Mr. Cheapie's Frugal Budget Tips

Mr. Cheapie's Frugal Budget Tips
by: David Leonhardt


So you feel like a hamster spinning your wheel? The faster you run, the
faster the wheel spins. Just when you get a raise, you notice the price
of hamster wheels jumps!

Mr. Cheapie is here with his super-charged budget-cutting tips.

One of the biggest wastes of money is restaurant meals. You can cook a
meal at home for about 2 cents a plate. Just put leftovers in the
microwave, and Presto!

Those same leftovers cost a lot more at a restaurant. They call it "the
buffet", and they sell it to you for $10.95.

Consider also the steak dinner that costs, say, $7 at home. At the
restaurant, you pay $13.95 for the same meal. Or, if you want fancy
napkins, $39.95.

Plus tax.

Funny thing about eating at home; you don't pay tax. But step into a
restaurant, and guess who jumps in: "Hello, my name is Taxman. I'll be
your waiter tonight. Would you like to start with something to drink?
Perhaps a very nice glass of wine? That will be 50 cents, plus the price
of the wine, of course."

"Why would you tax my wine?" Mr. Cheapie wonders. "It's not like the
government made it."

"Who do you think keeps this country free and safe so that you can enjoy
your wine?" Taxman demands. "Do you think Saddam Hussein would let you
drink wine if he was still in power?"

"I don't see how he could stop me."

"Hah!" Taxman replies. "He has spies everywhere. He knows you drink wine
and he has targeted this very bottle to self destruct."

"Actually, I don't drink wine. His spies must run on the same technology
as his scud missiles," Mr. Cheapie muses. "How about a steak dinner?"

"An excellent choice," Taxman beams. "That will be $1.73, plus the price
of the meal."

"Now what?" Mr. Cheapie demands. "Are you saying that Saddam is targeting
my steak."

"Of course not," Taxman giggles. "We have him locked away. But watch out
for North Korea."

"Why?"

"North Koreans are starving," Taxman explains. "They don't have steaks."

"Ah, so the North Korean government wants to take my steak and give it to
their citizens."

"Not a chance. That would violate the official North Korean policy of
starvation for all. They would never feed your steak to the people. But
they would hold it up to taunt them," Taxman grins. "Then they would
throw it into the fire to fuel a nuclear missile trained on this very
table you are sitting at."

"Which is why you need to tax my steak."

"Exactly," Taxman nods.

"It's like a security deposit."

"That's right," Taxman smiles.

"It's protection money."

"You understand," Taxman winks.

"It's your tip."

"That's what I sa ... no it's not! It's national defense," Taxman insists.

At home, you never have to tip the microwave. But, at the restaurant,
your waiter expects 15%.

Mr. Cheapie has discovered a legal loophole to save 15% on your
restaurant bill. According to a national Mr. Cheapie survey, your plate
usually has 15% too much food on it. Set aside 15% of your meal. When
your waiter comes to collect his tip, pay him in food. Your waiter raved
about today's special, so Mr. Cheapie is sure he will appreciate having
some for himself.

If Taxman is your waiter, don't actually give him the food. Just taunt
him with it -- then mail it to North Korea. Then they won't have to blow
up your table to get it themselves. Why pay for national defense when the
postal service can protect your freedom to eat for just the cost of a
stamp?

Aren't you glad Mr. Cheapie offers such useful, free advice?

---

About The Author

The author is David Leonhardt. Sign up for his weekly satire column up at
http://www.TheHappyGuy.com/positive-thinking-free-ezine.html or read
more columns at
http://www.TheHappyGuy.com/self-actualization-articles.html. Or join in
the happiness at http://www.thehappyguy.com.
info@thehappyguy.com