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I am cheap there is no doubt about it. Frugal people are careful with their money while cheap people will go to extremes to keep their money in their pocket. When deciding if you're frugal or cheap you might find it hard to know the difference. I am on the cheap side and I can prove it.

Considering yourself cheap isn't a bad thing at all; in fact it can be amazingly beneficial. Refusing to pay full price for anything that you don't absolutely have to is a sign of being cheap. The refusal to pay full price and waiting until things are marked as low as they can possible go such as 50% to 90% off of clearance items while you make due with worn out items is just part of it.

There is always a use for a used item. Storage containers aren't purchased instead empty containers are used for food storage. These provide short term storage and we don't keep leftovers long, or throw them out. My cat loves table scraps. We always make a new meal out of what was left over, to help ensure nothing goes to waste.

The idea of throwing anything away terrifies the cheap person. I have this fear, I recycle everything even aluminum foil and scrap metal for cash. While the money isn't that good it's still money that I can tuck away for a rainy day. While the idea of recycling everything you can for cash may be strange to some considering you have to take the time to seperate it and clean it to ensure you are getting the best price it is well worth it.

Reading emails for pay is another sign of being cheap. These emails pay very little but finding a reputable site will earn you a check every few months that you didn't have to do anything but click a link to get. This money goes into savings since it's not included in the regular budget. You have to be cheap to hunt down these opportunities and find the ones that pay.

Brand loyalty isn't even a possibility in my home. I am so cheap that if it's the cheapest thing in the store chances are it's coming home with me. Should there be items on my shopping list that I know for a fact are cheaper somewhere else and the store doesn't match prices those items aren't purchased there. Instead these items wait until I have to go to the other store.

I refuse to purchase small garbage bags. I either use the bags I get from the store when I forget to take mine or forgo the small bags and empty the smaller cans directly into the larger can to take the trash out. I even purchase the cheapest diapers I can.

I know I'm cheap and I don't care who else knows it. I'm the cheapest person I know out of need; none of the people I know make as little as I do so they don't have to be cheap. I define myself as cheap and I am proud to do so.

Learn more about this author, L. Beall.
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