Having kids is expensive, so if parents can cut costs, they’ll likely do it. But is it possible to be a cheapskate extreme?
There are always ways to be frugal when it comes to spending money on your kids, whether it’s looking for hand-me-downs, joining a Buy Nothing group, or shopping at a thrift store.
But is there such a thing as being too frugal?
Some have called a mom who used donated breast milk to feed her toddler and old T-shirts as diapers a cheapskate extreme who has gone a little too far.
Is this mom a cheapskate extreme?
Mom Apple Melecio is certainly competing for the title of a cheapskate extreme mom. Melecio, her husband, and daughter appeared on a 2019 episode of Extreme Cheapskates on TLC, where she described saving money as her driving force.
While her motivation as a mom to save money is something many parents can relate to, the ways she goes about pinching those pennies may raise a few eyebrows. Here are just a few of the money-saving strategies Melecio claims to use.
She gives her kids toys out of the trash
In the clip, Apple and her family are at a playground, and she sees a toy truck that has been abandoned. It’s full of leaves and debris, but she simply shakes it off, handing it to her daughter.
“Kids leave toys all of the time,” she said. “If they’re unclaimed, why not pick them up and take them home, because they’re free.”
Her husband, Victor, points out that the found toy is missing two wheels, but she brushes off his concerns.
She asks other moms for breast milk
In a confessional, Victor admits that Apple became more frugal after giving birth to their daughter, Chloe. “Having a baby made me much more obsessed with saving money,” she confirmed.
One of the most shocking ways she saves money is by getting breast milk from other women. When she was no longer able to produce milk, she began seeking donated breast milk from women she knew, including a friend from her yoga class and coworkers.
According to Melecio, Chloe prefers the milk from her coworker Jessica. “This is her fave — she’ll drink the others, but this is her preference,” she said. Melecio estimated that she’s saved hundreds a month by using donated milk.
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She makes her own wipes and diapers
Wipes and diapers are also two necessities that can begin to add up. So what does Melecio do to cut costs? She makes her own, of course.
Instead of buying baby wipes, she created her own wet wipes by cutting a roll of paper towels in half and soaking them in a self-made cleaning solution. She mostly uses them to clean up spills in the kitchen, but swears that the wipes are “totally reusable, so I use them to wipe Chloe’s bum.”
And she doesn’t stop there.
She showed viewers how she cut up old T-shirts to make her own cloth diapers, and revealed that she saved money on a changing table by getting one from a gas station that was going out of business.
Is there such a thing as too far?
People in the video’s comments section had a lot of strong opinions about the unconventional ways Melecio saved money, with some people even calling her a “cheapskate extreme,” and they weren’t afraid to share them.
“I would NOT give my child someone else’s breast milk,” one person wrote.
“So the lady pays for yoga classes but won’t buy her kid milk or sippy cups. Rrrrrrright,” someone else commented.
“Idk about you guys, but my mom would just change us on the bed…. It’s practically free and easier,” another person shared.
“Why would you wipe your child with a wipe that you used a number of times that’s disgusting,” someone said.
“She is holding that baby changing table with only DUCT TAPE,” another commenter pointed out.
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