Most outlandish frugal thing you did

[mom-from-missouri]

The way I sleep, I would have rolled off the roof..... Really, thats how they slept a lot a generation ago, on the roof, yard or in "sleeping porches".
I reuse my baggies and foil. Usually our foil is used on the grill, so I just wipe it down and put it back in the locker in the garage that holds the BBQ and smoker supplies. But, we do buy the thicker heaver weight foil, as it will hold up better. I also save and reuse the foil cooking containers. Some of my family even save them for me. Nicer ones we reuse on the days we grill or smoke, and after they get shabby, they get reused somewhere on the farm--to hold oil cans or to put some animals food in (cat or dog). I rarely buy straws, but when I do, we wash and reuse them also. Some laugh at that. Oh well.

[cptacek]

Originally Posted by DCKC

While waiting in a hospital waiting room this summer, I noticed the coffee machine was free and the coffee was very good. Wrong or right, I can now be found stopping into the waiting room a couple timers per week for a nice cup of free joe. If you are into free coffee, try hotel lobbies, oil change places and any other waiting room you can think of.

Is it stealing? Maybe, maybe not, all I know is that I will not pay $ for a cup of coffee when I out and about.

My parents live by a truck stop, and he saw the truckers getting free coffee. He asked why, and they said "because they buy hundreds of gallons at a time." He told them that our family spends more at that gas station than any trucker driving by could. So, they give him free coffee too. He's done it for years, sometimes 3 times a day, and even when that truck stop was sold to another company, he still got it approved. I've been riding with him when he said "darn it, shift change isn't for 15 minutes, and they've seen me in there twice already today."

[frugalelf]

Originally Posted by LuxLiving

Upon leaving my first husband I moved back into the family home. I was all of about 19 years old - the house was empty because we had another home elsewhere that the family was living in about an hour away....so I moved in there and lived there for an entire summer w/no electricity, which also meant no air conditioning, which in my state meant it was Hotter Than H.E.doublehockeysticks. It was worth it to be away from him. The kitchen stove ran on propane and the tank was full so I had a way to cook.

My family to this day doesn't know I did without electricity - I was working but it took all my money to keep gas in the car and insurance on it and food in my mouth and some back for savings so I could move into a place of my own. I used a cooler for food and because I had a super nice boss and he let me get ice from my waitressing job to keep it stocked. After three months I had saved enough and did move into a fully civilized apartment w/all the essentials.

My folks didn't know because I always went to visit them and because they were living and working in another town they just never knew! Ahhh...the pride of youth that was too stubborn to ask for help!

Man, was it hot there! Some of these types of experiences helped forge that Scarlett O'Hara streak that runs in my viens, "I'll never be w/o electricity (and a well stocked Emergency Fund) again, no, nor any of mine!"

Because of the way that house was built, I was able to crawl out a window and onto the roof and spent many of those nights sleeping out on the roof where it was some cooler!

Oh, can I relate! My first apartment was a cheap motel room with a hot plate above a busy bar . One whole summer I lived there with no other appliances other than one pan to cook everything in. No car, so I walked to work and it could be dreadfully hot, and no phone. I had $17 each week leftover from my paycheck to buy food. Even then it didn't buy much. I didn't know anyone as it was a state away from home and it was so darn lonely. I eventually found another job working as a waitress and could move in with a friend and share her apartment. By January though I had decided that going back to college was a far better alternative.

[Ima saver]

I think I am starting to rub off on my husband. today, he was putting some chips in a container to take to work. He dropped one, picked it up, brushed it off and put it in the container. Sunday night, I sent him into KFC with a coupon and he used it!! I was proud of him. (They even had to call the manager to approve the coupon cause it was old, but had no date on it)

[starving_student]

Originally Posted by lrjohnson

I hadn't thought I had anything that was different - I do the ketchup packets into the bottle, wash ziplocs (a group of people at work think it's funny and give me lightly used nice sturdy ziplocs), all the regular cheapie stuff people have mentioned.

But then, as I put on my anti-perspirant, I realized I may be one of the few anti-perspirant recyclers. I have an old Mitchum glass roll-on bottle. When I am done with an anti-perspirant, I save them and then I use a knife to get out the solids, or thin a liquid with a little water, and pour it all into my Mitchum bottle. Put a dash of water, nuke it and shake it, and I'm good to go. I get a fair amount of free sample ones, and the amount left when they are "done" is almost the same amount as was used! I know this is not saving me big bucks. Or even little bucks. But it makes it easier to recycle the plastic. And it doesn't really take much time.

I suppose even cheaper would be to go without, which I do sometimes on weekends, but I can't be smelly and wet at work. And yeah, deoderant might be better for me than anti-perspirant, but so it goes.

The ketshup thing is obviously stealing. Considering that you can get a bottle for 1$ this is downright miserly.

[LuxLiving]

starving student, I'm not lrjohnson, but taking the EXTRA packages that are already in your hands after you've brought home a sack of burgers from the drive-thru and filling your ketchup bottle is definitely NOT stealing.

[frugalelf]

Originally Posted by starving_student

The ketshup thing is obviously stealing. Considering that you can get a bottle for 1$ this is downright miserly.

Oh....I don't know. My mom nabs extras of sugar, sweet n low, jellies and the ketchups and mustards ect.... She has a lot of family get togethers and they are used then, especially in the summer. One dollar will only buy you a cheap no-name ketchup and no one at my house will use it! It's Hunts or Heinz or they complain. You must not be a student that has starved enough!

[starving_student]

Originally Posted by frugalelf

Oh....I don't know. My mom nabs extras of sugar, sweet n low, jellies and the ketchups and mustards ect.... She has a lot of family get togethers and they are used then, especially in the summer. One dollar will only buy you a cheap no-name ketchup and no one at my house will use it! It's Hunts or Heinz or they complain. You must not be a student that has starved enough!

Not enough to steal. No. Beside maybe they should not go to the fastfood place in the first place.. My dad used to put no name ketchup in Heiz bottle. As kids we couldn't ttaste the difference and never complained, because we though that it was the real thing. Saving yes, stealing no.

[frugalelf]

Originally Posted by starving_student

Not enough to steal. No. Beside maybe they should not go to the fastfood place in the first place.. My dad used to put no name ketchup in Heiz bottle. As kids we couldn't ttaste the difference and never complained, because we though that it was the real thing. Saving yes, stealing no.

Oh, for goodness sake...it's not stealing. Most of the fast food and other restaurants give you too many condiments for one meal. Why not take them home? ***We could taste the difference....the ketchup is so thin in the cheap brands. Anyway, I think accusing people of "stealing" is ridiculous. So isn't telling people that they shouldn't go to fast foods in the first place! Lighten up!

[lrjohnson]

Originally Posted by starving_student

The ketshup thing is obviously stealing. Considering that you can get a bottle for 1$ this is downright miserly.

Whoa, buddy, watch it! I only use extra ketchup I am given. I never take extra. I totally agree with you that that is stealing...I am shocked that I am quoted as one of the bad guys!!!!

[Ima saver]

lrjohnson, you are wanted by the ketchup cops!!

[living_in_oz]

Wow! Everybody is getting all worked up over ketchup and flushing toilets!LOL

My 2 cents, if anybody wants it!

I see absolutely nothing wrong with not flushing the toilet every time. I mean, my gosh, it's only been in the last 50 years or so that the majority of American's have even HAD flushing toilets! Many rural folks were still using an outhouse and they lived to tell their story!LOL Also, even today in most third world countries there is no indoor plumbing. Sorry, but it's a fact of life that mankind has lived without flushing toilets for 99% of the time we're been on this planet. Plus, is it really that gross to use the toilet(pee only) after your child or spouse? Gosh, I've wipe urine and poop from my kids butts for years(when they were little of course). I've even had them puke on me so many times it's not even funny. So, is it really THAT big of a deal to pee in a toilet with a little bit of your OWN child's urine after being in it up to your elbows when they were babies? What about my husband? Not to get gross or anything, but we DO have three children together. It's pretty obvious that we've shared "bodily fluids" a few times!LOL I don't think I'll die if I use the potty and he's tinkled in there and forgot to flush! Having said that, at our house we do try to flush every time except in the middle of the night(so we won't wake anybody up). But, I don't think it's completely disgusting NOT to flush everytime like other's seem to think. I guess it's up to each individual family....

The ketchup thing? I really think it's unhonest to take extra ketchup, sugar, condiments, from a restaurant. If you're that hard up that you have to take condiments from a restaurant....hello? you shouldn't be spending your money at a restaurant! However, I see nothing wrong with keeping the extras that they give you in a drive thru to use for other purposes. The restaurant GAVE you those extra...you didn't just TAKE them.

Of course these are just MY opinions.

[CJsoccerchic]

Not so outlandish.. But when I go and buy a bottle of water, I drink it up pretty quickly.. Most places around have a water dispenser at buisnesses and offices and I keep my water bottle with me. When it runs low, I just refill it with the water from the dispenser and not feel bad at all cause they are offering water to any and all!

[frugalelf]

Folks, when you consider what all these fast food restaurants throw away in unsold food at the end of each day it doesn't seem like "stealing" to take home extra condiments. The food wasted behind the counter could feed all of our hungry and homeless! If they aren't worried about literally tons of good food being thrown each year I'm sure not going to worry about some condiments I take home and put to good use.

My husband told me that when he worked as a site manager building Walmarts and other big stores they throw away all the fans, heating units, tools etc.... that they buy to use on that particular job. It is cheaper for them to throw them into a dumpster to get hauled away then to ship them for use on the next job!! Contracting companies don't care, it's all tacked onto the cost of building the particular store. You wonder why things are so darn expensive? Do a little research. We are probably the most wasteful country in the world. And that friends is why there are so many frugal people.

[pjmama]

I guess I'm one of the bad guys as well... I usually pick up a couple extra packets of equal when I'm getting coffee, and a couple extra of the smuckers diet blackberry jelly when I go to Eat N Park (watch, they'll be knocking on my door tomorrow!). I dont feel it's stealing at all. The restaurants put these things there for the customer, and if I'm paying (and tipping very well too!), I dont feel the slightest bit guilty for taking a couple extra. I dont really want to pay a bunch to get name brand diet jelly... and I dont use it very often either. Besides, though I only use one packet of sweetener in my tea, other people use 2 or 3! So I'm sure they bought enough to have me in mind.

I guess you could call me a student that's REALLY starving...

[Ima saver]

It is true about all the food being thrown away! I worked at McDonald's way, way back , and we threw out tons of hamburgers every day. I always wondered why they did not give them to a place to feed hungry people.

[tinapbeana]

Originally Posted by Ima saver

It is true about all the food being thrown away! I worked at McDonald's way, way back , and we threw out tons of hamburgers every day. I always wondered why they did not give them to a place to feed hungry people.

nowadays, it's because they're afraid they'll get sued.

i was the community relations liason for old country buffet a couple of years ago. we catered the press booth for the local college football games. requirement was to throw away any food left, b/c if the restaurant donated prepared food that went 'off' they could be sued.

i would always drive by the men's shelter, take off my name tag, and as if they'd like an anonymous donation of prepared food. they never once refused.

[lieweheksie]

that allways makes so sad and mad to see good(mcD?) food thrown away- in south africa we dont have as much of a suing culture as in the states- one of the good news stories is when a girl who used to work on the movie sets in cape town saw all the food being thrown away she asked if she could take it to a shelter- the press got hold of the story now there is a whole group of people who collect leftovers form all the movie/ tv shoots, and some restaurants, and deliver it to shelters- with sponsored vehicleshttp://www.savingadvice.com/forums/newreply.php?do=newreply&noquote=1&p=121166#

[frugalelf]

Originally Posted by pjmama

I guess I'm one of the bad guys as well... I usually pick up a couple extra packets of equal when I'm getting coffee, and a couple extra of the smuckers diet blackberry jelly when I go to Eat N Park (watch, they'll be knocking on my door tomorrow!). I dont feel it's stealing at all. The restaurants put these things there for the customer, and if I'm paying (and tipping very well too!), I dont feel the slightest bit guilty for taking a couple extra. I dont really want to pay a bunch to get name brand diet jelly... and I dont use it very often either. Besides, though I only use one packet of sweetener in my tea, other people use 2 or 3! So I'm sure they bought enough to have me in mind.

I guess you could call me a student that's REALLY starving...

Thank you, PJMAMA! Gosh, I can sleep better tonight knowing I'm not the only one out there that doesn't see the harm!!

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

My state has had a law for a couple of decades that protected restaurants and other donors of food from liability when they are in good faith trying to help the hungry. But even before that law, I knew of quite a few businesses who had their employees, on paid time, package up leftovers for a shelter for homeless. I personally picked up food from from a hospital kitchen, a huge bakery, a mom'n'pop donught shop, a butcher that supplies restaurants, several caterers, a cafeteria that served lunch only, and even a large chain grocery store. So sometimes, it was small businesses making the decisons to not waste the food, and sometimes it a local manager of a big business. This was before the Good Samaritan law went into effect, before they could be certain they would be protected. Just decent people who understood the need and knew that they could help.