The Ultimate Cheap Guy -- Your Frugal Tips?

Patriotic Brazilians certainly would choose either Tim Hortons or Burger King.

 

I noticed an article about Tim Hottens today:

There’s a Tim Hottens in India, and Tim Hortons has its crullers in a knot - National | Globalnews.ca

 

Don't date or get married.

Bob Wilson

 

Don't buy an airplane

 

That Hottens logo clearly infringes on Hortons trademark, if indeed the later properly filed for protection in that region.

That reminds me of a blatant trademark violation in Seattle during the Vancouver Olympics. I spotted several taxis operating under the name Olympic Taxi, and sporting a logo identical to the Olympic rings, except rendered in black and white. That company no longer exists, and I never heard any news about what legal trouble they may have run in to.

Within the U.S., "Olympic" is a protected trademark of the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC), but those of us in Washington State have special legal dispensation to use it for business purposes located primarily west of the Cascade mountain crest. Why? Our state capital is named Olympia. West of Puget Sound is Mt. Olympus, in the Olympic Mountain Range, on the Olympic Peninsula, all named before the modern Olympic games were created. We also have Olympic National Park, though that does not predate the modern games. The name is ingrained here by local geography, quite independent of and predating the USOC, so we can use it in situations and contexts where other Americans cannot.

Had that taxi company logo been a profile or silhouette of the Olympic Mountain Range as seen across the water from Seattle or anywhere else here along Puget Sound, I'm sure they would have passed legal muster. But black-and-white Olympic Games rings? No way, that had to be a violation.

 

A financial advisor was more blunt: don't take financial responsibility for anything that eats.

Spouse, children, extended family, pets, livestock, ...

 

Colbert's brother was once a lawyer for the US Olympic Committee, and was on the old show explaining what attempts to side step their trade mark rights he would sue Colbert over.

Still like Superb Owl.

 

Hm, here's where people will immediately just skip ahead to the next message, but for what it's worth, my thoughts and suggestions...

(1) Leave your bank, go to a credit union. Easiest decision you can make. Some credit unions are better than others (and I'm a member of 10+ of them) but even the worst credit union is better than a bank. And with their shared CoOp ATM network, there are far more ATMs than even the largest banks. You don't have to live anywhere near a branch. Many of my credit unions have no branch in my state. They're still great.

(2) Shop around for your best financial deals. I have credit cards at one CU, checking account at another, HSA at yet another, CDs at others, IRA at others.

(3) Don't pay yearly or monthly fees. Though there are some exceptions, most of the time over the long haul, if you do the math, you'll find you won't save as much vs an alternative without the fee. Plus making consumers pay a fee is brilliant for the company, because psycologically the consumer will always use that company by default, even if better options are available, because after all, you've already paid your fee for the year, so if you don't use that one place as much as possible, the fee would be money down the drain. I know there are exceptions depending on how people live, but whether it be Costco or (especially) Amazon or credit cards, or what have you, I won't join anything with a mandatory yearly/monthly fee where there are no-fee alternatives.

(4) Make do with less. Something this simple yet people think they've discovered ancient wisdom when they discover it. We're a consumer culture that demands we buy the latest model of the newest gadget. Never owned an iphone, never wanted to. Have an old (5yrs?) smaller $99 android that still works great, even when taking it overseas. Instead of buying the latest, greatest product of everything, learn to make do with only what you really need. At the same time, know that you don't want to deny yourself of everything for your entire life, but make your "gifts" to yourself in moderation. Once or twice a year get something for yourself that you've thought about for a while, don't just buy the flashy thing you just heard about on impluse.

(5) Turn out lights when you're not in the room. Do you need every room in your house lit if you're sitting in one room watching TV? Be wary of "vampires" (things constantly kept plugged in that slowly suck electricity even when not used).

(6) Cable/Satellite? Never once had it or wanted it. I'm not much of a TV fan, but over-the-air TV + internet works great for me.

(7) When travelling, go for airbnb, budget motels, youth hostel, avoid Hyatts, Hiltons, and resorts. Honestly, I have travelled a LOT in my life (domestic and overseas) and even on a level playing field, I vastly prefer staying in humble accomodations. On the big island of Hawaii people stay in posh resorts. I found a tiny hotel up in the hills run by a Japanese granny for $25 a night (the other guests were all Hawaiians from the other islands) and had a great time. I can't think of anything worse, to tell you the truth, than staying in a resort, even if the prices were the same. And then you think about what the difference in money you spent could buy instead.

(8) Don't buy something just because it's "on sale" unless it's something you want or need anyway. This may sound like a no-brainer but you'd be surprised how many people can't stop themselves from buying something because it's "on sale." Is it any wonder that JCPenney started going downhill when they got rid of their multiple coupon policy and instead instituted a "one fair price" policy? No one shopped there anymore, because the illusion of a bargain was gone. So then they went back to raising their prices but having multiple coupons/% off sales on everything, and the customers came back. I'm not knocking JCPenney, I'm just saying, don't buy that 7-gallon tub of mayonaise just because it's 35% off if you live alone.

(9) Don't buy anything on impulse (something that you hadn't planned on buying). Go home and think about it first. Do you really need it? Really? If you really do, it'll still be there a few days later.

(10) Know the value of what you buy. What used to be 6oz tuna cans for decades, changed to 5oz a few years ago. We still call ice cream "half gallons" but have a look. They're not half gallons anymore. Everything from Triscuits to breakfast cereals are secretly downsizing. Not a bad idea if you'd like to downsize yourself, perhaps, but be aware of the true cost of things. Perhaps it's better to buy a $150 printer where toner is $30 instead of a $30 printer where toner is $150.

(11) Don't buy some expensive Toyota hybrid. Buy a Yugo instead. Okay, okay. That can be the one "gift" to yourself for the year... Though even on that, you'll note I bought the Plus trim!