Cheapskate on Board

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“Jeff! I was just talking about you. Are your ears burning?”

I resisted the urge to give my usual response: “No. But my colon is on fire.”

After all, Will Chin was going to be my new editor-in-boss here at WiseBread. Don’t want to get off on the wrong foot with the Boss Man. Particularly since I was calling Will to reconfirm that he wouldn’t be editing my posts if I agreed to sign on as a WiseBread blogger. As my Mom always told me, “save the potty humor for later, Jeffrey.”

So, now that the deal is inked, I can introduce myself and let my true frugal flag unfurrel. Sorry Will. (But in deference to you and your profession, I’ll at least wait until my next post to start with the lawyer jokes.)

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My name is Jeff Yeager, and I’m the Cheapest Man in America. What? Don’t believe me? Just ask my poooor wife, Denise. She should know. After all, we’ve been married 24 years, or, as Denise says, “nearly three and a half wonderful years.” Not all at once, mind you.

I’m also a freelance writer, and I occasionally appear on the NBC Today Show reporting on, well, cheap stuff. My first book, “The Ultimate Cheapskate’s Road Map to True Riches – A Practical (and Fun) Guide to Enjoying Life More by Spending Less”, comes out this week from Random House/Broadway Books. I write what the publisher describes as “an offbeat blend of original humor and practical advice for living well on less.” My wife describes it “Jeff being Jeff.”

In short, I believe that living on less is a good thing to do. It’s the only financial advice that will work for almost everyone. It’s about a quality of life you cannot buy, a sense of satisfaction you cannot fake, and an appreciation for others that gives life value. It’s also about helping to save the planet and sharing with those in need. Simply put, living on less can be funny, but it’s not a joke.

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Yeah, and this consumer crazed culture we live in can be funny all right --- as in, if you don’t laugh you’ll cry. For example, every year Americans spend about $2 billion – an amount roughly equal to the GDP of poverty stricken Guyana - on unwanted hair removal (e.g. electrolysis, bikini waxes, etc.). We also spend a matching $2 billion annually on often futile attempts to promote hair growth (e.g. Rogaine, hair transplants, etc.).

So, I guess the good new is, as a nation we believe we have the right amount of hair. The bad news is location, location, location.

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I’m looking forward to exploring the Realm of the Cheap with all of you here on WiseBread.

Stay Cheap!

Jeff Yeager

The Ultimate Cheapskate