Victoria Hunt, ‘Extreme Cheapskates’ Star, Urinates In Bottle And Eats From Dumpster To Save Money ~ The Huffington Post
“Eeew! This chick is insane!” That was my initial reaction to learning Victoria Hunt, a 51-year old, Columbus, Ohio resident, uses an empty jar as a mobile commode to save a couple of bucks on her monthly water bill.
But as I dug deeper into the story, I started to see Ms. Hunt as a role model of sorts. After all, she’s a millionaire who amassed enough financial wealth to retire at the tender perimenopausal age of 48.
And despite engaging in behavior widely viewed as disgusting by inhabitants of the industrialized world, Ms. Hunt isn’t just some lonely ol’ hag who fights off rodents for discarded produce. She’s in a romantic relationship.
If June, of Honey Boo Boo fame, and a woman who encapsulates pee can attract a man, there’s hope for the rest of us still.
Of course, The Huffington Post chose a headline that would evoke a strong reaction from readers.
If you can look past the bodily fluids and trash food, you might discover a few of Ms. Hunt’s not-so-cringeworthy, wealth building tips that you can work into your life such as
- tracking expenses
- living in a modest sized home,
- driving a car to the end of its lifespan,
- eating home-grown food,
- showering at the gym, or
- running the refrigerator for only twelve hours a day.
I’m sure a lot of people would find the aforementioned acts too extreme. Unfortunately, if you want to accomplish big goals, you have to make big sacrifices.
You may not know this about me (and hopefully you can’t tell), but I don’t like to write.
I spend hours trying to weave together a few coherent sentences decent enough to withstand possible criticism of internet trolls. The whole exercise is a mentally taxing activity for me, and most days, I frickin’ hate it.
Maybe you wonder, “Why write if you dislike it so much?” It’s simple really. The product is worth the process. I may not love to write, but I love what I write.
Consider this. I’ve never heard one mother describe child-birth as anything other than an excruciatingly painful experience. Yet countless moms, human and nonhuman, love the innocent babes who ripped out of their loins, punching and biting, more than I love Peruvian rotisserie chicken dipped in extra jalapeño sauce.
Yes, the process is a pain in the hoo-hoo, but boy, look at the product!
That’s how I feel about writing. And I’m sure that’s how a lot of eventual millionaires felt about the tough choices they made each day to achieve financial freedom.
These days, Ms. Hunt relishes frugality; however, she indicated that, early on, peers mocked her weird money saving tactics.
I wonder how many of Ms. Hunt’s peers, who are stuck in their miserable jobs for the next 15 plus years, are still laughing at her.
Ideally, we’ll all land jobs we want to work until we’re physically or mentally incapable of performing. But I can’t knock someone who found a way to live fully in the present while investing for the future.
What “extreme” habits do you practice in order to save money?
Shawanda Greene is a free thinking, frugal gal whose only vices are boxed wine, lip balm and money grubbing. You can find more of Shawanda's musings at 
@Shawanda Greene, loved your article! You are fantastic writer, keep the good articles coming.
Looks like she’s got breast implants to me. I wonder if she payed for those?
“perimenopausal” ? “lonely ol’ hag” wow…..that’s some pretty sexist language!
I haven’t watched the new season yet but I certainly look forward to it. I agree that sometimes to get where we want to get we have to sacrifice. We have sacrificed since we were younger yet still managed to save money. Not as extreme as she has by any means but mortgage free and debt free in our early 30’s is not so bad I guess. Great post. Cheers Mr.CBB Canadianbudgetbinder
Interesting… I find these a bit extreme, but have absolutely no problem with her doing it. People throw out so much food, it’s ridiculous! Sometimes my roommate makes food and she’s like “want some? If not it’s just going in the green bin” and I feel smugly superior.
But even more interesting is that you don’t like to write. Imagine there are two versions of you: one that is you, and the other one (your evil twin) is the same as you but is passionate about writing. You’ll think of writing as a bit of a chore, and she’ll enjoy it, and eventually your writing will keep improving but hers will improve more. (Don’t get me wrong – you’re a good writer! Writing is just something that everyone has room to improve.) Just a thought, that maybe you have the option between being a good writer or a great ____ (something you really like doing), and there’s only a finite amount of time in your life. I mean, still write, but never feel like you have to write at times when you don’t want to. I don’t know if I’m making any sense here.
Very interesting! Thanks for sharing.
Thing is, I would much rather find some small part-time job somewhere in exchange for the minor conveniences of… like plumbing and such. Lol. But it’s all a matter of our individual values systems, isn’t it!
Hmm, to each their own, I suppose. I mean as long as she’s fine with living that way and she’s not hurting anyone, then it shouldn’t matter what anyone thinks. But the peeing in a bottle thing? I just can’t get past it!
That’s crazy. But pretty awesome. She believes in saving money and is willing to go after it. Awesome. Screw what other people think. One thing we do in our family is flush the toilet every other use, instead of every time. Saves us half the water!
And I thought my mum was extreme for not flushing all the time!