“Worse than that, it sounds like his penny-pinching is actually doing him in”
That is my biggest fear, actually.
In addition to his penny-pinching habits which are likely impacting his health, he uses his excess cash for what he calls his, “hooker fund”. I really fear that one of the streetwalkers that he brings home is going to stick a shiv in him in order to steal his money.
And, even if his rejection of hot water, basic hygiene, and fresh food does not do him in, I wonder about the effects of the diseases to which he is exposing himself by patronizing these women.
Unfortunately, all of my efforts to explain the hazards of his lifestyle are rejected by him, and this makes me very sad.
ok4450–Every time that I am unable to reach him via phone, I start worrying about where he might be, and whether he is safe. Unfortunately, I am unable to have any effect on his negative lifestyle choices, and I can only hope for the best for him.
@Whitey If you have a well and septic tank, be prepared to haul water ?
Maybe if you had a surface well 80 years ago and an old rusted out metal holding tank at a hunting camp that you neglected. It would be impossible for a properly functioning septic system to contaminate a well built according to code at the distances required. Our well is 400 feet deep…there is much more concern from contaminants used in lawn care and the like. Septic systems and wells are fully compatible and these fears from city dwellers and flatlanders just don’t have any basis with today’s technology. I trust my water which has passed purity tests with flying colors for neary 20 years over some city water. City water, often taken from surface water sources is much more susceptible from contamination ( including wild life feces) and often requires chemicals and constant monitoring to be potable. City water in some places is so rancid tasting to those used to the purity of a good well, they subsist on drinking mosty bottle water when in the city…I do !
The dermatologist with whom I consult with occasionally rues the day farmers quit buying wide brimmed straw hats in favor of those “free” seed company ballcaps.
Starting about ten years afterwards, she told me, she started seeing a LOT of them suffering from skin cancer on the backs of thier ears and neck. She said those caps don’t offer a bit of protection from the sun. Skin cancer can be a particularly virulent and deadly form of cancer if not treated immediatly.
db4690–It seems that he always brings these shady women to his home, so a motel scenario is unlikely. He would be the last person to spring for even a cheap motel when his home is available w/o charge,
Luckily, he doesn’t own a car because he lives in an urban area, so at least that is one less security concern. However, since he refuses to pay for an internet connection, he steals the signal from a neighbor’s unsecured wireless internet connection, and uses this for transactions that include the use of his credit card, so identity theft is a very real possibility. I have tried to educate him on this issue, but apparently saving the $20-30 per month that an internet connection would cost him overrides any security concerns. Yes, this is just one more example of him shooting himself in the foot.
Dr. Rocket–Even for those who are not farmers, shielding the ears & neck from the sun is important. My father’s dermatologist used to talk about all of the cases of skin cancer on the tops of men’s ears he had treated over the years, and he said that–sadly–there were many cases where he was unable to save those parts of the ear from radical surgery.
...and if you have a well and a septic tank, prepare to haul your drinking water. Yuck!
That’s not true…Especially with today’s building requirements. In NH the septic and well MUST be over 200’ apart. Plus our well is 500’ deep. We have other problems with our water (like arsenic and magnesium) which we filter out.
I am on a well and septic, my well is 75’ deep and my septic is a modern 1000 gallon concrete tank. I run my well water thru a r/o system before drinking it, but there is no reasons other than taste why you cant safely drink it.
I don’t know if it was petty, and I suppose in a way it was recycling. This wasn’t me, but when I was in college I worked with a girl whose boyfriend drove a Chevy Vega. After they got some miles on them most Vegas became serious oil burners, and this one was no exception. This guy worked for a mechanic doing oil changes and other simple jobs. When a car came in for an oil change and the oil didn’t look TOO bad (or, maybe even if it DID look TOO bad) he’d save the oil and pour it into the Vega.
I once worked for a company with a NY head office and engaged in many US government or state contracts.
One person in advertising made a bet with the chief engineer that he could last a full week in Washington without buying a single meal. Sure enough, there were so many lobby and public relations groups active that he freeloaded on breakfast, lunch and diner/drinks the whole week! Probably gained weight too!
I was in marketing and sales for 10 years and usually came out ahead on my daily meal allowance.
Now that both my wife and I are retired, we can shop at our convenience for bargains. We hardy ever buy new books since there are several large used book stores in the area. No one ever wore out a book by reading it. We also exchange books with friends who have the same taste.
I can’t help but to pick up a penny if I see it on the ground. Any of you rich guys pass it by? OK, I am letting my p0440, small evap leak go for another year until I have to go for emissions test, if the 03 with 190k miles does not make it money saved. Yes spent the $14 for an oem gas cap from a dealer, no fix. Goat a new tank for the little boat as the old one got stolen, it lets air in but not out, in the sun it spews gas. Going to drill a hole to prevent over pressurization, probably spewed more gas and fumes the first day on the boat motor than my car will in 2 years with the current code.
My Town and country 2002/3 can’t remember which, had a small evap system leak for 4 years that I successfully got through inspection each time by clearing the code and waiting for all the codes but that one to be ready to read. In NY you can pass inspection with one system not ready to read, two for a 1996 model.
The ultimate cheapskate tip was one I read in Yankee Magazine many years ago. A woman from an old money New England family saved all her children’s ear wax and used it for lip balm. Cheaper than that you just can’t find.
I have an old friend who is the perfect example of “penny-wise, dollar-foolish”.
He washes his dishes in cold water, to “save money”. Even if you can get past the fact that he isn’t sanitizing those dishes properly, there is the reality that his kitchen drain keeps getting clogged by concealed fats and oils, and that results in his having to call a plumber a couple of times every year.
When it comes to his car, he insists that he doesn’t need to change his oil because “it looks clean”. Against all evidence that I have given him to the contrary, he believes that his driving regimen–almost always low-speed errands of 4 miles or less–allows him to change his oil less often.
I have pointed-out the elapsed time part of the manufacturer’s oil change schedule (6 months), but he insists that his driving habits still qualify his for oil changes on the basis of odometer mileage. At last report, he was changing his oil every 3 years.
My final comment to him on the topic of oil changes was, “You can’t afford to save money that way”, and I have given up on attempting to stop him from destroying his engine.
Yes, VDCdriver, I even have some relatives who think that way! Dishes should be washed in hot water, but washing clothes in cold water with cold water detergent is OK and saves quite a bit! We have a clothes line in the backyard as well as a dryer.
Your old friend probably thinks the owner’s manual (the world’s most unread best seller) was written with a conspiracy in mind to sell more oil! Short trips, as everyone knows are very hard on oil, and speeds up sludging, raw gasoline, and acid formation without driving off the contaminants like a 20 mile weekly trip would.
My late mother in law had this driving pattern and she was smart enough to have her car serviced every spring and fall by her trusted mechanic, so she got 2 oil changes and free checkups per year.
Your friend will likely destroy his engine prematurely and blame it on manufacturers who “don’t build them way they used to”. An other conspiracy!
Yup!
He was also convinced that the advent of energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs and led bulbs was part of a conspiracy to make him pay more for lighting. So, he bought-up enough incandescent bulbs for at least 6 lifetimes. However, he essentially lives in the dark because his electric bill is “too high” as a result of the incandescent bulbs that he insists on using.
When I noticed that one of his closets was still filled from floor to ceiling with incandescent bulbs several years after he had hoarded them, I gave him my opinion that, at the age of 70, he would never use most of those bulbs. That was when he got the idea of selling bulbs to his neighbors. Two years later, he has sold ZERO bulbs, and that closet is still filled from floor to ceiling with incandescent bulbs.
This guy seems to specialize in shooting himself in the foot.
