Why Do People Become Extreme Cheapskates?
The psychology behind extreme frugality is fascinating. For some, it stems from childhood poverty and a deep-seated fear of not having enough. For others, it's about the thrill of the challenge treating money-saving like a competitive sport.
Many extreme cheapskates are actually wealthy. They didn't get rich by spending money, after all. Studies show that millionaires are often more frugal than middle-class spenders, buying used cars, living in modest homes, and avoiding lifestyle inflation.
But there's a fine line between frugal and cheap. Frugal people optimize spending to align with their values. Cheap people sacrifice quality of life, relationships, and sometimes hygiene to save a few cents. The extreme cheapskates featured in shows like TLC's "Extreme Cheapskates" often cross that line and that's what makes them so watchable.
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15 Extreme Cheapskate Habits Ranked From Genius to Insane
The Genuinely Smart Ones
- Negotiate Everything - Extreme cheapskates negotiate bills, rent, medical costs, and even grocery prices. Many save thousands annually just by asking.
- Master the Art of Free Entertainment - Libraries, free museum days, hiking, community events. They never pay for entertainment when free options exist.
- Buy Nothing Groups - They get furniture, clothes, appliances, and more completely free through local Buy Nothing communities.
- Strategic Grocery Shopping - Shopping at closing time for marked-down items, buying "ugly" produce, and meal planning around sales.
- DIY Everything - From haircuts to home repairs to making their own cleaning products. The savings add up to thousands per year.
The Questionable Ones
- Extreme Couponing - Spending 20+ hours weekly to save on groceries. The savings are real, but is your time worth $3/hour?
- Dumpster Diving - Finding perfectly good food, furniture, and electronics in store dumpsters. Legal in most places, but requires strong commitment.
- Reusing Paper Towels - Washing and drying them for multiple uses. Technically works, but at what cost to your sanity?
- Strategic Flushing - "If it's yellow, let it mellow" taken to the extreme. Some cheapskates only flush once daily.
- Date Night at Costco - Free samples as dinner, walking the aisles as entertainment. It's technically a free night out.
The Absolutely Unhinged
- Reusing Dental Floss - Yes, some people wash and reuse dental floss. Dentists everywhere are screaming.
- Showering at the Gym - Getting a cheap gym membership solely to shower there and save on home water bills.
- Birthday Party Plate Scraping - Taking home uneaten food from other people's plates at parties. For "the pets," of course.
- Roadkill Cuisine - Harvesting fresh roadkill for free meat. There are actual cookbooks for this.
- Heating the House with Body Heat - Inviting friends over specifically to warm up the house and avoid turning on the heat.
The Math Behind Extreme Frugality
Here's where it gets interesting: some extreme cheapskate habits genuinely save serious money.
The Annual Savings Breakdown:
- Cutting your own hair: $300-600/year
- Making coffee at home: $1,000-2,000/year
- Canceling unused subscriptions: $500-1,500/year
- Meal prepping instead of eating out: $3,000-5,000/year
- Negotiating bills annually: $500-2,000/year
Add it all up, and moderate frugal habits can save $5,000-10,000 annually. Extreme cheapskates push this to $20,000+ by eliminating nearly all discretionary spending.
The question is: what's the opportunity cost? If you spend 10 hours weekly on extreme couponing to save $200/month, you're earning $5/hour for your time. For some people, that's worth it. For others, that time could be spent earning more money or enjoying life.
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Frugal Habits Worth Adopting (And Ones to Skip)
After studying hundreds of extreme cheapskate habits, here's our verdict:
Worth Trying:
- Negotiating recurring bills once a year
- Using library apps for free ebooks, audiobooks, and movies
- Batch cooking and meal prepping
- Buying quality items secondhand
- The 24-hour rule before any non-essential purchase
Skip These:
- Anything involving reusing hygiene products
- Habits that strain relationships (splitting checks to the penny, never hosting)
- Time-intensive savings that pay less than minimum wage
- Anything that risks your health or safety
The best money advice from cheapskates isn't about deprivation it's about intentionality. Know where your money goes, question every recurring expense, and optimize for what actually makes you happy.
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