Guest Blog Cheapskate Tuesday: Heidi is my inspiration

Cheapskate Tuesday Entry- By Special

What does it mean to be a cheapskate? I think in order to be a truly effective cheapskate you have to be doing things that make you standout. For instance, I have called Heidi 99% of the time and she has called me once. Now, I understand that her situation is pretty limited being here in Calgary, however, the essence of being cheap isn’t really wearing off on me. Yet.

Being a cheapskate isn’t a one day a week thing. It’s a daily thing. A lifestyle. Brookes finding someone to fund her entire trip to Australia wouldn’t be enough. She’d have to suggest taking the crew out to dinner with the money she saved, wrinkle her nose at anyone ordering anything over $12 or $13 and then to top it off giving the waiter/waitress $50bucks on a bill that came to $47.23 and saying ‘keep the change.’

That’s cheap.

Scrooge was cheap.

Fact: Heidi is on a free trip right now in Mexico. All expenses paid. How is this possible?

Fact: She ‘makes’ her own holiday gifts. Easter, Birthday’s. Yes, Christmas is not exempt.

Fact: She has duplicate Airmiles’ cards which she has given to choice family members so that they can collect airmiles for her.

Fact: She doesn’t believe in a thermostat or heat. I don’t think she knows just how cold it’s going to get here in Alberta {For example, she opened the sliding glass door ALL THE WAY and it’s minus 4 outside, she said, “I’m glad I don’t pay the heating bill.”}

Fact: Heidi has not had a regular job to go to since June. She’s worked, but she hasn’t had a regular position.

I’ll bet that slowly, the image of Heidi being a cheapskate is starting to enter your brains. You’re thinking, like I am, that wow, my friend really is a cheapskate and I should be paying attention if I want to save more money.

What’s the cost of this though? I’ll warn you in advance that if you indeed want to become a cheapskate it’s not enough to let the next guy pick up the tab.

Having made my case for Brookes being a cheapskate let me make a case for the total opposite.

Brookes is always available to talk about things. You can call her up and if she’s busy she’ll call you back. Doesn’t matter what it is. She’ll make you cookies {even if I prefer the dad’s oatmeal chocolate chip} for any old occasion.

That’s rich.

Mother Theresa was rich.

Brookes it seems has a knack for always having time to do things. Even sleeping. I guess it’s fair if she’s a little cranky when you call her at 10am when you KNOW she only went to be 4 or 5 hours ago. She just, won’t answer the phone.

Fact: Brookes picked up the tab for her own coffee instead of letting me buy it for her when I was down in Calgary.

Fact: Brookes managed to pay her rent without having a regular job to go to.
Fact: Brookes always has money for Starbucks.

Fact: Even though she makes her own gifts, she’s really good at it. I wouldn’t ever think twice about getting a gift from her that was hand made. It’s good quality. You can’t put a price on quality. Like the coffee cup I got. I would have paid a great sum of money for that cup. Instead, I got it for free, and Brookes paid.

Fact: Brookes donates her own blood and brings people flowers. Albeit, useless ones that get tossed on the kitchen table. However, it is the thought that counts here. I’m not speaking from experience.

It appears that Brookes might not be as cheap as some of her jokes. She just knows how to save money. If there were different levels of being a cheapskate, Brookes is maybe a level 2 with 1 being low and 5 being high.

Brookes it seems has plenty to go around.

She just knows when to chince out.