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From the cheap seats, it looks pretty good to be a celebrity. You get paid large amounts of money for stuff you do that may or may not be considered important, and nobody blinks an eye if you spend it on something stupid. Most celebrities go through money like it’s water, buying cars, houses, dinosaur skulls ... you name it. But there are a few who pinch pennies like you wouldn’t believe. In this article, we’ll share ten celebrity Scrooges who don’t want to spend a dime of their hard-earned cash.
Sam Worthington
Once you’ve been in one of the most profitable movies of all time, you probably have some cash to spare. But old habits die hard, and Sam Worthington still acts like he’s in poverty. Tabloids report that when Worthington eats out at a fast food restaurant, he always grabs extra condiment packets and takes them home. He also is notorious for being a cheap date and, for a while, he lived in his car. Sure, he’s turned things around since getting ultra-famous, but his recent arrest at an Atlanta nightclub for fighting with a bouncer and claiming to be a DEA agent shows that things are still a little weird there.
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Sarah Jessica Parker
Although she played fashionista Carrie Bradshaw on "Sex and the City," Sarah Jessica Parker doesn’t spend a lot of cash on clothes. That doesn’t mean she eschews fancy items, though — she just swipes them from her movie sets! The actress is famous for taking home wardrobe items, props and more without paying for them. Parker also is notorious for buying clothes from stores and then returning them the next day, and clothes her son James almost exclusively in hand-me-downs. This kind of behavior isn’t surprising when you look at Parker’s past — she was one of eight kids growing up on welfare in Cincinnati.
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Tyra Banks
High fashion isn’t a world for the frugal, but crossover star Tyra Banks didn’t let that change her. Banks wasn’t raised wealthy, so she developed money-saving habits early and she’s made a reputation for being scarily thrifty. Banks has admitted to taking hotel shampoo and soap from her room whenever she travels, and if you were a guest on the "Tyra Banks Show" and didn’t finish your bottle of water in the dressing room, her staff were instructed to write your name on it so it’d be ready for you when you came backstage. At her show’s holiday party, she had catering … from McDonald's. Now that’s cheap.
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Fred MacMurray
Let’s take a trip back in time to show that cheapness isn’t a new thing in Hollywood. Fred MacMurray was one of the most successful television actors of all time, with a career that spanned nearly a half a century. But the "My Three Sons" star didn’t let a single penny escape his grasp, even at the height of his fame. Stories from the set recall MacMurray bringing a brown bag lunch to the set every day, and he was notorious for eating hard-boiled Easter eggs for months after the holiday because he didn’t want to waste them.
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Robert Pattinson
If you’ve starred in some of the most money-making films of the last decade, you’d be expected to spend cash like crazy. But Robert Pattinson isn’t exactly your typical movie star. The British actor has always seemed a little uncomfortable with the trappings of fame, and that goes for his financial dealings as well. When R-Patz needs a new car, he doesn’t go to a BMW dealer — he goes on Craigslist, where he just bought a used Chevy Silverado for $2,500. Even more hilarious, Pattinson even tried to haggle the guy down! Other symptoms of his cheapness include having a month-to-month lease on his apartment and a pay-as-you-go phone.
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Kristen Bell
The former "Veronica Mars" starlet is one of our favorite actresses, and she hasn’t let Hollywood fame go to her head. Bell is just as likely to walk the red carpet in a $45 dress from Target as something from a big-name designer, and she’s been photographed loading up her cart at Costco with discount-priced toilet paper with fiance Dax Shepard. Probably the funniest symptom of Bell’s cheap ways is her addiction to coupons — she once even admitted to stealing Bed, Bath & Beyond discount flyers out of her neighbor’s mailbox.
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Hilary Swank
The "Boys Don’t Cry" actress has a reputation as one of Hollywood’s most frugal shoppers, having gone on record multiple times with her love of coupon clipping. Swank grew up dirt poor in a trailer park, so she understands the value of a dollar, and whenever she goes out shopping she makes sure she has a purse full of coupons to get those discounts. She also shops at Target for huge bulk containers of toilet paper and toothpaste, and after she won her first Oscar she celebrated by a cross-country road trip where she refused to spend more than $30 for a motel room.
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Teri Hatcher
One would think that Teri Hatcher would be cool with spending money, considering she starred on "Desperate Housewives" — one of TV’s most popular shows — for like a billion years. However, Hatcher seems to know that acting careers don’t last forever, especially for women, so she’s saving lots of money by frugality. One of the most notorious aspects of Hatcher’s cheapness is her car policy — she won’t buy a new car until her old one has either 10 years or 10,000 miles on it. However, her cheap habits actually have earned her some derision in Hollywood, like when "Housewives" wrapped and spies on the set reported her taking all of the furniture out of her trailer to sell later.
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Jeremy Piven
Sometimes being a cheapskate doesn’t manifest itself in every aspect of your life. "Entourage" star Jeremy Piven certainly enjoys living the lavish Hollywood lifestyle, driving fancy cars and traveling around the world. But his inner cheapskate came out in 2007 when he had dinner at Matsuhisa in Aspen, the high-end sushi restaurant run by celebrity chef Nobu Matsuhisa. After enjoying a dinner there with 11 other people, guess what jerkish Jeremy left for a tip? A copy of "Entourage’s" first season on DVD. Props to the waiter who got it, as he reportedly chased the cheap-ass actor out of the restaurant and threw it at him. Piven is now banned from all of Nobu’s restaurants.
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Vincent Kartheiser
Perhaps the most notorious celebrity cheapskate ever, the "Mad Men" star makes plenty of money playing Pete Campbell on AMC’s hit show, but you wouldn’t know it by visiting his house. Kartheiser had an epiphany in 2010 and started purging his life of physical possessions — he lives in a tiny bungalow in Los Angeles with barely any furniture. He gave away his toilet and one point had to go over to the neighbors’ to use the bathroom. Up until 2012, Kartheiser didn’t even own a car, instead choosing to take public transit to get around. And that’s a serious commitment in L.A., where even toddlers drive around. He’s also a vegetarian for ecological reasons.
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11 Comments
It's not "cheap" to be environmentally conscious. If Vincent Kartheiser didn't tip properly, never gave gifts, didn't pick up the tab -- that's cheap. But to not spend money on material possessions is a sign of good character and probably good financial sense. Like most actors he has money today but who wants another Marlon Brando or Ed McMahon. So he's the ant and not the grasshopper. Smart move I say.
November 30 2012 at 12:09 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Replyoy vey! horseface is as cartman would say a JOO! so whats the news/
November 30 2012 at 11:55 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyThe only one on this list that I didn't agree with was Jeremy Piven. You don't leave your show's DVD as a tip. Not leaving a monetary tip when you've received good service and had a party of more than 10 makes you a jerk no matter who you are.
November 30 2012 at 9:39 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyAs for the rest, I see absolutely no problem with them spending as little money as possible. They don't want to end up either bankrupt (like a lot of celebs out there have) or having to take any old acting job (no matter how horrid) just to pay the rent. So what if they don't buy new cars? So what if they shop at "normal" places to buy household items? Last time I checked, these people are normal humans who just happen to have jobs that pay more than the average worker receives and they aren't above the rest of us (regardless of the fact that some celebs out there seem to think they are above everything). How about instead of calling them cheap you call them normal?
Sarah Jessica Horseface
November 30 2012 at 7:46 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyI'm sorry, but just because these people have money doesn't mean they need to spend it all on gilded toilet paper... So what an actor buys his car on Craigslist. These people have money, they spend only what they need to and guess what? At the end of the day, they still have money! Now go ask your neighbor with the $40,000/year salary how those two $400/month car payments are adding so much richness to his life... These stars should be seen as role models for fiscal responsibility, not made fun of because they don't subscribe to your twisted sense of consumer fulfillment.
November 30 2012 at 5:51 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyMiss Horseface
November 30 2012 at 1:06 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplySarah Jessica is extremely unattractive and a terrible actress. I absolutely do not understand her appeal. No beauty, no talent, and now we find out,no morals.
November 29 2012 at 10:34 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyI have been a very faithful fan of SJP and think she has a great sense of style, (on set) but off it shows she doesn't care about labels and style at all...I admire her and if she's doing good with her money (college for the kids...all that) than so be it!!! She comes from a huge family and probably values the value of money more than most even if she's rolling in it!
November 29 2012 at 5:52 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyThis article is silly. Old habits die hard. most actors come from backgrounds where they couldn't rub two sticks together, couldn't pay the rent, couldn't buy clothes. So when they finally do get a break and start making money, it doesn't mean they don't understand the value of a dollar. It's actually a good quality to possess especially in this country where spending money has no end.
November 29 2012 at 5:13 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyAll the more for her not to be cheap. People that come from nothing should appreciate their success and not be cheap. Cheapness is despicable especially when people have a decent net worth. If you're really broke and have nothing that is a different story, but when you've made it and know you're secure cheapness should not be part of the equation. Cheap people are sick and sicken me. This does not only apply to super rich people it applies to all cheapskates of all back rounds blue and white collar.
November 30 2012 at 6:31 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyShe has made it to the point where there is no excuse for cheapness . Cheap people are sick. I'm not saying to spend foolishly but to be cheap and miserly is despicable. A successful person should want to be generous to some degree not cheap. If she wants to live her past she should go back to her old neighborhood and live in the same apartment.
November 30 2012 at 6:36 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply