# What TV/movie/other fictional character live most under their incomes? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 1, 2010, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-movie-other-fictional-character-live-most-under-their-incomes/552249 "2010-09-01T13:15:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-movie-other-fictional-character-live-most-under-their-incomes/552249/1 "2010-09-01T13:15:38Z")
Inspired by [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=12865028&posted=1#post12865028) 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. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-movie-other-fictional-character-live-most-under-their-incomes/552249/2 "2010-09-01T13:57:55Z")
Did the Huxtables ever once go on vacation? ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-movie-other-fictional-character-live-most-under-their-incomes/552249/3 "2010-09-01T14:17:28Z")
Thurston Howell III lives in a hut with no electricity or water or internet or anything ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-movie-other-fictional-character-live-most-under-their-incomes/552249/4 "2010-09-01T14:34:00Z")
> [@Tom\_Scud](#): > > Did the Huxtables ever once go on vacation? 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? ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-movie-other-fictional-character-live-most-under-their-incomes/552249/5 "2010-09-01T14:47:54Z")
> [@PSXer](#): > > Thurston Howell III lives in a hut with no electricity or water or internet or anything Not to mention taking a cheesy “three hour tour” with the hoi palloi as opposed to just having his own yacht to begin with. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-movie-other-fictional-character-live-most-under-their-incomes/552249/6 "2010-09-01T14:49:54Z")
Ebenezer Scrooge. I think we can close the thread now. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-movie-other-fictional-character-live-most-under-their-incomes/552249/7 "2010-09-01T14:59:16Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-movie-other-fictional-character-live-most-under-their-incomes/552249/8 "2010-09-01T16:07:14Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![ZPG\_Zealot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e47c2d/32.png) [@ZPG\_Zealot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZPG_Zealot)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-movie-other-fictional-character-live-most-under-their-incomes/552249/9 "2010-09-01T16:17:57Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-movie-other-fictional-character-live-most-under-their-incomes/552249/10 "2010-09-01T16:18:36Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-movie-other-fictional-character-live-most-under-their-incomes/552249/11 "2010-09-01T16:25:05Z")
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… ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-movie-other-fictional-character-live-most-under-their-incomes/552249/12 "2010-09-01T16:31:56Z")
Hyman Roth from The Godfather Part II. Bigger than US Steel, lives on a modest suburban ranch style. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-movie-other-fictional-character-live-most-under-their-incomes/552249/13 "2010-09-01T16:58:13Z")
Jack Benny Holdup man “Your money or your life. (pause) Well???” Benny “I’m thinking, I’m thinking!” ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-movie-other-fictional-character-live-most-under-their-incomes/552249/14 "2010-09-01T17:06:18Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-movie-other-fictional-character-live-most-under-their-incomes/552249/15 "2010-09-01T17:13:32Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-movie-other-fictional-character-live-most-under-their-incomes/552249/16 "2010-09-01T20:58:07Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-movie-other-fictional-character-live-most-under-their-incomes/552249/17 "2010-09-01T23:04:02Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Inspired by [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=12865028&posted=1#post12865028) > > 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… 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. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-movie-other-fictional-character-live-most-under-their-incomes/552249/18 "2010-09-02T14:26:19Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > 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. 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](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silas_Marner) who has a bunch of gold, loses the gold, and still lives the same. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-movie-other-fictional-character-live-most-under-their-incomes/552249/19 "2010-09-02T14:45:43Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-movie-other-fictional-character-live-most-under-their-incomes/552249/20 "2010-09-02T15:36:51Z")
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. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-movie-other-fictional-character-live-most-under-their-incomes/552249.md?page=2)