When it comes to being cheap, I was schooled by the best--good ol'Mom and Dad. They never stopped mentioning that they were raised during the Great Depression, etc. It has taken a lifetime for me to break some of those habits I learned so well. Imagine my surprise, for example, when I discovered that you don't have to straighten nails, they have new ones at the Home Depot, and you can even buy them in the right size for the job.
My parents' lifelong proclivities translated into a practice which wasn't what you would call a money-saving thing, that of just not throwing anything away. Like when a faucet or lamp went bad and had to be replaced, the old one went in to "storage" along with all the egg cartons and plastic drink cups from Burger King and every TV set they ever owned since Eisenhower was president (I don't know if any but the one Dad still uses were actually in working condition), old kitchen chairs and other non-useful furniture, and so much other crap I can't even begin to catalogue it. The basement and attic were so loaded, that when I helped them sell their house it cost Dad over $4K in dumpster and junk removal fees. And this was after my sister and I donated everything that Goodwill would actually take.
Their new apartment in the senior living place is tidy now, but I have to keep my eye on that stack of used magazines...
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Topic: What's the cheapest thing you've done/seen someone do? (Read 8642 times)