The Cheap Jerk

Do you use coupons?

According to a recent study, Atlanta shoppers use them more than anywhere else in the country. How does your city stack up?

Before I reveal the twenty most frugal cities, I need to tell you a story and ask a question.

There’s a gentleman who’s been working on the team here at Focus for nearly 20 years. He’s married with three girls. If you ever meet him, you’d love him. Bright, chipper, just a real nice guy. He’s also not embarrassed to tell you he’s a saver, not a spender.

Doug’s got a nickname – The Cheap Jerk.

I’ll explain.

There’s no denying the fact that Doug is frugal. He keeps his thermostat at 55 degrees in the winter. How cold is Doug’s house? It’s so cold that he once caught his daughter warming her hands over the corn-on-the-cob at the dinner table. (This sounds especially crazy in light of the current temperature here in Colorado Springs: 3 below zero at 2:15 PM Mountain time.)

Doug drives a 20-year-old car, takes cold showers and compacts his trash to save space and money. He also used to get his haircut at a beauty school every three months for $4. During one visit the teacher criticized the student working on Doug. “You didn’t leave this guy with any hair,” he told him. Doug came to his defense. “I asked him to cut it short,” he explained. “That’s because you’re cheap!” thundered the teacher.

That same week Doug found himself in traffic court dealing with a minor violation. Always looking to save, Doug questioned the amount of the fine . The judge, who was probably having a bad day, called him a jerk for trying to further reduce a plea bargain offer.

Thus the nickname, The Cheap Jerk.

(As an aside, Doug is extremely generous, giving both his time and treasure to people and causes, proving that frugality and generosity are not incompatible!)

Granted most of us aren’t so frugal as to cause our kids to warm their fingers over a hot meal, but it’s always neat to find ways to do more with less – or simply do less and save more.

I’d welcome readers to share their secrets and tips on managing the family’s finances.

1. Atlanta
2. Tampa
3. Cincinnati
4. St. Louis
5. Minneapolis
6. Charlotte
7. Nashville
8. Cleveland
9. Pittsburgh
10. Raleigh
11. Kansas City
12. Washington, D.C.
13. Miami
14. Dallas
15. Oklahoma City
16. Boston
17. Denver
18. Seattle
19. Columbus, Ohio
20. Wichita, Kansas

Topics: Family and Home Tags: family, finances, pop culture February 1, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura