Comments on: Extreme Frugality: What Are Your Most Insanely Frugal Habits?

By: Xena

Xena — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 19:52:16 +0000

Some people here have talked about cloth menstrual pads. I have found that menstrual pads will leave me in a bad spot, for example, becoming full at work, oozing blood, stinking, etc. I use a diva cup instead. It costs $15 and you clean it with salt water. The only issue I’ve ever had with it is cramping – but I also have serious cramping normally, so that’s probably just me.

I’ve found that it pays to keep myself healthy. While I have known many wonderful, competent and honest medical professionals, every GP I’ve ever gone to has wasted no time finding imaginary stuff to treat. (My best story involves a $150 zit.) So now, I skip checkups completely. (Note: I’m a fairly healthy, drug-free 25 with no cancer in the family.) I’ve quit risky activities and get more than seven hours of sleep every night. I drink a ton of water, eat my green veggies and focus on anaerobic exercise to avoid exercise-induced asthma attacks. I treat myself at home. I have friends with medical backgrounds who I can call in case I need a second opinion, but I try not to take advantage of them, the knowledge is all out there. I don’t trust Teh Googlez for medical advice – I’ve found it’s often inconsistent, old or oversimplified, if not just outright wrong. But the library has some really excellent First Aid books with gross illustrations and everything.

By: Mel

Mel — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 12:45:47 +0000

Get rid of the kitchen sponge. It is the germ center of the house. They can not be cleaned properly, never dry out, and thus are the perfect place for germs to multiply. Then you use it to wipe down all your food prep surfaces.
State health food codes do not allow thee use of sponges in restaurant or commercial food prep areas.

By: Aaron

Aaron — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 14:24:27 +0000

You don’t even have to boil “dirty” water 10 mins. All pathogens that are harmful to humans die after 30 seconds exposure to 185 degrees. I hike a lot, and spend weeks in the woods. Whenever you boil water, once you see larger bubbles rapidly rising to the surface, it is safe to drink. You don’t need to boil water for 10 minutes, that is a common myth.

By: Renee

Renee — Thu, 26 May 2011 01:31:42 +0000

One more note on cloth TP- if you use a washcloth for #1 only and throw it in the laundry you will save a tree and no one will ever know. Since there is no paper in the toilet you can then pee in it at least 4 times before you have to flush as well!

By: Renee

Renee — Thu, 26 May 2011 01:28:37 +0000

I do the same thing, using a mesh laundry bag to wash and dry the used cloths. I even took it one step further and purchased a set of cloth menstual pads that have lasted me the past 7 years, and work 10 times better than the disposable type. Of note, a cheap and effective additive to assure your laundry has been sanitized is to add hydrogen peroxide to your waher’s
bleach dispenser

By: Renee

Renee — Thu, 26 May 2011 01:16:00 +0000

I take it one step further and use recycled fabric handkerchiefs as kleenex, paper towels, baby wipes etc.

By: William Rawls

William Rawls — Thu, 19 May 2011 19:27:26 +0000

My roommate is uber frugal, especially about electricity. He has everything plugged into power strips and turns them all off at night and when walking out the door (excepting the fridge, water heater, dehumidifier) including computers, TV, internet, lights, whatever and is very religious about turning off lights when he leaves the room. At first I thought it was just OCD, but then he showed me his power and water bills. They’re very low. He said his power bill went up 17% when I moved in and I thought that was a lot until I realized how low his bill was to start. At the beginning of the year he installed solar panels and is actually making money on his electric bill now!

By: Ryan

Ryan — Sun, 15 May 2011 02:33:52 +0000

I have one guy in my area through college that is living in his car as an extreme way of saving money…he works a normal job and uses the on campus gym for showering and since the library is open 24/7 he never has to worry about access to toilets. He sometimes walks to work, leaving his car parked on campus but sometimes chooses to drive. For food, he either goes fast food or buys simple groceries. Based on comments he’s made to me I think he makes between $18k and $25k a year most of which he keeps. He’s got no school debt and seems super happy. He spends his free time either studying, getting involved on campus or working out. Extremely frugal if you ask me.

By: Essence

Essence — Sat, 14 May 2011 15:00:46 +0000

I used to be a shopaholic for clothes. But as I got older and healthier, I lost weight and my shape changed a bit. As a result, a lot of my clothes didn’t fit me quite right, and a lot were really out of style since I still have clothes from my teenage years as well (I’m in my mid 20s). So I bought a basic sewing machine and started customizing the clothes with patterns that I still liked. Shirts turned into dresses, pants turned into skirts, extra fabric made headbands and purses, etc….you get the idea. I still haven’e revamped my entire wardrobe yet but this has become a great money saver, new cheap hobby, as well as a money maker since I’ve sold a good bit of items that I made with leftover fabrics and a few extra fabrics from the thrift store!

By: Tina

Tina — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 17:26:37 +0000

The pillowcase in the freezer before bed is a good one. I never knew of such thing, but I will definitely give it a try.

An old frugality that I’ve learned was using jelly jars for drinking cups and storage for left over foods.