Where do you draw the line at being too cheap?

[writersblock42]

Well I agree with some of the other posters. I think anything that bothers other people is too cheap. Funny story...I always save gift bags and make sure that I do not throw them away. Well I sent my son to school for a gift exchange for his big buddy and he came home with the gift bag. When I asked him why, he said that I always save gift bags.
Too cheap is doing anything in poor taste in public or again bothering other people or being cheap in gift giving. Like dumping buffet food in your purse, taking things that do not belong to you, lying about kid's ages. Here is confession time...things that I do to save money that some people may think is bad....
1. I wear my dry cleaning clothes three to four times before getting them dry cleaned. Somebody once said dry clean only means it probably isn't clean
2. I buy some recently expired or about the expire foods (never meat or milk products though)
3. I keep the heat down and little AC in summer-we live in PA so not that bad
4. I occasionally trash pick-my neighbor throw out a perfectly good wreath after Christmas.

 

[katerkat]

Warning...sensitive issue coming up... I just recently ran across a website where it is explained how to make your own sanitary napkins. Plenty of info also on how to store and launder used ones for reuse. Man, the things only cost about $3 a bag, I can surely spare that on myself once a month.

That's TOO THRIFTY for me...

I know a lot of people who do this, or use something like a Divacup. To me, it's no more gross than using cloth diapers, which I also do. (Note: I don't use re-usable sanitary napkins. I just don't think they're that gross.)

I don't reuse baggies. Which, seeing as I use cloth diapers, is a total contradiction, but I don't have a good place to dry them and it's just not worth it to me.

 

[Genieklone]

Great idea with the individual shampoo... I should use that.

I am not embarrassed to say we do the No. 1 flushing thing. Really, not because we can't afford it...just because...I really don't know how much it saves me and it doesn't gross us out. We don't do it when we have company...

But I don't know.... I like to live thrifty. I calculate the cost per meal. I bring my calculator to the stores. Kinda embarassing sometimes because I work with folks that are big spendthrifts... they don't want to spend their precious time calculating unit costs....

I drive a crappy broken down Mercury tracer, and I get picked on..oh well. I just can't justify paying money for a new car when this one works just fine. It's just ugly

Cheapest thing I've ever done was continue to wear a pair of shoes to work knowing the bottom half was coming off. I just couldn't bring myself to buy another pair. I know I know...

 

[Genieklone]

Warning...sensitive issue coming up... I just recently ran across a website where it is explained how to make your own sanitary napkins. Plenty of info also on how to store and launder used ones for reuse. Man, the things only cost about $3 a bag, I can surely spare that on myself once a month.

That's TOO THRIFTY for me...

Maybe I'm an environmentalist or something but this doesn't sound weird. In college, the feminist group sold Keepers--it is a reusable 'stopper', it's good for the environment. You can look it up on google.

Really, it's good to know that in case of an emergency, you can create options for yourself.

 

[IzzysMom]

I do reuse plastic baggies - my DD recycles them from lunch - I just put the same things into them. I use them for the week and then throw them out.

I can't think of anything that would make someone too thrifty besides what has already been posted here.

 

[Belle5]

Warning...sensitive issue coming up... I just recently ran across a website where it is explained how to make your own sanitary napkins. Plenty of info also on how to store and launder used ones for reuse. Man, the things only cost about $3 a bag, I can surely spare that on myself once a month.

That's TOO THRIFTY for me...

I know some people are allergic to the disposable products. You also mentioned sparing $3 for "yourself" once a month. There are families that have many daughters. I personally know of lots of families with 5 or 6 daughters (just as I have 6 sons). I don't know any that use the cloth napkins--but I could see how you would if money was tight.

 

[Genieklone]

I know some people are allergic to the disposable products. You also mentioned sparing $3 for "yourself" once a month. There are families that have many daughters. I personally know of lots of families with 5 or 6 daughters (just as I have 6 sons). I don't know any that use the cloth napkins--but I could see how you would if money was tight.

Yea, we came from a family of 10 kids! 6 of those being girls... We just bought the crap from the dollar store.

Keepers are expensive though (35 dollars initial), but the idea is that it will be a one time investment.

What about this for cheap? Inviting people out to a birthday party and asking people to pay their own way, or pay for the food... NOW THAT"S CHEAP!

You can thank my cousin for that one.

 

[boristhedog]

Warning...sensitive issue coming up... I just recently ran across a website where it is explained how to make your own sanitary napkins. Plenty of info also on how to store and launder used ones for reuse. Man, the things only cost about $3 a bag, I can surely spare that on myself once a month.

That's TOO THRIFTY for me...

I don't use them (yet) but cloth pads are said to help with cramps (from the chemicals and other materials in disposable pads), and are environmentally friendly because they're reusable. Along those lines, people also make "family wipes" as in a washable, cloth toilet paper replacement. Ack! That's too cheap and tree huggy for me.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

I will probably get flamed for this but this is something I observed and it drove me nuts!!! One of the Mom's at my daughter's dance school didn't want to spend the money to buy her dd the proper dance shoes or the costume for the recital. Every week she would go on and on about the cost and it would annoy the beans out of me. One week I tried politely to say that being in the recital is part of the whole experience and her Dad said "well when you have more than one child..." I then replied "Yeah, I know- I have 3." Now if you can't afford it then that's one thing. BUT- She was driving a truck that costs $50,000, drinking a cup of coffee from the local takeout place every week, wearing stylish (not cheap) clothes and going on and on about money constantly. Honestly- I wanted to tap dance on her mouth to make her stop!!! It was so annoying. I mean- how do you sign your kid up for tap and ballet and not buy the right shoes? Do you plan on putting bottle caps on her sneakers so she can tap? To me she was just way too cheap. (only with her kids of course )

 

[bunny213]

I had three teenage girls at home....and me....well - we went through napkins at an amazing rate....seems like I was always buying them...one day the cashier who always checked me out....said....What in the blazes do you do with all these things? I told her we were insulating our attic!
Barb

 

[corndog]

I consider myself thrify, but one thing i definately draw the line about skimping on is toilet paper. I like a certain brand. It has to be fluffy, not feel like cardboard. My brother in law told my sister that she uses too much toilet paper. He will take the time to unroll a whole roll of double ply and separate them and reroll onto an empty roll to get more out of it. That to me goes too far. He makes over $100,00.00 come on now. When she comes over I kid them about this and tell her to take her time in there and enjoy the comfort.



Also heat, I will not be cold in my own home. No way. I work and therefore I choose to spend my money on heat. I think it's ridiculous of me to have to walk around in swatshirts and turtlenecks in my own home. I want to be comfortable and I want my heat!

My rule when it comes to toilet paper is that I always buy the MOST expensive.

 

[DreaGirl]

I think reusing disposible pads and using washable pads are two totally different things. Washable pads are made to be used more than once, disposable, not so much.

 

[windycitymom]

I had three teenage girls at home....and me....well - we went through napkins at an amazing rate....seems like I was always buying them...one day the cashier who always checked me out....said....What in the blazes do you do with all these things? I told her we were insulating our attic!
Barb

ROFLMAO

Here's cheap: I have a SIL who years ago bought my then 8-year old son (for his birthday) a $2.00 shirt off the clearance rack at Target - what's what I was given when I took it back. Meanwhile, they have money and have to have the best of everything! I must have raised him right because he thanked her very nicely. Even now, she won't spend more than $10 on my kids for their birthday. I spend the same amount on her kids now.

We went to exchanging gift cards at Christmas with my SIL and her family because I was tired of our family getting cheap crap from them at Christmas. This way, it's at least an even exchange.

 

[mommiepoppins]

Well I garbage pick and THEN.. I donate it to my kids school for the garage sale. I make my kids take snacks in old sour cream containers insted of lunch baggies( by the way dose anyone no how to remove the label) I re wash dougnut bags,deli lunch meat bags

But I will not live with out my heat

 

[Grumpy's Gal]

the word "cheap" is not in my vocabulary. "FRUGAL" however.........

you can NEVER be too THRIFTY or too FRUGAL............although my mom calls me a tighwad...........but I get it from her...............

Maybe we should start a club?

 

[roadtripper]

I even use the same tea bag 2-3 times! However,I do draw the line at mixing used coffee grounds with new--my coffee's sacred!

Amen, sister! I just read that in the Tightwad Gazette last night, and that's where I drew the line-- no recycled coffee for me. I did buy a cheap coffee brand to mix in with our more expensive ground coffee to "stretch" it, though.

I reuse a lot of other stuff, including baggies, keep my house at 62 (DH calls my turtlenecks my lingerie !), and I don't care what kind of cars we drive. In my family, that makes us freaks. Then everyone asks--
How can you afford to go to Disney so often??

 

[Grumpy's Gal]

Hello.......My name is Grumpy's Gal and I am a tightwad..........although I prefer the word FRUGAL. It's nice to meet all of you........I have been this way for all of my life and I get it from my mom. (It's hereditary!)

 

[LegoMom3]

....I reuse a lot of other stuff, including baggies, keep my house at 62 (DH calls my turtlenecks my lingerie !), and I don't care what kind of cars we drive. In my family, that makes us freaks. Then everyone asks--
How can you afford to go to Disney so often??

EXACTLY!!!!!!!! It's all in what's important to ya!

We keep our house around 63 during the day and 65/66 at night (partly to save money for other things, partly due to the cost of heating fuel and my disgust at having to pay it). I wash out and re-use baggies that haven't had anything messy in them (I won't wash out a greasy bag - too frustrating). Our cars always average 10 years old but they are paid for and insurance is cheap on them!

Another coin in the Mickey Fund jar = another day closer to Home!!

 

[Kellyscrapbooks]

I even use tha same tea bag 2-3 times! However,I do draw the line at mixing used coffed grounds with new--my coffee's sacred!
QUOTE]

Now, see to me, using a tea bag 2-3 times is a no-no.... my tea is sacred, but hubby mixes coffee all the time!

 

[mandysbus]

For me, buying used panties is too cheap...I do buy underwear for DS6 at yardsales once in a while (the cute character ones) if they are in very good shape, boxers maybe but for me...thats one of those things I gotta buy new.

And we are a family of trash pickers (one persons trash is another persons treasure)....our DS even asks when we are going trash pickin'. I'm not proud, people throw out lots of good stuff. The higher class neighborhoods are great for that at spring cleanup. Around here most of them won't lower themselves to having a yard sale so they just toss it. We've found lots of good stuff in the trash, stuff that we can use or resell.