Top signs you may be cheap?

1. 85

   drpennypincherposted 9 years ago

   I am thinking about making a simple scoring system to rate how cheap a person is based on answers to a few questions.  So what would be good indications that a person is a penny pincher?  Maybe one question could be how old is your car, or how old are your shoes, etc.  Another idea- what is the least money you have paid for a shirt you have worn to work or church. 
   
   If you have ideas for good questions to gauge how frugal someone is, please let me know... Thanks!

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   1. 95

      wildernessposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I drove the same car to work daily for 22 years.  Does that count?
      
      And the least paid for a shirt for either work OR church is probably 10 cents at a yard sale.  How about that one?
      
      How far down is your thermostat in winter, or up in summer?  Do you have a garden, and how large is it?  Do your own canning (although my limited experience there was that it cost more to grow and can beans than it did to buy it)?

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      1. 85

         drpennypincherposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         You would do very well on any frugal scale I can imagine!  I can only claim 15 years for my oldest car- I have had cars make it to that age a couple times before falling apart.  Thanks for the question ideas and for the calibration data on cheapest shirts!

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         1. 95

            wildernessposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            Best thing about the car (a Nissan pickup) was that I paid around $5,000 for a 2 year old rig, drove it for 22 years and sold it for $2,000!  I put less than $1,000 into it over the years in repairs - lowest operating cost of anything I've ever owned!

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            1. 77

               Castlepalomaposted 9 years agoin reply to this

               Great buy.
               
               Frugal is good

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   2. 0

      Amie Saysposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I don't own a car. I couldn't afford it after my divorce, so I sold it and now I ride my bike or the bus everywhere. I sometimes rent a Zipcar.  I miss it sometimes, but if I ever buy another one, it will be a small pickup that I can make money with. My heating bill was so outrageous last month (first one I've had in this new place) that I turned my thermostat down to 60 and only heat one room with an efficient space heater. I turn on the heater for a couple of hours in the morning to get it up to 65 (it's usually below 60 when I get up), then I turn it back to 60 for the rest of the day and it usually stays at 60-65. I count toilet paper sheets. I wash clothes by hand in the bathtub and hang them up around the house because my water is free in my apartment. I only use vinegar, baking soda, peroxide and bleach to clean and I make my own laundry detergent. I use cheap shampoo as body wash, but I dilute it 50/50. Same with hand soap. I use coconut oil as a hair conditioner, because I have it already, so why not? I also use it as a skin moisturizer. I could go on and on. I'm not the cheapest person on earth, but I'm pretty close.

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      1. 85

         drpennypincherposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         You are probably saving A LOT by not owning a car- car payments, insurance, gas, etc.  I might give extra points on my cheapness score for not owning a car.  Also, making your own cleaning products is a sign that you are very frugal- a good thing to add to my scale.  Also thermostat setting during winter may be a good factor to evaluate cheapness.  Thanks for sharing ways you save money!

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         1. 0

            Amie Saysposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            You're welcome. I have lots more, which is why I'm hubbing about them. I like to live well, but I don't have the money. I have champagne tastes and a beer budget -- was married to a very rich man until he locked me out to run off with his mistress and took everything I owned. I decided I would find a way to live well to spite him, and I have. I still wear designer clothes bought from thrift stores, since I know all the designer labels and which are best. I have a simple hairstyle now so I can cut my own hair, but it suits me. I had nothing but time on my hands after he dumped me, so I decided the best revenge was to live well, and I found ways to do it. I'm proud of myself. Some would say I'm poor, but I feel like I'm much richer than when I had money.

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