14 DAY TRIAL // TLC has premiered a new reality series that’s bound to make a killing in terms of audience but be vilified because of its content. It’s called “Extreme Cheapskates” and a preview video for the premiere episode is below.
Meet Kay Hashimoto, a Certified Public Accountant. She lives in New York City and, despite claims to the contrary, is living proof that living in the Big Apple can be extremely cheap if you know a few not so simple tricks.
Kay owns her own house, which she paid off in 9 months, and is en route to saving $250,000 (€190,607) by next year.
She only manages to do that by cutting all expenses she deems unnecessary (which entail most of what we consider vital) down to 0.
Kay hasn’t done laundry in 3 years and has developed her own method of washing her clothes, thus saving money each week: she washes her clothes while she’s in the shower and then hangs them out to dry.
Similarly, Kay doesn’t buy toiletries and not even toilet paper, choosing instead to wash herself with water and soap every time she goes to the bathroom.
This way, she saves even more money.
Other tips Kay shares with viewers of the new TLC reality series are running to work instead of taking the subway, taking part in medical trials to make an extra buck, eating out of dumpster and reusing furniture that others take out in the street.
“I’ve always been frugal, but it was when I was laid off in the dot-com crash that I became extreme. No job is guaranteed, so I live as if I could be fired at any time,” she says.
In the meantime, she’s saving money should that day come. It’s extreme but she’s happy with her life and says that she doesn’t even need a man to feel more complete.
“I’ve been in a relationship where I stayed because I was getting freebies and gifts, but I got out of it. It’s better to be single and Dumpster-diving than to be with someone you can’t stand,” she says.