Scrooge Strategy

Announcing the new I Will Teach You To Be Frugal

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Forget earning more. Let’s talk frugality

Over the last few months, I’ve noticed a change in the type of posts that my readers are looking for. It’s not about investments, or asset allocation, or entrepreneurship. In this economy, people want to save money — period.

That’s why I launched the Save $1,000 in 30 Days Challenge. That’s also why I launched The Scrooge Strategy.

And looking back, when I launched the Trent/Ramit Challenge, it’s clear I was wrong. I’ve been making fun of frugality tips for too long.

$3.00 lattes? It adds up: That’s over $700 per year, or $17,500 over 25 years (and that doesn’t count investing).

Eating out? Forget it. I’m announcing a new set of tips on how to avoid eating out at any cost.

And finally, going out. Have you ever spend $10 on a cover charge or $9 on a drink? That’s ridiculous. You could be putting that toward your retirement. I’m launching a new series on free things you can do on your weekends and dates instead of spending money.

I’m sick and tired of yuppies saying it’s ok to spend money on $300 purses and new iPhones every year. I’m guilty of this as much as anyone.

Today, I’m announcing a new program because my readers asked for it. I Will Teach You To Be Rich Frugal will be the new name of the game. I hope you guys understand.

100 comments

Leave your own

  1. 1
    April 1, 2009

    I was frugal until I received my AMEX black card, so much for frugality

  2. 2
    April 1, 2009

    ANOTHER April Fool’s ‘joke’. The web is basically unreadable on April 1st.

  3. 3
    April 1, 2009

    Great joke!

    But then, I actually saved/earned $18,700 in ‘08 using coupons for groceries.

    Can’t wait to see your new Frugal tips! :D

  4. 4
    April 1, 2009

    happy April 1 to you too!

  5. 5
    April 1, 2009

    Whew! You really scared me for a minute there.

  6. 6
    April 1, 2009

    I don’t like the physical type AF jokes, unless I’m watching them be done to other people. I do like the intellectual ones. Gmail Autopilot is my favorite this year.

    Ramit, don’t forget teaching people to get the free phones on contract rather than a subsidized iPhone. You can save hundreds with a free, cheap phone.

  7. 7
    April 1, 2009

    Really funny; yup you cannot believe anything you read today

  8. 8
    April 1, 2009

    Thank you SO much for starting this amazing series! You know, I had you all wrong, Ramit. I thought you were out of your mind to endorse certain activities like drinking $3.00 lattes every day or paying massive cover charges to go into a club. This is exactly what I’ve been looking for from this blog since it launched. I’m going to forward this to my friends and family and let them know that you have expanded your offerings to readers, and encourage them all to stay tuned. /sarcasm Happy Fool’s Day!

  9. 9
    April 1, 2009

    Happy April fools to you too, Ramit…

  10. 10
    April 1, 2009

    Oooh Ramit. Here I am messing with peoples’ printers to read “Insert Coin” instead of “Ready”, and you’re outdoing yourself. Clearly I was “doin’ it wrong”. =p

    Keep up the good work, bro.

  11. 11
    April 1, 2009

    The video is HILARIOUS! Dangerous to watch at work, since I practically shrieked with laughter.

  12. 12
    April 1, 2009

    Yikes, my coffee went down the wrong pipe when I read this! Thank heavens its April 1! Leave the Frugal Fundamentals to me… You work on making me rich :)

  13. 13
    April 1, 2009

    Props Ramit, that was hilarious!

  14. 14
    April 1, 2009

    That was EXTREME!

  15. 15
    April 1, 2009

    Haha! Yeah, the video is pretty great. “Extreme pennies” lol. Especially knowing the history, an excellent April Fool’s joke…

  16. 16
    April 1, 2009

    finally, you come to your senses ramit! ;-)
    you should have also purchased http://www.iwillteachyoutobefrugal.com/ to take this joke all the way!

  17. 17
    April 1, 2009

    Freaking awesome. Happy April fools :)

  18. 18
    April 1, 2009

    HILARIOUS!

    My officemates are terrified of my laughter today. Great job, Ramit!

    This clip makes me want to put on my aviators and play Sabotage on Guitary Hero all day!

  19. 19
    April 1, 2009

    The frugal cam put me on the floor. That was splendid.

  20. 20
    April 1, 2009

    I thought that mirror in the beginning of the video was a ledge. And seeing that black blob (of hair) emerge was actually kind of scary. What has extreme frugality done to Ramit’s apartment, I wondered. Produced extremely frightening pests?

  21. 21
    April 1, 2009

    Thanks so much for the laughs!
    What an awesome, I mean EXTREME video.
    You really should have your own show. ;)

  22. 22
    April 1, 2009

    Har har har

  23. 23
    April 1, 2009

    Happy April Fool’s day to you too.

    I was laughing so hard I started to cry watching that, you made my morning!

  24. 24
    April 1, 2009

    but i still want to be rich! :)

  25. 25
    April 1, 2009

    What are you going to do about your book royalties after you suggest that everyone get your book at the library?

  26. 26
    April 1, 2009

    Hilarious! It’s eXXXXtreme!

  27. 27
    April 1, 2009

    too bad your new car justification post wasn’t an April Fool’s joke.

  28. 28
    April 1, 2009

    that said, this video is hilarious!

  29. 29
    April 1, 2009

    Nice, Ramit. The video was awesome! I particularly enjoyed “WELL NOW IT’S GOING TO COST YOU YOUR FACE!”

    Oh, and just to be the annoying frugal person as usual, I do save my dryer lint. Only, uh, not to make blankets. It makes really awesome tinder for a camp fire, and I’m a big camper, so it makes sense for me. Just sayin’! :)

  30. 30
    April 1, 2009

    Awesome!

    I had to call the toll free # for the hell of it and of course it was a sex line….frugal phone sex, ha ha ;-)

  31. 31
    April 1, 2009

    That’s hilarious… but what does it say about me that I’m more concerned for the tree than for the guy who ended up with a face full o’ latte?

  32. 32
    April 1, 2009

    This is amazing Ramit! I love it! This got me laughing!

  33. 33
    April 1, 2009

    3.00 lattes? It adds up: That’s over $700 per year, or $17,500 over 25 years (and that doesn’t count investing).

    Big numbers there. People never even realize

  34. 34
    April 1, 2009

    hahaha
    I’m soooo buying http://www.IWillTeachYouToBeFrugal.com! ; )

  35. 35
    April 1, 2009

    Well played!

  36. 36
    April 1, 2009

    Do you have any tips for the re-use of toilet paper? It costs so much and it’s like flushing money down the toilet. Regular tree leaves would hurt. Maybe there is a tree with softer leaves I can plant? I can’t wait to receive my copy of Let’s Get Rich Bitch!

  37. 37
    April 1, 2009

    LOL @ the latte scene

  38. 38
    April 1, 2009

    Convincingly written, though. :)

  39. 39
    April 1, 2009

    loved it, nice job Ramit

  40. 40
    April 1, 2009

    You are a sick sick man.. funny as heck.. but still sick…
    :)
    Happy April Fools Ramit!

  41. 41
    April 1, 2009

    OMG! I laughed my a** off :D

  42. 42
    April 1, 2009

    LOL, that video was incredible! I’m still laughing.

  43. 43
    April 1, 2009

    Chris, I think you were doing it right. Gotta love those old HP Printer hacks.

  44. 44
    April 1, 2009

    damn I’m glad this was a fool’s joke… I hate the internet today. time for another latte…

  45. 45
    April 1, 2009

    bwahahaha, love it!!

  46. 46
    April 1, 2009

    Dang you look real fly with those shades on ;-)

    This was a funny post, thanks for the laughs. It would be cool if you showed us how you create your videos, they’re awesome. Keep ‘em coming.

  47. 47
    April 1, 2009

    omg, I never knew tea could burn coming out your nose! I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time. That was crazy and EXTREME! Awesome job on the video and the book!

    Keep up the good work,
    MissLiberty

  48. 48
    April 1, 2009

    The acting and video production skills just keep getting better!

  49. 49
    April 1, 2009

    good thing i went to the bathroom before i watched this video. wouldn’t want to piss myself now. gg

  50. 50
    April 1, 2009

    *hilarious*

    loved the aviators!

  51. 51
    April 1, 2009

    ha! this is april’s fools, didn’t fall for it! :D

  52. 52
    April 1, 2009

    Hilarious.

    “Let’s get rich, bitch!” Ha ha love it

  53. 53
    April 1, 2009

    sign me up!

  54. 54
    April 1, 2009

    Ramit, you rock dude!! Although I knew within 5 seconds that this is April Fool’s joke, it was hilarious to watch!

    Man you are getting good at making funny videos!! Freakin Awesome!!

  55. 55
    April 1, 2009

    HAPPY APRIL FOOLS DAY to you too! :)

  56. 56
    April 1, 2009

    The end should of just had a link to a $19.95/month Scrooge Strategy subscription.

  57. 57
    April 2, 2009

    I wish I’d thought of this yesterday. Next year you could do “I WIll Teach You To Be Broke”.

  58. 58
    April 2, 2009

    [...] Announcing the new I Will Teach You To Be Frugal. Ramit, the founder of the blog I Will Teach You To Be Rich, and author of the book by the same name decides to shift gears and teach you how to be frugal. This is even more funny if you are a regular reader and remember his recent challenge to a frugal blogger about which system works better – frugality or focusing on earning more money (I think both are important). Perpetrator: I Will Teach You To Be Rich. [...]

  59. 59
    April 2, 2009

    Way to bring back your “things I hate”!

  60. 60
    April 2, 2009

    OMG I’m laughing so hard my coworkers are staring at me! That was hilarious! Love it! :-D

  61. 61
    April 2, 2009

    The video is just awesome and original. I liked your idea of using leaves instead of klinex :)

  62. 62
    April 2, 2009

    I was confused for a second when I start reading ..brrr

  63. 63
    April 2, 2009

    I like the new idea regarding frugality but I find real value in your other posts. Perhaps the frugality could be a regular feature but not at the expense of the other valuable information you provide.

  64. 64
    April 2, 2009

    This video is incredible. “Buying Kleenex from the store can LITERALLY cost $2! It’s a scam to keep the average American in the poorhouse.” Extra points for the implicit conspiracy theory (Kleenex is totally in on it with Visa) and use of the word “poorhouse”

  65. 65
    April 2, 2009

    I loved the video by the way!!

  66. 66
    April 2, 2009

    This made me laugh so hard. XD “Now it’s gonna cost you your FACE!” XD

  67. 67
    April 2, 2009

    ha ha that was funny!
    bitch? :-D

  68. 68
    April 2, 2009

    Uh-huh. Here’s to you, oh “foolish” one!

  69. 69
    April 2, 2009

    Nice…I almost deleted bookmark for this site then I stopped and realized what you were doing….

  70. 70
    April 2, 2009

    Amazing! And the aviators ARE hot. You should rock those daily.

  71. 71
    April 2, 2009

    This is totally awesome.

  72. 72
    April 2, 2009

    Oh my god, this was hilarious! My favorite part is the penny with Lincoln wearing sunglasses and the gratuitous use of “EXTREME.” One of the few actually funny April Fool’s things I’ve seen today…

  73. 73
    April 2, 2009

    Awesome video. Very funny, great April Fool’s post. As for the tree leaf thing, it made me recall that my mum grew up with an out-house and they did use leaves instead of toilet tissue. Or sometimes Sears catalogs. She didn’t experience indoor plumbing until she went to college.

  74. 74
    April 2, 2009

    Thank God this was an April Fools joke Ramit! I was outraged and I almost NEVER get outraged. :) You are awesome.

  75. 75
    April 2, 2009

    What a waste of a perfectly good latte. You know, there are children in China who don’t have lattes. And pulling leaves off of trees? Not very eco-friendly. Also, did you just call me a bitch?

  76. 76
    April 2, 2009

    that is hi-larious…is making me laugh and laugh

  77. 77
    April 2, 2009

    Oh I see what you did there!

  78. 78
    April 2, 2009

    This is one of the greatest things I have ever seen on your blog.

  79. 79
    April 2, 2009

    Now this is what I’m talking about. There’s a million clever yet cheap tricks of the trade that anyone can pull when going out. Drinks, movies, food, dates, — the real enjoyment comes from the people you meet/hang out with and the laughs you share — not making sure to fit the final two shots of Petron at 4am on to your tab at $25.

  80. 80
    April 2, 2009

    Back in the 90s, there was a woman named Amy Dacyczyn who wrote The Tightwad Gazette, volumes 1-3. She used dryer lint to make children’s masks.

  81. 81
    April 2, 2009

    hahah… i thot it would be just cheesy.. but it was surprisingly hilarious hehehe :o P :o )

  82. 82
    April 2, 2009

    LMAO. I was about to call you the biggest hypocrite until I realized that this was all an April fool’s day joke..nice one.

    The video was funny as hell.

  83. 83
    April 2, 2009

    Extreme pennies. lmao.

  84. 84
    April 2, 2009

    Now you tell me to be frugal! Here’s how a multi-millionaire ‘rock star’ blogger blew $7 million in just 2 years (hint: it involves powder and noses and fast cars and even faster women):

    http://7million7years.com/2009/04/01/my-7-million-dollar-skid-off-the-rails/

  85. 85
    April 3, 2009

    Ramit,

    I’m enjoying the read (only discovered your site & book) last week via twitter, I believe. Anyhow, appreciate your style, approach and advice. I’m learning tons, for example, I didn’t know some banks offer a secure credit card which helps to build up ones credit. If you don’t know, you can’t ever ask. Thanks again,

    -Mig

  86. 86
    April 3, 2009

    [...] and his reader’s interests, Ramit Sethi (I Will Teach You To Be Rich) is launching “I Will Teach You To Be Frugal,” a program that will obviously focus on frugality tips. Sethi has also released a new book [...]

  87. 87
    April 3, 2009

    Ramit:

    I liked you before.

    Now I want to bear your children.

  88. 88
    April 4, 2009

    Nice, but I see it’s way easier to be EXTREMELY frugal in California than it is here in NY. In the wintertime, we HAVE no leaves; we have to use TREE BARK for our extreme frugality Kleenex over here, ya elitist piker!

  89. 89
    April 4, 2009

    5 More Wise Penny-Saving Tips:

    1) Don’t attend college (too expensive)
    2) Take up dumpster-diving to fill your desires for food, shelter, clothing (extra bonus – you won’t need a gym membership!)
    3) Don’t use soap (too expensive. also, fairly bad for the environment)
    4) When you MUST buy something, at least re-use the receipt by using it as toilet paper
    5) Wear underwear 3 days in a row. Day 1 = normal, Day 2 = inside out, Day 3 = backward. No one will know the difference!

  90. 90
    April 4, 2009

    An April Fool’s joke! LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL Is there anything you won’t do for a laugh?

  91. 91
    April 5, 2009

    I deleted the comment left by Tom Gill. I’m cool with negative comments, but you need to leave a valid email address.

  92. 92
    April 5, 2009

    Hilarious video. I like the special effects.

    I agree with your philosophy, however, I also think frugality has its place. For example, people who eat McDonalds for lunch every day (I’ve met some) are not only throwing away some money but also throwing away some health. They’d be better off if they brownbagged their lunch.

  93. 93
    April 6, 2009

    [...] basically poking fun at some silly extreme frugality concepts – check it out.  This is the original post the video is on (hint, it was published on April [...]

  94. 94
    April 8, 2009

    This is exciting!

    -Nate

  95. 95
    April 9, 2009

    Great vid! Very funny but with a point. Only desis have learned how can make frugality into an art ;)

  96. 96
    April 13, 2009

    Very smart book. It had some really great ideas. I am starting off super young because saving is important to me. I love your sense of humor in your book, made it easy to read. Thanks Ramit

  97. 97
    April 16, 2009

    Your blog should be called “I will teach you to be obnoxious”.

  98. 98
    April 19, 2009

    Hilarious video. I’d prefer earning tips over frugality tips though – the latter are relatively easy: track your spending and question everything.

  99. 99
    April 22, 2009

    [...] personal experiences with it, I highly recommend it as there is plenty of advice on saving money, practicing frugality,  automating your finances, investing intelligently, and generally making the act of money [...]

  100. 100
    July 10, 2009

    Extreme Hilarious promo, very interesting, I hope Noah Kagan is still safe :)

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