You might think you’re good at saving a few dollars here and there, but I’m sorry to say that this mum has us all beat in that department.
Jeni Cox, who appears on TLC’s TV show Extreme Cheapskates, hates spending money so much that she washes her kids’ clothes in the pool and works out at a local sports shop rather than paying for a gym membership.
In a confusing twist, she implements these stringent savings measures while also living in a massive mansion with her three kids.
But according to Jeni, it all makes perfect sense.
“I hate spending money on things I can’t see the next day if it’s gone,” she explains.
“I’ve always been really cheap, I just get a good feeling out of not spending a lot of money but still accomplishing whatever goal I have.”
Jeni says that she has always been passionate about saving money – which is why she washes clothes in the pool and works out at a sports store. | Image source: Screengrab from TLC
“I Work Out A Sports Store Rather Than Paying For The Gym”
On the show, Jeni shares how she only puts around three litres of petrol in her car at a time, which “limits” she can go.
“Gas is kind of like makeup, less is more. When you buy less, you use less and you save more,” she explains.
Thankfully, she has enough gas in the tank to make it to a local sports store.
There she uses their display machines to work out for around 45 minutes, rather than shelling out cash on the gym.
“Going to a gym paying for a membership, that’s like $75 a month, it doesn’t cost me a dime to work out in that sporting goods store,” Jeni adds.
Jeni limits how much petrol she puts in the car so she saves money. | Image source: iStock
“I’ve Slashed My Water Bill With These Easy Tricks”
Once back home, Jeni reveals other ways that she saves money around the house.
One of her stranger methods is putting bricks inside her toilet cistern – which means she uses 1,300 litres less water each month, slashing her bill in half.
She’s implemented a similar system in her backyard pool, filling it with containers of sand to reduce the size.
“It’s very expensive to try and maintain this pool and I’ve done a lot of research of ways to try and save money on it,” she says.
“I still keep the pool because I’ve got three kids and we don’t go on a lot of expensive vacations so I figure that’s kind of like a vacation.
“One way to save money on this pool is to reduce the size of the pool. Just like putting a brick in the toilet.”
“The Washing Machine Costs Money So I Use The Pool”
Jeni’s also put a brick in her toilet to limit it which saves a lot of money on her water bill. | Image source: Screengrab from TLC
The pool also serves another purpose, with Jeni using it to wash closes after discovering that “the chemicals in it are similar to ones found in laundry detergent.”
“Running the washing machine costs money,” she adds as she chucks the kids’ clothes into the water.
Jeni is still searching for a way to reduce costs on the pool filter which costs her $200 a month to run.
She considers using a bike generator to power the filter but balks when the sales assistant at her sports store won’t let her take one home for free.
Jeni isn’t prepared to part with the $199 to buy it, so she’ll have to come up with another plan.
“My habits may be extreme to some people but I show it off to everybody, it makes me happy,” she says.
This article was first published on Kidspot and republished on theAsianparent with permission.
Lead image for representative purposes only
ALSO READ:
What Does Mindful Living Have to Do With Saving Money?
Furniture-Shopping For Your New House? Here Are 3 Money-Saving Tips