Posted on 06/28/2004 11:08:17 AM PDT by BluegrassScholar
After a two-year hiatus, I've brought back my Penny Pincher of the Year contest. The number of frugal folks and the lengths they go to to save money amazed even me.
I received hundreds of entries from all over the country, from the tried and true (reusing plastic bags) to the disgusting (bathing in someone else's used bath water is just not right, and it's not sanitary) to knee-slap funny (sisters a year apart sharing the same high school ring).
But I just love penny-pinching people. And believe me, I'm right there with them. In fact, my friends and family believe that if I didn't run this contest, I would win it.
For example, I found a way to save on birthday cake, which often goes half eaten. My husband and son have the same first name, and their birthdays are just a month apart.
This year when it came time for my husband to cut his cake -- his birthday comes first -- I refused to let him serve the part where "Happy Birthday" and "Kevin" were written in green icing. I stored the leftover cake in the freezer.
A month later, I thawed the cake to use for my son's birthday party. I tried to use leftover icing to cover the sliced section, but it kept sliding off. Still, I put on the appropriate six candles (recycled, of course) for my son and served the remainder of the cake.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
My great-grandmother used to wash and reuse paper plates.
http://cheap.typepad.com/
My credit cards were stolen but my Significant Other did not report it. The thief was spending less than I do.
Heck, my mother still does!
That cake story is sad. Poor kid.
Bon appétit!
GtG
Remind me not to hit you up for a meal anytime soon.
Note tolf self:
Re Gandalf dinner party --find some other plans that evening.
Don't forget to use both sides of the toilet paper.
Reminds me of 'The Little War of Private Post' by Charles Johnson Post, a volunteer in the Spanish-American War.
He talked of a LONG line of guys waiting to take a mandated bath in one tub of water. When his turn came, he looked at the black water and balked. The Sgt. said it was for his own good and made him get in. It's a wonder he survived the war. The book is a good read in its own right.
Old phone book. Odd numbered page in the morning, even numbers at nite.
;->
When I was just a lad, we'd use the Sears and Roebuck catalog for TP in the outhouse on grandpa's KY farm.
Made for some good reading as well.
Joy was finding there were some "index" pages left, misery was finding only the glossy print pages!
Regards,
GtG
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