Being cheap is common, but making your broke lifestyle seem hip and bohemian is an art. I learned the basics of being a penny-pincher from my father. On Saturday mornings he would take me for free hot dogs at car dealerships hosting "sales events." On Sunday mornings we checked the overgrown tufts of weeds beneath parking meters and drive-thru windows for change to dump into our church's collection basket. I perfected the art of living on the cheap when I turned 23 and flew to Hawaii with a backpack; after several months of being a beach bum I returned a few hundred dollars richer than when I left.
What makes for an interesting life is not the things you own, but the things you do. Unfortunately, doing interesting things in interesting places costs money. In his new book, Young, Broke & Beautiful: Broke-Ass Stuart's Guide to Living Cheaply, Stuart Schuffman gives you the basics for being broke and beautiful all over the world. Below is a sample of Stuart's top five suggestions that I, a fabulously cheap bastard, found useful.
This article appears in Aug 18-24, 2011.