Are You Too Frugal?
Don’t you find it interesting that when you say you are trying to be frugal, you get some of the strangest looks, well it’s not for everyone, however, are you too frugal?
You know you’re frugal when you…
… go window shopping at the thrift store.
…keep trying to reuse that glob of sticky stuff with which the fake credit card was attached to the sales material.
…take the long way through the parking lot back to the car in hopes that you’ll find money on the ground.
…try to find ways to “make do” until the next sale on toilet paper.
…estimate how long you’ll be gone from a room so you’ll know whether it’s cheaper to turn out the light or leave it on to avoid a spike in electric consumption.
…lightly use the eraser on your pencil so you won’t use it up before the pencil is used up.
…refuse to resharpen a pencil until the lead wears almost to the wood.
…save the elastic from your old underwear to use on your new (homemade) underwear.
…take your shoes off when you come into the house for the purpose of saving wear on them.
…save thread from the seams of clothes you’re cutting up for rags – to darn your socks.
…use saved fast food ketchup to flavor soup, and put a little water in the package to get the last of it out.
…save the salt in the bottom of pretzel bags to reuse.
…won’t take a shower when it’s dark to save on the electricity it takes to light the bathroom.
…go to bed an hour early to save on electricity.
…you rejoice when the electric blanket goes out because now you have all that wire to tie up tomatoes or make a mini clothesline. (Of course you remove it carefully; you’ll still use the blanket to keep warm.)
…plan your children to be born after Christmas and before New Year’s so you can take the full deduction for them for that year without having the expense.
I personally, do walk with my head down to keep an eye out for money on the ground, I also check vending machine and pay telephone slots to coins as well.
I also take my shoes off when I go into the house, primarily, because I hate the cleaning bills for carpet but also shoes are restricting to me, I’d go barefoot all the time if I could.
I do grab ketchup packets and save them, since they never have any around work to use. Same with salt and pepper packets as well.
I bring home extra packets of ketchup, salt and jelly to use at home, but I am not so frugal that I put water in those silly ketchup packets. I have gone several weeks w/o buying a bottle of ketchup, while just used those little packets.
I do try to figure out whether or not it is worth it to turn off lights – although I don’t have a formula regarding the pennies saved. I see it more as a conservation issue.
Its a funny list, but its sad to know that I have done some of these things at one time or another in my life.
I was ate all the salt at the bottom of the pretzal bag and was sick for a full night and day- a way to get out of work, but not the brightest way.
“…save thread from the seams of clothes you’re cutting up for rags – to darn your socks.”
I… um… save threads from frayed fabric edges on sewing projects to embroider on other sewing projects. I had this red material that frayed a lot after cutting- and I love to do redwork. It only made sense to put the stry thread in a ziploc baggie for redwork embroidery later on. (PS- I sold dozens of wallhangings made with the frayed thread at our company craft sale last year. I made enough money to basically finance Christmas spending).