Is there a difference between frugal and cheap? We all have that person in our lives who knows the best deals and sets a budget for themselves, and we also know the person who opts to save pennies because it saves money over the long run. It may save $5 every three years, but who's counting? An internet user recently asked what is “The most frugal/cheap behavior you've seen?” Here are ten surprising answers.
1. Reusing Toilet Paper
One person says their grandma used to reuse used toilet paper and fold it into neat squares. “Seeing, in my mind, the yellow toilet paper neatly folded on the rack still makes me cringe,” they write. Us too!
2. Using Rubber Bands for Socks
Another user's grandfather refused to pay money for another pair of socks, so the elastic that held up the stockings wore away. To combat the issue, he used rubber bands from broccoli to hold up his socks.
3. Using Others' Tips to Pay for the Meal
One user shares their dining experience with a group, “Everyone would figure out how much they owed for food and tip and put their cash in. Then one person would collect the cash and pay with his credit card.
I noticed, though, that he didn't leave a tip. The first time I thought I must have been mistaken. The second time I was sure I wasn't. He was using everyone's tip to pay for his meal.”
4. Splitting Tissue Plys
Do you know the cheap toilet paper stocked in many gas stations? According to an internet user, this person had a friend who ripped apart toilet paper plys and split them in half to save money.
5. Picking the Stems Off Cherries
One person shares their brother picks the stems off the cherries in the grocery store to reduce their weight and decrease the price.
“As a former fruit stand employee, I know that stemless cherries start rotting from the inside almost immediately. So your brother is almost certainly losing money or at least significant quality of the product by removing stems,” an individual responds.
6. Chicken Wing Soup
At a rather uncomfortable family gathering, a chicken wing dinner ensued. After consuming the meat, the aunt and uncle asked the guests to put their chicken wing bones in a bucket. Most attendees thought they were joking, but the grandparents informed them they were making soup the next day. According to the family member, the soup remained untouched.
7. Rubbing off Expiration Dates and Returning
Sometimes people who have excess money try to save as much as possible. A commenter says their ex-partner's mother is a multi-millionaire. Still, if she came across old or near expired food, she would remove the expiry label and return them to Costco.
8. Buying Expired Meat
I know someone who waits until the last possible second to buy meat on the brink of expiry or that has already expired. According to this person, if meat is a few days past its labeled date, you can freeze it and enjoy it like it's fresh.
9. Super Gluing Cavities
Who needs a dentist when you have super glue and tissue paper? A respondent says they know a retiree who saved a lot of money while working but refuses to see a proper dentist because this method works just as well.
10. Olive Oil as a Snack
“I read about one of those types who'd figured out the cheapest source of calories to give his kids for a snack if they said they were hungry. It was olive oil. This cheap [guy] would make his kids eat a tablespoon of olive oil.”
What do you think? Are these frugal hacks you would employ, or can you spot a cheapskate when you see one?
This thread inspired this post.
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