Female accountant scavenges trash to find food, sleeps on yoga mats, refuses to buy toilet paper, spends only $200/month
New York City is one of the most expensive places to live in the world, but on TLC’s Extreme Cheapskates, Kate Hashimoto shocked viewers by revealing her numbers. She only uses a budget of only $200 a month.
And how Kate Hashimoto achieves that is even more bewildering. She shared, she is willing to rummage through the trash, pick up trash, reduce all possible expenses and never go out to eat if you have to pay for it yourself.
Picking up trash to find things
Kate Hashimoto, an accountant, shared her savings secret: “I have lived in New York for a few years. Although this is the city with the most expensive cost of living, I have found a way to overcome it. I try to cut down on all the money I have to pay, if I have to, I will spend as little as possible.”
Hashimoto revealed that she has never paid for furniture. Instead, she scours the sidewalks for throwaways to see if there’s a suitable item to bring home to decorate her apartment.
“Many people often throw their trash away next to the trash, many of the furniture in it is still usable, just a little old or worn. I will pick them up to bring back to decorate my place. Thanks to that, I saved several thousand dollars to buy furniture,” she explained.
However, she can’t always find everything she needs on the street. For example, she couldn’t find a bed, nor did she want to spend hundreds of dollars to buy a new one, so Hashimoto finally decided to sleep on a stack of old yoga mats she picked up on the sidewalk.
Similarly, her dining table is not a table at all but a stack of old magazines. The female accountant also did not have a bench, but only temporarily used a small iron frame, then wrapped a thin mattress on top.
Refusing to buy toiletries, going to “pick up” everywhere
Hashimoto never bought toiletries but hoarded and used free samples on the street. Photo: TLC
Furniture isn’t the only thing that saves Hashimoto money. She also said she hasn’t bought new clothes in over eight years, hasn’t bought new underwear since 1998 and refuses to pay for toiletries.
“I find paying for toiletries an unnecessary waste of money,” Hashimoto said. “Instead, I subscribed to many websites, stores, attended promotional events or received free items on the street.”
As a result, she was able to accumulate a large number of free essentials, including toothpaste, deodorant, razors, and hygiene products. Even the toilet paper in the house was taken by her from public places.
Hashimoto also never spends money on laundry. She doesn’t go to the store or buy a washing machine at home. Instead, Hashimoto used to wash her own clothes while she showered. Soap foam after bathing will be used to wash clothes.
In total, Hashimoto says washing clothes in the shower saves her about $6 in laundry fees per month.
Instead of buying toilet paper, Hashimoto uses paper that she can get from public restrooms. Photo: TLC
Ready to pick up food scraps from the trash
The female accountant also tries her best to save on food costs.
“After graduating from college, I found myself spending about $20 to $25 on food every week. As such, this number will come to $100 a month. Which makes me wonder, why am I spending so much money on food?” – Hashimoto’s mind is about saving.
Then Hashimoto came up with a way. She decided to forage for food like homeless people do, rummaging through trash bags outside restaurants and grocery stores.
“These stores often throw away a lot of high-quality foods, including organic and beautifully prepared foods, at the end of their shelf life,” she said. Thanks to that, I can eat a lot of delicious food without paying for it.”
With some luck, Hashimoto says, she’ll find grapes and avocados, and prepackaged dishes of gnocchi and lasagne. She will only take “hygienic” food, in sealed packages that have not been affected.
Hashimoto rummaged through the trash cans of restaurants and grocery stores to find food that could still be used. Photo: TLC
“If my friends want to go to a restaurant, I will try to talk to them to change their mind,” Hashimoto said. “If people still insist, I will only agree to go if it is covered and free of charge.”
Hashimoto’s “thrifty” cost-cutting measures have saved her only about $200 a month in living expenses. Meanwhile, as The Sun notes, the average New Yorker spends about $1,341 per month – excluding rent.
*According to Suggest
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