
I have roommates and they always whine about the cold in the winter (not so much the hot in the summer, we're all from the south), but they're too lazy to get up and turn on the heat. Also, they know that I'm right and it's not worth the dough (the electric company cranks up prices in both summer and winter in our area).

FranzJoseph

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Re: What's the craziest thing you've done in the name of frugality?
« Reply #122 on: December 08, 2014, 12:08:46 PM »
I cancelled our garbage/recycling/yard debris service.  We now have a compost pile and 6 large recycling bins to sort everything (even plastic films and styrofoam).  Do a run to the recycling station every 8 weeks or so which is free.  Even with a 4 year old and a baby we only produce two 5 gallon bags of non-recyclables every month!  These go to the dumpster at work.  Savings = $300/year.

Cookie78

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Re: What's the craziest thing you've done in the name of frugality?
« Reply #123 on: December 08, 2014, 12:34:44 PM »
Sometimes I don't feel like biking but I don't want to pay $2 for the bus either, so I'll walk to work.  It takes an hour plus the Bart commute plus the walk to the Bart station.  If I leave at 5:40am I can get to work at 8am.  I don't mind the walk and can listen to audiobooks or podcasts, whatever.  But everyone is always surprised that I'd choose to walk that long as well as on the way home.

I would absolutely love to do this if I could teleport my dog to and from work to walk each way with me, without having to actually bring him to work. I feel guilty going for long walks without him.

BPA

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Re: What's the craziest thing you've done in the name of frugality?
« Reply #124 on: December 09, 2014, 12:45:43 PM »
I lived in his backyard for about two months one year but then his dad wouldn't let me stay there anymore. I tell my wife we could retire now if we did this but she won't go for it :).

ha ha Love it! 

Some of my students, friends, and colleagues think I'm crazy because I cycle everywhere and don't have a car.  "How do you get groceries?" is the question I'm asked most frequently.  That I use a backpack and the rack on the back of my bike perplexes them. They also see me out with my old lady bundle buggy getting groceries from places where I can walk.

Many friends also think it's nuts to cycle 20 km to go to some social function.  Apparently it's okay for teenagers to do that, but is not befitting a 46 year old woman. I bring a change of clothes and freshen up when I get there.

Mostly they think it's nuts that I cycle up the Niagara Escarpment.  I just say that it's a fun ride down. 

Also crazy to them is that I will shop at three different stores to get different deals or price match when possible.  That isn't very dignified either.

One recently posted that she'd decorated two of her Christmas trees and only had one more to do.  That is weird to me. Decorating one Christmas tree is fun to me.  Three is a chore.  Another friend tells me how frugal she is because she buys tuna by the case when it's on sale, but she eats in restaurants at least once a day.  The joke is that she doesn't need a full kitchen because she never cooks. 

They never invite me to their Pampered Chef, make up, jewelry and other sorts of parties.  :-D 

A retired supply teacher tried to give me the hard sell on a book she's written.  I read the preview on kindle and wasn't interested, but now she has print copies for us to buy.  Only $20 and it has cost her something like $5k to have them printed so really I'd be getting a great deal. Um.  No. 

So, call us crazy, but really I think the rest of the world is crazy.

johnny847

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Re: What's the craziest thing you've done in the name of frugality?
« Reply #125 on: December 09, 2014, 12:53:42 PM »
Mostly they think it's nuts that I cycle up the Niagara Escarpment.  I just say that it's a fun ride down. 
[...]
So, call us crazy, but really I think the rest of the world is crazy.
I like your attitude!

chouchouu

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Re: What's the craziest thing you've done in the name of frugality?
« Reply #126 on: December 13, 2014, 03:29:36 AM »
I'm 29 weeks pregnant and still biking to work (4.25 miles each way, flat) every day.  I don't think it's crazy, but my coworkers do.  I think they're crazy for paying $3.50/gallon for gas (or more, I don't actually know what gas costs lately).

Wow! I wish my 21 week pregnant wife would bicycle, I can't get her to do anything :( she just lays around the house.

eek. wouldn't let her hear you saying that!! pregnancy affects different women different and even the same woman can react differently to a second/third etc pregnancy.

Exactly! I had hyperemesis gravidarum during my pregnancy and for the first half could barely move without throwing up. Second half I suffered from malnutrition and was bed bound from exhaustion.  Pregnancy was awful and I'm no wimp, I had root canal without anaesthetic and am a workaholic but whilst pregnant I couldn't even shower or brush my teeth.

brooklynmoney

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Re: What's the craziest thing you've done in the name of frugality?
« Reply #127 on: December 14, 2014, 02:16:09 PM »
I don't think this is that big a deal, but my friends tease me because I won't buy any paper kitchen products -- no napkins, paper towels, also no garbage bags (I reuse the plastic ones I get from the grocery store).

johnny847

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Re: What's the craziest thing you've done in the name of frugality?
« Reply #128 on: December 14, 2014, 04:04:49 PM »
also no garbage bags (I reuse the plastic ones I get from the grocery store).

Just a sidenote - in the county my parents live in, this wouldn't work. The county assesses a 5 cent tax on every bag used at a store.

RetiredAt63

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Re: What's the craziest thing you've done in the name of frugality?
« Reply #129 on: December 14, 2014, 04:28:54 PM »
We also pay 5 cents a bag -and the bags are so thin they are useless.  We all bring our own bags.  Downside is no "free" bags for garbage, poop patrol, etc.

also no garbage bags (I reuse the plastic ones I get from the grocery store).

Just a sidenote - in the county my parents live in, this wouldn't work. The county assesses a 5 cent tax on every bag used at a store.

Joggernot

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Re: What's the craziest thing you've done in the name of frugality?
« Reply #130 on: December 14, 2014, 05:04:54 PM »
We also pay 5 cents a bag -and the bags are so thin they are useless.  We all bring our own bags.  Downside is no "free" bags for garbage, poop patrol, etc.

also no garbage bags (I reuse the plastic ones I get from the grocery store).

Just a sidenote - in the county my parents live in, this wouldn't work. The county assesses a 5 cent tax on every bag used at a store.
I know we aren't supposed to buy things, but those plastic bags are so cheap it might be a smart move to buy some.  Here is a link we used for buying bags for our part time business.
http://www.storesupply.com/pc-13204-623-plastic-thank-you-bags-white-90109.aspx?gclid=CM6ur-fexsICFegRMwodSgkAyQ

These work out to about 2¢ per bag for 1,000 including shipping.  I suspect they can be found cheaper somewhere.

brooklynmoney

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Re: What's the craziest thing you've done in the name of frugality?
« Reply #131 on: December 14, 2014, 05:44:26 PM »
I think they are going to start charging for bags that you get in the store here too. I do try to bring my reusable bag with me most of the time, but I don't always have one with me.

Primm

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Re: What's the craziest thing you've done in the name of frugality?
« Reply #132 on: December 14, 2014, 05:56:37 PM »
I walked home from work a few times. Hubby used to drop me off and I'd catch the train home, but with not buying lunches and all there were a few times I forgot my transit pass and my purse. I had the option of catching a cab home and paying when I got there but chose not to.

15km (about 9 miles) and hilly. :)

meagain

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Re: What's the craziest thing you've done in the name of frugality?
« Reply #133 on: December 16, 2014, 10:19:16 AM »
I've slept on some steps in a train station and caught the first train out rather than pay for a hotel while traveling.

sequoia

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Re: What's the craziest thing you've done in the name of frugality?
« Reply #134 on: April 24, 2017, 01:48:17 PM »
If a letter arrived and the stamp wasn't canceled, I would steam off the stamp and use it again. I would also go to the utility company to pay my bill in person rather than use up a stamp. At the time, I was living on very little and every penny counted. Not fun-crazy, just hyper frugal.

30 years later, I'm glad that it's no longer worth my time to go down to the utility company and stand in line to save 30 cents (or whatever it was back then).

OMG I did the same thing in college. I used to send letters every 2-3 days for my GF (now she is my wife). This was time before internet and emails. She would send back my stamps that were not cancelled, and I would do the same for her. She was in different country. I did feel bad about cheating the system, but we were poor.

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Re: What's the craziest thing you've done in the name of frugality?
« Reply #135 on: April 24, 2017, 10:02:31 PM »
I am a middle-aged broad with a weak bladder. We were spending a fortune on toilet paper. My mother gave me a set of dark flannel sheets, which my husband hated because they were too hot. So I cut them up into loads of handkerchief-sized squares and turned them into "pee cloths." (I just use them for "number ones"..."number twos" are dealt with using regular old TP.)

I toss the used cloths into a small, stainless steel pedal bin next to the toilet, so there's no smell. I wash them separately in hot water. It's "my" bathroom, so no one but my husband is aware of my, er, practice.

Our TP bill has decreased to a ridiculously small number annually. To save water, I use the old California water-saving maxim, "If it's yellow, let it mellow--if it's brown, flush it down." Saves water, good for the environment, and very easy.

HipGnosis

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Re: What's the craziest thing you've done in the name of frugality?
« Reply #136 on: April 25, 2017, 11:24:30 AM »
I grew up fairly poor and my parents were depression kids, so it'd take me a while to figure out the 'craziest'.
But;
I've recently started a new one: re-using the ziplock packaging that some food comes in.
I only use the foil ones for throwing away used cooking oil and food that's gone bad in the fridge.
I use the clear ones for freezer bags.  Trader Joe's dried fruit comes in really thick ones, and big enough for 4-5 chicken thighs.

misshathaway

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Re: What's the craziest thing you've done in the name of frugality?
« Reply #137 on: April 26, 2017, 07:18:13 AM »
Changed my diet instead of fixing the oven. Let's hope the toilet doesn't go.

lchu

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Re: What's the craziest thing you've done in the name of frugality?
« Reply #138 on: April 27, 2017, 04:25:29 PM »
Cut my own hair by following a semi-outdated YouTube tutorial to save $25 on a haircut.  Refused to give in to the taunting (my spouse called me "Ferrah Fawcett" for a month) and kept my hair in a ponytail while it grew out of the bad 80s cut instead of paying to have a hairdresser fix the mistake.

Still planning to try it again in another 8-10 weeks...


sequoia

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Re: What's the craziest thing you've done in the name of frugality?
« Reply #139 on: April 28, 2017, 04:34:26 AM »
Cut my own hair by following a semi-outdated YouTube tutorial to save $25 on a haircut.  Refused to give in to the taunting (my spouse called me "Ferrah Fawcett" for a month) and kept my hair in a ponytail while it grew out of the bad 80s cut instead of paying to have a hairdresser fix the mistake.

Still planning to try it again in another 8-10 weeks...

If there is a hair-cutting school/training place around, you can ask if they need volunteer to donate time for a hair cut. You get free haircut by the students, and the students get to practice on you. Win-win! My wife and I been doing this for years. The instructor keep a watchful eyes when the students work on us, making sure it will look good. She will fix it if the student did something wrong at the end.

nouveauRiche

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Re: What's the craziest thing you've done in the name of frugality?
« Reply #140 on: April 28, 2017, 11:03:40 AM »
If there is a hair-cutting school/training place around, you can ask if they need volunteer to donate time for a hair cut. You get free haircut by the students, and the students get to practice on you. Win-win! My wife and I been doing this for years. The instructor keep a watchful eyes when the students work on us, making sure it will look good. She will fix it if the student did something wrong at the end.

^^ This is a great idea.


Not sure this counts as "crazy" but... 

Someone kept sending us HOA voting proxies and wanted us to mail them back.  Each time, he included a self-addressed, stamped envelope. 

When I want to use one, I black out his address & then put an address label over it.  He sent at least 6 like this.

I hope this doesn't fall into the category of "unethical".  They aren't used stamps.  We didn't *ask* him to send us stamped envelopes. 


heymaverick

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Re: What's the craziest thing you've done in the name of frugality?
« Reply #141 on: May 02, 2017, 04:49:00 PM »
I don't think it's crazy but I often get crazy looks and comments like "where's your baby?" when I walk to the market pushing an empty stroller (our youngest is 18 years old). It's a great way to carry groceries back home from the grocery store, especially if I'm buying a gallon of milk that fits perfectly in the seat (I can even buckle it in if I want to do some 4 wheeling through some dirt paths on my walk home)!  Bags easily hang on each handle hook, plus ours has a mesh basket underneath for extra storage. I've even brought it on vacation a few times when we've stayed in a small town and it was ideal to transport groceries - especially early in the  morning before the heat of the day if we were going somewhere warm and sunny and I always looked forward to the walk.

merula

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Re: What's the craziest thing you've done in the name of frugality?
« Reply #142 on: May 03, 2017, 07:42:11 AM »
I don't think it's crazy but I often get crazy looks and comments like "where's your baby?" when I walk to the market pushing an empty stroller (our youngest is 18 years old). It's a great way to carry groceries back home from the grocery store, especially if I'm buying a gallon of milk that fits perfectly in the seat (I can even buckle it in if I want to do some 4 wheeling through some dirt paths on my walk home)!  Bags easily hang on each handle hook, plus ours has a mesh basket underneath for extra storage. I've even brought it on vacation a few times when we've stayed in a small town and it was ideal to transport groceries - especially early in the  morning before the heat of the day if we were going somewhere warm and sunny and I always looked forward to the walk.

If it's worth $16 to you to avoid the weird looks, you might consider one of these: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90330505/. (I've also seen similar carts at Goodwill.)

Or, you know, not. You do you.

heymaverick

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Re: What's the craziest thing you've done in the name of frugality?
« Reply #143 on: May 03, 2017, 08:59:12 AM »
Thanks Merula - I've seen kids rolling backpacks similar to that! Our stroller is actually much better suited for groceries but I appreciate knowing about this other option & I'm sure readers will too, esp if they don't have strollers. I love being able to push the stroller (rather than pull on one side) and I can jog w/it in front of me too if desired (though it's not a 'jogger stroller', nor is it the single sack umbrella stroller, but does fold up like one but is much sturdier). Ours was a baby shower gift and is so dialed in, it even has shocks, snap lock/unlock wheels, a snap on sturdy rain hood w/a clear window at the top so you can see your baby - or your groceries : )! and can hold a lot of groceries, especially if you click the back down until it's flat (it's even narrow enough to roll down an airplane aisle so not a big clunky style). My husband marveled at all of it's features when we got it and called it a sports car of strollers (it even has two foot pads for a toddler to stand on behind baby seating/grocery area & in front of person pushing the handles). I've gotten so much use out of it well after babyhood and I'm sure it will continue to be useful for years to come, even if people still say, "Hey, you forgot your baby!".

heymaverick

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Re: What's the craziest thing you've done in the name of frugality?
« Reply #144 on: May 03, 2017, 11:34:46 AM »
I didn't use shampoo, conditioner, or body soap for a year.   (I did wash my hands with soap though)  Actually wasn't that crazy or unpleasant for me because hot water does a lot of the work of the cleaning, and your hair and skin adjusts to the new conditions. I didn't pick up any weird skin disease... I didn't get sick more often... I guess I was surprised at how inessential those products were.

That's really interesting immattdamon! I've heard it recommended many, many times to skip all shampoo, soap, powders and lotions for newborns/babies (unless a Dr prescribes something for a rash or other issue of course) at least their first year because the skin is the biggest organ of our body and it is a giant sponge & can be hard on and unnecessary for especially little bodies to be soaking up fragrances, fillers, dyes etc through their skin - even the 'baby' or 'natural' marketed brands of such products. We just used warm water and a washcloth for at least the first year as new parents and never had a problem.  I didn't even wear perfume (on my skin) or nail polish/remover (or drink any alcohol or have anything but occasional very low caffeine intake while pregnant) for the same reason, and I may have continued into the breastfeeding phase, but I'm not positive. I'd never thought of doing that as an adult but you offer a great testimonial!

lchu

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Re: What's the craziest thing you've done in the name of frugality?
« Reply #145 on: May 03, 2017, 02:41:20 PM »
If there is a hair-cutting school/training place around, you can ask if they need volunteer to donate time for a hair cut. You get free haircut by the students, and the students get to practice on you. Win-win! My wife and I been doing this for years. The instructor keep a watchful eyes when the students work on us, making sure it will look good. She will fix it if the student did something wrong at the end.

Great suggestion, although I feel like at this point, I'm just stubbornly convinced that I can figure out how to devise a respectable haircut from trimming a ponytail.  The girl doing the tutorials on YouTube pulled it off; I should be able to also!  :-P

ketchup

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Re: What's the craziest thing you've done in the name of frugality?
« Reply #146 on: May 05, 2017, 09:50:15 AM »
Oh, I've got a few good ones.

Last fall, I nearly let my GF and I miss a flight for a business trip that constituted half of her yearly income, in order to save about fifty bucks.  Returning a rental car at the airport was $75 more than returning it 5 minutes away from the airport, so we planned on doing that and Ubering to the airport, because what fool wouldn't?. 

It was a solid plan until a connection with someone else we were taking along was delayed. Road construction had a detour sign pointing the wrong way in a rural area.  I sat at the rendezvous point sweating for almost two hours.  Then when they finally made it, we sped back to my house and picked up my GF.  Five minutes down the road and we realized we forgot something very necessary for the trip.  Turned around, ran back into the house, grabbed what we needed, sped to the Enterprise near the airport, returned the car, called our Uber, got in, got to the airport, the three of us checked our bags, ran through security and the cancer machines, I got held behind because my laptop clearly makes me a terrorist, we sprinted across O'hare to the gate, and still had time for a 30 second bathroom break for each of us before the flight finished boarding and American Airlines closed the doors.  I honestly thought we were going to miss it.

Back in the 80s, my dad flew standby to his own wedding.  I know there was more to the story than that, but that's the most amusing way to put it.

afuera

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Re: What's the craziest thing you've done in the name of frugality?
« Reply #147 on: May 05, 2017, 10:31:13 AM »
I live in houston, so its a tossup between biking to work (most bike unfriendly city ive been in, my wife thinks im crazy) and leaving the air conditioner off during the summer (my friends think im crazy).
Houstonian here too.  My commute is wayyy to long to bike unfortunately but we do pretty well on the low AC usage.  Didn't realize how acclimated we had gotten until my parents came to visit for a week and we realized that our house temp gets up to 78 some evenings.  Been loving the cooler weather of the last few days and opening the windows to let the free AC in :)

MoMan

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Re: What's the craziest thing you've done in the name of frugality?
« Reply #148 on: May 16, 2017, 02:10:49 PM »
Every Kleenex tissue gets used at LEAST twice; sometimes 4 or 5 times. Just let it dry for an hour and flip it end for end.

I reuse floss until it starts to disintegrate.

I rewear my work clothes multiple times before washing (I wash socks, undershirts and underwear after each use). Just hang to air out. (This is to save on wear, not water: running them through the laundry is like taking a baseball bat to them).

My lunch ziplock baggies get reused until they break a hole or they no longer lock.


Babybalrog

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Re: What's the craziest thing you've done in the name of frugality?
« Reply #149 on: May 17, 2017, 09:16:43 AM »
Every Kleenex tissue gets used at LEAST twice; sometimes 4 or 5 times. Just let it dry for an hour and flip it end for end.
Tissues for sure get used more than once. But I never buy them so it is only those I pick up. Need to be frugal with other peoples tissues. I also figured out last year that I recovered from colds much quicker if, when i first started getting a running nose, i just went to the bathroom and blew the daylights out of my sinuses into the sink. Kept me much less congested.
Quote
I reuse floss until it starts to disintegrate.
Same but for me that's only one use...
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I rewear my work clothes multiple times before washing (I wash socks, undershirts and underwear after each use). Just hang to air out. (This is to save on wear, not water: running them through the laundry is like taking a baseball bat to them).
I built a frame from PVC and wood so that I can hang out all my cloths and use them multiple times. And damn strait washing them wears them out. Every time I wash my jeans I cringe a little. I've read you should only soak them flat, and not machine wash if you want them to last. I just haven't worked up to that.
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My lunch ziplock baggies get reused until they break a hole or they no longer lock.
This is actually a reason to buy decent ziplocks. off brands break for me in one use. The lock just rips through the plastic. better brands get 2-3 uses but only cost marginally more. Better yet are reusable pyrex dishes.
If there is a hair-cutting school/training place around, you can ask if they need volunteer to donate time for a hair cut. You get free haircut by the students, and the students get to practice on you. Win-win! My wife and I been doing this for years. The instructor keep a watchful eyes when the students work on us, making sure it will look good. She will fix it if the student did something wrong at the end.
Great suggestion, although I feel like at this point, I'm just stubbornly convinced that I can figure out how to devise a respectable haircut from trimming a ponytail.  The girl doing the tutorials on YouTube pulled it off; I should be able to also!  :-P
About 1.5 years ago I just gave up on paying somebody to cut my hair. Mirror, scissors and a buzzer, and now I'm home free. $19 for the buzzard vs $10 per put, PLUS TIP! First time was hilariously complicated. Getting your wrist to turn this way and that. But afterwards I got a lot of compliments on my haircut, without me mentioning where i got it. Every time since then has been simple. the mind-muscle connections are formed and it takes less than 10 minutes.

Some of my own contributions to this thread...

-I took out all the lights in my vanity but one. (cost savings $1.13/year, i'm really proud of this one even though it's inconsequential)
-I sweet talked my mother into buying me a big mirror for Christmas 2 years ago. I placed it strategically near a window, so now I don't need as much electric light in my home. (Cost savings, debatable, some during weekends when i'm home at daytime, and some nights when I can delay turning on the lights until the sun is totally gone. My electric bill is so low it doesn't really matter)
-In winter I plug the drain in the tub while taking showers in order to retain all the hot water. Then I let it warm the home a little...
-Don't run heat in the winter (or AC in the summer). NC is fairly mild, but got a few days in a row with highs below freezing. That last year I ran it for like 2 days. The year before I had sweatpants, a coat, hood, mat, and gloves one. and I was just freezing in my place. That was an experience. (Cost savings are around 30-40 bucks/month)
-When I boot my computer, I don't turn on the monitor until I've estimated the computer is done loading the OS. Usually I get a drink etc while I wait. I'm good with the timing now. Usually withing 2 seconds. which is fine (cost savings is probably too low to report)
-learn to sew. Saved a few pairs of pants this way.
-I wear cloths until they absolutely die.  I got one overshirt I've worn the last two weeks, sporting holes along the hem on one side about a foot long, and another one mid back 6 inches. Undershirts are usually worse. But who's going to see them?
-I use the back of junk mail envelopes to write on. I can cram a lot in writing small and using both sides.
-When driving my car and making a turn, if there are two turn lanes, I try to take the outside one. The larger turning radius will put less wear and tear on the tires and springs. My tired are 6 years old, and the thread is about to go, but they are also just dry rotting from age so I've balanced well.