Here's a question that has a potential for some amusing answers: what are some of the more foolish things you've done in an attempt to be frugal?

For me I think it was cutting my own hair. I went through a phase where I bought a pair of clippers and just buzzed my hair very short once every month or two, thinking it was the most convenient and economical thing to do. After about a year one of my friends told me that he didn't mean to be a jerk, but that I should stop doing my own haircuts because they made me look like I'd just been released from a POW camp and lots of people were poking fun at me behind my back. After that I decided that spending $15 at the Hair Cuttery a few times per year wasn't such a waste after all.

Most of mine are related to not going to a professional sooner.. this applies to doctors, dentists, lawyers, accountants. I am not ANY of those and my resources are best spent doing other things. Takes a while to learn that though...

ppatin said:Oh yeah, using one month disposable contacts for much longer than a month was also a terrible idea. Eye infections are not fun.
Cheap and vain don't mix.

ppatin said:sechs said:ppatin said:Oh yeah, using one month disposable contacts for much longer than a month was also a terrible idea. Eye infections are not fun.
Cheap and vain don't mix.

Wanting to be able to see clearly makes me vain?
maybe it was not wearing glasses instead?

Selling cheap items on e-Bay. I thought I could nickle and dime my way to some extra money, but by the time I pay for fees and other little costs, I wind up losing money - plus it's very stressful - i.e. am I gonna get negative feedback for a $3.99 item that I worked real hard to list, pack, and then ship?

ppatin said:Here's a question that has a potential for some amusing answers: what are some of the more foolish things you've done in an attempt to be frugal?

$10 bj from toothless granny instead of $40bj from 25yr old hooker.

sushiosushi said:$10 bj from toothless granny instead of $40bj from 25yr old hooker.Amen, bra. If you skimp on the sushi, ya gonna be sik.

curlychiquita said:My husband once walked in and said "you use that much toilet paper?" (yeah, it was the time of the month, I was using a lot of it.) His idea was that I use less toilet paper. My idea was that me using as much toilet paper as I wanted was cheaper than getting a divorce.

I also remind him of this comment every week or so (he said it last year) so it was an expensive comment for his emotional well-being.

Whenever I'm spending money to make my wife happy, in my mind I file it under the title "divorce insurance"

Whenever I'm spending money to make my wife happy, in my mind I file it under the title "divorce insurance"

One can then ask why get married if your are going to just keep your wife happy with "divorce insurance"?

Buying cheap dress shirts. They fray quickly, shrink at the dry cleaners, and look unsightly after just a few uses. By spending a bit more (say $25 per shirt or stocking up when quality shirts are on sale), I can get 75+ uses out of a shirt before I consider retiring it. I wear dress shirts 4 out of 5 days a week.

Getting the last smidgen of toothpaste out of the tube. It makes a mess (cutting open the tube), requires 5-minutes of time that I'll never get back, and doesn't seem to accumulate any tangible financial benefit.

Buying CVS brand personal hygiene products. This is definitely YMMV. Some products are okay (cotton swabs), while others do not compare well with their brand counterparts (facial soap). Even with the CVS receipt coupons ($4 off $20 in CVS brand purchases), it just wasn't worth the savings. I think you can get a refund on some of these items, but the time/fuel required didn't justify it.

Price hunting on <$20 items for 30-minutes on Amazon, Fleabay, HD, etc.