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.
I'm the New York Times bestselling author of I Will Teach You To Be Rich. I co-founded PBwiki and graduated from Stanford.
102 comments
Leave a commentI was frugal until I received my AMEX black card, so much for frugality
ANOTHER April Fool’s ‘joke’. The web is basically unreadable on April 1st.
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!
happy April 1 to you too!
Whew! You really scared me for a minute there.
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.
Really funny; yup you cannot believe anything you read today
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!
Happy April fools to you too, Ramit…
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.
The video is HILARIOUS! Dangerous to watch at work, since I practically shrieked with laughter.
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
Props Ramit, that was hilarious!
That was EXTREME!
Haha! Yeah, the video is pretty great. “Extreme pennies” lol. Especially knowing the history, an excellent April Fool’s joke…
finally, you come to your senses ramit!
you should have also purchased http://www.iwillteachyoutobefrugal.com/ to take this joke all the way!
Freaking awesome. Happy April fools
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!
The frugal cam put me on the floor. That was splendid.
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?
Thanks so much for the laughs!
What an awesome, I mean EXTREME video.
You really should have your own show.
Har har har
Happy April Fool’s day to you too.
I was laughing so hard I started to cry watching that, you made my morning!
but i still want to be rich!
What are you going to do about your book royalties after you suggest that everyone get your book at the library?
Hilarious! It’s eXXXXtreme!
too bad your new car justification post wasn’t an April Fool’s joke.
that said, this video is hilarious!
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’!
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
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?
This is amazing Ramit! I love it! This got me laughing!
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
hahaha
I’m soooo buying http://www.IWillTeachYouToBeFrugal.com! ; )
Well played!
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!
LOL @ the latte scene
Convincingly written, though.
loved it, nice job Ramit
You are a sick sick man.. funny as heck.. but still sick…
Happy April Fools Ramit!
OMG! I laughed my a** off
LOL, that video was incredible! I’m still laughing.
Chris, I think you were doing it right. Gotta love those old HP Printer hacks.
damn I’m glad this was a fool’s joke… I hate the internet today. time for another latte…
bwahahaha, love it!!
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.
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
The acting and video production skills just keep getting better!
good thing i went to the bathroom before i watched this video. wouldn’t want to piss myself now. gg
*hilarious*
loved the aviators!
ha! this is april’s fools, didn’t fall for it!
Hilarious.
“Let’s get rich, bitch!” Ha ha love it
sign me up!
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!!
HAPPY APRIL FOOLS DAY to you too!
The end should of just had a link to a $19.95/month Scrooge Strategy subscription.
I wish I’d thought of this yesterday. Next year you could do “I WIll Teach You To Be Broke”.
Way to bring back your “things I hate”!
OMG I’m laughing so hard my coworkers are staring at me! That was hilarious! Love it!
The video is just awesome and original. I liked your idea of using leaves instead of klinex
I was confused for a second when I start reading ..brrr
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.
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”
I loved the video by the way!!
This made me laugh so hard. XD “Now it’s gonna cost you your FACE!” XD
ha ha that was funny!
bitch?
Uh-huh. Here’s to you, oh “foolish” one!
Nice…I almost deleted bookmark for this site then I stopped and realized what you were doing….
Amazing! And the aviators ARE hot. You should rock those daily.
This is totally awesome.
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…
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.
Thank God this was an April Fools joke Ramit! I was outraged and I almost NEVER get outraged.
You are awesome.
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?
that is hi-larious…is making me laugh and laugh
Oh I see what you did there!
This is one of the greatest things I have ever seen on your blog.
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.
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.
hahah… i thot it would be just cheesy.. but it was surprisingly hilarious hehehe
P 
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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.
Extreme pennies. lmao.
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/
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
Ramit:
I liked you before.
Now I want to bear your children.
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!
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!
An April Fool’s joke! LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL Is there anything you won’t do for a laugh?
I deleted the comment left by Tom Gill. I’m cool with negative comments, but you need to leave a valid email address.
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.
This is exciting!
-Nate
Great vid! Very funny but with a point. Only desis have learned how can make frugality into an art
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
Your blog should be called “I will teach you to be obnoxious”.
Hilarious video. I’d prefer earning tips over frugality tips though – the latter are relatively easy: track your spending and question everything.
Extreme Hilarious promo, very interesting, I hope Noah Kagan is still safe
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