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Finances & Money

5 Xtreme Saving Ideas! Warning: May be a little gross

January 18, 2007
By Clever Dude
- Leave a Comment

Yeah, that’s right. I left the “E” out of “Extreme”. That means this article is XTREME!

People are extremely frugal for 3 reasons:
1. They just don’t have money to spend
2. They have money to spend, but they want to save as much as possible
3. They have money to spend, but they like the challenge of not spending

I’ve come up with 5 ways these super-savers can squeeze even more pennies into their piggy bank. I must caution you, some ideas are a little strange and may be slightly disgusting.
1. Reuse paper towels – I actually saw a family doing this on a news report about 8 years ago. They weren’t broke, just cheap. They would wash their paper towels and hang each one separately on a clothesline to dry. Personally, I think it’s great for the environment, but why don’t they just use regular washclothes? Dear goodness, maybe they were using OTHER people’s trashed towels. Hope they didn’t try to reuse other household paper products…


2. Reuse contact lense solution – That’s right, just don’t throw it out. I question how sanitary this is, considering the eye fungus issues recently. I guess most REALLY frugal people would just wear used glasses.


3. Don’t wear socks or underwear – Most of us wear a pair of socks every day, right? Along with underwear, it’s the most washed part of our wardrobe. Look through your laundry each week and pick out these items, then see how big your pile of clothes really is. How much could you save each week in laundry if you just didn’t wear these undergarments? Of course, ignore the chafing and smelly shoes.


4. Go old-school for your phone – Don’t have a cell phone or wired phone. Just use a pay phone down at the corner. That’s what we call Amish.


5. Don’t bathe – Surprisingly, some colleagues who make over $100,000 per year also think showering, or at least deodorant, is optional. I doubt you’ll get far in your professional, or even personal, life without bathing, but it will certaintly save you a wad of cash in soap, shampoo, water, sewer, and dining out bills. Why dining out bills? Cause you would be thrown out of every joint you step foot in.

Hope you enjoyed these XTREME savings tips. If you decide to practice any of the hygiene-related ones, then please don’t come near me. Thanks.

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Comments

  1. Stingy Student says

    January 22, 2007 at 5:37 pm

    Personally, I use option #5 quite frequently. Of course its practicality depends on how much BO you produce. I don’t produce too much…. or so I think.

    Reply
  2. 1mil says

    January 23, 2007 at 11:36 pm

    ROFLMAO! Wow you wouldn’t like me one bit. I buy new socks regularly. lol.

    1mil

    Reply
  3. Single Guy says

    February 6, 2007 at 9:47 pm

    Hmmm, the only one I would consider (and actually do) is the one with the paper towels. At work they have the paper towels in the bathrooms to dry your hands after you wash. I dry my hands and ball up the paper and take it home in my bag. They’re great for when you are cleaning windows or for large clean ups around the house. (But washing and hanging them out to dry??? – Give me a break)

    Reply
  4. Champion Cheapskate says

    March 19, 2007 at 1:30 am

    . . .but wash your hands. Help prevent colds, illiness and health problems.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. » 84th Carnival of Personal Finance  on Blueprint for Financial Prosperity says:
    January 22, 2007 at 8:27 am

    […] Clever Dude presents 5 Xtreme Saving Ideas! Warning: May be a little gross. […]

    Reply
  2. The Frugal Law Student - » 5 Xtreme Saving Ideas says:
    February 7, 2007 at 9:27 am

    […] Clever Dude made a list of five extreme ways one can save money. […]

    Reply
  3. Carnival of Personal Finance #84 at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity at Clever Dude says:
    March 14, 2007 at 3:47 pm

    […] get to re-read my article about “5 Xtreme Savings Ideas” and catch up on everything else going on with other personal finance […]

    Reply
  4. 5 Xtreme Saving Ideas | The Frugal Law Student says:
    May 19, 2007 at 2:14 am

    […] If you’re new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!Clever Dude made a list of five extreme ways one can save money. […]

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