Being A Cheap *******

[Batman]

Had an awkward moment yesterday.
Went to the gas station around lunch for a newspaper and to put a little air in my tires. Got out of the car, checked them and saw they were about two pounds low apiece. Figured I'd come back after lunch and do it, since I had to come back that way anyway.
After going in for the paper I decided to go ahead and put the air in. Meanwhile, someone else had pulled up and dropped $1.25 into the air pump to do their own tires. I took the caps off while he was finishing and waited. When he was done, though, the pump was still running. So I hustled and filled my own tires on that guy's dime (or quarters, as the case may be).
Even as I was doing it, I felt like a cheap *******. I could almost see that dude's eyes on me, cursing under his breath as he drove away.
I know I'm not alone in my cheapness, though. Everybody has a "Tale From the Cheapside" to share, so what are they?

 

[Shaggy]

I wouldn't care if someone used the rest of my air.

I'm cheap in that instead of subscribing to the Sunday paper for $6 a month, I go to Wal Mart every Sunday morning and buy one for $1. It saves me $2 a month.

 

[I Should Coco]

A vending machine trick from my old shop:

Some vending machines will allow you to press another selection if the product you pick doesn't "drop."

The thing to do is look for items -- such as bags of M&Ms -- that will get stuck often, just barely hanging onto the spiraling holder.

Then you punch the M&Ms code again, and often get two bags.

 

[MTM]

Is using his air any different than pulling into a parking spot with time left on the meter?

If you angled for free air, you'd be cheap. Here you were just fortunate.

 

[Drip]

A vending machine trick from my old shop:

Some vending machines will allow you to press another selection if the product you pick doesn't "drop."

The thing to do is look for items -- such as bags of M&Ms -- that will get stuck often, just barely hanging onto the spiraling holder.

Then you punch the M&Ms code again, and often get two bags.

That's better than filling out that tiny slip of paper saying you didn't receive your product.

 

[fossywriter8]

I get air for my tires at the local Kroger store. The machine costs, but Kroger card members get free air and 3 cents off per gallon on gas (20 cents off per gallon for every $50 you spend in the store).

 

[exmediahack]

I am an Extreme Couponer... Last week was quite the "abuse of the system".

My kids only eat cereal for breakfast. Nothing else. Just cereal.

Supermarket has this deal: 6 of their favorite cereals for $15...
Inside the flyer is a $10 coupon. 6 cereal now = $5.
So I buy the cereals, pay the $5 only to receive:
- $2 off the next purchase of 6 of these specific cereals
AND - $6 off the next grocery purchase of anything in the store, courtesy of this cereal manufacturer. Of course, a stack of flyers with the $10 coupons sat at the service desk.

I look at my little girl. "Can you eat Golden Grahams until Thanksgiving?"

"YES!"

By the time the smoke cleared, I had obtained 42 cereal boxes AND had accumulated $21 in free groceries.

All for $5.

THAT is being a cheap *******.

(But I do tip 20-25% on wait staff and 30% on food delivery...)

 

[Batman]

I am an Extreme Couponer... Last week was quite the "abuse of the system".

My kids only eat cereal for breakfast. Nothing else. Just cereal.

Supermarket has this deal: 6 of their favorite cereals for $15...
Inside the flyer is a $10 coupon. 6 cereal now = $5.
So I buy the cereals, pay the $5 only to receive:
- $2 off the next purchase of 6 of these specific cereals
AND - $6 off the next grocery purchase of anything in the store, courtesy of this cereal manufacturer. Of course, a stack of flyers with the $10 coupons sat at the service desk.

I look at my little girl. "Can you eat Golden Grahams until Thanksgiving?"

"YES!"

By the time the smoke cleared, I had obtained 42 cereal boxes AND had accumulated $21 in free groceries.

All for $5.

THAT is being a cheap *******.

(But I do tip 20-25% on wait staff and 30% on food delivery...)

Not that bad, but when I was a kid we used to drink A LOT of Kool-Aid. Which means we needed a lot of sugar. Local supermarket would have a sale on sugar every couple months, something like two 5-pound bags for $2. The catch was, the coupons were limited to one per customer per visit.
My dad would drag me to the store and give me a couple bucks and a coupon. He'd go through the line in front of me, then I'd go through and we'd get four bags for $4. We'd do this a couple times a week and stock up on sugar, enough to keep us in Kool-Aid for quite a while.

 

[Lieslntx]

I wouldn't care if someone used the rest of my air.

I'm cheap in that instead of subscribing to the Sunday paper for $6 a month, I go to Wal Mart every Sunday morning and buy one for $1. It saves me $2 a month.

The boyfriend does this. But he does it with both local papers. On Sunday AND Saturday. And on Monday holidays. Thinks he's saving money. It really would be cheaper I think to get two subscriptions. I think he really just likes to read from flat newspapers, instead of ones that have been curled up for a few hours.

Drives me nuts waiting on him on weekend mornings to get home with the papers.

 

[Batman]

A vending machine trick from my old shop:

Some vending machines will allow you to press another selection if the product you pick doesn't "drop."

The thing to do is look for items -- such as bags of M&Ms -- that will get stuck often, just barely hanging onto the spiraling holder.

Then you punch the M&Ms code again, and often get two bags.

I do this every time I go near the vending machine. Sometimes I've even bought something just to get the freebie. :-[

Also remember a soda vending machine at a local supermarket when I was a kid (same store that had the sugar sale). I put the 50 cents in, quickly hit the button twice on accident, and two sodas came out. The next time I was in the store, I put my money in and just kept bashing the button.
It was like hitting the jackpot on a soda slot machine. Cans just kept falling. My dad comes over and asks what I'm doing, and I tell him to just open a bag. I shovel all the sodas in there (must've been about 20 -- I think I jammed up the machine, or at least emptied that brand) and we speed out of the store.
I think Dad was proud of me on some level.

There was also a paper vending machine in my neighborhood that gave "refunds." You could get your paper, then alternately hit the coin return button and shake the door to make coins drop. I could usually get a couple dollars out of it.
Now that I'm in the business, I feel kind of bad about it. Then I remember it was a Trentonian machine in the early 1990s and it makes me happy

 

[dooley_womack1]

I am an Extreme Couponer... Last week was quite the "abuse of the system".

My kids only eat cereal for breakfast. Nothing else. Just cereal.

Supermarket has this deal: 6 of their favorite cereals for $15...
Inside the flyer is a $10 coupon. 6 cereal now = $5.
So I buy the cereals, pay the $5 only to receive:
- $2 off the next purchase of 6 of these specific cereals
AND - $6 off the next grocery purchase of anything in the store, courtesy of this cereal manufacturer. Of course, a stack of flyers with the $10 coupons sat at the service desk.

I look at my little girl. "Can you eat Golden Grahams until Thanksgiving?"

"YES!"

By the time the smoke cleared, I had obtained 42 cereal boxes AND had accumulated $21 in free groceries.

All for $5.

THAT is being a cheap *******.

(But I do tip 20-25% on wait staff and 30% on food delivery...)

Seinfeld just salivated and doesn't know why

 

[BTExpress]

--- My thermostat at home is on 85 . . . in the summer . . . in South Florida.

--- I called Verizon to have them remove $4 in 411 search charges because I was told there was "no listing" for a library that did exist. "I don't mind paying for information when I get information," I explained.

--- I am a Diet Pepsi addict but refuse to pay full retail price ($1.79 for a 2-liter bottle). I will drink Coke Zero (if it's on sale) Diet Dr. Chek (Winn-Dixie version of Dr Pepper).

 

[dooley_womack1]

My mom was the ultimate cheap *******. Back when they'd pump gas for you in places besides New Jersey, my mom asked for $13 worth. Guy pumps $13.01. My mom refuses to pay the penny. I dunno what's worse: my mom bitching about the penny or the gas station guy insisting on getting it.

 

[Stoney]

Don't know why he'd be cursing you. If he was done using it, I see no problem. Better someone use the excess than let it go to waste.

 

[farmerjerome]

I try to save money on everything. I litteraly save all my pennies.

Every week I take $20 out of the bank for cash on hand. Whatever I have left over, bills or change, I save for a vacation. I add extra cash too, like if I do an odd job or sell a few books -- even $10 that an old aunt sends for Christmas.

This year I've saved over $300 for spending money on vacation in two week. I even seperate the pennies to use exclusively for gas money. For those few days, I'll live like a queen. The rest of the year I'll cut corners. It's even stupid stuff, like when Dr. J and I get fast food. He spends $8 on a value meal and a side. Since I always have a water bottle, I'll get two items off the dollar menu and be happy. Little things like that add up.

 

[Smasher_Sloan]

--- I am a Diet Pepsi addict but refuse to pay full retail price ($1.79 for a 2-liter bottle). I will drink Coke Zero (if it's on sale) Diet Dr. Chek (Winn-Dixie version of Dr Pepper).

Not uncommon. My Coke-Pepsi loyalty is determined by the weekly supermarket sale flyers.

If neither is discounted, I have no problem slumming down to Faygo until the Big Two come to their senses.

 

[Smasher_Sloan]

A vending machine trick from my old shop:

Some vending machines will allow you to press another selection if the product you pick doesn't "drop."

The thing to do is look for items -- such as bags of M&Ms -- that will get stuck often, just barely hanging onto the spiraling holder.

Then you punch the M&Ms code again, and often get two bags.

I do this every time I go near the vending machine. Sometimes I've even bought something just to get the freebie. :-[

Also remember a soda vending machine at a local supermarket when I was a kid (same store that had the sugar sale). I put the 50 cents in, quickly hit the button twice on accident, and two sodas came out. The next time I was in the store, I put my money in and just kept bashing the button.
It was like hitting the jackpot on a soda slot machine. Cans just kept falling. My dad comes over and asks what I'm doing, and I tell him to just open a bag. I shovel all the sodas in there (must've been about 20 -- I think I jammed up the machine, or at least emptied that brand) and we speed out of the store.
I think Dad was proud of me on some level.

There was also a paper vending machine in my neighborhood that gave "refunds." You could get your paper, then alternately hit the coin return button and shake the door to make coins drop. I could usually get a couple dollars out of it.
Now that I'm in the business, I feel kind of bad about it. Then I remember it was a Trentonian machine in the early 1990s and it makes me happy

OK, let's review the differences between taking advantage of the system (coupons) and stealing....

 

[Mizzougrad96]

With kids, it's easy to be cheap without being a *******. My kids are ecstatic eating Mac and Cheese, Ramen, PB&J, Grilled Cheese, eggs and chicken nuggets which are all cheap as can be.

 

[Evil Bastard (aka Chris_L)]

My mom was the ultimate cheap *******. Back when they'd pump gas for you in places besides New Jersey, my mom asked for $13 worth. Guy pumps $13.01. My mom refuses to pay the penny. I dunno what's worse: my mom bitching about the penny or the gas station guy insisting on getting it.

The penny had nothing to do with it. There was something going on between your mom and the gas pump guy. You were just too young or naive to pick up on it.

 

[RickStain]

There was this one time I was put in charge of a newspaper company. I ran it into the ground, collected a huge salary, and then took a huge severance package when I left. It was awesome.