I Am So Frugal I…

I am generally a pretty frugal person. One thing that I do seems to garner looks and reactions every time I do it. To me, I see great value in getting the most out of things we purchase.

I am so frugal I keep all non-working lighters in the house. Then, when I run out of a lighter that is 100% operational, I combine the efforts of two lighters. Meaning I use one that still sparks with one that still has fluid.

I have done this for a long time, and here’s the best reaction I have received when someone witnessed me using two lighters.

“Oh my gosh…what are you doing? I’m gonna give you $1.00 to go buy a new lighter.”

I politely declined the offer, but it sure made me chuckle.

If you have a “I am so frugal I…” trait to share, feel free to leave a comment. Bloggers, feel free to meme (I believe that’s the word) and let me know. I’ll link to you here.

Posted by Tricia on September 30, 2006 at 9:39 AM in Saving Money | 12 Comments »
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NinjaPigeon responded:
Posted: September 30th, 2006 at 11:40 am
That’s awesome. I totally approve! I wish I was that frugal
Argon responded:
Posted: September 30th, 2006 at 12:41 pm
That’s frugal? Stop smoking and save on lighters, cigarettes, healthcare, and insurance. That’s frugal.
Tricia responded:
Posted: September 30th, 2006 at 2:49 pm
Argon – I had a feeling someone would say that, and to that you are right. However, even if I didn\’t smoke I would still need lighters for emergencies as well as to light candles. I doubt that even when I quit smoking I would cease throwing out a lighter that was 50% functional.
Michelle responded:
Posted: October 2nd, 2006 at 12:36 am
I’m so frugal, I’ve stopped coloring my gray hair (I’m only 35, but I’m pretty darn gray).
DivaJean responded:
Posted: October 3rd, 2006 at 2:15 pm
I am so frugal I… fund family trips and Christmas from the results of our annual Setember garage sale- selling items garbaged picked (or “re-purposed” to those hooked on HGTV) from college students in May.
Mandi responded:
Posted: October 3rd, 2006 at 10:45 pm
I am so frugal… Reworded… My husband says I’m so tight [with money] I squeak.

I dilute all my shampoo and conditioners.

I make crinkle toys out of old socks and plastic wrappers off of food containers for my 9 month old.

I have a “freebie” email address to get the “free” samples of shampoos, deodorants, toothpastes, and such, and I USE THEM.

And many others.

I’d go on, but there is a storm coming.
Tricia responded:
Posted: October 4th, 2006 at 9:35 pm
Michelle – I noticed my first gray hair not too long ago and I yanked it out! I hope I can be as strong as you and not color

DivaJean – that is an awesome idea!! I have two colleges near me and I never thought of watching when they leave….hmmm…

Mandi – that’s cute what your husband says. You have some great frugal ideas!
DivaJean responded:
Posted: October 6th, 2006 at 9:32 am
I am so frugal I- come back to sites on frugality just to see if any posters had any new ideas for cost savings!
name responded:
Posted: October 8th, 2006 at 2:55 am
Why fret over *one* lighter every, say, year?

I looked through your income. You definitely need to work on that. I see the problem as income, not expenditures here as you’ve reached a point where you can’t cut many more expenses out and still have a huge debt to pay off.
Blogging Away Debt » Blog Archive » Am I Close to the Point Where I Just Need to Earn More? responded:
Posted: October 14th, 2006 at 5:22 pm
[...] I received a comment from a visitor: [...]
steve responded:
Posted: December 6th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
Getting the most useful life out of what we own is simply good form. I do it because it’s the right thing to do, not because I think *that* individual dollar is going to make or break me.

I understand why some people think it’s beneath them to do stuff like get more useful life out of a lighter, but I think they are missing the point and have a way too cavalier attitude about their money. Remember, that extra $1 can actually buy you something useful, instead of being wasted. Or it can go in your savings.

The comment about increasing one’s income is true. But you are always doing the right thing by maximizing the use of your purchases. The trick is to keep doing that and keeping your expenses down where they are while also increasing your savings by increasing your income, if that is necessary.

Once all your current needs are paid for and you are also on track to meet your needs in the future (like retirement), then I’d say it makes sense to be willing to spend any extra money beyond that if you feel like it. But only if your reasonalbe current and future needs are accounted for and paid for.
steve responded:
Posted: December 6th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
I am so frugal I use only about a teaspoon of powder in my dishwasher and always use the light cycle with no heated dry.

It seems to clean everything just fine and my detergent lasts like 4x as long.

And I am not a “lightweight” cook as I cook all or nearly all of my own food.

I, like the reader above, also dilute my hand dishwashing liquid.

I also ride my bike to work and to the store, as I live within 5 miles. This includes the winter.

The car is reserved for out of town trips and some serious shopping trips or times I am short of time.

I use one tank of gas per month or less.