[serious] What is the most frugal thing you've witnessed somebody do?

1. My grandpa owned a TV for the longest time that you literally had to turn it on and let it warm up for 10 minutes before it would show a picture.
   — cruleworld


2. Elderly relatives of mine had a "system" when it came to grocery shopping. He would drop her off at the supermarket and drive home. She had to buy the cheapest of everything on the list. When she was done, she went to a payphone and called home. After **three rings** she hung up and retrieved the coin. That was her husband's signal to drive back and pick her up.
   — Eddie_Hitler


3. A guy I used to work for would tear Post-It notes in half, thus doubling the amount of Post-It notes he had.
   — AManGotToHaveACode






4. Washing Ziploc bags for reuse. Stealing used plastic cutlery to rewash at home to reuse.
   — lyrasorial


5. Probably me When i go to cubs games at Wrigley, i only buy tickets from people who "need to sell quick below face value" Wrigley lets you bring in food, i bring in all kinds of cheap snacks, they prefer it be from a fast food place or like a closed bag of chips but ill bring a homemade sandwich etc and say "im diabetic i cant just eat anything here" I also have plastic booze flasks i fill with alcohol which pass metal detectors and ill bring in my own mixer since you can bring closed drinks. Someome on reddit even told me you can sign some form saying you're a designated driver and get free sodas at the park. I also don't pay to park. I use the free shuttle or the CTA - bus to get there.
   — kittenlover27


6. When I had a miscarriage and was in the hospital, my dad - in the midst of my loss and grieving - pushed me to and insisted I haggle with my doctor about the fees (Like in the market :|) Even though it was my husband who's paying for the hospital bill.
   — helguhhh






7. That'd be my late great uncle, a WW2 vet who remembered the depression, he'd get a piece of pie and he'd cut the paper plate in quarters, only using one quarter for his pie.
   — faceeatingleopard


8. My dad got holes in his sweatpants over both knees after wearing them for years. Instead of getting new ones he just flipped them around. Wore his sweatpants backwards with the holes behind his knees for a long time. Ater they wore out that way, he used the remaining fabric to patch rips in his car seats. It looked terrible.
   — maaandaman


9. At a party - a friend of my mom's had the price tag sticking out of her dress. Husband informed us that she intended to return it soon.
   — commonvanilla






10. My neighbor lady deliberately looks for dent and scratch cans of food at the grocery so she can negotiate a discount
    — Jumpinalake


11. My company would give you 50 dollar budget for dinner on trips, either spend it or lose it. So my coworker would go to Subway or Arby's, and buy 50 dollars worth of shit, then eat it for the next week when he was back in the office.
    — ooo-ooo-oooyea


12. No joke, I recently learned one of my employees picks up half filled drinks like gatorade off the ground and drinks them. He also takes cigarettes out if public ash trays and smokes them. He makes decent money too.
    — MtmJM






13. My mom used to steal all the table condiments every time we went out to eat. At least she didn’t take the silverware?
    — tocamix90


14. One of my friends never accepted to eat hotdogs with us when we were hanging out. Once I asked him why? The answer he gave me: Eating HOTDOGS?!?!? Do you know how much they cost? they are sooooo expensive man. They are like 1 Dollars !!! They were actually 3 dollars :| That 1 dollar was the price of hotdogs fifteen years before this conversation! AND one third of the current hotdog price!!! Dude hadn't tried hotdogs in 15 years!! FYI I live in Iran and Inflation fucks the prices here. Edit: used more accurate numbers.
    — KazEmpire