A WOMAN who is so frustratingly cheap that her fiancé broke it off with her is now trying to win him back – but she will still only sleep on used mattresses and sheets.
Appearing on TLC’s Extreme Cheapskates, Monique Lukens is a substitute teacher that earns $2,400 (£1,740) a month but aims to spend only $600 (£435).
While she has saved an impressive amount of cash, her obsession with extreme savings has taken a toll on her love life.
The bargain hunter was with her former partner Josef Dochterman for three years before he walked out on him, and how she wants him back.
“We were going to get married but as of now, she needs to have more balanced priorities,” Josef said.
Monique added: “I have an obsession for cheap things, cheap OCD.”
In an attempt to save cash, Monique usually sleeps on an air mattress, which she blows up using her mouth to save on electricity.
“The things Monique would do to save a quick buck: live in an apartment without a real bed at the moment,” Josef said
“The fact that she won’t take the step to put in real mattresses, that’s one of the real reasons that I broke up with her.
“Monique is my first and only girlfriend so I’m willing to give it a chance.”
The substitute teacher’s obsession with her air mattress is a deal-breaker for Josef but Monique is ready to meet somewhere in the middle.
Josef’s first priority is a bed, so Monique hunted down a variety of places where she could find things for cheap, if not free.
She bought two stained single mattresses for $8 (£6) from a school rummage sale. Due to their awful condition, she bought cuts of fabric from a store to tape over the marks.
While they were originally being sold for $4.50 (£3) apiece, Monique managed to haggle them down to six pieces of fabric for $10.63 (£7.70).
Next, she went to a motel to use some of their old sheets, which she was given for free. This meant she didn’t need to spend $25 (£18) on basic linen.
Everything ended up costing less than $20 (£14.50).
“I know this cheapness runs deep in her and it’ll be a hard thing to overcome but I get the feeling it really does matter to her to take on some of these compromises,” Josef said.
“I think that we might have a chance together.”
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