CHEAP people....let's see your stories about those frugal folks that were smart or really annoying!

[mopar head]

Me, on the other hand:

So far, we might have a winner here boys.

 

[ProjectBazza]

This story may not be quite what the op intended, but here goes.

Back in around 2015 or 2016, I had a coworker who had a couple of fox body Mustangs and a bunch of parts he wanted to get rid of. He had asked me if I was interested on a couple of occasions and I told him I would like to see the cars first.
He said that the cars were in his dad's backyard and that he had to let his dad know before I could go see them. Finally after about 2 months he told me to come by that weekend and I would be able to check everything out.

When I got there, he had the 2 Mustangs, both 1983 GLX models, both t top cars, basically complete, one had a 302 that he thought had a bad cam, plus a 351w on a stand, a freshly rebuilt set of aftermarket sbf heads, a pile of miscellaneous parts, wheels, tires, etc, all for $500.00. Then his dad came out and said he would sell me his 1991 GMC 3/4 2wd pickup for another $400.00. I drove the truck home with a load of parts and had a buddy come down with a deck truck to haul the cars to my house.

2 hours later, my buddy phones and says his son wants to buy the truck so I sold it for $900.00, now I have 2 cars plus a ton of parts free! Over the next few months or so I got the 302 running perfectly, firing order was wrong, and sold off pretty much everything, made about $5k profit.

(LOL!) It's either 1-3-7-2-6-5-4-8 or 1-5-4-2-6-3-7-8, and I learned they were interchangeable when I was, oh...about 14 years old. Never forgotten it, either.

But I've never gotten a free car out of it!

Goodonya, Randy!

 

[Rick@Laysons]

Cheap??? .....well, kinda.....

Frugal???......you know it!

Opportunistic??? ...withouta doubt!!!!

Swap meet Holley 1-bbl......$5.00

Swap meet Holley 1-bbl MADE IN USA rebuild kit.....$1.00(ONE WHOLE DOLLAR!!!!)

Swap meet '65 A-body wiper motor/linkages/pivots.....$10.00

 

[missing linc]

(LOL!) It's either 1-3-7-2-6-5-4-8 or 1-5-4-2-6-3-7-8, and I learned they were interchangeable when I was, oh...about 14 years old. Never forgotten it, either.

But I've never gotten a free car out of it!

Goodonya, Randy!

I believe that he had taken the distributor cap off the 351w and thought it was the same firing order as a 302. He wasn't the brightest.

 

[jos51700]

So far, we might have a winner here boys.

Thought of a couple others....
When I shoot BB guns with the girlfriends' kids, I tape the seams inside a single-wall cardboard box. BB's go in, don't come out, and get reused.

When I go to pick n' pull, I pull all the OEM fuses (Keep an eye out and avoid the Harbor Fright firestarter fuses). I have a huge tacklebox full of fuses, relays, interior bulbs, nuts, bolts, etc. that I take from Pick n' Pull. I have a bucket buddy and the bucket is full of tools, so a few small bits in the bottom are not counted or missed. I do see Mexicans taking brake pads from the junkyard, I'm not THAT cheap (yet). I also cut seatbelts at the Pick n' Pull and use the webbing for making stuff around the house like extension cord hangers, welding-bottle wall-ties (works a trick if you take the buckle, too), and all sorts of crap that needs belting.

I grab all the change out of the ashtrays when I'm at Pick n' Pull. One of these days I'm going to go with the intent of doing nothing but that, and see how much I get.

I use dipstick oil from Pick n' Pull to lube my ratchets and pliers. I use junkyard trunk jacks for foundation jacks on my rental houses.

I'm not so cheap that I'll put the destination address and the return address as the same and then drop it in the mail postage due, but I've heard that works.

Of course, if it's yellow it's mellow, if it's brown flush it down. if my stomach is upset, I'll wait an hour for a followup, just in case. I'm glad I live alone.

I unplug every wall wart transformer and electrical device when not in use. I used the thermal camera on my phone and went after every air leak and power draw I could find.

I bought a wood stove but haven't installed it yet. I need to get that done.

I buy dollar store paper (which is amazingly thin) to print on something if I'm not going to keep it. I'll swap it out for the 'good' paper if needed.

 

[mopar head]

Thought of a couple others

Here I thought I was bad by hanging paper towels over the kitchen faucet to dry and reuse till the ply's separate.

 

[barbee6043]

Meat is expensive at the store these days. Our barn cats are taught to catch squirrels, and bring them to the back porch. Squirrel Perlou is pretty tasty and high in protein! Of course, homemade biscuits and gravy top go with!

 

[jos51700]

Meat is expensive at the store these days. Our barn cats are taught to catch squirrels, and bring them to the back porch. Squirrel Perlou is pretty tasty and high in protein! Of course, homemade biscuits and gravy top go with!

There's a reason I leave squirrels alone in my neighborhood; you never know when you might need them.

And for that same reason, if the S really hits the fan, I've already picked out which neighbors I'm going to eat.

 

[TrailBeast]

WE all know CHEAP people. Some of us are those people.
Sometimes they are really smart and just not being wasteful but sometimes their penny pinching ways are annoying.
Me? I can be cheap sometimes. It sometimes is motivated by money but other times I like a challenge to do more with less.
This car:

Was put together with mostly used parts I saved over the years. Yeah, I could have opened the wallet and bought new things but it was fun to see what I could do with a tight budget. I have a running, driving ratty car for a total outlay of under $10,000.

What about the people that use single ply toilet paper or that recycle used engine oil to lubricate door hinges?
Who has stories of family members or friends that were so CHEAP that they annoyed the heck out of you?

I was just mentioning this morning that I wanted a Charger just like that.
Something I could beat like it owes me money.
General Mayhem style.

 

[Kern Dog]

The only way to get a “deal” seems to be from a friend, a desperate seller, an out of touch hermit or from a thief. I got lucky. I bought that car in 2019 from a guy that was moving out of state. It was wrecked in 1994 and parked. The engine and trans were out and worn out, the interior is a mess and the trunk floor was as bad as the rear window channel. The car was missing a lot of parts but the grille was there. Those are hard to find used.
I had some leftover parts I’d gathered for years so I was able to get it together and registered for under $10,000 total. I rebuilt the original 383. The trans is from my red car, removed when I converted it to a 5 speed. I had the axle and gears. I had the headers, carburetor and pulleys. I bought a used cam from a guy that kept the lifters in order. I made my own frame connectors and torque boxes. The front brakes are 12” Cordoba discs. The rear are from an ‘85 Fifth Avenue. It really is like a Jigsaw puzzle from several different puzzles.

 

[sireland67]

My dad is so cheap, he re-sharpens razor blades. He is 82 years old now.
He gets if from his depression-era parents.

 

[mopar head]

My dad is so cheap, he re-sharpens razor blades. He is 82 years old now.
He gets if from his depression-era parents.

I bought an old machinist tool box at auction that had stone in it for that exact purpose, for the old double edge razors. It has a concaved curve in it, pretty neat.

 

[MechNerd]

I used to work for a guy that refilled magic markers. Don would pull them apart and use a little bottle of India Ink to refill the tampon in them. He was the cheapest man I ever met, and I quit about six months after I'd gotten a raise, and that's what he said, "I gave you a raise and you're quitting on me?"

My aunt had 4 kids. They all used the same bathwater, oldest to youngest, then that bathwater got scooped out and watered flowers. She always grew an amazing garden.

Me, on the other hand:
I've washed ziplocs and re-used them. I cleaned out the fridge last month and threw food away. That's the first time I've ever thrown food away that wasn't rotten or moldy (and I'll eat moldy bread if I can rip the mold off), and I'm 46. I legit needed the room and some of it just didn't mold when it should have.

I actually prefer single ply TP, so that's good, but I typically replace tires in pairs and just rotate 'em front to back. I collect the drip oil from my Mobil1 5-qt jugs to use in the lawnmower. God only knows what viscosity it actually is, as I bounce to whatever is close and will work and is cheap.

I fingerbang every coin return I see. I got a silver quarter just the other day. One time I found an ancient Roman coin in one, and one time I found a 1oz silver eagle.

I rotate my underwear and socks in batches. When it gets old, it ALL gets replaced and I mark the whole batch and use them in the 'workin on stuff' clothes drawer, and keep the new ones for nice days. Even then, I still pass for practically homeless.

Every hotel I stay in gets all the tissue boxes, soap, and shampoo taken. If they have cereal boxes at the continental breakfast, I'll take half a dozen to my room every day for home use.

I eat food way past the expiration date. My bath towels get laid on the floor to serve as a bathmat after I get a fresh one (less hair, water, and dirt to mop up and I'm too cheap to buy a bathmat). I set my Tstat to 55 in teh winter and use a room heater to heat the bedroom and live in there if it gets too cold.

I saved the salt from tanning a deer hide for the next one. That's a $3 savings! All cardboard boxes get used twice, even if just to save a trashbag. My trashcan is literally only full once every three weeks. My neighbors are usually overflowing weekly.

I reload shell casings and pick the range clean, including the trash cans, if I do go shoot. Even .22 brass recycles, and I collect metal to recycle.

I save envelopes from bills (I pay online) and use them to mail my own stuff. Bonus if it's a prepaid!

I wear a pair of shoes until they're shameful. Then they're yardwork shoes.

I won't reuse spark plugs, dead batteries, or condoms.

Duh! The condoms you just turn inside out! Just saved a buck!

 

[dowboy1970]

My 1ST cousin once told me i was so tight that if he shoved a piece of coal up my *** it would turn into a Diamond . True story .

I want to know how many diamonds you have produced?

I know you are trying

 

[dowboy1970]

My Grandpa Elmer Rife...another frugal German...used used pie tins for reflectors for lights in his shop. His long bolts were in used Prince Albert cigar boxes. (He didn't buy the cigar boxes) The owner of an old country store saved them for him. He used my grandmas old mason jars for nuts and bolts. He screwed the lids with rusty scavenged screws to shelving he made from the old corn crib. Then he screwed the jars into the lids at eye level so he could see what bolt and washers he had in the jars. He was still using a Gleaner 6 row when he retired from farming at 91 years of age. When he had gravel added to the shed he dumped it in one corner and made me wheel barrel each load until the floor was even and level. I used to have to sit in a chair and shoot sparrows that **** on his 73 Buick Electra with used Bbs in a one **** daisy BB gun he got at a farm sale for a quarter until I filled up a five gallon bucket. He trained Prince his German Shepard farm dog to grab ground squirrels that were tearing up his grass when they came out of their hole. He was at the other end flushing the hole with rainwater he caught in an old, elevated fuel drum.

That everybody's Grandpa if they were raised during the great depression or a WWII Vet.

 

[Kern Dog]

I fingerbang every coin return I see.

 

[jos51700]

I was just mentioning this morning that I wanted a Charger just like that.
Something I could beat like it owes me money.
General Mayhem style.

In the late '90's, a friend of mine stopped by my work and noticed a Dodge Aries sitting at a neighboring body shop that had recently closed down. This car had clearly been sitting for years. He realized nobody owned it, promptly broke into it, dropped a battery in it, and it started.

Ward had a dealer tag he propped in the back window and I think he drove that car a month or two. Jumped it off hills, tried to drive it on two wheels, Hit a port a potty with it and everything.

He found out his girlfriend was cheating on him so he rammed it into the guys truck one night. Grabbed his D tag and walked away....

 

[barbee6043]

My dad is so cheap, he re-sharpens razor blades. He is 82 years old now.
He gets if from his depression-era parents.

I am 76 and both my parents were in their 20s during the Great (the real one) Depression. I admit I have never sharpened razor blades though! I still straighten old nails when I have to. Yea I have washed and reused paper towels. I would today, but my wife would make fun of me. She was raised by her grandparents that were as old as my (Depression era) parents. Yea, I have been up and I have been down. God Almighty has seen me thru so far.
Old car parts, I rarely ever throw anything away.

 

[barbee6043]

The only way to get a “deal” seems to be from a friend, a desperate seller, an out of touch hermit or from a thief. I got lucky. I bought that car in 2019 from a guy that was moving out of state. It was wrecked in 1994 and parked. The engine and trans were out and worn out, the interior is a mess and the trunk floor was as bad as the rear window channel. The car was missing a lot of parts but the grille was there. Those are hard to find used.
I had some leftover parts I’d gathered for years so I was able to get it together and registered for under $10,000 total. I rebuilt the original 383. The trans is from my red car, removed when I converted it to a 5 speed. I had the axle and gears. I had the headers, carburetor and pulleys. I bought a used cam from a guy that kept the lifters in order. I made my own frame connectors and torque boxes. The front brakes are 12” Cordoba discs. The rear are from an ‘85 Fifth Avenue. It really is like a Jigsaw puzzle from several different puzzles.

Yes I agree. And you are I were look to build an affordable cars. We are a dying breed.

 

[sireland67]

I bought an old machinist tool box at auction that had stone in it for that exact purpose, for the old double edge razors. It has a concaved curve in it, pretty neat.

Dad sharpens his stanley knife blade.

 

[mopar head]

Dad sharpens his stanley knife blade.

Guilty.

I tried that stone on a single edge, for scrapers, works pretty well.

 

[missing linc]

Remembered another one.
When I was a kid, my dad decided that he was going to redo the entire driveway at our house, it was about 80 feet long, single width as I recall. He got the sledgehammer out one day and started breaking it up. He also got my asshole brother to help, but I was too young at the time, though I did help load the broken pieces into the pickup we had.
Eventually it was all cleared out and ready to prepare for the new pour.
My uncle worked for a bridge construction company and brought over a load of prebent steel rebar, (think curb shape), which my dad then proceeded to straighten out and make mats for reinforcement. That project literally took weeks to complete, but I guess he saved a few $$.

 

[cosgig]

Some of you older members may remember my “Project 2nd Best”, in which I took a basically free 1966 Barracuda body, and use all my 2nd best parts to rebuild it to a car that someone could drive and work on as they enjoyed it. 2nd best……because I had so many parts for early A Barracudas that I didn’t feel were worthy of selling outright, but we’re too good to just throw away. From the Citroen colored interior, to the free 273 which I had laying around, I think I had about $200 into it, mostly in fluids and wear parts that I didn’t have. Sold to a member here from Missouri, it is still on the road, and the pic in front of the Hotel is proof that it is still being enjoyed to this day.