How cheap are you? Odds are, even if you’re frugal, you are nowhere as cheap as the characters featured on Extreme Cheapskates 2. The first season left viewers astonished and amazed at how far some people are willing to go to save a couple of dollars. But if you thought they were excessive in their ways, wait till you meet this new group of thrifty misers and their peculiar approaches at conserving their cash from their strict budgeting and excessive recycling to dumpster diving. Season two premieres on TLC every Thursday, starting 7 August at 9:00 p.m. Encores every Friday at 3:00 p.m. and Sunday at 8:00 p.m.
There are those who are prudent and careful, there are the stingy skinflints…and then there are these folks. Over eight episodes and 15 different stories, meet these self-proclaimed frugalistas and see the jaw-dropping lengths they go to every day to preserve their money and possessions.
In the premiere episode, we introduce the Parrans, a couple who only spends US$25 a week and takes their marriage vows so seriously they share everything. Their morning bathroom ritual includes showering together to save water, using the same razor, toothbrush and even dental floss! They also use the same deodorant but limit each other to one swipe per armpit, and keep tabs on who flushes the toilet more to determine who will have to pay extra for electric and water bills at the end of the month. They even plan to spend eternity together and have bought a casket at a bargain which they intend to share when they pass.
Also, meet Torski, a mother who cooks, cleans and does the majority of her household chores between the hours of midnight and 5 a.m. to take advantage of the lower electricity rates her local power company offers at that time.
Other highlights from this new season include a firefighter who books his daughter’s sixteenth birthday at a strip club because he managed to get a great deal on renting the venue, a pregnant woman who is relying on her husband to build a homemade breast pump in order to save US$200, as well as the world’s cheapest millionaire who has earned US$5.3 million through real estate and other investments but limits her expenditures to just US$1,000 a month. Some things you just have to see to believe!
