家具还是家居 纽约抠门女白领:如厕不用纸 食物家俱全靠捡垃圾

纽约抠门女白领:如厕不用纸 食物家俱全靠捡垃圾  

Kate Hashimoto was picking up a few groceries at the Upper West Side Food Emporium when she ran into a friend.
“Hey Kate
you like wraps? Here’s a chicken wrap
’’ her pal said. “But be careful
it’s kind of wet.” They weren’t in the grocery aisle. They were in front of the store
digging through three overflowing trash bins.
Hashimoto Dumpster-dives for all her food
doesn’t use toilet paper or do laundry
and hasn’t bought toiletries in 10 years. She doesn’t have to live this way — she’s an employed CPA.
10年来桥本一直都在垃圾箱里找食物，不用厕纸，不去洗衣店，也没有买过任何化妆品。她其实并不需要这样生活，她是一名有工作的注册会计师。
“I’ve always been frugal
but it was when I was laid off in the dot- crash that I became extreme
” Hashimoto explained.
“No job is guaranteed
so I live as if I could be fired at any time.” Manhattan
she said
is a gold mine for Dumpster divers.
“Consumers in wealthy areas expect their products to be perfect
so upscale stores throw out a lot of items that are still good.
“New York can be the most expensive place to live
but it can also be the least expensive if you know how to work the system.” Hashimoto let The Post spend a day with her learning how to live way below your means.
She lives in Harlem
where she bought a studio in 2010 and paid it off in nine months
but treks down to the Upper West Side three times a week for good
free food.
Her other money-saving methods include using soap to wash herself after using the toilet
taking surveys online to earn gift Cards
participating in medical trials (she got free birth control for 5 years and took part in a herpes vaccine trial for cash)
testing products for free samples
cutting her own hair
washing her clothes while she showers
and running to work to avoid using a MetroCard.
“I was extremely angry about the latest round of subway fare hikes
” she said.
Hashimoto does have her limits. Her furniture is a collection of found freebies — but she won’t take an old mattress for fear of bedbugs
and sleeps instead on used yoga mats.
And she won’t stay in a relationship for free meals.
“I’ve been in a relationship where I stayed because I was getting freebies and gifts
but I got out of it
” she says. “It’s better to be single and Dumpster-diving than to be with someone you can’t stand.”
What Kate Spends Per Month:
On food: $15
On clothing: $0
On toiletries: $0.17 a month on toothpaste
condo: $237
She puts into savings: $4
000
Into 401(k): $1
000
Goal: $250
000 in savings by next year or so