What Type of Frugal Are You?

Are you the Jedi Knight of coupon clipping or more of a Picasso of repurposing?  

Find out exactly what kind of frugal mastermind you are and share you wise ways with us sensei!

• The Extremist:   You were doing Extreme Couponing before it was a show and trending HARD on Twitter.  You have enough ketchup to last you through the apocalypse and your underground bunker is stocked with every kind of beet imaginable that you craftily got a horrendously good deal on.  It’s a badge of honor to know that not only did you get a huge stockpile of laundry detergent cheaper than all those other poor shmucks who buy it on a “as needed” basis, but that you even made the girl at the cash register cry when she saw you pull up.

Now off to the toilet paper vault (that used to be your empty hall closet) to meticulously count your change and laugh all the way to the bank!

• The Strategist:  You have your hand in a little bit of everything and are willing to play hardball.  You are always asking yourself “what can help me save money?”  in every arena of your life.  You meticulously search for the best rewards cards, negotiate for the lowest interest loans and calculate interest rates for the best credit cards, but even that’s not enough!  You are so on-task with your multi-task that you even have a fancy online spreadsheet to track your budget and examine your credit report like it’s a crime scene every year.  You could recite your entire credit history blindfolded and you’re not afraid to admit it.  You’re a budgeting bad@$$ and people should fear you (and trust me, they do!).

• The Repurposer {AKA Borderline Hoarder}:  “This will be useful someday” you tell yourself as you clean out yet another margarine tub to be added to your Leaning Tower of Tuppers eerily looming above you.   You also have a knack for accumulating free things, even if they’re not necessarily your cup of tea, they could be useful for something, someday.  Your magazine collection (all free of course) is enough to rival the database of the Library of Congress, that is, if Library of Congress held onto gifted backissues of Martha Stewart Living and the PennySaver.

You also may be one of those types who likes to buy something just to have it, in the hope it can be repurposed for a gift for someone, though the recipient is currently unknown. Surely, these towels will come in handy for someone, somewhere, and when you’re finally invited to a party (and find a small open closet crevice in which to shove the aforementioned linens), you’ll be ready to be the world’s smartest gift giver with your ever-ready generic gift reserve!  

• The DIYer:  Why pay someone else when you can YouTube it and do it yourself?  You get excited about the prospect of saving a few bucks to learn something new or jimmyrigin’ something to work without having to call in a professional.  This can work excellently, except, you know, when it doesn’t and you end up with closet organizer that’s a wee bit lopsided {eh, whatever it was cheap!} or a dye job that you intended to be deep nut brown but after being applied with a REAL PAINT BRUSH found in your craft box instead of a legit salon tool, you look like a redheaded leopard.  {not that I would know anything about this}

• The Bootlegger:  When you can get it free, you do.  When you can get it free and LEGAL? EVEN BETTER but not necessary.  You borrow from libraries, friends, make copies and sometimes use the internetz for evil but you save money like a skilled ninja who can cut melons in midair with your saber in the dark.  Your prefer to “ninja” it up in your stealthy savings techniques, but hey, if you have to YARRRRRRRR like the pirate you are, you’ll do it to save $5.99!

So, what type of frugal are you?  Or do you defy this list?  

Please tell me you haven’t tried any of my DIY mistakes!