The TLC series Extreme Cheapskates takes an in-depth look at "penny pinchers" who are obsessed with cutting costs "by any means necessary, from dumpster diving for dinner, once-a-week toilet flushing and reusing dental floss." The show premieres next month on October 16th, and we're already hooked. Here's a clip of one of their first thrifty stars, a New Yorker named Kay, explaining how she saves money by washing her clothes while showering and never using toilet paper:
Just think of all the money you squander on Charmin, living like some Captain of Industry defecating on a gold toilet next to a pile of fine silk. And while you're blowing your paycheck big pimping at the Laundromat, Kay is saving six whole dollars A MONTH. You can make fun of her eccentricities, but someday she'll be having the last laugh from her yacht! And she's not the only one who knows how to cut corners. The other so-called "extremists" on the show include:
- Terence—[Oakland, CA] goes through life without spending money: he picks up loose change, doles out a tiny allowance to his family, refuses to buy furniture and never takes his family out to eat.
- Greg—[Cincinnati, OH] is a Zumba instructor who only flushes his toilet once per week. Greg reuses plastic utensils, and makes money by participating in medical tests… even if it means applying ointment to his rear end.
- Victoria - [Columbus, OH] is a self-made millionaire who obsessively keeps track of her budget, and is thrown for a loop as her boyfriend Steve moves in on a trial basis to see if he can handle her “flush free” lifestyle, which involves personalized urine jars.
- Roy—[Huntington, VT] reuses his dental floss, picks through trash, and makes his own household cleaning supplies. He reuses coffee grinds several times, takes advantage of ice cream samples and gets free refills at the movies from leftovers discovered in the trash.
- Ben - [Austin, TX] is very crafty when it comes to his miserliness. Ben uses his dishwasher to clean his clothes, makes his own toothpaste and uses cornstarch to keep himself cool since he lives without air conditioning in the sweltering Texas heat.
- Jeff - [Accokeek, MD] has been living the cheapskate lifestyle for most of his adult life. Jeff uses his bicycle as his primary means of transportation and claims he’s saved over $50,000. He takes low-cost vacations by couch surfing and helps a family participate in a cheapskate boot camp that includes a “trash can autopsy.”
- Vickie—[Ashton, ID] a mother of five who refuses to shell out cash for a telephone, a television or even new clothes for the kids. Vickie hunts for road kill in order to save money on gifts for the kids.
- Abdul - [Sioux Falls, SD] is the ultimate haggler. He takes pride in negotiating a cheap price for everything, from fast food, gas, and utilities, right down to the balloons and cake for the anniversary party he plans for his wife.
