10 Extreme Cheapskate Money Saving Tips You Won’t be Embarrassed to Try

Last weekend I was sick and got sucked into watching several reruns of the show Extreme Cheapskates (you can watch it here) because I couldn’t find the TV remote buried somewhere in my blanket nest on the sofa.  (I included affiliate links in this post for your convenience)

It confirmed my sneaking suspicion that The Learning Channel turned into The Laugh at Freaks Channel because TLC made the people on the show look like crazy misers who go to insane extremes (a few do) when could present much of the same content in a different way so it was more helpful than exploitative.

For example, Jordan the bartering guy wrote on line that Extreme Cheapskates set up scenarios to make him look like he won’t pay for anything when he actually does, You can read his story on his blog post My Media Guy TLC’s Extreme Cheapskates: The True Story.

Worse is Broke Rich Girl’s Extreme Cheapskates experience. She says that TLC lied to her when she declined to apply to be on the show. Extreme Cheapskates production people said they wanted her to “be the voice of reason” and later on in the interview process told her they wanted her to sign up for on line dating as a way to get free meals and show it on TV.  How sleazy is that?!

She declined to be on the show. You go girl!

10 Not So Extreme Frugal Hacks for Normal People  

The thing is, if you strip away the fake jacked up borderline illegal and unethical craziness of reality television there are some general budgeting ideas that will help you save a little money, that don't sound so extreme or crazy, and will keep your ethics intact. 

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Some may not be new to you or things you already do, others may be something that don’t apply or you don’t want to do. That's cool.

1. They Make Financial Goals – Extreme Cheapskates rarely or barely mentions this because TLC wants to make the people they feature look like miserly money hoarders. If you pay close attention, you’ll see financial goals like:

• A husband and wife who run a dog rescue.
• An environmentally conscious single mom with a child who was able to retire at age 50.
• A man who is trying to become a pro wrestler.
• Families paying off large debts.
• Families who like to travel.

That doesn’t sound so crazy does it?

Financial goals are a good thing to keep in mind when you are on the fence about making a splurge on something that is a want instead of a need.

2. They Keep Track of Expenses – Extreme Cheapskates makes updating personal finance spreadsheet or Quicken (you get check it out here) a little OCD. Possibly, but you aren’t going to get an accurate picture of how much money you have,  where it is going, and the progress you are making toward your financial goals unless you write it down somewhere.

3. Many of Them are Minimalists – Considering quality verses quantity of the item usually leads to a better return on the investment and in turn saves money because you don’t have to keep replacing the item. But let's face it living by the popular book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up (you can get Marie Kondo's books here) sounds less crazy on TV than if you repackage the same thing as OMG Lisa only has 5 knives in her kitchen! it sounds extreme.

By the way, those 5 knives in my kitchen are a block of quality kitchen knives like these and a knife sharpener to replace my former drawer full of cheap serrated knives that dulled and couldn't be sharpened.

4. They Do Not Waste Things –  In my experience generating less household trash for environmental reasons also leads to saving money. For example:

• Unplugging small electronics after each use (when appropriate) reduces the amount of electricity appliances draw from the outlet when not in use (commonly called vampire power.) Doing so helped my family reduce our yearly utility bills by 30% and we've kept our use low 8 years since. 

• Flushing the toilet less frequently – there are plenty of folks who if it’s yellow let it mellow for environmental reasons or live in a drought area. It’s not for me but TLC knows it is weird enough to make good TV.

• Composting food scraps and yard waste into free gardening fertilizer. Which one sounds crazy extreme? 

1. Lisa turned the 100% clay soil around her home into rich gardening soil by fertilizing with DIY compost and compost tea.
2. Lisa is so cheap she lets food scraps rot and buries it in her yard and flower pots! (This is the crazy way to describe how gardeners have been composting since forever.)
   

• Donating or selling items they no longer use. Personally I'm better at donating than selling stuff when it should probably be the other way around...

• Add your tips to the comments section below!

5. They Do Not Replace Items as Often (especially if they focus on quality vs quantity,) Fix Things When They Brake, or Repurpose Old Items – If you aren’t handy, chances are you know someone who is or can hire a repair person to do it for you. I’m pretty good at DIY  (you can check it out on my blog Condo Blues) because I believe smacking stuff with a hammer is cheaper than therapy (plus you get a custom rennovated bathroom when you are done.) In the case of my DIY bathroom remodel, saving money by doing it myself in one area meant I had the funds to splurge another - hello granite topped vanity!


6. They Share or Borrow Things - Using a public library is an excellent example! Using our tool lending library for tools we'll probably only use once cuts down on garage clutter and the small fee was cheaper than a tool rental shop.

I used a local tool lending library with great success!

7. They Use or Reuse What They Have First –  Most of the items of my personal 12 Things I Do Not Buy list are disposable things I replaced with a reusable. Our family philosophy is to get an extra reuse out of as much as we can before we throw it away for space saving and environmental reasons but I'm not crying in my oatmeal when it gives a few extra bucks for our Travel Fund and allows us to pay cash for fancy vacations.

I washed, cut, and hemmed old towels to use instead of paper towels. I have a roll of emergency paper towels for anything involving bodily fluids because I’m squeamish. I have had the same roll for almost three years.

8. They Don’t Care if Others Think They are Weird for Not Keeping Up With the Jones – Often TLC edits a voice over to play over different video to make the people on the show on look like cheap freaks (not cool TLC!)   And yet, to be fair, some of Extreme Cheapskates ways to save money are not for everyone  and can honestly be put in the excessive category. Personally dumpster diving for food or washing and reusing paper towels is not my thing but who am I to judge when I fertilize my vegetable plants with liquid rotted food and plant matter?

Some of these 26 Weird Ways to Save Money aren’t for everyone and that’s OK.

9. Willing to Work a Little Harder - In all honesty “cheapskate” activities  such as cooking dinner from scratch every night, DIY, gardening, canning and preserving food, baking bread, hunting, fishing, etc. are also considered hobbies people do simply because they enjoy them.

Lacey likes it when I make dried butternut squash dog treats from extra garden squash.
Her vet gave me a gold star for giving Lacey healthy dog treats. A win win! 

10. Comparison shop – TLC specifically did want to feature the people on Extreme Cheapskates shopping sales, calculating and comparing unit prices, using coupons, and shopping non traditional stores because they feature that on their show Extreme Couponing, but chances are they do.

I am very bad at comparing unit prices when I grocery shop. 

I wrote this post to help remind me to do it.

Looking for more ways to save money and money saving hacks? Check out the following options -and more!- below!

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