The "I'm not frugal, I'm cheap. " thread...

[Trigger Time]

If you don't pay interest on credit cards, you can earn money on every dollar you spend if it's a points card. 5% cash back is significant if you put everything you can on a card and then pay it off.

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This.

My company doesnt provide me an expense account so I must purchase my own crap and get reimbursed. I was annoyed until I got a rewards Amex. This particular one is a Hilton Honors card, and I havent paid for a single hotel room in 10 years for my personal travels. And I havent paid a dime in interest either.

The absolute BEST score was my 2 night stay down in KY for the solar eclipse. I redeemed my rewards 9 months prior when it was first announced before it became a "thing". I literally jumped into my account and made reservations immediately after hearing about it on the news.
Talking to the manager during my stay, his rack rate was going for almost $400/night due to demand. And that was one of the coolest things I have ever seen.

This! We put everything on a cash back credit card. EVERYTHING, utilities, food, insurance, taxes go on the card. Credit card balance is paid in full each month. Cash back (points) is saved until the end of year and is used for Christmas.

This was not the type of credit card usage I was commenting on. If you are disciplined to pay off your credit card each month and have basicly a 30 day interest free loan with cash back and rewards to boot then sure, go for it, if you will pay it off.
As I was replying to, the people who use them and pay huge interest fees are getting taken to the cleaners and they stood in line willingly to do it.

 

[Trigger Time]

Never saw this thread before, but I'm glad I ran into it.
Only got to read the 1st two pages and the last two, and it will be fun.

I learned to live on less than my income when my wife quit teaching to have the kids, and I was cheap/thrifty to begin with so it really taught me how to "live w/o."
I never had cable till I was driven to it when everyone had to go to the "boxes."
I did the $10/mo. local cable and got sucked in over the years when I got a taste of what I was missing.
I plan to go to "Sling" when my rates go up again.
My daughter and husband make a good living but they cut the cable and just have internet and use other TV streaming avenues.
My 33 yr. old son had never had cable, just internet. Did I do a good job raising them, or what?

It is surprising what you can live w/o by waiting to pay cash to buy something: harder to part with that long-saved pile of cash.
I have a teacher friend who bought a 65 inch TV with all the trimmings for about $3500 yrs. ago: credit card.
About 3-4 years ago I bought a 55 inch TV for $400 from Best Buy: paid cash. (this was after everyone laughing about my 32 inch tube TV that would not die).
I finally had an ancient 25 inch tube TV in the bedroom die and moved the 32 inch into there and had an excuse to get a "modern" TV.
The wife has a 13 yr. old Corolla we bought new that I am waiting to die b/c we both want a small SUV (unfortunately we think I may die first ).
My roadster convertible is 14 yrs. old (Honda S2000), and I just told the wife to use it as a coffin since it isn't going to wear out.
I am cheap, but if I have to buy something I research and get long-lasting things.
Just bought 4 appliances for my kitchen awhile back (bought a house with originals in it) and I paid about the same for all that my daughter did for just her 'fridge.
She doensn't share my approach to $$.
My son is worse than I am, and I always warned him how it would be tough to married and she not be on the same page economically.
He got married last summer and she is cheap beyond measure and he is the "spend-thrift" now, according to her.
They do better (accountant and a nurse) than my wife could ever dream of, and yet they know the secret: live below your means.
Tranlsation: live like you only make 1 income and save/invest the rest (like paying your house off in 15 yrs. instead of 30 yrs.): try it, you'll like it!

REPPED! AND Bingo! Live below your means not above it.

 

[PGRChaplain]

Quit going to Starbucks!

 

[jamil]

This is more about my dad and his “tools”. He was admirably frugal, very handy, and could fix about anything, but sometimes annoyingly cheap.

I inherited his tools, which included an assortment of cheap screwdrivers bent and ground to various shapes, sacrificed undoubtedly for the greater need at the time. Need a small wood chisel? Don’t go buy one. Take one of those many 99 cent made in Asia with the unwashed ***** smelling grips, and grind out what you need. Because if you have a grinder, you can make a screwdriver look a kinda like a chisel. Need an awl? Eh, you can grind one of those cheap ass philips head into a pretty good point. You’re good to go for a use or two, but don’t worry, when you wear down the point you’ve got plenty of shaft to grind out a new point.

Of course there was a “heavy duty” cheap ass torque wrench that doubled use as a breaker bar, therefore rendering it for exclusive duty as a breaker bar. Until it breaks. But: keep it in the tool box because you never know what you’ll need to make it into. First time Intried to use it as a torque wrench it fell apart. C’mon dad. Thow it away. It’s like a wet dream, “Yes, there’s a torque wrench in the box!”, only to wake up to the mess that is a broken torque wrench that he used for other purposes.

I loved and admired my dad. But I kinda wish he’d have adopted the principles of using the right tool for the job, and buying tools that last. I hope to leave my son not shaking his head at my tool collection.

 

[thunderchicken]

This is more about my dad and his “tools”. He was admirably frugal, very handy, and could fix about anything, but sometimes annoyingly cheap.

I inherited his tools, which included an assortment of cheap screwdrivers bent and ground to various shapes, sacrificed undoubtedly for the greater need at the time. Need a small wood chisel? Don’t go buy one. Take one of those many 99 cent made in Asia with the unwashed ***** smelling grips, and grind out what you need. Because if you have a grinder, you can make a screwdriver look a kinda like a chisel. Need an awl? Eh, you can grind one of those cheap ass philips head into a pretty good point. You’re good to go for a use or two, but don’t worry, when you wear down the point you’ve got plenty of shaft to grind out a new point.

Of course there was a “heavy duty” cheap ass torque wrench that doubled use as a breaker bar, therefore rendering it for exclusive duty as a breaker bar. Until it breaks. But: keep it in the tool box because you never know what you’ll need to make it into. First time Intried to use it as a torque wrench it fell apart. C’mon dad. Thow it away. It’s like a wet dream, “Yes, there’s a torque wrench in the box!”, only to wake up to the mess that is a broken torque wrench that he used for other purposes.

I loved and admired my dad. But I kinda wish he’d have adopted the principles of using the right tool for the job, and buying tools that last. I hope to leave my son not shaking his head at my tool collection.

My grandfather was like that. He awlays had ice cream buckets full cheapo tools. He kept his Craftsman stuff in a tool box but everything else was in those ice cream buckets on top of the work bench. And there were several broken tools just laying around.

 

[HoughMade]

Quit going to Starbucks!

I refuse. I'd have to start going there first.

 

[JettaKnight]

I refuse. I'd have to start going there first.

I went to one once in 1999... you know, that's what I'd tell my teenage self: "You're going to want some breakfast before the trade show in San Francisco. The Starbucks looks like it might state your hunger - but there's a cost..."

 

[churchmouse]

This is more about my dad and his “tools”. He was admirably frugal, very handy, and could fix about anything, but sometimes annoyingly cheap.

I inherited his tools, which included an assortment of cheap screwdrivers bent and ground to various shapes, sacrificed undoubtedly for the greater need at the time. Need a small wood chisel? Don’t go buy one. Take one of those many 99 cent made in Asia with the unwashed ***** smelling grips, and grind out what you need. Because if you have a grinder, you can make a screwdriver look a kinda like a chisel. Need an awl? Eh, you can grind one of those cheap ass philips head into a pretty good point. You’re good to go for a use or two, but don’t worry, when you wear down the point you’ve got plenty of shaft to grind out a new point.

Of course there was a “heavy duty” cheap ass torque wrench that doubled use as a breaker bar, therefore rendering it for exclusive duty as a breaker bar. Until it breaks. But: keep it in the tool box because you never know what you’ll need to make it into. First time Intried to use it as a torque wrench it fell apart. C’mon dad. Thow it away. It’s like a wet dream, “Yes, there’s a torque wrench in the box!”, only to wake up to the mess that is a broken torque wrench that he used for other purposes.

I loved and admired my dad. But I kinda wish he’d have adopted the principles of using the right tool for the job, and buying tools that last. I hope to leave my son not shaking his head at my tool collection.

My old man totally but he never really used any of his tools. He just had them. I did not take much of anything beyond sand paper and other such supplies. Lots of assorted screws bolts nuts and washers. Most just hit the trash can. Way to much work to sort out and yes.....all of my stuff is sorted.

 

[jamil]

My old man totally but he never really used any of his tools. He just had them. I did not take much of anything beyond sand paper and other such supplies. Lots of assorted screws bolts nuts and washers. Most just hit the trash can. Way to much work to sort out and yes.....all of my stuff is sorted.

My dad used his tools a lot. "Customized" his tools a lot too. I found what used to be a flat head screw driver that had a 90 deg bend maybe an inch from the tip, and he had ground the tip into a V shape. I have no idea what he used it for, but dang that thing is good for scraping crud from tight corners. Maybe that's what he used it for.

 

[jamil]

I went to one once in 1999... you know, that's what I'd tell my teenage self: "You're going to want some breakfast before the trade show in San Francisco. The Starbucks looks like it might state your hunger - but there's a cost..."

Eh, when in Rome drink what the Romans drink. In-laws like Starbucks. Whatever. I can put up with mediocre coffee for a few days here and there. I mean, I only see them once or twice a year.

 

[churchmouse]

My dad used his tools a lot. "Customized" his tools a lot too. I found what used to be a flat head screw driver that had a 90 deg bend maybe an inch from the tip, and he had ground the tip into a V shape. I have no idea what he used it for, but dang that thing is good for scraping crud from tight corners. Maybe that's what he used it for.

I have more than a few specialized tools in the box. Some only used once but they were used. Most were made from Craftsman pieces. I do have a few Snap on pieces that were "Altered" to work on race cars.

We are tooled up to do about anything to a lot of things. Carpentry/cars/boats/motor cycles/you name it. We have worked on it at some point.

 

[HoughMade]

I have more than a few specialized tools in the box. Some only used once but they were used. Most were made from Craftsman pieces. I do have a few Snap on pieces that were "Altered" to work on race cars.

We are tooled up to do about anything to a lot of things. Carpentry/cars/boats/motor cycles/you name it. We have worked on it at some point.

I've got this pair of stubby Craftsman 15mm wrenches, one box end and one open end....and a Sawzall.

 

[thunderchicken]

I have more than a few specialized tools in the box. Some only used once but they were used. Most were made from Craftsman pieces. I do have a few Snap on pieces that were "Altered" to work on race cars.

We are tooled up to do about anything to a lot of things. Carpentry/cars/boats/motor cycles/you name it. We have worked on it at some point.

I hear ya man. We have a garage full of mostly dads tools/equipment ...stored in my old Matco 3 bay tool box, bins full of parts & pieces. Then I've got my Snap on box full of over priced Snap on, Mac, Matco, Craftsman among other brand tools. All are used regularly and have made many memories and kept bellys fed. I have wondered what I will do with some of it when I retire though. I have a stepson but reality is I have to describe what kind of pliers I want when I send him to grab a pair of channel locks or vise grips etc. I have tried but that boy is not of my loins and he doesn't know a phillips from a flat head screw driver. I mean NO mechanical ability.

 

[doddg]

I hear ya man. We have a garage full of mostly dads tools/equipment ...stored in my old Matco 3 bay tool box, bins full of parts & pieces. Then I've got my Snap on box full of over priced Snap on, Mac, Matco, Craftsman among other brand tools. All are used regularly and have made many memories and kept bellys fed. I have wondered what I will do with some of it when I retire though. I have a stepson but reality is I have to describe what kind of pliers I want when I send him to grab a pair of channel locks or vise grips etc. I have tried but that boy is not of my loins and he doesn't know a phillips from a flat head screw driver. I mean NO mechanical ability.

1. One of my fathers (story for another day, that mostly raised me, not my real Dad), worked as an electrician at a cement company in Zanesville, OH.
2. He would buy 1 tool every week on his way home from work.
3. We had what I would call a huge tool shed plus a garage full of tools.
4. We did it all. He had a cement mixer and we poured tons of it over 2 decades.
5. We had pipe threaders and knew how to use them.
6. When I took some sort of test for the armed services at 17 yrs. old, I remember scoring high in mechanical aptitude b/c I knew what all the tools were on the test: thanks, Dad!

 

[churchmouse]

1. One of my fathers (story for another day, that mostly raised me, not my real Dad), worked as an electrician at a cement company in Zanesville, OH.
2. He would buy 1 tool every week on his way home from work.
3. We had what I would call a huge tool shed plus a garage full of tools.
4. We did it all. He had a cement mixer and we poured tons of it over 2 decades.
5. We had pipe threaders and knew how to use them.
6. When I took some sort of test for the armed services at 17 yrs. old, I remember scoring high in mechanical aptitude b/c I knew what all the tools were on the test: thanks, Dad!

Speaking of Military testing my niece did so well on her rifle skills tests they were wondering WTF. She had an AR in her grasp from about 12 years old.

 

[thunderchicken]

Speaking of Military testing my niece did so well on her rifle skills tests they were wondering WTF. She had an AR in her grasp from about 12 years old.

That is awesome

 

[doddg]

Speaking of Military testing my niece did so well on her rifle skills tests they were wondering WTF. She had an AR in her grasp from about 12 years old.

1. I can't quit smiling!
2. About the only thing I can brag about with influence is both my 33 and 39 yr. old kids drive convertible, manual sport cars.
3. I taught one on a 79 MG and the other in a Wrangler.

 

[Ericpwp]

This is my kind of thread!

 

[SAILORGOLF46]

I am not a bulls eye shooter only torso. So I use 8.5X11 cheap copy paper with a sharpie dot in the center. About $3.00 per 250 sheets at the discount stores.

 

[Snapdragon]

I am not a bulls eye shooter only torso. So I use 8.5X11 cheap copy paper with a sharpie dot in the center. About $3.00 per 250 sheets at the discount stores.

Similarly, I bought a ream of 11x17 and a pack of 3"x4" fluorescent red/orange stickers years ago. I cut the stickers in half to 2"x3" and usually use two to a page. Initial investment about $15-$20 for hundreds of targets.

(On the top one, I was aiming low so I wouldn't shoot out the target holder. I should have just used the bottom one and then flipped it over.)