One of my guilty pleasures is watching the show Extreme Cheapskates. I know that everything on the show isn’t real (quite a bit of it is fake from what I’ve heard), but I’m sure some people do go to crazy measures in order to save some money.
I’m not making fun of anyone who is an extreme cheapskate because I know I probably do some ridiculous things that people laugh at as well, but what is life if you don’t make fun of yourself occasionally?
On a side note: I do think that some circumstances can occasionally mean that being cheap is actually stealing, which I talked about in the post Frugality And Ethics – Are You Being Cheap, Frugal, or Stealing?
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Here are 8 ways to be an extreme cheapskate. If you are looking for extreme cheapskate tips, then here you go!
8 extreme cheapskates tips
1. Dumpster dive for free food.
I don’t know if this really needs any explaining, but dumpster diving is when you go around to various dumpsters (homes and stores), and dig around until you find yourself a treasure.
A few people on the show have made full meals for their guests all from dumpster food.
I know that some people dumpster dive and that you might be able to find some good things. However, dumpster diving isn’t for me.
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2. Dig through trash cans to find free refill cups and bags.
There was one episode where a husband took his wife to the movie theater. He then dug through the trash at the theater in order to find a cup and bag of popcorn so that he could get free refills while they were there. I think he cleaned both items, but this was too much for me.
We usually just skip the popcorn and drink when we go. I think it’s crazy that it often costs $20 just for those two things! However, I won’t eat with someone else’s garbage in order to save some money.
3. Go to the bathroom in a jar or bottle instead of using the toilet.
There was one episode where the woman had a working toilet, but wanted to save water. In order to save water, she had a jar next to her toilet that she would use the bathroom in.
There was another episode where a guy only flushed his toilet once a week. It didn’t matter what happened in his bathroom, he waited ONE ENTIRE week to flush it.
OH MY!
4. Take extra condiments from restaurants.
I have seen this several times. This is when a person takes things like ketchup and mustard packets from stores and uses them to squirt into their own bottles at home.
I think this sounds like a lot of time wasted, and it really crosses the theft line as I have heard of people taking hundreds of extras in order to have enough for themselves.
I don’t think we have any ketchup or mustard in our home since we never use any, so this is something I don’t really understand. However, if there is an extra buffalo sauce in the bag after I have fast food, I tend to just throw it in my fridge. However, I will not go out of my way to take it.
5. Bring your own food to a restaurant.
In one episode, someone brought their own food for the restaurant to cook for them. It wasn’t anything crazy as it was just white rice, but she did ask the waiter to heat it up for her.
While this sounds crazy, I have actually seen something similar to this happen in person.
6. Eat leftover food when at a restaurant.
This one kind of makes me sick. This is where a cheapskate will eat what is left on a stranger’s plate. They will wait until you are done and then will ask for whatever is left.
Just eat at home!
7. Eat roadkill.
I know that all food comes from somewhere, but driving around trying to find a dead animal just seems a little extreme to me. One family did use almost every single part of the dead animal they found though.
They ate the animal and I believe the mom made keychains for their guests as well.
8. Wear dead people’s clothing.
One woman on the show would often read obituaries in search of dead people who might have clothing that she liked. She would offer to clean the person’s home in exchange for some of their clothing.
This just seems crazy to me.
How to become an extreme cheapskate- summary
As you have learned from reading the above, there are many ways to become an extreme cheapskate.
From finding alternatives to toilet paper, reusing bathwater, cutting down on laundry, stretching your water bill, and lowering your entertainment spending, you can save some money.
Would you do any of the above and become an extreme cheapskate? Why or why not? What’s the cheapest thing you do?
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These are all crazy Michelle! I couldn’t imagine myself doing any of those! LOL!
Haha, I agree!
All are a bit too extreme for me, especially with some bordering on illegal.
As you noted; many of them can be done cheaply through alternative measures. If you can’t afford to eat at a restaurant then just eat at home.. Take your own food into the cinema (if allowed) and shop at supermarkets at the very end of the day when things can be reduced by 90%, no need for the dumpster diving.
I agree with everything you just said. I don’t really see the need for extreme frugality as there are usually other measures that can be taken.
Michelle….I love you, but I am just too fabulous to dumpster dive. Nothing against people who may have no choice, but Petrish has a choice and I can’t. If this is what being a real cheapskate entail….I think I’ll prefer to be just frugal. The only thing on this list I may do sparingly is take a copy extra packs of sugar for my coffee I may have later in my office that is never sweet enough.
Haha I agree with you. I wouldn’t do anything on this post. This post was meant to be a joke 🙂
Extreme Cheapskates is one of my favorites because it gives me an insider’s look at the most outrageous penny-pinching people around. This show is really an eye-opener.
I agree Jayson!
You may be unaware of it, but if you shop at Second hand thrift stores, chances are you DO have dead peoples’ clothing.
Very true, but I wouldn’t bother a family by knocking on their door the day that their loved one has passed away.
A lot of people get dead peoples clothes when someone in there family passes. I don’t see what is wrong with that.
Hah! I’m one frugal weirdo, but I wouldn’t do any of those things! I do enjoy finding furniture, etc by the side of the road, but I haven’t ventured into food dumpster diving and I’m just not sure it’s for me. Like you said, there are plenty of ways to live a frugal life without going overboard!
Haha thanks for reading! 🙂
I think these things take you from frugal / cheap to downright poor. I would not do any of these things!
Same here Natalie.
Oh good, I’m so relieved that I’m just a “cheapskate”, not an extreme one! 🙂 Compared to most of my financially flamboyant friends, I was pretty sure I would be classified as extreme, but now I have lots of examples to defend (justify) my own cheapness. 🙂
Haha yes!
I don’t do any of these things, and I don’t think I count as an extreme cheapskate. I do pick up change I see on the ground, which my husband thinks is ridiculous. Also, I return our soda/beer/water cans and bottle to the grocery store and apply the credits to my purchases. To me, this is a no-brainer, since I paid the deposit when I bought the products.
Those don’t sound extreme at all, I agree.
My husband and I return bottles and cans to the store and apply those credits to our grocery purchases. We also price match as often as possible.
I will probably be labeled too judgmental, but those people are just bizarre. I do take extra sauce packets from the Taco Bell drive up because the employee gives me handfuls. I’m not going to sit in the car and sort through them and hand them back. But everything else is beyond cheap and often times unhygienic. I can’t imaging the smell in the man’s house when he only flushes once a week. He must incur some astronomical plumbing bills from plugged toilets. I like to save but I consider myself smart and some (most) of these are just plain dumb.
I agree, most of these don’t make any sense.
I’ve heard a lot about the show, but have never seen it. I think I’d have to pass on these eight.
Haha I agree Brian.
This post really made me laugh! I probably couldn’t bring myself to dig in random unknown trash in search or anything. I do take extra packets of condiments from restaurants sometimes just to have them around the house or in my car if needed but I would never try to squeeze each of the packets into a bottle lol that sounds like it would be a mess.
Haha thanks!
#2 is totally stealing…. that’s not cheap… that’s stealing.
The ones wanting to save water are insane! Maybe I am spoiled but our water bill is pretty much the same no matter how many times I use the bathroom or not (I have been gone for 3 weeks out of a month before and the bill was maybe $8 less). So that one seems like a waste to me, and the smell or a non-flushed toilet wouldn’t be worth it.
Yeah, the water thing doesn’t make much sense to me. Our water bill is usually around $25 a month (we pay on a quarterly basis so it’s $75 a bill), and it doesn’t seem to fluctuate ever.
I squirmed like 20 times reading this article! Of all the things a person can do to save a buck. That toilet one is just…. words can’t describe.
In college, a lot of people stole flatware and glasses from the cafeteria. Not sure why they didn’t see it as stealing.
Hahaha hope I didn’t make you sick!
That show is my guilty pleasure too! I enjoy watching it only because I get to shake my head at how crazy some of those people are. I could never imagine doing any of those activities just to save money. I’m all for saving but I don’t think extreme cheapness is going to enrich my life in any way.
I agree!