Strawb

I admit that I am very thrifty.

At home I re-use tea bags all the time. Nothing is wasted - yes, I have no problem eating food past its "best before" date; mainly fruit and vegetables. I like to buy food in the supermarket that has been reduced because it has to be sold/used by quickly. I then freeze them and use them when I want. I also look out for bargains but I never buy more than I need - buy one get one free offers do not entice me unless I actually want the items. I do have standards though, I only buy the best quality I can afford. I even freeze milk.

Like everyone, I'm feeling the pinch in food prices which have soared considerably here in the UK and elsewhere in the world. That's why it's so important for me not to waste food unnecessarily.

It's changed my dining habits too. Now I don't hesitate to ask for tap water for myself in restaurants (when I'm paying the bill! )

I just guess I've always been a thrifty person and I always will be.

So...how thrifty are you?

sobore

Same as you. I noticed when you buy the better brands of tea you can actually get three cups from a single bag. ^

pinkcat

Tesco washing tablets £2.40 instead of Ariel £6 odd, Tesco shampoo 79p instead of Head and shoulders £2.99 we all have one thing you dont have to swap, for me its coffee, my son its Jaffa cakes, My husband, Cathederal city, the cats Whiskas in tins, everything else is open to swapping for own brand. I Freeze butter as well, prices have gone silly just lately so I wait for the special offers, for me its worth it to shop online as well as the supermarket is 20 miles away and the petrol cost is higher than the delivery charge

miss1K

I buy everything on sale unless I really really really need something now.

jfe

I am a cheap b@ast@rd

wharvey

and I give them a good name....

My partner likes to call me "frugal" not "cheap".... uh huh!

cordelli

We buy on sale, have a wall of diet coke in the garage, because it was on sale the last couple weeks. Clip coupons, and at the store it's not unusual for me to break an order up into several orders at the self serve checkout so I can use more then one coupon for the same stuff.

Stuff like meats and seafood we almost only buy when it's on sale. This week it's sirloin tips, so the freezer will get a few months stock of that. Last week it was flank steak and swordfish.

The local farmers markets are starting to go full force which gives us some great chances to save money on food, one has for example ears of corn (local, very sweet and tasty) for 20 cents each, while two major stores each less then a couple miles away are over twice as much and the stuff is trucked in and not as good.

All four local stores do online circulars, so where we shop isn't random, but picked based on what's on sale where.

oldpenny16

I just bought a winter weight sweater at Zappos.com and saved about $50, free shipping. Yeah, I know it is from last winter, but it will keep me warm.

How thrifty am I? I've always been careful but thanks to internet shopping I can find the best prices on what we need. I buy fresh food stuffs locally and don't over buy in quantity (The Sam's Club effect where people buy too much and waste food).

I buy good quality tea leaves and use a tea pot. Better tea and less expensive per cup. I don't drink sodas, diet or otherwise. Money saved there.

Elizabeth W.

I consider myself pretty thrifty as well. I plan out my grocery shopping in advance so I can take advantage of coupons and store specials. I shop at the local farmer's market since they tend to have cheaper produce then the stores. I generally drink only water. I've also started eating more vegetarian dishes since I don't have to buy meat that way.

Overall, I haven't been affected by rising food prices much and I'm certainly not starving to death.

cpx

I do not compromise on quality, but I buy only what I need. I hate coupons..
so pick whats on sale at the local wholesale warehouse.

If I get an urge to get something.. I put it on my wish-list.. until the
urge goes away. If it stays there for more than 3 weeks... it will
be purchased on the next grocery trip.

I freeze certain things.. but not too much.

Traveltalker

I always thought I was frugal because I like Target, but after reading the responses, I guess not. It's always time to have people over regardless of whether or not the alcohol prices are cheap. We live on the water, so we do a lot of entertaining in the summer. We buy the beer that we like. I also buy my wine from the winery, so I never buy bottles for under $10. At our local grocery store, we buy what we like - not what's on sale, and we don't use coupons. I guess we could do a whole lot better!

Kate_Canuck

I'm selectively thrifty and spendthrift. For example, I refuse to buy cups of coffee if there is good (or even mediocre) coffee available for free (e.g. at the office). Unless I'm somewhere where tap water is an immediate health hazard, I choose tap water at a restaurant instead of bottled water. I try to wait for sales or coupons when I shop for clothes and other items, but I'm not always disciplined. My splurges are relatively contained, though, because I wear mid-range labels, not designer labels.

I splurge, though, on restaurants, hotels and transportation. I refuse to fly Y on long (e.g. more than 7 hour) flights and I often prefer to stay in hotel than bunk with friends in a city. I also tend to take taxis to and from airports instead of shuttle buses or public transportation.

And to feed my points/miles addiction, I will sometimes buy products through internet retailers (via click-through links from e.g. Marriott or Thank You Network) even though I have to pay a delivery charge.

Mr Canuck, on the other hand, loves to buy bruised, discounted food and hates to throw away anything including food, unless mold has overtaken at least half the volume or unless the item in question has turned into a liquid (if originally solid) or a solid (if originally a liquid).

VonS

I never make large purchases without checking the on line prices. Smartbargains.com and overstock.com are two of my favorite places to shop.

soundgarden

I've created a dedicated email address for all of the stores that I shop at - from grocery stores to clothing stores. I have received a surprising amount of coupons via email, most of which work in the store and online. I usually use the online coupons & shop through the AA shopping portal for miles. The grocery stores around where I live email printable coupons fairly often. Also, some of my favorite restaurants around here (Rasoi & Kabob and Curry in Rhode Island) also email out 20% off coupons on a regular basis.

I have definitely learned that I don't have to pay full price at almost every retail store that I visit. So...I am pretty much the person that you will see in Bed, Bath, and Beyond, with 40,000 coupons in my hand.

hairpeace

You're joking, right?

Answer: not very