Think you’re a cheapskate? Wait ‘till you meet a new group of ultra-thrifty misers in the second season of EXTREME CHEAPSKATES, airing on TLC every Thursday starting August 7 at 9:00 p.m., with encores every Friday at 3:00 p.m. and Sunday at 8:00 p.m.
Over eight episodes and fifteen different stories, see the jaw-dropping lengths some people go through just to preserve their money and possessions.
From excessive recycling to dumpster diving, EXTREME CHEAPSKATES 2 will entertain and amuse you with these self-proclaimed frugalistas' penny-pinching shenanigans.
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.
EXTREME
CHEAPSKATES 2
EPISODE
GUIDE
Rick &
Karissa/Torski (Premieres
August 7)
Karissa and her
husband Rick have been competing to be cheaper than the other since
their wedding five years ago. Their extreme frugality saves them over
US$7,000 on household expenses each year. By sharing everything from
their shower to a single toothbrush, this cheapskate couple has no
limit to their cost-cutting. The competition is so fierce that they
keep a running tally of who's used what around the house so that they
each pay their fair share. In this episode, Rick and Karissa show
off how they save in every aspect of their life but their planning
extends even into their death, as they arrange the cheapest funeral
ceremony of all time... for themselves.
Torksi’s
family has a combined income of US$3,600 a month after taxes, but she
takes care of her home, husband and son for only a third of that sum
by living a cheapskate lifestyle. Her bizarre cheap behaviors include
burning her own trash to save money on garbage pick-up and doing
chores in the middle of the night to save on her electric bill. With
her son’s tenth birthday coming up, Torski finds herself facing the
challenge of throwing a memorable birthday party while staying within
an extremely limited budget. We follow Torski as she finds the
perfect location, cake and decorations for the cheapest birthday
party ever.
Matt/Sarah
(Premieres August
14)
To afford his
dream of becoming a pro-wrestler, 25 year old Matt has reduced his
spending to just US$300 a month by living with his mom and pinching
pennies in every aspect of his life. To keep up his “wrestler
physique”, Matt built his own homemade gym in the basement. To
maintain a wrestler's clean look, he's recruited his mom to wax his
body. In this episode, Matt faces a crossroads when he lands a dream
audition with one of the world’s top wrestling organisations in
Kentucky. We follow Matt as he finds the cheapest way to travel from
New York to his audition and steps in the ring with professional
wrestlers from TNA.
Sarah saves
money every month on rent and utility bills by living with her
sister, brother-in-law, their three kids and her grandmother.
Although Sarah makes a good living as the baker for her family's
catering business, she’s figured out a way to reduce her grocery
bill by making sure she never leaves one of their catering events
without leftovers. Sarah’s family completely disagrees with her
cheap ways and is always encouraging her to spend at least some of
her money on herself. As the ladies in the family head out for a
girls' day out, Sarah once again refuses to spend money on anything,
but her family is planning to finally make her splurge on the finer
things in life.
Angel/Mark
(Premieres August
21)
Although she’s
eight months pregnant, 25 year old cheapskate Angel frequents local
dumpsters on a regular basis with her husband Orlando. The couple
goes dumpster diving at least three times a week in search of
furniture, clothing, and even medication. By looking behind
pharmacies and hospitals, Angel saved more than $350 on pre-natal
vitamins alone. In this episode, Angel and Orlando are preparing for
the birth of their first child by finding everything she'll need
without spending anything. After setting out to paint the nursery
with free paint samples, Angel enlists her husband to build a breast
pump from parts scored at a local junkyard.
Despite living
in the gambling capital of the world, Las Vegas resident Mark has
saved over US$150,000 in the past two years alone by not spending a
cent of his full-time salary. Taking advantage of his city, Mark is
always on the lookout for lost change dropped by unlucky gamblers all
over the busy Las Vegas strip. Obsessed with cutting costs wherever
he can, Mark doesn't mind eating expired foods for cheap and has
found a way to get his laundry done for free. He even participates in
clinical trials, putting his health at risk, just for the money. In
this episode, we follow as Mark prepares for his next clinical trial:
getting his testicle removed for US$35,000!
Jordan/Michael
(Premieres August
28)
27 year old
Utah housewife Jordan manages to only spend US$1,400 a month for her
family of five, less than half what a typical family spends. Jordan
manages her tight budget by rationing everything, from the Cheerios
for her kids’ breakfast to the sheets of toilet paper. Despite
having three kids and a husband to feed, Jordan keeps her grocery
budget under US$200 by asking her wealthy neighbors for their
leftovers. In this episode, Jordan hopes to lower that number even
further by starting a farm in her backyard.
40 year old
Michael is constantly inventing new ways to save money. He generates
less than one bag of trash a week by refusing to throw away anything
that he thinks he might be able to turn into a money-saving
invention. So far, he’s come up with a way to clean his used straws
and is working on reusing an old vacuum cleaner to mow his lawn. But
Michael’s obsession with being cheap goes even further when it
comes to his water bill. By reusing his bath water to do the dishes
and his laundry, Michael has reduced his costs to just US$15 a month.
He now hopes he can get it down to zero thanks to his latest
invention.
Shelly
(Premieres
September 4)
Mother-of-two
Shelley has been penny pinching in Mesa, Arizona for over twenty
years. By cutting costs at every corner, she manages to spend sixty
percent less on household expenses than the national average. Thanks
to her radical techniques, like using a fan instead of air
conditioning in her car or using a hanger as an antenna for her
television, she manages to save nearly US$25,000 a year. But
Shelley’s biggest money saving challenge is going to be her
daughter Ashley’s wedding. Since Ashley got engaged to Colby eight
months ago, she’s been collecting everything she can find free for
the upcoming wedding so she can stay under her set budget of
US$1,000. In this episode, we follow Shelley as she prepares for the
wedding. Although venues are typically the most expensive line in a
bridal budget, Shelley found one at no cost. And as far as flowers
and a dress are concerned, she's found solutions that will give her
daughter what she's looking for at a fraction of the normal prices.
For the cake, Shelley has an idea that will give a whole new meaning
to the expression “something borrowed.” But while keeping her
budget in check, she'll also need to please the bride-to-be…and the
mother-of-the-groom.
Melody/Marlin
(Premieres
September 11)
45 year old
Melody only spends US$1,000 a month for her family of four. To make
sure they don't run up the bills, she has come up with multiple
extreme saving measures. By living in a trailer, closing off half of
it, and sharing one room – and one bed – with her husband and two
sons, Melody saves hundreds of dollars on her electricity, heating
and cooling. She also has her family share one bath each day to keep
her water bill down. But Melody’s expenses are about to double with
a visit from her daughter, son-in-law and their three kids. She will
have to figure out how to accommodate and feed five more people
without breaking the bank.
As a
firefighter, Houston-resident Marlin is used to saving lives. But
during his free time, his focus turns to saving money. To cut costs,
this husband and father of two sets strict rules on household energy
use and shuts down the power to the whole house every night at 9 p.m.
To keep the rest of his household bills down, Marlin finds savings by
using his fire station, where he fills up the dishwasher with his own
dishes and takes leftovers home to feed his family each week. In this
episode, Marlin will face his biggest cost-saving challenge so far as
he organises his daughter’s sweet-sixteenth birthday for under
US$300.
The
O’Briens/Aimee (Premieres
September 18)
The O’Brien’s
are a couple who refuses to buy anything new and insists on finding
ingenious ways of fixing their broken belongings instead. They are
trying to sell the home they have lived in for over 10 years but
discover they’ll need to spend money on improvements. They team up
and prepare for an open house – the cheapskate way.
Aimee’s total
net worth is US$5.3 million dollars but she refuses to spend more
than US$1,000 a month. Her frugal behavior includes turning off her
hot water heater, enlisting her ex-husband to do housework for free,
and feeding houseguests cat food to save a couple of bucks. Aimee
needs to travel to Los Angeles for a business meeting but she’s
planning to do it for free.
Stephanie/Larry
(Premieres
September 25)
Stephanie’s
cheap behavior embarrasses her boyfriend, Patrick, who thinks they
have plenty of money to spend. After three years, Patrick finally
gathers up the courage to invite friends over to watch a football
game. Stephanie isn’t happy but she finagles a way to host the
party without going over her extremely tight budget.
Larry is the
cheapest mechanic in Texas. He even avoids paying rent by living and
working in his garage. Larry sleeps in cars, cooks on a barbeque, and
bathes in a utility sink. When a close friend sets him up on a blind
date, Larry tries to impress her without spending any money.
