Extreme Cheapskates, did anyone see the show last night?

[greenskeeper]

that show is scripted just like all the other so-called "reality" shows.

[Jeff Yeager]

Hi -

Thanks for the responses and welcomes. This is a really fantastic forum, and I need to find more time to spend here.

As for the questions about my/our investments, savings, net worth, etc., those are great questions but not easily answered; nor do I give investing advice or really write about it. It's not my area of expertise (assuming that I have any area of expertise at all!), nor is it (investing) of any real interest to me. I write, instead, about the more important aspect of personal finance - something we encounter everyday - when we get out our wallets or purses and decide what we spend, what we consume.

In fact,I've written a number of times about my "Hierarchy of Moohlah Management", which argues that ROI (return on investment) is actually the LEAST important factor for a cheapskate like me. In a nutshell, if you have changed your lifestyle/outlook in terms of MONEY=HAPPINESS to a certain point, then one of the many benefits is that you don't need to gamble on risky returns when it comes to investing. Preservation of capital becomes the priority, not growth.

When I first started writing about this nonsense more than a decade ago (years before the "Great Reccession"), everyone thought I was a nut. Trust me, most people still think I'm a nut. But now those of us who follow this "grandpa's philosophy of frugality" are still sleeping very well at night through troubled times. As the ad slogan says, "That's priceless."

The other point/clarification I would make is that in our mid-forties my wife and I didn't fully, traditionally retire; we became, as I said earlier, "functionally retired;" or, as I write a lot about, "selfishly employed." I define that as "having at least enough financial security and independence to do whatever the hell you want with your time, without having to inordinately worry about collecting a regular paycheck." Sometime people even pay you some money as a result, and that's great, too. Ever since we adopted that cheapskate perspective on life - becoming "selfishly employed," the difference between "making AT a living" vs. "making a living" - life has been entirely different and so much more enjoyable that I doubt either of us will ever want to fully "retire" in the traditional sense.

bji584 - Although I really don't give investing advice, in my first book - "The Ultimate Cheapskate's Road Map to True Riches" published in 2007 ("Thank You" to those of you here who I see are fans of that bad boy's book of personal finance!)- at my publisher's insistance I included a chapter on the investments, net worth, etc. of my wife and me. After I wrote it (the chapter is cleverly entitled "Getting Your Nest Egg Laid"... argh, don't read the book unless you like junior-high humor like that!), the publisher said "You don't want us to print this! No personal finance writer tells readers how much they're worth or how they got their money!" But I said, "You wanted it, and I ain't rewriting it." Even post-recession, what I wrote in that book five years ago is still fairly accurate about my/our personal finances, so borrow the book from the public library if you really want the juicy details. ;-)

Hope this is helpful, and thanks again for the warm welcome to this group. Next time, the box wine is on me!

Stay Cheap!
-Jeff Yeager
The Ultimate Cheapskate

[Jeff Yeager]

that show is scripted just like all the other so-called "reality" shows.

Not as much as you apparently think, but more than some viewers might think. ;-) Remember: "It's only TV."

[disneysteve]

that show is scripted just like all the other so-called "reality" shows.

I don't think it is scripted as much as it is edited to within an inch of its life.

I'm not a huge reality tv fan but I do watch a few of the shows and they totally manipulate what they show and don't show, what impression they give the viewer early on so that there can be some "surprise" at the end, etc.

It's tv. It's entertainment. That's kind of the point.

Remember, "reality show" never was meant to imply that what you are watching is reality. The term came from the fact that the people featured on the show were real people, not actors. There's nothing "reality" about Survivor. That is a totally contrived show. So is Amazing Race or BIg Brother or any number of others.

[rennigade]

And then there is mental illness.

Many of the people featured on these voyeuristic shows like Extreme Cheapskates, the couponing show, Hoarders, etc., are mentally ill. They need professional help, not a camera crew following them around. It is really a sad statement that this is what many in our society consider to be entertainment.

I agree. TLC needs to change their name, The Learning Channel no longer applies to them. With shows like this, honey boo boo, and say yes to the dress...im not sure what people are actually learning?

Reality tv has gone too far. The sad part is it is here to stay. Those shows are very cheap to film and return huge ratings from the fans. Not to mention they do not have to pay the "actors," and if they do its very minimal. The fat cats behind these programs should be ashamed. Then again like you said, so should the people who watch.

[Jeff Yeager]

I don't think it is scripted as much as it is edited to within an inch of its life..

And can you point me to absolutely anything on broadcast TV that isn't "edited to within an inch of its life," such as that may be?

[glamatomic]

I felt compelled to sign up for this website after I saw Jeff Yeager's postings and advice!

My husband and I are in our 20s, 100% debt free, recently bought a 2100sqft house (in cash), own our cars outright and don't have credit cards. My husband is enlisted military (Marine Corps) and until recently I was in middle-management at a hotel, so it's not like we're earning major $$$- we've just been wise with our transactions and habits.

Maybe we're odd, but we didn't find anything in Extreme Cheapskates strange. We are yet to see the third episode though. I've heard that it features some guy who only flushes his toilet once a week- I suppose that's pretty 'extreme' but not unheard of. I grew up in Australia and lived through a couple of pretty awful droughts and one of the water restrictions put in place in my area some years back was that a household was only allowed to flush once a day. Also, the shared bathwater thing featured in Episode 1 was pretty common where I came from due to water shortages.

Anyway, some of the stuff featured on the show we do, some of the stuff we don't.

For instance, we still use regular toilet paper and I don't see any reason to change that- although when I have a child I've worked out that cloth diapers are more affordable than disposable so I'll be going that route then.

As far as food goes- I'm a vegetarian so we never purchase meat which is a saving in itself. My husband is not a vegetarian, but doesn't expect meat at home.

I consider myself a fairly good cook and cook most things from scratch- we never have microwavable or convenience foods in our home!

We try to avoid using our cars as much as possible- my husband cycles the 22 mile roundtrip to and from work every day unless he's got to bring in gear for an inspection or something.

I've washed my clothes in the tub many times before- before I got my own washer & dryer and had to rely on the local laundromat, if I didn't have the quarters to spare or if it was too snowy outside to walk to the laundromat (I couldn't warrant getting in my car just to drive a mile and a half) I would wash my clothes in my tub and put them up on a rack to dry. No big deal.

Aside from my laptop, we don't partake in any entertainment devices- no TV, no Gaming system, no Ipads, no Ipods, no Iphones etc as we wouldn't get enough use out of them for them to be worthwhile investments.

We *do* buy good quality clothes, although not frequently. I find that good quality will save you more in the long run than buying cheap clothes that are going to need to be replaced. If hems tear or small rips appear in our clothes, I more often than not strive to invisibly repair them (I'm quite a good sewer) in addition to our linens etc.

None of our furniture is new- it's all 1950s and we got it all for a bargain (and it's gorgeous if I must say so myself!).

Also, I don't have an aversion to picking things up that people have left curbside. Some of the best books I own were picked up curbside!

My husband and I will no doubt continue to refine our saving habits in the future- but I'm pleased with how far we've gotten thus far, considering our ages. We live in a world of greed and materialism and too many people go into debt to achieve the lifestyle they want. Why bother when you can just tighten your belt, start pinching the pennies and get the same outcome without the shadow of the bank or mortgage company looming over your shoulder?

I look forward to seeing future episodes! And I look forward to reading Jeff's book!

[SavingSweetOneL]

Hi All, and Jeff,

Jeff, I'm really glad you are part of this site. Nice to meet you. I hope later today to find your books, at my library.

Is there anything money saving thing to do out there, that you *Wouldn't Do*, that is legal to do?

As the other poster has mentioned, I too, have not flushed a toilet during a drought, (in California), and I have homesteaded, *When I was mnarried), and used a non-flushable toilet system. Everytime I sit down to a modern toilet, I am thankful. I have also used a composting toilet, during the last year of my marriage. That system was easier to handle than the previous one.

I, also, these days enjoy my modern showers, and I am thankful, again.

I look ofrward to further discussions on what people do, and what thier limits are.

SweetOneL

[disneysteve]

I don't think it is scripted as much as it is edited to within an inch of its life.

And can you point me to absolutely anything on broadcast TV that isn't "edited to within an inch of its life," such as that may be?

Jeff, I wasn't saying that as a bad thing - just as a fact. I know so many people who get totally into these reality shows, following every second of action and endlessly discussing who did what to whom and who will be going home and who won the challenge and on and on. They act like what they are watching is real life and actually matters in some way. Truth is it doesn't. It is entertainment, plain and simple, and I've got no problem with that at all. I enjoy several reality shows myself.

Personally, I'm partial to Storage Wars, Pawn Stars and a couple of others. But I fully realize that those shows are edited to the extreme. Take Storage Wars for example. Almost always, they only show lockers where the only people bidding are the stars of the show even though there may be a dozen other people there. Surely, in reality, the 4 stars can't be doing all of the bidding and buying. Those are just the only ones they show.

[BuckyBadger]

Maybe we're odd, but we didn't find anything in Extreme Cheapskates strange.

So you would pee into a bottle and keep it next to your toilet? You would rinse yourself off on the toilet by rubbing yourself with a piece of soap and squirting yourself with a water bottle rather than use toilet paper? You would scavenge food out of the trash cans and trash bags left by the side of the road outside restaurants and grocery stores?

[disneysteve]

I accidentally stumbled onto the episode of Extreme Cheapskates last night with the Asain woman who doesn't use tp and washes her clothes in the shower.

She is definitely a little disturbed but she also does things that are perfectly fine, like scavenging furniture from the curb or dumpsters. It is amazing how many people are repulsed by the idea of taking anything out of the trash. When I used to sell at flea markets years ago, I got tons of my merchandise from the trash and made a bunch of money selling things that cost me nothing but scavenging time and some gas to drive around. Even more recently, I have rescued items from the trash that I later sold on ebay or at our own yard sale. That's the best - when I take something from my neighbor's trash and turn around and get cash for it at a yard sale. It is really pathetic how much perfectly good stuff people throw out just because they're done with it. They could at least call one of the many charities that will come pick up your stuff so you don't even have to do any work to keep it out of the landfill.

[BuckyBadger]

I accidentally stumbled onto the episode of Extreme Cheapskates last night with the Asain woman who doesn't use tp and washes her clothes in the shower.

She is definitely a little disturbed but she also does things that are perfectly fine, like scavenging furniture from the curb or dumpsters. It is amazing how many people are repulsed by the idea of taking anything out of the trash. When I used to sell at flea markets years ago, I got tons of my merchandise from the trash and made a bunch of money selling things that cost me nothing but scavenging time and some gas to drive around. Even more recently, I have rescued items from the trash that I later sold on ebay or at our own yard sale. That's the best - when I take something from my neighbor's trash and turn around and get cash for it at a yard sale. It is really pathetic how much perfectly good stuff people throw out just because they're done with it. They could at least call one of the many charities that will come pick up your stuff so you don't even have to do any work to keep it out of the landfill.

I have no problem with certain forms of dumpster diving. I furnished many a dorm room with the fruits of my dumpster diving labors. The things that college kids throw out are insane!

Food, however, is where I draw the line.

Do you eat food out of your neighbors trash, Steve? Kind of a "crow bar" separation, I think.

I liked the chair that she found. It would look good on my porch!

[disneysteve]

Do you eat food out of your neighbors trash, Steve?

I didn't say everything she did was okay. In fact, I said, "She is definitely a little disturbed."

That said, she also didn't say she gets food out of her neighbors' trash. She said she gets stuff that is thrown away by grocery stores. This is actually a topic that has come up here before. This country wastes millions of tons of food every year for no good reason. When a package says "Best if used by October 24, 2012" that means the store is putting it in the trash today even though it is still a clean, sealed package. If she is scavenging that type of thing, I've got absolutely no problem with that. It isn't something I do myself but I don't think she is wrong to do that. In the vast majority of cases, there is absolutely nothing wrong with items that are past their stamped date. I don't throw things away at home when they go past date but the stores have to.

I see the same problem at my office with the free medication samples we get. When they expire, we are forced to throw them away even though they are perfectly good, safe and effective. I'm just not allowed to dispense them past the expiration date. When they are meds that anyone in my family uses, I take them home for personal use, but otherwise, tens of thousands of dollars worth of medicines go into the trash every year from my office alone. Nationwide, it has to be millions and millions of drugs getting trashed.

[Jeff Yeager]

Jeff, I wasn't saying that as a bad thing - just as a fact. I know so many people who get totally into these reality shows, following every second of action and endlessly discussing who did what to whom and who will be going home and who won the challenge and on and on. They act like what they are watching is real life and actually matters in some way. Truth is it doesn't. It is entertainment, plain and simple, and I've got no problem with that at all. I enjoy several reality shows myself.

Personally, I'm partial to Storage Wars, Pawn Stars and a couple of others. But I fully realize that those shows are edited to the extreme. Take Storage Wars for example. Almost always, they only show lockers where the only people bidding are the stars of the show even though there may be a dozen other people there. Surely, in reality, the 4 stars can't be doing all of the bidding and buying. Those are just the only ones they show.

Steve - I agree. I'm always amazed at how many people seem to think that what they see on "reality shows" is stuff that just happens to have been caught on tape. With the exception of viewer generated video footage on a few shows like "America's Funniest Home Videos" and "Jackass", what you're watching on nearly all reality shows is clearly pre-planned and usually shot multiple times (and obviously, even much of viewer generatd video footage is staged, too).

That, of course, doesn't mean that it's not stuff that has actually happened before or that the people in the show don't actually do in real life. Everything I've ever shot for Extreme Cheapskates is stuff that I've at least occasionally done/still do in real life, although much of it is of course exagerated in the final show. To give folks a better idea of what's involved, for my new episode of Extreme Cheapskates (airing Oct. 30th), we filmed for four VERY long days to get enough footage for what will turn out to be the 20 odd minutes ("odd" minutes in more ways than one!)you'll see on TV.

Stay Cheap!
-Jeff Yeager, The Ultimate Cheapskate

[Ima saver]

We will be watching you Tuesday night!