Today's Question Blog

Have you made a money-saving choice that you regret?

Costco customer
A customer pushes his shopping cart through a Costco store in San Francisco, Calif. Costco hopes getting a mortgage through the big box retailer will bring more customers into the store for the things they'll need to furnish those homes. Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

TLC's reality show ,"Extreme Cheapskates," showcases people who go to, well, extremes to save money. There's the woman who refuses to spend money doing laundry, so she uses a free sample of detergent and her time in the shower to give her clothes a cleaning of sorts. And then, there's the couple who, as self-described cheapskates, decided to bestow a crib found in a dumpster unto their unborn daughter," writes Candace Manriquez at Marketplace.

There is quite a difference between cheap and frugal, according to Daryl Paranada, a reporter for MyBankTracker.com, the differences are pretty clear.

"Frugality means you're conscious about how you use and spend your hard-earned money," Paranada says. "Being cheap means you want to spend the least amount of money possible, no matter what. And that's not always the best approach to spending money. There are times when being cheap just isn't smart."

Many people try to save money when making home improvements by doing it themselves, but Paranada says that when undertaking home improvement projects, going the cheap route is not the way to go.

"Before you take out the hammers and you start a DIY project for your house, you should ask yourself three questions," he says. "First, do I know what I'm doing? Could I hurt myself or my house? And finally, is it worth my time?"

Today's Question: Have you made a money-saving choice that you regret?