What do you consider your most frugal act of 2012?

[laundry_queen]

14. This is going to sound monumentally ridiculous

but living with my parents and not paying rent.

I'll try to make a long story short - when my husband left me with 4 kids, my parents coaxed me to come live with them. Promised to pay tuition for me to go back to school. Promised no rent. Promised to co-sign a mortgage once I was ready to be on my own. Promised to furnish my new place (my parents are well-off. They CLEAR 6 figures). Once I got there, they decided to charge a large rent (as big as my mortgage) and then kicked me out after 5 months. I had to rent a place at an exhorbitant rate as they refused to help me buy a place. They also didn't pay any of my tuition, I had to pay it all. I struggled (luckily I do get spousal and child support).

My parents are dysfunctional and likely (according to my daughter's therapist - yes she required therapy after living with them) narcissistic. After all that I pulled away from them and put up boundaries. This means they had to find a way to lure me back in, so they helped me finally, after 3 years, buy a home. Well, it was a new build and of course it was delayed. My landlord wasn't very accomodating, so I moved back in with my parents (armed with techniques and other ways of dealing with narcissism and protecting my kids). I didn't want to, but it turned out to be a great decision. I was able to, thanks to that therapist, stay there mostly problem free. I didn't offer to pay rent and they didn't ask for it. I was able to save up a lot of money so I have tuition for the next year or so, and enough to paint the kids' rooms and get some furniture that was sorely lacking(I'm also getting a bunch free from my brother and from friends). Now that I'm in my new, very energy efficient home (my 2nd most frugal act) I'm glad I made that decision.

So for my 2nd most frugal act - my new duplex has spray foam insulation, a tankless hot water heater, a new type of furnace that is extremely energy efficient (better than the highest efficiency natural gas forced air furnaces) and comes with CFL bulbs everywhere and energy efficient appliances. I have my own yard (no condo fees, fully landscaped by the builder - with fence! - once spring is here) so I'll be able to have a garden now and save even more money Plus, my mortgage is $200/month less than my rent was.