The Stupid Things People Do To Save Money

Stupid things people do to save money ex. Bumbleride Deluxe Baby Stroller

As a frugal person and a personal finance writer, I love saving money. But there are smart ways to save money and stupid ones. I've put together a collection of stupid things people do to save money in this post for your entertainment. In addition, I hope you can learn from these examples to better maximize your time and efforts to save and build wealth.

Hilarious Example Of Stupid Things People Do To Save Money

Here's a hilarious example of stupid things people do to save money that I witnessed.

One time I was driving my old SUV Moose to the local Chevron station to puut air in his 18 inch beasty tires. When I pulled into the gas station, I came across the picture above.

Study the picture carefully, what do you see? What you see there are two lovely moms trying to figure out how to use an industrial powered air pump to inflate their baby stroller!

Avoiding A $10 Purchase To Justify Spending $800

The stroller was the deluxe version, with a nice visor, four off-road looking tires, and space for two babies. I looked it up online and it says I can buy the “Bumbleride Indie Twin Double All” for only $800. Wow!

Anyway, I told the moms to be careful, because the industrial power air pump is meant for tires 100 times the size and they could literally blow up their stroller tires.

They brushed me off, and said “Oh not to worry, we've done this before.” Hmmm, OK!

10 minutes later….. seriously, 10 minutes later, they are screaming at each other! “WTF is wrong with this thing! Ugh, how come I can't the nozzle to fit?! We need to get a hand pump next time!”  

For someone who has “done this before,” they sure are making a fuss and taking a damn long time!

I couldn't help giggling like a school girl and started taking a couple pictures. It was seriously the funniest thing I've seen in a while. When I first arrived, they were standing behind another car who was getting its tires pumped.

It's like waiting in line at the McDonald's drive-through in your spandex behind a fuming exhaust pipe!

Are You Frugal Or A Cheap Bastard?

As I watched them curse at each other, I wondered why these women would not want to just buy a $10-$15 hand pump to inflate their 4X overpriced super stroller.

The only logical conclusion I got was they there were being cheap. They probably felt stupid for spending $800 on the stroller in the first place and didn't want to spend any more money. After all, you can buy 5-star double jogging strollers for $199 on Amazon any day.

Seriously, who spends 10 minutes and all that frustration and embarrassment to try and pump their stroller wheels at the gas station! Just imagine them blowing up the tires and then having to buy a whole new stroller. Oh the stupid things people to do save money.

A List Of Things That Might Be Considered Cheap

During the 10 minutes I spent watching those silly women, I reflected on what type of cheap bastard things I've done. Could I also be part of the stupid things people do to save money club? Nah, I've never done anything cheap! Just kidding.

Here's a list of things I've done to save money that might be considered cheap. What do you think?

Examples Of Saving Between $3 – $300

  • Whenever I go to one friend's tennis club, I'd rather drive around the block a couple times than pay the $3/hour parking fee. If I can't find free street parking after 5 minutes, I quit. The club is in a sparsely populated area, so I feel bad paying for parking if I don't need to. Cheap bastard?
  • I'd rather starve than spend $13 on an over-priced sandwich at the airport, even if I know it won't be another 3-5 hours before my next meal. Cheap bastard?
  • Even though it's 8pm, I'd rather wait 15 minutes for the bus to come, go on a 25 minute ride, and use my pre-paid monthly bus pass than pay $15 for a 10 minute cab ride home. Frugal or wasting precious time?
  • Haven't bought a new pair of jeans in 8 years because I think nice ones are a rip-off. Designer jeans for $200… really?! Besides, the Diesel jeans I bought 11 years ago for $120 still fit me. Cheap bastard?
  • When I was in college, I bought my girlfriend an awesome fake Prada wallet when I went to a night market in China. I didn't tell her it was fake, because it looked so real. Besides, I didn't have the money to spend $300 on a real one. I think she finally figured it out, but I'm not sure. Cheap bastard?

Examples Of Saving Thousands Of Dollars

  • I have a 7-year old TFT-LCD TV with faded color. But I'd rather keep watching it than spend $800-1,200 for a new one because it is such a pain in the ass to change systems. With new technology, I need to buy a new receiver and cable, leading to another $600+ in expenses. Frugal?
  • Decided to put black tape on my car's dashboard, rather than fix the traction control and ABS warning lights. My mechanic said it'd cost $1,500+ to fix. He said I didn't need to fix it because the functions work; it's just a circuit board bug. I do feel a little embarrassed if I take someone I don't know for a ride. I hope they don't notice the black tape. Cheap bastard?
  • My furnace is around 13-15 years old, but still works. It costs about $3,000 to replace it with a more energy efficient, better looking, new one. I don't want to bother until it breaks. Frugal?
  • I saved years and years of living expenses by the time I turned 30. Could have spent like Snoop Dogg, but didn't. My reasoning was I needed to save because I was whipped so hard at my first job from ages 22-24, that there was no way I could survive if I had to work more than 20 years. Cheap bastard?

Frugal Or Cheap Bastard?

There are countless stupid things people do to save money. As I've said before, there's no point making money if you don't spend your money!  As I get older, I realize this more and more.

After experiencing the Asian crisis in 1997, the dotcom bust in 2000, the economic Armageddon in 2008-2009, and the global pandemic, it's very hard to change my cheap bastard tendencies, but I'm trying!

Related:

How Much Savings You Should Have Accumulate By Age

It's Hard To Frugal Your Way To Early Retirement

How To Save Money The Smart Way

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48 thoughts on “The Stupid Things People Do To Save Money”

  1. Hahaha that’s so funny. I can’t imagine spending $800 on a stroller and then risk blowing it up like that. I’ve cut my own hair for the last 20 years. A couple times I really goofed and got it uneven so I had to keep cutting it shorter and shorter to try and fix it. Part of me was too lazy to drive to the hair dresser, and the other part of me wanted to save money. Both reasons have paid off! I’ve probably saved at least $2500 on the cost itself. But likely a whole lot more since I was able to invest that money and earn compounded returns on it!

  2. – Always split meals on dates (my wife and I don’t eat a lot)
    – Never order a soda because I get them free at work, how could I ever pay for them?
    – Only buy clothes and shoes once a year with Christmas/Bday gift cards
    – Wife cuts hair (with clippers, no bowl ;) )
    – Cloth diapers for baby
    – Ride bus instead of driving to work

    I guess this stuff isn’t cheap for the sake of being cheap. My parents did a lot of that growing up:

    Got mad because they didn’t have money to pay bills. Ate out 3 times a week as a big family.
    Got mad because we drank the juice too fast. Bought cheapest food possible. Always broke. Always had new cars with car payments.

    I could never understand the logic, but it’s part of my motivation to get people on a budget. It’s eliminates the excuses and stops you from always feeling like you need to save a penny, but have no clue how to get ahead.

  3. Money Beagle

    I’ve always heard about the appliance replacement and how you’ll make your money back if you replace it. First, many don’t have the cash on hand to replace the furnace, dishwasher, washing machine, and fridge, and second, the savings might not materialize under actual usage conditions (like opening the fridge door which is probably something that eats into your savings). Third, even if they do materialize, do people really take the 40 bucks a month that they save in their utility bill and save it to replenish their cash fund? Most likely not. And fourth, right after you go ahead and kill your savings to replace something that was still working, you’ll have something go out that you weren’t planning on replacing that now requires a bunch of cash.

    In other words, I’m all about trying to make appliances and such last, not just replacing them because that’s what the appliance companies tell me is a good idea. It is a good idea. For them.

  4. Bret @ Hope to Prosper

    Last weekend, I almost built my own filter for my wife’s turtle pond, because that’s what my brother (Cheap Bastard) told me he did. After whatching several How To videos on YouTube, I realized that it would take a lot of time and cost $30-40 for the parts. Or, I could buy a nice commercial model from the store for $69. So, I bought the commercial model and hooked it up in about a half hour. I asked my brother how long it took him to build his pond filter and he told me six hours. That adds up to $5 an hour and it didn’t sound like much fun. I’m glad I skipped it.

  5. * I drive the main route through a buh-gillion villages as opposed to paying tolls on the thruway.
    * I don’t have a land line to my home
    * I refuse don’t have cable, not one of those converter boxes for digital signals, because I refuse to pay any money for any TV when the quality is questionable to begin with

    1. Decided it’s not the right time b/c I’m not ready to kick back and do that shift just yet. Have a lot of things I want to do over the next 2-3 years in SF before then eg write a book, work on my sites, look into the internet/social media space, or perhaps even get a PhD.

  6. – No smartphone
    – Dropped my XM subscription
    – Cut my own hair (which unfortunately I use as justification for other purchase)
    – Learned to work on my own vehicles. Typical trade-off is a $37 part vs. $500 at a shop. I do minor car repairs for others as well, and relish in saving THEM money too! I DON’T believe in sacrificing safety or more costly repairs down the road by being TOO frugal.
    – Same goes for home repairs. You can find parts and instructions for fixing ANYTHING on the web.
    – Share meals out with my wife. Typical american portions are usually enough for 2.

  7. I do frugal/cheap stuff all the time. Before I bought the $13 (including shipping) eyeglasses that I’m wearing now, my old ones were falling apart. The earpiece would pop off and I’d sew it back on with dental floss. I think my television was manufactured back in the year 2000. I got it for free from a fellow freecycler. It must weigh 200 pounds.

    1. Never heard of $13 eyeglasses. Well done! I might have to “look” into that. Hopefully they are sunglasses and not prescription yeah? I’ve got $200 Maui Jims that I’ve lost twice now. Waste of money!

  8. I never pay for water – water bottle. I never pay for airport snacks or food – bring my own. I don’t pay for TV – only Netflix. I don’t buy books – use the library.

    And like others have mentioned, parking. I have a sickness where I can’t pay for it! I will drive in larger and larger concentric circles until I find a spot rather than pay parking garage fees!

    I make financial sacrifices today for a financially independent future. We can do that, most people can’t.

    Mr. Everyday Dollar

  9. I have a 9 year old Land Rover with a symphony of leaks and squeaks, to avoid expensive parts & repairs, I:

    – Superglue the wiperblades back together, this gets another year out of them
    – I Haven’t replaced the front wiper fluid motor for 3 years, 2 east coast winters showed it wasn’t that necessary
    – I’m ok with the constant dashboard lights, but turn up the stereo to cover all the minor drivetrain noises
    – The electric rear tailgate door lock motor has failed, I open it with a hanger from the drycleaners I’ve fashioned into a hook (I used the cardboard part for a handle) to grab the latch from inside

      1. James Brian

        It still hasn’t presented me me with a big repair yet in 99000 miles so far.

        If it makes it til next year when I buy a new daily driver, I’ll probably have it for another 10 years for an expedition vehicle.

  10. Hahaha this post made me laugh so hard. I do stupid things to save money all the time. Duct tape, super glue, and dark markers are my staples. I fixed my mom’s cracked trash can with duct tape. It looks so ghetto but it doesn’t matter cuz it’s a trash can right? Lol and I haven’t gone to the salon for a haircut in 7 years (and I’m a girl!). So yes I’m guilty of being cheap but I prefer to call it savvy frugal. ;)

    1. There is no think, only can or no can. The choice is up to you! I will tell you that it feels AMAZING to be financially independent before 35 and be able to do things by choice, not out of necessity.

  11. I think the things on your list make sense, except the fake Prada. But when younger, it’s all good right :)

    As for the rest, I’m on board though I might say that time can be more valuable than money in some circumstances, and there’s a tradeoff point. Why save a few bucks and spend a lot of time trying to do it?

    Overall, trying to save money is a great thing, and nothing to be ashamed of. As long as it’s not hurting or deceiving somebody else, wasting your own time, or putting your own (and/or family’s) wellbeing at risk, might as well lockdown that money and keep it. Those who call it cheap might be working when 80 years old, while the previously frugal person might have lived the last 30 years traveling and enjoying life.

    1. Nothing wrong with fake Prada! Now that I’m older, I think fake Prada for $30 instead of $300 makes more sense than ever, especially if it’s just a wallet or bag!

      That said, I’m not into any of that stuff at all.

  12. Taking an empty water bottle to the airport and filling it with water fountain water instead of paying for bottled water…

    Preferring to walk instead of taking the subway for 1 or 2 stations.

    I’m sure there’s plenty of other things…

    -Mike

  13. I never pay for parking f I don’t have to, which means if I need to walk a half mile to my destination so be it (time permitting). I also will wait for the bus rather than take a cab – the exception is when I was a waitress and I would get off work at 3am.
    I think everything you said us frugal, not cheap!

  14. Sam isn’t your frugal mentality what allowed you to be in the position you are in now and achieve financial freedom? Don’t be ashamed of your frugality, embrace it! My grandmother who lived through the depression taught me to value what I have and to use it to its fullest extent. Its like that Sheryl Crow song Soak up the Sun goes… “It’s not having what you want. It’s wanting what you’ve got”

    1. Maybe! I’m not ashamed of my frugal tendencies, I’m just not proud of them. They are what they are!

      The folks from the great depression really have a lot to teach us big spenders!

  15. Sam, one thing I’ve learned about you is that you can easily afford to do whatever you want.

    And the reason you can do so, is because of these kinds of decisions you’ve made in your life.

    The maxim: “no point making money if you don’t spend your money”, may be true, but why spend money on stupid stuff that you’ll end up regretting?

    That’s why I find myself more and more making more home-cooked meals. I’m just getting tired of eating sub standard food and paying top dollar.

  16. I think you need a third choice, just stupid. I hate paying for valet parking, if I have a choice. I hate any kind of fee and will always ask to avoid it. I hate paying retail so I shop discount stores or online.

  17. That stroller is a great example of why you should consider NOT buying over-optioned products. Why they hell does a baby stroller need pneumatic tires anyway? (Because that makes it “the best”). Maybe for a jogging stroller but for a traditional stroller it seems ridiculous. The same thing applies to everything from washing machines to cars. Remember that BMW 6 series you were eying? That thing is awesome, but also has a space shuttles worth of technology in it. Imagine how much black tape you would need to cover warning lights on one of those things in 20 years!

  18. – make Mrs. RB40 cut my hair…
    – wear clothes with holes in them. my sock collection is not in good shape
    – drink water instead of buying drinks at restaurants
    – I hate paying for parking too
    I’m pretty cheap in general.

  19. – Have Mr. LH squeeze his hands into small, rubber gloves to color my hair since I just won’t spend the $85 on a salon coloring. Cheap Bastard? Yes.
    – Park far, far away to avoid parking fees (and door dings). Frugal I say.
    – Duct taped the floor of our new-ish tent. Again, Frugal considering the tent was $400.

    I like keeping my money in the bank, so most of my spending habits I consider frugal -yet others might consider it cheap bastard. ;)

  20. I take the 15 or 20 mins to return beer bottles anytime I have a larger than normal get together. I then save the coins in a water jug.

    I will wait in line for much cheaper gas even though I don’t really drive that much

  21. Haha Love this! I recently went cheap and hired cheap plumbers. Boy was that a mistake! I had to pay a better plumber to fix everything they broke

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