When it comes to stingy people, every penny is a treasure, and thriftiness is a way of life. While there are people who like to spend their hard-earned money to live a luxurious life, that’s not the case for cheapskates. Even if they earn a fortune, these people will always make every dollar count.
You probably have come across a cheapskate. These people have a tendency to scout for the best deals, repurposing things, etc. To them, it’s more than just spending money; they find joy in getting the most value out of every purchase.
When they get something for free, is a cause for celebration, whether it’s a free cup of coffee, a sample-sized shampoo, or a promotional pen. If you have never encountered a stringy person, buckle up as these children of cheapskate parents revealed some of the crazy experiences they went through in their household. Here is what they had to say.
Comments have been edited for grammar and clarity.
1. How My Dad Scored a Free Bar of Soap with a Clever Trick
u/[deleted]: When my dad moved into his house, he had a guy come over to do a free demonstration for a water filter that goes under a sink. The guy used a bar of soap for his demonstration and left it when he was done.
My dad called at least four other companies for a free demonstration just to keep the free bar of soap and never intended to have a water filter installed. He does things like this, which worsens as he ages. But I just let him do his thing.
2. My Dad’s Attachment with Paper Towels
u/TheCommonStew: My dad hoards his paper towels. To this day, he still expects me to ask permission to use them (I’m 21) because he doesn’t want me to waste them. I remember thinking it was $100 bucks for a roll because he was so concerned about me wasting them.
He is a cheapskate and spends twice as much money on everything because he only gets the cheapest thing that breaks or doesn’t work as well. While my girlfriend and I were at his house, I dropped a gallon of milk everywhere. She grabbed paper towels and used the whole roll to soak up the mess.
I felt so sinful helping her, but the look on my dad’s face when he found out we used a whole roll, was priceless. I knew he wouldn’t yell at us because he was too polite to yell in front of my girlfriend. But, he was visibly holding back his pain, anger, and heartbreak over the “wasted” roll.
3. My Dad’s Unique Approach to Saving Every Coin
u/notronbro: Oh my God, dads are terrible. Mine hates paying for electricity, so he hangs his clothes up outside, which would be fine if he didn’t do it year-round, even when it’s below freezing.
Whenever my sisters or I cleaned our rooms, he would go through our trash, looking for “valuables” we had thrown away (money or recyclables). He’s obsessed with gas prices, and I once sat in the car with him as he drove around town for half an hour searching for the cheapest gas.
When he wants to drive down a hill, he literally puts his car in neutral, opens the door, and pushes himself down the hill with his foot. One time, we went to a Burger King, and I was only allowed chicken fries because a burger was “too expensive .”
4. Meet the Return Policy Maestro
u/halfadash6: My father took insane advantage of the Costco return policy. He returned an outdoor furniture set we’d had for about eight years. It was weather-worn, and a couple of pieces were broken. They took it, and he used the money to pay for most of a new patio set from Costco. Unbelievable.
5. Unveiling the Frugal Achievements of My Grandmother
u/Acetylene: When I was a little kid, I spent summers at my grandparents’ house, and one of my chores was setting the table before dinner every night. Whenever we had company for dinner, I was instructed to use “the good napkins.”
That meant the napkins that didn’t have restaurant logos printed on them. We only went to restaurants when my grandmother felt she could come out ahead on the deal, and there were many ways to accomplish this.
She clipped coupons, of course, but that was kids’ stuff. Whenever she did anything for someone, she’d get them to take her to dinner to “return the favor.” She had an enormous purse, which generally returned stuffed with napkins and food from the buffet.
She didn’t see much point in going to any restaurant that didn’t at least have a salad bar. One year, when my mother and I offered to take her to dinner for her birthday, we had to drive over an hour to get to a Sizzler she hadn’t been banned from.