Inspired by this thread
What characters have the most money saved because they don’t seem to be spending it? Howard from Big Bang lives with h8s mothr and obviously isn’t buying a lot of clothes.
House lives in a crappy one room aparmtnet he has had since med school, though he does seem to spend a lot on booze, betting and broads.
Did the Huxtables ever once go on vacation?
Thurston Howell III lives in a hut with no electricity or water or internet or anything
Living below their income??? How much do you think it costs to raise half a dozen children in a huge New York brownstone and send them all to private school and college?
Not to mention taking a cheesy “three hour tour” with the hoi palloi as opposed to just having his own yacht to begin with.
Ebenezer Scrooge.
I think we can close the thread now.
Good answer.
Lots of real-life rich folks have been cited as examples of frugality, but Dickens’ Scrooge does seem to take it farther than any of them.
Mean Mr. Mustard. He sleeps in the park, shaves in the dark (trying to save paper). He doesn’t even buy a wallet for a ten-bob note.
Gonzo Gates from Trapper John M.D. A successful M.D., but he lived in a trailer called the Titantic, because quite frankly it wasn’t in that great a condition, in the parking lot of the hospital.
Chandler Bing in friends. Everytime we see him at work besides the fact that he hates it, it is clear that he has an executive position in a large company and one of some authority. He is stated to be the most well off, and yet he lives in what is a fairly modest flat.
Also he has a multi-millionaire for a mother.
The scientist from the old SF story Compound Interest arguably qualifies, since he basically owns civilization thanks to some time travel shenanigans yet as far as we know lives like a normal person. Of course, he doesn’t actually know he does until after he invents time travel and needs to fund the creation of a very expensive time machine…
Hyman Roth from The Godfather Part II. Bigger than US Steel, lives on a modest suburban ranch style.
Jack Benny
Holdup man “Your money or your life. (pause) Well???”
Benny “I’m thinking, I’m thinking!”
Phil the Bum on Night Court. He was wealthy (or as he put it, “I’m liquid in a number of places”, which got a most eloquent grimace from Dan), but lived as a homeless street person.
George Utley. Although he probably didn’t bring in a high paycheck, his room and board were free for decades.
There was even an episode about it.
The Clampetts on The Beverly Hillbillies. True, they lived in a huge house, but they never even looked in most of the rooms. They never bought anything, had no servants and were more likely to go out and hunt for food than go to the supermarket. Their only extravagance was occassionally letting Mr. Drysdale talk them into taking a trip to New York or someplace.
On the other hand he seems to be spending just as much as Raj, Leonard, & Sheldon on toys, costumes, etc. I’ve always assumed he’s also using certain “professional services” on a regular basis.
Every once in a while here’s a news article about a homeles person worth about a million dollars being found dead.
Another litery character is Silas Marner who has a bunch of gold, loses the gold, and still lives the same.
The Fonz. At one point he owned his repair shop, was part owner of Al’s (after it burned down), and was Dean of Boys at a vocational school. Yet until the very end of the last season he lived above the Cunningham’s garage.
Alan on Two and a Half Men. I do not believe that his divorce settlement was so bad that his ex-wife got the house, the car, and so much alimony that he can’t even afford to pay rent from his income as a chiropractor - and she keeps the alimony even when their son’s living with Alan. Yeah, he’s supposed to be a tight-arse, but he’s also supposed to be too poor to pay rent.