Confess! What are some frugal things you do that you wouldn't tell your friends?

**Shell** · 12-28-2002, 10:14 PM

How frugal can you get? Do you do some frugal things that you wouldn't even tell your family or your friends? Who out there dumpster dives or re-gifts? Anyone one brave enough to tell their real secret frugal tricks?

We won't tell.

**TheCottageRose** · 12-28-2002, 10:37 PM

I dumpster dive and drive a few nieghborhood a step ahead of the trash truck to pick stuff up.

I'm probably sick to do that...but, I consider that my private joy. And I am picky about what I take....like the antique table for my bedroom.

Most of my friends make too much money to even relate to my frugality. ...much less my need to go to a garage sale. Geeze! How gauche!

When they talk about dropping $200 for scrap booking or quilt material I nod like that's just what we all do. When it sits in they closet and gets shuffled around I make jokes about noting it in their wills for me to finish for them.

I hate it when I hear '16' tell someone how I spend hours making lists, comparing to LLs, then he and I go 'own' the stores. No one even understands what he is saying, much less get the concept. He makes me sound like a mad scientist on a mission. Kinda like that Disneyworld lady and her little souvenier? That's how I feel when he 'shares' the concepts.

When he makes a huge deal out of a sale at Kohl's it is embarrassing....not sure why that is, maybe because he is getting things he had to wait on. Maybe because he can peel the paint off the walls with his deep loud voice, is 6'3" and the size of a linebacker?

I am a private person, I don't share much of myself with just ANYone, well, except you guys.

**heaven** · 12-28-2002, 10:44 PM

I haven't dumpster dived in eons, i see nothing wrong with grabbing something if some one has left out though. My friends *all 2 of them.* know i am totally broke, so they expect it from me. I do love yard sales, and if there is one here in town everyone goes. *well except to mine*. regifting, I do all the time, expecally really neat things i find at yard sales. matter of fact everyone expect my brother got something i found at yard sales.

.

**mustang80** · 12-28-2002, 10:44 PM

I've re-gifted before. Sometimes I buy gifts from yard sales. Only new, or like new items, not dirty old junk-lol. I don't care what other people think. DH family already has enough to say about our small house. They keep telling us we have to move. None of their beeswax.

**TheCottageRose** · 12-28-2002, 10:51 PM

Good for you Danielle!!!

Back when Amy D wrote her first newsletter I had a frugal friend who I thought had lost her mind....she lived in a tiny duplex with three kids, G-saled, wouldn't take that new van her hubby wanted for her to have.....if the old car needed repair it came out of her Grocery money.

In three years on $28/year income and the medical bills with those babies back to back and their pediatric bills, she had save $20K....They then bought a distressed but professionally repaired, 3 yr old home with 5 bedrooms...In a VERY nice location. That is when I stopped laughing and began thinking about her expertise....you hang in there!!

Edited to add: I wasn't laughing as much as I just thought she was a little 'off'...now I know who was 'off'.

**homesteadmamma** · 12-28-2002, 11:02 PM

Most of my friends don't know how frugal we really are and I don't plan on telling them.

We do most everything AmyD did and then probably more. The few friends I have (other than here) make more money than we'd have ever made and they aren't into frugality at all and would think we've lost it if they knew half of what we do. So I don't tell them.

We've dumpster dived, gave gifts that we've purchased at yard sales, and imagine, all our gifts this year were homemade except for a couple of books and one game for the family.

As for my family, they don't say much. They know better!!

I'm with Danielle, its none of their beeswax!!!

**Lori Biever-Launder** · 12-29-2002, 02:10 AM

I gave several like new garage sale items this year for gifts. I love to garage sale! I also like to give food for gifts. I made gift baskets for my inlaws, sil and my sister with video store gift cards attached. Everyone loved them and we spent very little. Hey, I bought nearly everything (including the baskets!) at the dollar store!

The dollar store is my favorite retail place to buy! I LOVE that place!

**captclearance** · 12-29-2002, 06:45 AM

I know what you mean CJ, most people don't know how cheep I really am.... I re-gift, give gifts from yard sales and eastate sales, find great things at the curbside mall, but the thing I took more heat over is "rinsing out zip-lock baggies" My friend and dh gave me greif for years, I don't reuse the yucky ones, or the ones that had meat, but I have a ton of craft supplies in recycled bags.... I reuse lots of containers ........ It's an Earth thing too......

**Patchworkgirl** · 12-29-2002, 07:54 AM

I'm with you Melissa- way too private to discuss any of this with my friends. I really do wish that I had a close friend that shared my frugal interests, but when I have even tried to mention it to anyone, they just poopah it, and say they are way to busy to do stuff like that. My kids for the most part are extremely proud that I get such good bargains, but they are embarrassed by the process sometimes. When I smuggle in candy and drinks at the movie theatre they want to crawl under the seats. I say tough. It's better than eating no candy at all- cause I'm not paying the theatre's prices. We are usually there with free tickets- from reward programs I do, etc. You know, it's expensive to live nowadays, and anything I can do to help us have a great quality of life, without having to go in credit card debt, is ok by me. Danielle- we live in a 1200 sq. foot house- all five of us. Is it small?- you bet. But it's what we can afford right now, so we are making due, and it's not killing us in the least. If I wanted to go back to work full time, we could buy that bigger house, but I'm not willing to give up the time I'm here with my teenagers for a bigger house.

**Mom23boys** · 12-29-2002, 03:27 PM

I have some friends that know, and then there are a few who don't.

I do re-gift, garage sale, thrift store shop, coupon, but I never dumpster dived (only because there are none close to me...lol).

DH thought I was crazy for a while until he saw all the money I saved. Now he uses coupons and looks for sales. The boys even ask, "do you have a coupon for this?"

One lady I work with usually asks when we are eating lunch, "did you buy that with a coupon?" Of course, I smile and say, yes of course I did!"

**Darlene** · 12-29-2002, 03:38 PM

I rinse out zip- lockbags too.

Only my family knows how frugal I am. Dh comes from a frugal family so he learned how to fix things most people throw away. Lots of times something just needs a good cleaning.Kids do tease me for reusing so many things but I bet you they will be doing it when they get older. They are starting to like using coupons for fast food,movies etc. They used to be embarassed to do it. It's nice to save money.

**halo475** · 12-29-2002, 03:48 PM

I cut open toothpaste tubes to get the last little bit out-We can get almost another week out of a tube I cut open-But I would NEVER tell my RL friends that I do it!! They think I am too "cheap" as it is!! LOL

**guest2** · 12-29-2002, 03:49 PM

A good portion of our gifts this year were either free offers, drastically reduced clearance items, bought with online coupons and sales, bought at yard sales or homemade. My BIL was thrilled with the US Postal bicycle racing team poster I got him for Christmas (he used to race bikes himself) and no, I did not tell him I got it free! LOL!

**heaven** · 12-29-2002, 04:23 PM

I have to brush my teeth and if it is late at night i need toothpaste i cut that tub up too. *if you mention you need to get toothpaste while your having your teeth cleaned. they give you samples. LOL

!!!!!!!
I reuse alot of stuff also, and If i can find something nice at a yard sale you bet i buy it and give it away. All of my baskets were yard sale things this year. *most i paid for any one was .25. I gave out 4 movie baskets and everyone that recieved one was so thrilled with it. *so was I total cost was probably 12. to 15$ each. I don't care what everyone else thinks.

**MANDERS** · 12-30-2002, 08:18 AM

I've never dumpster dived,but I have been known to go the recycling bins for the sunday paper,have found tons of coupons this way.Esp those ones that are freebies.I also regift which I will never tell anyone but you guys cause well no one would probably ever give us anything ever again lol.I also wash out baggies.