Todayâs post is from Adam. He recently got sucked into the hit reality series called Extreme Cheapskates on TLC. Here are some of the things heâs learned from the show.
The reality TV show on TLC, Extreme Cheapskates, is meant to be entertainment. Most of the antics of the people portrayed on the show inspire revulsion rather than a desire to become more frugal. For example, one woman picks a cake out of the trash and serves it to her guests. Another woman cooks up roadkill for dinner.
These examples are why this show is first and foremost entertainment. Basically like all of reality TV. However, once I got past the icky stuff, I was able to pick out a few valuable lessons on saving money.
Save Through Adventurous Eating
Jeff Yeager is a self-proclaimed extreme cheapskate who appears regularly on the show, and he provides much of the most helpful advice. In one episode he serves up boiled fish heads to his guests. Itâs pretty funny to see the looks of disgust on a teenagerâs face as Jeff eats the fishâs eyeballs.
So this is an âextremeâ example of adventurous eating. However, considering all the bizarre things people eat all over the world, opening your mind to new flavors and textures could be a fun way to save money.
If youâre constantly on the lookout for deals at the grocery store, itâs a good idea to broaden your horizons to food you might not have tried before. It doesnât have to be fish heads, but it might be chopped liver or an item from the international aisle.
Save by Conserving Water
California is currently going through an extreme drought, and so for residents of that state water conservation may soon become a necessity. When it comes down to it, itâs possible to drastically reduce your householdâs water use, and the people on Extreme Cheapskates prove it.
One simple way of saving water, as portrayed in the show, is to take a ânavy shower.â This is when you only leave the water on to rinse yourself. While you lather your hair with shampoo and clean yourself with soap, the water stays off until itâs time to wash yourself down.
In Extreme Cheapskates, a woman forces her boyfriend to take these ânavy showersâ in a pretty demeaning way. She puts a baby monitor in the bathroom so she can bark at him if she thinks heâs using too much water. Itâs hard to imagine a grown man putting up with that, but it appears he does.
Despite the brash personalities of the characters in the show, taking a ânavy showerâ is a pretty reasonable and effective way to conserve water. It might take some getting used to, but if itâs good enough for the navy, then itâs probably good enough for the rest of us.
My conclusion after watching a few episodes was that while I probably donât fit the description of an âExtreme Cheapskate,â there are a few good ideas for saving money. These people have obviously taken it to the next level, sometimes to the point of lunacy. But if I really wanted to, I could follow their lead and find some great ways to cut my own spending.
