Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.   Words to live by. I buy a lot of things from the thrift store that are perfectly fine, even some of my clothes. I buy a lot of craft supplies and fabric that would cost me a lot of money, new.  But an old silk dress makes just great pieces for crafts or a crazy quilt. I buy baskets to fill with things for gifts. It is amazing. I have found jadeite, old enamel pans, feista ware, all kinds of wonderful things.

I have a hair style that does not demand much upkeep and cook from scratch. It is almost as easy to cook from scratch as it is to open up one of those boxes or cans filled with sodium and a whole lot cheaper.

I grow a garden and freeze a lot of veggies. I have been known to have garage sales and sell some stuff on eBay.

I do all this so I can stay home and make a warm place and not just a house for my husband  to come home too.There is music and lights and someone home for him. Usualy nice smells from the kitchen and a warm smile from me.  When we first got married, my husband said he felt so sorry for his brother because he had to come home to a cold dark, and lonely house at night because his wife had to work. I decided I would do whatever it took to be able to stay home. Being thrifty has allowed me to do that. It is a good trade off in a world where everything is a trade off of one kind or another.

What's considered cheap is going to vary enormously from person to person, we all have our own habits and standards. It's worth considering even the "fanatical" however, as it can remind us to take a fresh look at our habits.  

A really frugal person wouldn't split open a tube of toothpaste to get the last bit, they'd make their own powdered toothpaste and save having a tube to throw away.  

A fanatic would skip the toothbrush and use a splintered twig.

One of my standard frugal tricks is to save my bathwash lotion bottle, then refill it from a new one only 1/4 of the way up--filling the rest with water.  Watering it down allows me to easily use a lesser amount just as effectively.  And since I use less, I don't feel bad about spending a bit more for a brand I really love.

I live the good life, but believe in cutting expenses when possible.  I love dinner bogo coupons!  We only attend the movie (first run) on Wed. when they're $4.25 and include a popcorn.  We take our own soda.  I groom our long haired cats myself & keep their teeth brushed.  I also clip their nails  (Savings of about $400/year).  Because of this I am able to purchase premium cat food and good litter.

I cut open the toothpaste tubes & get that last bit out.  I use vinegat/water to clean faucets & windows.  Bleach/water is terrific for the toilet & sink.

I do enjoy wine & found a great bottle of reisling for $6.79, so I purchase one weekly, I used to spend $9.99.

 Instead of eating breakfast out on Sat & Sunday, we eat at home at least 3 weekends a month.  Savings of approximately $1,560 per year!

I check eBay for deals and shop at garage sales for things to sell on eBay.   I got a p/t job at Kohl's just for the holiday discount in addition to the sales.

My paperbacks are purchased at half-price books, loaned to a friend, returned to me and traded in at another p.b. place at three for two.  

My neighbor buys People weekly, I just ask her for it when she's finished.  

Hotels:  I always ask for a discounted rate & are usually successful.

~~~We're far from poor, but these savings add up & we're able to go to Europe on vacations every other year without a penny from our own pockets~~~

What I remember was being very poor in college.  It makes you creative.  Lots of spaghetti, pancake mix while waiting for payday, chicken thighs - never breast meat - and clothing from thrift stores and a now defunct place called The Fashion Gal (don't ask).  I now have a good job but those habits linger.  I wash out the ziplocs for an extra use, strangle the toothpaste tube, buy used books (I hate torturing my library), and eat most meals at home.  It hadn't occurred to me that eating breakfast at home most weekends was different.  I vow never to pay full price for anything and have just recently considered how long it might actually take to wear out - yes, wear out - the clothing in my closet.  I don't think any of us would live long enough to actually wear out our clothing.  Something to consider.......

Frugal, fine.  Even acts that are a bit extreme in some eyes, fine.  But riding in the trunk?  NO.  Not only is it illegal to ride in the trunk, it's extremely dangerous.  What happens if his wife is in an accident, the safety release latch is broken as a result of the accident, and he can't get out of the car?  Or if he's knocked unconscious and the car is towed with him still in the trunk as his wife is transported to hospital?  Or if there's a traffic problem and he's breathing the exhaust fumes as the car creeps down the highway at 5 mph?  

The cost of a ticket for having an unrestrained passenger is considerably more than the cost of driving his own car to his wife's party.  And why couldn't he hitch a ride with a friend going from the same area?

There's frugal and then there's stupid.  This falls into the latter category.

I make well into six figures.  I agree that frugality has multiple dimensions.  I do my best to minimize the amount of stuff that's passed through my hands and that later ends up permanently planted in the earth in a land fill.  We'd all deal with stuff very differently if it we planted in our OWN back yards and if we had to drink the water that it contaminates.  Being mindful about our impact on the earth is a choice.  Frugality is about spending our money--life energy--wisely.   Have you ever read Your Money or Your Life?  

One of my former employees, a rafting guide in Colorado, harvests FRESH road kill deer. This is just one percent of the ways this guy lives without a job. He gardens, catches fish, burns wood for heat, crews on sailboats around the world for free, rides buses all over Mexico, uses credit card offers to get tons of free miles for flights,  sleeps on the beaches in a hammock, eats fresh fruit  out of the public markets, harvests bananas , mangos, coconuts ,etc. for free on the coast in Panama with a machete. Eats $1.50 breakfast, lunch, and dinner at tons of local restaurants throughout Central America. I know. I do it too. Not the deer deal ;I bring chicken down to his cabin on the San Juan River in Colorado on venison night... Conservation is a lifestyle that you can take to an art and beat the system... live life not a job. Go native. Takes courage when no one around you is doin' it, though. Remember, as Thoreau said." Most men live lives of quiet desperation. Simplify, simplify, simplify." I hate to admit it when so many are suffering in this economic debacle, but my monthly expenses are actually lower now and life cheaper. Stay out of debt....follow your dreams. for when you do, "the Universe conspires to help you" Paolo Coelho. Ciao.

OK WD, now there are a lot of people offended. I am on welfare and I don't feel that you live any better than I do. Although I feel that this is none of your business, I will tell you why I am on welfare. My husband, who is under 40, will be dead in less than 5 years from heart disease, and I don't want to spend this time with him at work. So, I work part-time.

I shop at thrift stores and yard sales because it is FUN. You never know what you'll find! I once bought a Prada purse at a yard sale for $5 - the lady that sold it said it didn't match any of her shoes. I crochet my own blankets. I make my own quilts. I cook from scratch. I cut my own hair and everyone else's in the house. I cut napkins out of paper towels. I ride a bike to work when the weather is nice.  I do these things because I enjoy doing them. And, these are skills my children can learn now, and put to use when they are adults. WD, do you know someone who can't sew on a button or make a pie crust? It's a shame to depend on the dry cleaners and the grocery store for things you can do yourself.

Why am I frugal? First, it's better for the environment. I don't buy paper plates because I own a set of dishes. I water down shampoo/body wash so I don't buy as much which means less plastic bottles. I recycle for two reasons - good for the environment and my city buys metals/plastics/papers. I am also frugal because I enjoy getting a good deal, and getting my money's worth. My being frugal has nothing to do with getting food stamps! The people I see at the welfare office dress better than I do, and drive nicer cars.

Living this way means money stretches just fine between paydays. This is a lifestyle choice of not being wasteful, and keeping the earth in mind.

And by the way, I also have a college degree, and more sense than to compare being frugal to being on welfare. Stop lumping every person on welfare into the same category!

Guaro, I'm right there with you!Living in belize on the beach were the happiest days of my life.I went into extreme culture shock when I returned to america.Unbelievable the way things are wasted, and the amount of cash spent on stuff you don;t need.

I should know as I was raised in a very well off family.Living in central america was the best thing that ever happened to me, the BIG wake up call.Changed my life.I got used to no AC, fresh, real food  etc.Learned to do most everything myself and not accumulate alot of waste in the process.No city services there,only cistern, well, and burn your trash.

I still have my little house there and hope to take my son, can;t do it just yet as my ex husband won;t agree to it but in a few years who knows? I hope someday to rent out cabannas on the beach.Right now I'm in the USA and living belizian. I get ribbed about it all the time but I'm way better off than alot of unhappy peopleI know who hate their jobs.They complain to me allllthe time,and they think I'm lucky too!I'm with live your life, not a job.LIVE your DREAM folks,makeit happen.

I once met an old  women who told me she "save"money by using her own underwear as a wash cloth everytime she shower.I think is too extreme

She is dead now, I know she didn't have a lot money but I knew she had enough money to buy soap. Being frugal sometimes translates to bitterness, if you can enjoy what you do have what is the point of have it.