Being a little thrifty is a good thing if you want to reach financial stability. However, some people are ready to go the extra mile for this purpose. From using one light bulb for the whole house, to living off free things taken from work, to making sure no one owes you a single penny. At one point, these people can turn every money-saving situation into an absurd way of life.
Bright Side has overheard some stories of extremely frugal people, and we can’t wait to share them with you!
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- When I worked on computers in town, I went to numerous calls of people complaining about their Internet not working. The Internet stopped working because their neighbor finally decided to secure their own Wi-Fi. © pakidara / reddit
- I waitressed for a banquet-style meal for 25 people one night which was supposed to be $25 per person. I saw how the woman who organized the party accepted at least $30 from each person (often more because they thought they were tipping us) and she used this money to pay the bill (obviously). Then she pocketed the rest of it and never tipped us out. © imanalligator7 / reddit
- When my dad moved into his house, a man came over to do a free demonstration for an under sink water filter. This man used a bar of soap for his demonstration and left it when he was done. My dad called at least 4 other companies for a free demonstration just to be able to keep the free bar of soap, and never intended to have a water filter installed. © unknown / reddit
- My sister would only buy one lightbulb, unscrew it, and take it around to whatever room she was using. © intox_shadowz / reddit
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- My mom bought a box of Q-tips at a drugstore and later found out they went on sale. She then proceeded to drive all the way back to the store, returned the Q-tips, and bought them again for the sale price. She saved $0.50. © I_am_math_girl / reddit
- Dad gave me $50 one night when I was headed to town to hang with some friends. I refused it, but he insisted. Fine, I took it and spent it. Then 2 days later on the way to take me to the airport, he stopped at the bank. I asked why we were stopping there. He replied, “…to get back the $50 I lent you.” © unknown / reddit
- My dad was scheduled to get a hip replacement and the day before the operation I came home to find him mowing the lawn with a push mower. He was grimacing in pain and his face was red. When I asked him why he was mowing he replied, “I’m getting a new hip so I wanted to wear the old one out and save the new one a mow.” © Samefag__I / reddit
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- My uncle put $5 in a busker’s guitar case… then took change. © AnastasiaSheppard / reddit
- A friend of mine used to work at a gas station. Once, I stopped by to fill up my car. A man walked in, took a soda, and dug in his pocket for change. He realized that he didn’t have enough, so he went over to the penny tray, took all the change, and counted it out right there. There was enough money to buy a candy bar too, so he did. In the end, he took the rest of the change with him. © exspasticcomics / reddit
- My old boss took coffee stirrer sticks, napkins, knives, and forks from fast-food restaurants and tried to sell them to employees to use in the break room. © jumpy_monkey / reddit
- When I was 19, I was working abroad and took an emergency flight back home to say my final goodbyes to my mom before taking her off of life support. My dad offered to loan me $5 for the hospital cafeteria which I could pay back once I had time to go get cash. © ThrowAway_biologist / reddit
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- I used to work at a resort. A server came over to me and mentioned that the lady at one of his tables was on her second glass of iced tea, and that the appetizers weren’t even ready yet. I replied, “So what, she’s probably thirsty.” A few minutes later the server comes back and informs me the lady has a gallon Ziploc plastic bag in her purse and she’s pouring her iced tea in there, saving it to take home later. © disgustipated / reddit
- One morning, a couple joined us for breakfast. We have coffee pots on each table, and we sell the cup for $1.50, all the coffee you can drink. They order one cup. The man poured himself a cup, drank it, then filled the cup for her. She drank it, then passed it back to him. This went on for their entire meal. © disgustipated / reddit
- 15 years ago I worked with a man in a place with free coffee, cookies, sodas, etc. Every day he would take handfuls of coffee creamers home for his cereal in the morning. He was a single guy in a very good paying job (around $80,000 per year), and he wouldn’t spend a cent of his own money on anything if he could help it. Once we were on a vendor-sponsored golf tourney and the vendor said that we could have whatever we wanted from the course clubhouse shack. This man took about $100 worth of beef jerky. © PointyWombat / reddit
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- A family I know is well-known for being cheap. One day, we were having a gathering of families and requested that everyone bring some food. We brought 4 large bowls of salad, while other people brought hot dogs, burgers, pizza, cake, etc. This family brought a bowl of around 15 small mushrooms they picked from their driveway before coming over. Apparently they were edible, but I didn’t try any. © ThePerdmeister / reddit
- While on a ski trip, our group of friends went out to get dinner. We all had drinks and cheaper meals, except one friend who ordered a steak, and expensive beverages. When the check came, he had the nerve to suggest splitting the bill equally to make it easier. His meal was 4 times more expensive than mine. © Nemo1ner / reddit
- My aunt and uncle were visiting with their 2 kids. My uncle asked me if I wanted to go to Friendly’s for ice cream. He bought himself and his 2 kids ice cream, then asked if I had money for myself. I was 9 so I did not have any money. “Too bad,” he replied and started walking back to his car. I realized that he just needed me for directions. Thespud1979 / reddit
Have you ever met people who’ve done something like this? Let’s share our stories in the comment section!
